Author Topic: Old Cresent 26” planer? (Read 740 times)

JRWoodchuck · « **on:** November 14, 2019, 06:08:17 PM »

Looking at a 100 ish year old Cresent 26” planer that was line driven. Needs some love but the price seems alright. Anything I should be concerned about or what should I be looking for?

muggs · « **Reply #1 on:** November 14, 2019, 09:02:06 PM »

Is it babbit bearing? Is it square head or round head?

Southside · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2019, 10:30:49 PM »

Have you paid your health insurance deductible in full for the year yet?

JRWoodchuck · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2019, 10:32:01 PM »

I would guess Babbitt and square. But not 100%.

JRWoodchuck · « **Reply #4 on:** November 14, 2019, 10:33:14 PM »

Does a planer of that type come with a health risk?

Southside · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2019, 10:49:12 PM »

Well, aside from all of the entanglement potential due to all of those un-guarded gears and the belt, square head planers were notorious for throwing material both back at the operator and forward to the outfeed, more than a few 2x4's went through walls from them. Yes one can guard them, but you don't want to be around a square head machine when it's running. It's just old technology, at the time it was amazing, today there are better options IMHO.

Dan_Shade · « **Reply #6 on:** November 15, 2019, 04:49:04 AM »

It may not have anti-kickback safety features.

Newer planers have safer in feed rollers (segmented), which makes running more than one board at a time safer.

I'm not sure how dangerous the old planers are, but a few searches on square cutter heads will highlight some of the risks.

muggs · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2019, 05:09:35 PM »

I received a badly broken arm from a planer like that.(kick-back) I would not want to be in the same room with it.

petefrom bearswamp · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2019, 05:25:15 PM »

Sounds like BEWARE

ljohnsaw · « **Reply #9 on:** November 16, 2019, 07:58:23 PM »

OK, so stay away from square heads. With such a machine, is it worthwhile to convert to a spiral head? Is it doable?

low_48 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 17, 2019, 10:52:08 PM »

Possible, yes, practical no. Problems with bearings and motor mount engineering, and impossible to get a replacement gear if one should happen to be cracked.

TW · « **Reply #11 on:** November 18, 2019, 06:48:16 AM »

The good thing with hose old planers is that they are comparably easy to repair. Pretty much any part can be repaired or remade using a metal lathe and a metal shaper. Parts that fit together are often designed in such a way that once worn out they can be scraped to fit like new.
Pouring new babbitt bearings and scraping them to fit isn't very difficult. I have done it successfully on my rip saw using scrapers I had forged myself.

However there is one mayor downside and that is SAFETY.
Personally I refuse to have anything to do with square heads. I think this is a reasonable precaution just because i like to live. A new cutterhead is unfortunately a bit costly and making a new set of anti-kickback pawls to retrofit an old machine is rather laborious........ so..... if you wand a safe machine be prepared to spend some significant time and money on modernizing it.

Quebecnewf · « **Reply #12 on:** December 20, 2019, 09:55:22 PM »

Get it . Rebuild it . Get help from Owwm site . I rebuilt an old square head planer . Designed a anti kickback system for it . These old planers are great for trueing up rough green lumber .

Pics in my gallery

Quebecnewf

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