For those who like really old machinery

[Andrew Fleck]

I stumbled into this enormous jointer during my travels and just couldn't resist bringing it home. It's an F.H. Clement 16" jointer with a patent date of 1886. Obviously it was powered by steam originally, but over the years it was retrofitted with a huge 3hp Allis Chalmers motor. The tables are flat and the bearings (babbitt) are good, however it has a clamshell cutterhead which I don't like. I will be replacing that with something a little more modern. This should be able to handle any board I want to face joint. 268627

[Dennis Nagle]

Beautiful old machine. It will outlast all the new tin stuff. Have you looked at the Shelix heads? Have you looked here for data?

http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=1063&tab=0

[Todd Burch]

Cool! How much $$?

[Andrew Fleck]

Beautiful old machine. It will outlast all the new tin stuff. Have you looked at the Shelix heads? Have you looked here for data?

http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=1063&tab=0

I have looked at the shelix heads and have one installed on my planer. I might try and put one on this jointer depending on cost. I plan on using that site to ask some technical questions when it comes time to change the cutterhead. Thanks for the link.

[Andrew Fleck]

Cool! How much $$?

I paid $350 for it which is mostly why I couldn't resist picking it up.

[Todd Burch]

Seems like a great buy! Congrats! Let us know when she's operational!

[paul cottingham]

Dude! You suck! (It had to be said.)
Nice score indeed. Be careful, it looks like it could launch you into orbit....

[Mike Cutler]

Nice machine!! You were very lucky to find one with the fence.

There are a few ways to repalce the cutterhead. Byrd will custom make one for you, change the babbits out to new blocks and a install a cutterhead, Have a 24" cutterhead machined to fit your existing setup.

If you do swap out your cutterhead, don't just junk it. Some folks, like me, are interested in it.;)

[Richard Coers]

Can't imagine a way that you can easily change out the cutterhead. The babbit blocks are part of the casting. Did you plan on keeping the babbits? I had a Fay and Egan that same size. Just kept oil on the babbits and used it for years.

[Sam Murdoch]

It's a nice sculptcha too :D. Love it.

[Troy Turner]

What...easier to moderninze than go back to steam power :D Looks like a heck of jointer. Enjoy for many years I'm sure.

[Andrew Fleck]

Nice machine!! You were very lucky to find one with the fence.

There are a few ways to repalce the cutterhead. Byrd will custom make one for you, change the babbits out to new blocks and a install a cutterhead, Have a 24" cutterhead machined to fit your existing setup.

If you do swap out your cutterhead, don't just junk it. Some folks, like me, are interested in it.;)

Actually upon further investigation I am unsure of what kind of cutterhead it actually is. I initially thought it to be a clamshell but there is gib bolts holding the two blades in. There are also bolts which appear to hold the clamshells on, but they have nothing to do with the blades. Any ideas as to what type of cutterhead this is? I will show pictures to the guys over at owwm as well.

[Mike Cutler]

Now you really suck!!!!:D:D

You're good to go Andrew. That appears to be a safety cutter head. It was a transition between the two blade clamshell design and the 3 blade head you're used to seeing.
I would imagine, from the condition of the machine as shown, that at one time someone converted the original Square cutter head. it probably came with, to a safety cutter head. Tune it up, hone the blades and you're in business. Cutterhead speed should be approximately 3500-4000 rpm.
If the Babbitts are good, do as Richard states and just keep them oiled. I don't see the oilers on the babitts, so it may be a spray bath setup. If you have very little side play and there is no up down play, those babbitt's are good.
If you still have a shim piece, which may look like a gasket, between the babbitt housing, you're in great shape because that means the babbitts have been maintained since they were poured,and haven't worn to the point of needing to be "taken up".
Should you find that the Babbitt's need to be repoured, the guys that dabble in steam engines will be able to point you to someone that can still pour them. Babbitt style bearings are still in use all over the world. It may be "old school", but it was good school.
That cutterhead alone is probably worth more than you paid for the machine.

[Ethan Melad]

Nice find. It's really similar to my 16" American, I think I have the same cutterhead too. Mine's still going strong on the babbits, too. Have fun with it!

[johnny means]

Too small, throw it back :-) As much as I love my Felder, the newer stuff isn't nearly as pretty as that thing. I agree with the sculpture comment. One day I hope to outfit my office with oldies like that as furniture.