There's an auction on Apr. 18 in my neck of the woods with a circle mill, farm equipment, etc. I don't really need a second sawmill but that doesn't mean I wouldn't toss a bid! There's an old belt-driven planer that interests me, but I don't know how I'd power it - I don't have any belt drives/transmission. Is there an easy way to adapt it to pto? The best part of this sale is that it's only 10 miles from home. "Danger, Will"!! Here are a few pics:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33820/IMG_2479.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33820/IMG_2481.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33820/IMG_2482.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33820/IMG_2480.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33820/20150326_142022.jpg)
Any ideas about what the mill and planer should fetch?
Jason
Quote from: Babylon519 on April 10, 2015, 09:32:12 AM
Any ideas about what the mill and planer should fetch?
It depends on how many serious bidders there are and just how serious they are ;) ;D :)
Should be easy enough to hook a PTO shaft to the planer.
Just a SWAG from what I have seen in recent years. If the planer has square heads, $300-$400. Round cutter heads, $600-$800. The mill looks like $3000-$4000, depending on spare head saws and other accessories. Regards, Clark
The whole operation won't bring much, as no one wants circle mills anymore. 30-40 years ago lots of folks did, but that was before the portable band sawmill, which is easier to use and much safer. Look for this mill to go c-h-e-a-p unless you have a bunch of Amish that want it, but they know that manual circle mills go c-h-e-a-p. Check out prices at SawMillExchange.com. They have a bunch of manual mill listed and they are c-h-e-a-p!!!
First circular mill I ran was being sold at auction after the old fellaw died, so I went to talk to his son couple weeks before the sale offered him 5K as I knew it to be a good mill. He turned me down said he would take his chances thought he would get more that way,I could not attend found out he took 8 hundred from scrap dealer for it, too bad as was a good set up.
Quote from: hacknchop on April 11, 2015, 12:24:46 AM
First circular mill I ran was being sold at auction after the old fellaw died, so I went to talk to his son couple weeks before the sale offered him 5K as I knew it to be a good mill. He turned me down said he would take his chances thought he would get more that way,I could not attend found out he took 8 hundred from scrap dealer for it, too bad as was a good set up.
:( Too proud to reach-out and say "I made a mistake, are you still interested" such a shame.
DGDrls
To bad the boy was not as sharp as the saw. ;)
Quote from: Peter Drouin on April 11, 2015, 07:32:41 AM
To bad the boy was not as sharp as the saw. ;)
:D :D :D :D :D :D
That planer sure looks neat. Sealark37 is right about the cutterhead. If it has a square cutterhead, the knives are much harder to find. Also try to wiggle the cutterhead to see what shape the babbitt bearings are in. There should be some shims (usually a few layers of thick paper) under the upper babbitt bearing caps. If the shims are still there, the bearings are likey still in decent shape. Make sure it hasn't had the bearings greased. Planer babbitt is high speed babbitt and should be lubricated with oil.
Quote from: WH_Conley on April 10, 2015, 12:51:53 PM
Should be easy enough to hook a PTO shaft to the planer.
PTO is 540 rpm while the old tractor drive belt systems are 1100-1300 +/-.
Quote from: azmtnman on April 11, 2015, 11:48:05 AM
Quote from: WH_Conley on April 10, 2015, 12:51:53 PM
Should be easy enough to hook a PTO shaft to the planer.
PTO is 540 rpm while the old tractor drive belt systems are 1100-1300 +/-.
the planer appears to have a jack shaft so the input might be set up for 540 rpm. You will need to do some calculations on pulley sizes.
Well PTO speeds depend on the tractor model. MOST rear PTO shafts do turn at 540 rpms when your engine rpms are at peak HP. (There is a little mark on the tachometer to show you.) However tractors equipped with Mid PTO's can spin at 1000 or even higher. I have Kubotas, and they have an optional high speed available for the rear PTO which will put you up to 1000RPM.s. In the event that your tractor does not have this option available or will cost a ridiculous amount of money, you can purchase a small gear box that would double your pto shaft speed.
Thanks for the replies. I went to a preview of the auction today. HJ, it has the square cutter head with 2 blades. One is in good shape, the other has some nicks. There's no grease present, and everything turns/rolls/moves smoothly, with precision and no noticeable play. The belts aren't great, but the tensioner and height adjustment all work. The feed roller is rusty. I wonder if there should be a cowling to cover the gears and belts - looks dangerous without it.
The sawmill is gorgeous. It's about 48' long, 12' sled, 55" blade and an extra one. Well maintained and used up till recently; lots of lumber around to prove how it cuts. Anyway, I think it's more saw than I'd want. I hope they get a good price for it.
"I think it's more saw than I'd want." Ain't no such thing!!!! :D
Quote from: tmarch on April 11, 2015, 10:37:32 PM
"I think it's more saw than I'd want." Ain't no such thing!!!! :D
This is true, but "I think it's more saw than I want to move and set up" might come to mind.
Here's an update from that sale last weekend. I ended up getting the two main things I was after: the antique planer and a 84" snowblower for the tractor. The auctioneer started his 'ask' for the the planer at $500. Nobody spoke, so I started the bidding at $50. Nobody spoke again, so I got it for $50! We moved over to the snowblower and the auctioneer tried to get it started at $700. Nobody spoke up, so I offered $50 again. This time there was another bidder, but I ended up with it for $130. I went to that sale with $1000 cash, and came home with $800 plus two toys. Pretty good day. The sawmill brought a respectable $5,500, but I think the buyer was only lukewarm: when the gavel came down he muttered to himself, "Oops"!
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/33820/20150326_142022.jpg)
This planer probably dates to the 1910s. Embossed in the casting is "A. Jardine, Hespeler ONT" - this was a manufacturer of dies, threaders, drill presses and tire changers in a town about 80 miles east of me. So far, I haven't been able to dig up any references to this machine either from the company's archives or from the internet. Everything's intact and nothing's seized - that's a good start - but I'm going to have to educate myself about belt drives, pulley ratios etc., and then find a way to power it. Looks like the easiest way is to get a PTO attachment with a belt pulley and then find a belt. My rough calculation is that I would need about an 11" drive pulley @540 rpm to run the 5.5" driven pulley on the planer. That would get the knives up to about 2000 rpm, which I'm told would be about right. Sure would be happy to hear any thoughts you fellas might have. ??? Thanks, Jason
Be very careful and particular with the square-head cutter bars. They are dangerous for the unwary and quite unforgiving if you get in the way. Regards, Clark