Need info on planer.

welderskelter · November 17, 2020, 11:48:13 PM

I bought a planer years ago and know nothing about one. It has 2 brackets on the opposite side from drive pulley that looks like an inch and a quarter pipe might slide into. Have no idea what they are for. Also on the ends of the planer there are two bolt brackets on the very top that have short bolts in them to adjust something. Hope the pictures help. Also I think it is a belsaw planer but cant find anything exactly like it on the internet. It only has 2 blades in the cutter. As you can see even though the pic is a bit blurry, they are bigger than most and they must have slots in them. Just thought some old timers might have some info on it. I just about got it ready to try out so will be making smooth boards soon hopefully.Harold

Ljohnsaw · November 18, 2020, 12:29:57 AM

The pipe things may be mounts for additional power feed heads? Did you remove the cover? If not, maybe the cover fits in there? Looks way to dangerous to run without a cover! I know on my old Belsaw, when it hits a knot and launches it, it hits the cover with a pretty loud BANG!

Looks like you have two motors on that one. One for the blade and the other for the feed? My feed runs off the blade spindle through the gears. What HP motors are on there?

Also, you will either need to put a good finish and fully wax the plywood or replace with some metal (and wax it) if you want the wood to side along!

kantuckid · November 18, 2020, 09:02:11 AM

I'll 2nd the cover comment! Actually made me cringe a bit to see the head uncovered and the gears exposed.
Having never owned a Belsaw planer there are many of them out there for sure and bound to be much web info on them, especially on a woodworking forum.
Knowing what I do know about planers I'd steer clear of most old ones especially the multi-ton behemoths that came out of millwork shops long ago as they ask for way too much power and space for a home shop.
Belsaw planers to my thinking will not produce the results of more modern multi blade planers which can be bought for not so much, like Shop Fox, etc.. Same for some of those old Parks planers that were really common in home shops. HF has sold some that work OK but parts are an issue after some time. A local guy sold HF returned machines by the truckload and I fought around with a planer I'd bought from him for a couple of years before the Taiwan one I have had for maybe 25 years now. It is a serious machine in a home shop situ..

welderskelter · November 18, 2020, 11:46:00 AM

Relax guys. I wont run it without a cover. Got to manufacture one. The motors I think must be a one hp. And maybe a two hp. Not sure on that as I didnt see a tag on the big one. Had to take it apart and clean it out as it had acorns that fell out as you rolled it over by hand. Wonder where they came from. ha. Never had a planer but thats why I am here is to save me some time learning. What kind of wax? They dont put the wax paper in the bread sacks like when I was a kid or I would use one of them to rub on there. I know they would sure make your but slide down the slipper slide. Ha. Would liquid wax like for the kitchen floor work?A woman had this thing in a woodworking shop that just made dodads and what nots. She said she only thing she didnt like about it was at the end of the board it would make a dip in the wood. I have found the problem with that as the ends of the platform were bent down slightly , got the boards shimmed up now. Will see how that works. Thanks for your help and concern. Harold

Ljohnsaw · November 18, 2020, 02:12:26 PM

For wax, you would use a paste wax - sometimes called Bowling Alley Wax. Comes in a yellow (Johnson&Johnson) or light tan (Treewax) short, wide can with a pop off lid - like a paint can. Smear it on, let it dry, buff it out. I use it on ALL my metal tools - powered and hand.

The dip in the wood is called snipe. As it exits, if the unsupported board end drops down, pushing the end still in the planer up, then it cuts deeper. Likewise on feeding in. The bed under the knife head and the feed tables all need to be in the same plane. Also, the feed rollers need to be adjusted for the right down pressure - not too much, not too little. Does it have rollers on the table below the knives or just flat metal?

If you can't get rid of the snipe and you know its gonna snipe, make your boards longer than necessary and trim that off before using.

welderskelter · November 18, 2020, 02:50:40 PM

Thanks ljohnsaw. There are 2 or 3 rollers under the knives.Harold

Ljohnsaw · November 18, 2020, 08:35:45 PM

There is a really good thread from a couple weeks ago. If I could remember what it was called, I'd link it here. I *think* @tule peak timber or maybe @YellowHammer that described how to dial in a thickness planer, adjusting the rollers on the bed, the knives, etc. Hmm, or maybe it was a jointer - or that in addition. I've got a great memory, just short :

My recollection is the rollers should just barely be above the bed (softwoods) to flush (hardwoods).

YellowHammer · November 18, 2020, 09:30:24 PM

Here's the thread on the jointer:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=112635.msg1766410#msg1766410

For a planer, 90% of the time, snipe is caused by an improperly adjusted pressure bar, assuming the planer has one. I can't tell from the picture. The purpose of the pressure bar is to support the piece of wood inside the planer when it clears the indeed roller so the tail of the board does not come up into the cutter head causing snipe. Many of the smaller planers don't have a pressure bar, but its a crucial part of the higher end planers.

tule peak timber · November 18, 2020, 09:43:03 PM

Spot on .I will never admit what happens to my planers here..... :D

tule peak timber · November 18, 2020, 09:56:55 PM

Harold, I reread your original post and have to ask is your your real goal to produce smooth boards or honor the history of the piece of iron. Time , money.......I shouldn't be printing this....

welderskelter · November 19, 2020, 10:24:45 AM

Yeah tpt I do a lot of that iron honoring. I see a tool that says Made in U.S.A. and I go nuts. I cant afford a new one from HF. And probably wouldnt buy it anyway. If I can make this one work for what I need for a few nuts and bolts and a few shots of grease. I will be grinning from ear to ear. Know what I mean. I enjoy old iron more than I would enjoy one that come over here on a boat.

tule peak timber · November 19, 2020, 10:33:31 AM

Understood,not a bad addiction to feed.......

YellowHammer · November 19, 2020, 01:04:59 PM

One of the main reasons I'm a litttle leery of the older stuff was that safety devices weren't much of a concern.

Kickbacks, boards shooting out, etc were not fun, whereas the newer stuff has more seatbelts. I personally shot a piece of wood halfway though a metal garage door once with one of my tools. I remember I was looking at an old Straight Line Rip Saw years ago and made some comment to the owner that it looked like it could do some "damage." I meant that it would process wood in a hurry but he thought I meant something else. So he said "Naw, it's only put two people in the hospital." :D

tule peak timber · November 19, 2020, 01:27:47 PM

Bingo,,,My SLR was built in 1919....We don't stand upstream from it !

Andries · November 19, 2020, 02:23:12 PM

My jointer was built in 1919 as well.

I really enjoy the restoration of a machine that weighs as much as a large ship anchor, but . . . .
It's got to be a proven design with a pedigree. This Yates has a round head cutter.
Example: a 'square head' (not German) cutter will send a piece of hardwood through a door. It'll do that when it wants to, without pitching a hissy fit. It'll just do it.
The new SCM and CANTEK machines that are sold today will be tomorrow's classics for a good reason. They're well designed and built. . . and in 75 years someone will restore it to spec.