Wood Planer Restoration - Zapins

Discussion in 'General foundry chat' started by Zapins, Sep 28, 2022.

  1. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    I got a nice solid old cast iron planer for around $200. Sadly it didn't come with the stock metal stand so I'll have to make that at some point.

    I'm trying to beef up my wood tooling so I can add wood stuff to my sculptures in the future, maybe some wood bases, maybe some furniture or something like that.

    Anyway pictures or it didn't happen!

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    image010.jpg
     
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  2. Tops

    Tops Silver Banner Member

    Nice. Parks?
    Are you going to try to make the sheet metal look original?
    I need to go through my used 'modern' one and get it to plane more level.
     
  3. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    I put mine on a fairly wide and deep sturdy 3/4" plywood and 2X box that encloses its 3 HP motor and provides storage. The corners have aluminum angle protectors and it is on good casters. I like having it be mobile. It is a great tool worth the effort whatever style base you decide on. Having the tables about waist high is convenient. Good to have an emergency OFF switch prominent on the infeed side.

    Denis
     
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  4. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Good idea about the off switch. I might build it separately on an arm so its up at hand level and not part of the original machine so I don't need to tap any holes in the original casting to mount it.

    I'd love to make a copy of the original stand. I don't have a sheet metal bender though so making the bends for the sheet metal wall may be difficult. I found a guy on facebook who restored one of the same model and he sent me pics of the original cabinet and all the dimensions so I think I can make myself one. The weird part of the original cabinet is that its not a rectangle it looks like the sides bevel slightly so the base is wider than the top. Not sure how to figure out where to put the bends in a sheet of metal to get that cone like shape. Any ideas?

    Its a craftsman, but its probably identical to the parks and Milwaukee/delta brands at the same time I know they sold the same model by many companies back then.

    This one came with the original giant 1.5 hp motor which is going to need a lot of cosmetic tlc. Seems to run well and bearings feel good.
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  5. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Hmm weird. I was looking at logos online and apparently the 1950s craftsman logo looked like this red background and blue lettering. Mine seems to be red and red. Fluke or ? How should I restore it?

    Mine before I stripped it of paint: 20220929_194411.jpg
    Someone else's from online:
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  6. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    To figure out the bends for a sheet metal base, I'd suggest getting some cardboard. Cut four pieces that match the classic base dimensions. Hot glue tabs to the four pieces in sequence as you would bend the sheet metal. That will provide a pattern for the sheet metal. Fold it up to confirm that it has the desired shape to ensure correct measurements and alignment. Then transfer to sheet metal.

    This would be a simple problem for a HVAC guy as they lay out all kinds of shapes in sheet metal. But, for the rest of us, the above method will yield a dependable pattern.

    If you want to get fancier and match the corner radius of the bends, DavidF would be a good guy to consult as he does all sorts of tricky, gotta-be-perfect tin work. He could do it no problem I am sure. But then I think he has been doing car-related sheet metal work for a long time and has climbed the learning curve.

    Denis
     
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  7. Jason

    Jason Gold

    I'd leave the tag alone. But that's just me, I like patina.
     
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  8. Tops

    Tops Silver Banner Member

    Looks like the second badge had red under the blue on the right side, so maybe the blue was a second step.

    If you are really into CAD, the base could be designed as a sheet metal part and the system would unfold it based on a reference plane.
     
  9. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Wish I knew CAD, seems like a super useful program, but sadly I have 2 left feet when it comes to that dance.

    Hmm you are probably right, now that I look at the picture above it does seem that the red is an undercoat. I'll put some blue on it. Sorry Jason its already been stripped of the "patina" lol I painted it red last night.
     
  10. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    More updates.

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  11. Tops

    Tops Silver Banner Member

    There was a time maybe 25 years ago where we (drafting for the millwright industry) would lay out hoppers (rectangle to rectangle) and transitions (square to round) by hand and document them with 2D CAD. Those would be made by setting up a series of bend lines on a brake. There was usually a flange of some sort that helped to absorb any mismatches and allowed for downstream bolt-on assembly then we followed the axiom 'beat to fit, weld airtight'. They looked pretty good ground and painted at 20-30 feet (6-9m). I know it can be done in 3D CAD using sheet metal rules, I am not versed in it. I could see laying out a front and back or the two sides each as a tapered figure with a broke 90 degree flange forming the long corners and then making a filler plate for the other two sides, a top to accept the planer, and some sort of rolling base to complete the tapered box. Sort of a washtub stand on steroids...
     
  12. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    More cleaning and painting

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  13. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    More pics. I may be able to reassemble it tomorrow. Then the rough part of making a stand without a bending brake... hmmm...
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  14. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Spent all freaking day reassembling it. Still have to rebuild the gear box. Then redo the motor which is totally nasty. And then build a stand and a safety shroud around the belt drive.

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  15. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    I need some advice. The original cabinet was 3/32" thick sheet steel which was bent with half inch rounded corners. Apparently two identical [ ] shapes were welded in the center all the way down to make the cabinet. I dont have a bending brake and I definitely don't have one that can bend that thick metal. What do you think is the best way to bend these two cabinet halves with the half inch radius corners? Is this something I could do with a form and oxy acetylene/hammer or would I need to do it professionally at a big shop for mega bucks? Thoughts?
     
  16. Tops

    Tops Silver Banner Member

    Is having a shop cut and brake two pieces expensive your way? That is substantial sheet metal.
    Would using black pipe in the corners and placing the metal on top to let the pipe be the corners work?
     
  17. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    One way to break the corners MIGHT be to score the metal at the break using a guided skill saw and a steel-cutting blade set to perhaps 1/2 the thickness of the sheet. Perhaps 3 parallel cuts spaced 1/8" or so apart and running the length of the break might work. I would first play with a few scraps to see if this is something you could do to your satisfaction. No, I have not done this on large pieces of thick sheet metal. But I have done it on 1/8" X 3 inch bar stock. The principle is the same. The resulting bends would not be perfectly fair as they would be curved polyhedrons. But, they would approximate the curve and could be faired pretty easily with an angle grinder and a flap wheel.

    I think you are aiming mainly for an aesthetic goal with this base, but for function, I still think the wide plywood base with metal-protected corners enclosing the motor and sheilding the belt and pulleys on high quality casters is far more functional. Spending the money on a new larger motor and casters rather than struggling with a sheet metal base would get my vote, hands down. From the proportions of the base pictured above, I think it should be bolted down to be safe as it looks pretty tippy if free-standing.

    Denis
     
  18. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Yeah definitely tippy. The planer is like 250 lbs at least. I was worried about that. Is 1.5 hp a low amount for wood planing? What is a better hp for the 12 " planer?

    I can get some price quotes but judging by the last thing I had bent (my band saw chip tray = 4 bends) on a piece of sheet steel that I had already cut to dimension and marked for them to bend along they wanted $200 initially which then later got reduced to 50 or 60 because the machine shop guy "took pity on me." Maybe I can get a similar deal for 50 but maybe not. Even other small bending projects where I wanted a 13" rolled tube from steel cost $80 at another machine shop. So thicker material etc etc I'm sure they'll want an arm and a leg.

    Scoring the metal might be doable, then I could tack weld the seams closed after it is bent to give it some more strength. Do you think a table saw with metal cutting blade might work for this?
     
  19. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    A table saw should work as well as a hand held and maybe better. You could use an abrasive blade (clean out the saw dust from the cabinet first) or a carbide steel cutting blade if you can find one rated for the RPM of your saw.

    If you look at currently available bench-top 12 or 13" planers, most have about a 2 or 3 HP (15 to 20 amp 110v) motor. The planer you are cleaning up is designed to make a decent cut in 12" lumber. To do that, it needs 2 or 3 HP. It will cut with a smaller motor. But, it will not be working to the standard it was designed for. Believe me, it is useful to be able to set up a 10" board and crank in a 1/8" cut and let 'er rip. Mine does not slow down at all. It just slices off the wood and makes a big pile of shavings in short order. And you can run boards all day long without any concern about overheating.

    Denis
     
  20. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Well I'll keep an eye open for a 3 hp motor then.
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2022

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