el humungo jointer

[Stephen Cherry]

Here's a jointer that I am thinking of bidding on. I'm just wondering if the concrete pad in my garage could support this, or would it require it's own footing:


http://www.irsauctions.com/popups/bidders_paddle.asp?lot=173650&auction=K00FMK8AQIZHWYYW0OYP6KA2IPR5ZF&id=13939

[Martin King]

The crated weight for the 166-E is 2400 lbs. I doubt weight would
be an issue for you, but space might be. Have you ever stood next
to one? The footprint is huge! The tables are 100"X26" plus you have
to account for the motor sticking straight out another foot or so
from the cutterhead. I love Oliver, and own 4 of their machines but
for a garage shop, that jointer just might be a tad too large.

[Van Huskey]

There are a TON of variables with concrete but my gut feeling says no issue at all. Consider this, I have had 3500#+ cars sitting a standard 4" pour garage floor sitting on 4 jack stands for months at a time with no issues. Not sure what the combined cross section of those 4 standard steel jack stands is/was but it isn't large at all, my guess is the PSI was significantly higher than that jointer would place on a floor. If I was looking at that jointer (it is a beaut!) I would be far more concerned with moving it and placing it than my concrete. But, as I said concrete has so many variables. For some peace of mind I would get a rough estimate of the machine you have currently on the floor that produces the highest PSI on the floor and make a rough comparison to the jointer. I have a machine that on its 3 wheel mobile base conservatively exceeds 300 PSI and gets rolled around with no issues, on my floor I would feel comfortable with just that info having that jointer sit on a cross section of 8-9 in sq.

[Andrew Hughes]

I wouldnt worry about the concrete.24 inch straight knives would definitey wake up the neighbors.Especially at night. Good luck with your bidding.

[Dan Karachio]

You can always land your airplane on it when it is not being used! I have seen a 16" in person and that was amazing, so this must be a true monster. Can't wait to see what happens.

[Van Huskey]

24 inch straight knives would definitey wake up the neighbors.

But on the positive side if his shop gets hot he can prop open the guard and use the jointer as a fan!

[Kurt Cady]

At 2400 lbs you'd have to only have 1 sq inch of contact area with the floor to even start to think about issues with concrete strength. Concrete strength isn't an issue.

[Peter Quinn]

That is a huge beauty, but do you need that much machine? We have a 20" at work, and the last 4" are almost never used, though they cost the boss money every time we change knives. Ours is a four knife terminus head, and it takes at least two guys to push stuff in the 16"+ range over the table effectively. In fact much beyond 14" is no joy. And loud is an understatement. Yes, flattening 18" wide bubinga at midnight WILL wake up the neighbors. Police will take notice. Local chickens will have heart attacks. Satellites may leave orbit and head for deep space. You get the idea.

Oh, most garage slabs round here are poured at 3600-4500 PSI strength concrete at 6" depth. So you could stand that jointer on a single inch and not have a theoretical problem with weight load, though it would be hard to use that way!:D But as Van noted, concrete varies considerably. If its half decent ts not a problem.

[John Coloccia]

OK. I'll ask. What were you thinking of using that for?

[Van Huskey]

OK. I'll ask. What were you thinking of using that for?

I am guessing he will use the 12" closest to the front as a jointer and the rest as a ad hoc small aircraft landing site. :eek:


Peter makes a good point also, if he plans to use near the capacity of that monster he might as well look for a huge power feeder in the same auction.

I also got to thinking what a Byrd head might cost my guess is around 2,500-3,000 but man would that be a sweet jointer with one installed!!!

[Stephen Cherry]

I am guessing he will use the 12" closest to the front as a jointer and the rest as a ad hoc small aircraft landing site. :eek:




Exactly!:D

[Glen Butler]

Typical garage floor concrete by todays standards is a 4000 psi mix. You definitely won't have a problem there. Room is a different story. Quite the machine. Good luck in your bidding. Pics just don't do a machine that size justice. It's hard to percieve those tables being 24 inches wide.

[Walter Plummer]

We have the 16" version in our shop and it is a great machine. Be aware that it may have the "Widow Maker" clamshell cutter head. Our machine does.

[Frank Drew]

Complete overkill for the average garage shop (even the average commercial shop, as Peter notes), and yet.... :D

I mean, what woodworker with a sense of American industrial history wouldn't want at least to spend a little time with one of those beauties?

If it was an Oliver 12", or even a 16", (assuming no square head models) I'd say don't even think twice about it.