1928 16" American Jointer

[Jason Yeager]

Hello,

I found a 1928 16" American Jointer for sale on craigslist.
16" american jointer - $1000 - (http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/1014284796.html) (evans and santa fe)

I don't know much about older equipment, but would love a 16" jointer. What do you guys think?

Cheers

[Joe Jensen]

Looks great buy it

[Jon Grider]

Go for it! What a huge beast.

[Cody Colston]

I'd love to have it!

[Larry Edgerton]

I would say it seems a bit high because I know they can be bought for less, but I have seen them go for more as well.

Does it have babbitt bearings? I have a big Porter and it is in need of an update, I do not like the babbitt bearings and I want a modern head with modern geometry. Those old heads will suck in your arm if they get ahold of you. I shoved a broomstick in mine because an old guy told me to try it so I respected the machine. It sucked up the broomstick till it was chips.

If any of you know anyone that specializes in retrofitting new heads to old machines I would love to hear from you! I knew of one years ago that did Olivers, but I can not even find that.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'd do it. Wonder if he has the guard? Not a deal breaker, but it would be nice to have.

[Steve Jenkins]

i can't tell from the pics if the cutterhead is round or square. If round you are ok but if it's square it's generaly suggested (strongly) that you replace it.

[Joe Petersen]

Not mentioned weather you have 3 phase so I just wanted to point out the need

[George Sanders]

There is a forum dedicated to old iron. WWW.OWWM.org is the forum site. OWWM.com has a searchable index of machinery by type and by manufacturer.

[Sonny Edmonds]

I'd do it. Wonder if he has the guard? Not a deal breaker, but it would be nice to have.

LOL!
Steve, what makes you think it ever had a guard? :D

[Jeff Duncan]

I think assuming you could bargain down a bit you'd be getting a good deal. Babbitt bearings are generally regarded by the old timers as superior to their modern counterpart. If it has them, and they're in good shape, they may well last your lifetime. Square cutterheads are indeed generally considered dangerous and you would be well off to replace. Clamshell cutterheads are better, but generally still on the undesirable side.
Chances are this jointer will have one of these types, so consider whether you would be comfortable enough using it, or if you want to spend a bit extra to replace. Guards are generally not too difficult to install on older jointers. And since it appears to be belt driven the motor is easily converted to single phase if needed.
The most common way (I know of) to replace the cutterhead is to cut down a larger (longer) planer cutterhead to fit the jointer. Any good machine shop can handle this task. As mentioned before OWWM is a great resource for more detailed info on all these and many more potential problems.
good luck,
JeffD

[Alex Shanku]

Sorry Jason. Since you posted it here for all to see, I bought it for $500. Tough luck.


*just kidding, but you see where I am going with this*

[george wilson]

Good idea about using a planer head,Jeff. Yes,a square head jointer will pull your whole arm in. Do you know when I started teaching in 1963,square heads were banned industrially,but still permitted in schools? If there are babbit bearings in good condition,they are fine,BUT,oil them every time you use the jointer,and make sure the oiling holes aren't blocked by old crud. Beyond that,they will wear out eventually. The old timers repoured them as routine.

[Tom Leasure]

I would say it seems a bit high because I know they can be bought for less, but I have seen them go for more as well.

Does it have babbitt bearings? I have a big Porter and it is in need of an update, I do not like the babbitt bearings and I want a modern head with modern geometry. Those old heads will suck in your arm if they get ahold of you. I shoved a broomstick in mine because an old guy told me to try it so I respected the machine. It sucked up the broomstick till it was chips.

If any of you know anyone that specializes in retrofitting new heads to old machines I would love to hear from you! I knew of one years ago that did Olivers, but I can not even find that.

Larry,
In Grand Rapids Mi is a company that rebuilds the old Oliver machines & handles the parts for them as well - If you call the Oliver Plant in Wa they will give you the number - I spoke with a Mike and he was extremley helpful in answering any question I had. Good luck
Tom

[Alex Shanku]

Good idea about using a planer head,Jeff. Yes,a square head jointer will pull your whole arm in. Do you know when I started teaching in 1963,square heads were banned industrially,but still permitted in schools? If there are babbit bearings in good condition,they are fine,BUT,oil them every time you use the jointer,and make sure the oiling holes aren't blocked by old crud. Beyond that,they will wear out eventually. The old timers repoured them as routine.


http://wiki.owwm.com/GetFile.aspx?File=PlanerClamshellHeads/SafetyHead.jpg

courtesy of OWWM

Pretty grisly advertisement!!!

[Bob Aquino]

Hello,

I found a 1928 16" American Jointer for sale on craigslist.
16" american jointer - $1000 - (http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/1014284796.html) (evans and santa fe)

I don't know much about older equipment, but would love a 16" jointer. What do you guys think?

Cheers


This might be a bit more than you may want to bite off. With a 5 HP motor, you will need to build/buy a rotary phase converter or swap the motor. You may get by with a static converter, but no guarantee that it will run with one.

Others have pointed out the potential issues with the type of cutter head it might have. A machine that old will be a bit of a challenge to pull apart and refurbish. It may have babbit bearings which if in good shape aren't too hard to keep up but if they need to be re-poured then that's one more skill to acquire.

I'm all for old machinery, but this may be much more than someone without any previous experience should use as a starting point.

[Jason Yeager]

Thanks for the responses. I think that this project might be more than I should attempt right now, but it sure looks interesting. (I need to finish a rather large project before I get into remodeling older machinery.)

Perhaps someone out there may find it a great fit and be psyched to have it. Hopefully so. Thanks again.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

LOL!
Steve, what makes you think it ever had a guard? :D


Well Sonny, that is a good point! Also part of the case of the grisly add I'd guess!

[Chip Lindley]

All other issues aside....You won't be hauling this home in your SUV! Moving a machine that weighs close to a TON is a job for those who have the right truck, tools and expertise!