Sprucing up an old Belsaw planer

[DanG]

Last fall, I bought an old Belsaw planer/molder for a good price, but it was needing some TLC.  Last week, I finally got around to ordering some new rollers and knives for it, so I installed them this weekend.  I don't know what got into me, as I would ordinarily let them lay about for several months.  Maybe I should seek counseling. :  Anyway, I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  Changing the rollers wasn't as tough as it looked.  I just drove the old one out with a ½" socket extension, so it kept the sprockets lined up, then pushed the extension out with the new roller shaft.  Piece o' cake.   

The old knives musta been in there since Choleoptera was cruising Denial with Groucho Marx's brother Anthony!  They were as dull as the backside of a butter knife, too.  The gibs were stuck so bad I was afraid to pound on them hard enough to get them loose, so I called Belsaw for advice.  Their guy assured me it would be ok, so I used my trusty ½" socket extension for a driver and gave it a good whack with a ball pein hammer.  End of problem.  One of the jack screws is frozen up, but I just set the rest of'em to that same level and let'r ride.

I did quite a bit of wire brush work on the table, then hit it with a coat of Johnson's Paste Wax.  I should have cleaned it better before the wax, because the boards are picking up black smudges from the residue. :-\  I'll have to strip it and do that part over again.

Here's the test board, a Sweetgum 1x6 that was laying around the shop.  The planer had no trouble taking a 1/16" cut from it, even with the little 1hp motor it came with.  I had run a pine 1x4 through first, but the planer didn't know it was in there. ;D



I had the planer bed all the way down during the repairs, and it didn't take long to figger out that the old hand crank was not my friend.  I plundered in the tool box for a minute and came up with an old 5/8 Taiwanese socket that I could easily spare.  A couple of minutes with the angle grinder turned it into a useful tool. ;D





The drill trick worked surprisingly well.  At first, I used an air ratchet, but decided to give the drill a try.  It really zips the bed up and down in a hurry!  It is too quick for fine adjustments, so I'll still use the hand crank unless I need to make a major move.

I think I'm gonna like this planer.  It is such a step up from the little Ryobi, I'm almost speechless, as you can tell. : :D :D

[beenthere]

Lookin DanG good, DanG.

I like that tool idea you had too. 

[woodmills1]

interesting...I started with a ryobi 10 inch and upgraded to a belsaw, though mine has a 5 horse baldor 220 on it.

I would try to free up the jack screw.  I had a gib come loose and let the blade creep up and break.  The gibs are also avaliable.   wait till you use it to mold.

[DanG]

I'm on the lookout for a bigger motor, but I'm surprised how well it works with the 1 horse.

[Fla._Deadheader]

      A NON-cogitatin project 

  Whooda thunk it  : :D :D :D :D :D :D

  there is a product out there, that comes in a spray can. I've seen it used with a plastic "steel wool" looking pad. It cleans those tables LIKE NEW.  As usual, can't remember the name. I know places like Woodcraft carry it.

  Do you have any idea what the slot in the top of the shroud is for ???  I'm thinking chip removal ??? ???

[DanG]

Don't get too excited, Harold.  I done plenty of cogitatin' before I ordered the parts. :D :D   After all, the thing's been sitting there for almost a year!

I think the slot must have been for a dust collection system.

[brdmkr]

Looking good.  I bought a table saw that had a good bit of rust on it.  I sprayed it down with WD40 and used a scotchbrite pad on a ROS and it cleaned up pretty well.  There were some pits of course, but the surface rust was pretty easy to remove. 

[wesdor]

An auction coming up in our area has a Belsaw Planer/ Sander listed.  I'm looking to purchase a planer, but have no idea what this should be worth. 

I know that not knowing the condition is a major problem here, but let's just suppose that it is in good condition.  Anybody willing to hazard a guess as to what it should be worth?

[Larry]

Somewhere between $50 and $600 would be in the ball park.  If you can't run it or throughly check it out prices will on the lower end.  About the only fatal problem is the arbor bearing on the drive side.  Sometimes they will spin on the arbor and wallow out the casting.  Pull the drive belts off and see if there is any play on that side.  Everything else is fixable at not to great of expense.

Go through all the little dirty boxes at the auction place.  Your looking for moulding knives, and or parts for the Belsaw.  I was at an auction while back where the Belsaw went way to high for my budget, but I got over a $1,000 of knives for...$3.  There is also a chain gear to speed them up to 20 FPM.

I guess location also plays into the price.  Kansas City was Belsaw headquarters.  They sold a lot of small circle mills and many more planers.

Later models with the square hood are a little more desirable as they have an improved chipbreaker.  A lot of them were sold without motors...so that could be anything.  The planers sold under the Craftsman badge I think, usually came with a 5 HP Marathon motor.  I've seen some from Belsaw with 5 HP Baldor motors.  Also a few with 3 HP motors.  A good magnetic switch is also a plus.

That slot on DanG's machine has to be for dust collection...ala the Woodmaster model.  I bet it would work...just block off the rear with a plate to force the chips through the top.

Got one of the old dogs in intensive care right now.  About the only thing left to complete the job is a little paint.

[wesdor]

Thanks for the many details, Larry.  Those are some excellent things for me to check out.  And thanks for the tip on the knives and other stuff in small boxes.

I'll look it over very carefully and report back regarding how it sells.  I haven't seen it yet, and the sale bill only says Belsaw Planer / Sander. 

When I have time, I like to go to sales and look for bargains.   Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of free time, but this sale is on a day I don't work.