Total Shop 15-6 Planer

[firefighter ontheside]

I'm gonna pick up this planer.  I've been wanting to bet a bigger planer for slabs.  Of course this is only 2" bigger than my Dewalt, but I think I will do some skip planing with this and then final dimensions with my Dewalt.  I've gotta do a lot of planing to make flooring for my bedroom and I think this will be good to help make that go faster.  It's only $250 and a few hour drive.  I told the guy I sell wood and he wants a few of my red oak slabs with burl, so I won't pay much for the planer after that.  I believe the planer is a clone of the Delta 380 planer.

 

[Old Greenhorn]

That is EXACTLY what it is, nice find at a great price!

[firefighter ontheside]

Someday I would like an even bigger planer, but that will require a bigger shop.  So I'll take baby steps and use this for a while.  It comes with a new unused set of knives too.

[firefighter ontheside]

I picked up the planer this morning.  It is a heavy beast.  The guy was running it on 120v, but the original shipping paper that he had says 5hp.  The info plate is worn off of the motor so I cannot confirm anything.  From the size of it though, it wouldn't surprise me that it is 5hp.  If that is the case, how was it running on 120?  Even if it works, doesn't seem like a good idea.

[Don P]

The motor on my DC380 was different than that, a 2-3HP 240volt. When I let the magic smoke out I stuck a 5 on it, what a difference. If you're lucky there might be wiring info under the junction box cover on that motor. I find it hard to believe that is a 120V.

Check the gearbox oil, crank it up/open and there should be fill and drain plug on the gearbox on the right side. Also worth taking off that right hand cover and checking the feed chains/sprockets for slop/wear. I had to get a new pinion gear for the end of the cutterhead that drives the gearbox a couple of years go, The DC380 is out of support but the similar Grizzly planer part fit. There are several brands that I think were rolling off the same lines.

[firefighter ontheside]

I was planning on draining the oil and taking off the cover to inspect the gears.  In searching about Total Shop tools, I found one poster somewhere who said that Grizzly had bought the Total Shop brand.  Apparently Total Shop also had a Shopsmith knockoff.

[Larry]

At one time Geetech, a machine factory in Taiwan was making lots of machines for Grizzly, Powermatic, Jet, and anybody else that had money.  They even had there own brand.  Other than paint, and maybe a little extra chrome, the machines were about the same.  A lot of the business moved to China factories for cost reasons.

I ran one of those planers for a while.  The only thing I noticed was you need to lock the head or it can raise in the cut.  Especially with dull knives or around knots.

I doubt if it had a 5 hp motor motor, especially one that runs on 120V's.  They were made, but years ago and they were huge motors.

[metalspinner]

" Someday I would like an even bigger planer, but that will require a bigger shop."

And the bigger shop will require bigger tools. Then the bigger tools will require an even bigger shop. Then the bigger...🤣🤣

[firefighter ontheside]

Yes, its a vicious cycle, but I love it.

[firefighter ontheside]

I did some cleaning and maintenance on the planer yesterday.  I removed the knives to take them for sharpening.  I cleaned up the posts and greased the threaded rods.  I adjusted the roller bars in the bed.  They were way off.  I drained and refilled the gear box oil.  That was some ugly sludge that came out.  I opened up the wiring box on the side of the motor and this is what I found.  A black, a white and a red coming from the switch box.  I'll open up the switch box today.  The motor has 2 start capacitors.  There was nothing in the box about changing the wiring for 240.  Maybe the switch does.