Old Iron: Radial Router/Planer

[Erik Litts]

I saw this in an upcoming auction listing and find myself wanting it for no particularly good reason. I suspect it won't sell for much more than the salvage value of the metals. I know a router sled is probably much more useful, but I also cry a little inside imagining this getting melted down.

Can anyone else think of other practical uses the help me justify giving it a home?

441189

[Andy D Jones]

What HP/RPM?
What chuck size(s)?

If those are favorable for the work you like to do, then go for it.

Or just because you like it!

Your money, your taste.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Rod Sheridan]

Might be useful for flattening live edge slabs?

Regards, Rod.

[Erik Litts]

OHH!! And we have a winner!! Cause I have a bunch of those sitting under my carport drying as we speak.

Of course, they won't be ready to worry about flattening until 2021-2022 or so, but that's fine.

[Jim Becker]

OHH!! And we have a winner!! Cause I have a bunch of those sitting under my carport drying as we speak.

Of course, they won't be ready to worry about flattening until 2021-2022 or so, but that's fine.

You will, of course, need to come up with a way to move the material while keeping it in registration with the cutter head and collinear to the starting point. If the workpiece is small enough to do that without movement, great. If it's a slab that's longer, you'll have some engineering to do. :). Very interesting machine, however!

[Patrick Kane]

I have seen a lot of machines and machine types. I have never seen this thing before. Its a radial pin router specializing in planing a surface parallel to the cast iron table? Im kinda confused why you would want such a specialized machine. I mean, by all means go get the thing for a steal, but i dont know why someone would justify buying that machine new. I am with you, Erik, sometimes i am motivated to buy things out of sympathy.

[Bradley Gray]

i actually have one of these upstairs in my shop. 30 years ago I let a friend use part of my upstairs for a letter press shop. This arrived along with 2 old and very heavy letter presses, all block and tackled to the 2nd floor of my shop.

This machine, which I believe is called a printer's router was originally used to trim slugs of lead type from a linotype machine and cuts of artwork to lock in with loose type. The one I have has a 3hp 3 phase motor belt driven to a 1/4" spindle at 18000 rpm. A foot pedal lowers the spindle about 3/4"

The router was left behind when the print shop left. The most i have used it was years ago when I was making dulcimers. I used it to route sound holes. If the depth was set properly the router would leave tiny strings of wood that had been ridges the planer left.

Anyone jonesing for one of these? We should talk!

[Rick Potter]

Just a thought.

I wonder if that could be used to make wooden signs? It looks a bit like a pantograph.



PS: It also looks like the kind of thing I would take home, play with for a week, and store for the millennium.

[Bradley Gray]

I have used it for making signs. I tack glued letters to the base and used a pattern bit with a bearing on top.

Thought I would make it into a pantograph. Never did. It is kind of in the "store for the millennium" phase.

[Mel Fulks]

No. But you must save it !!

[Bradley Gray]

The fact that it is very heavy and will require a lot of rigging to get it downstairs is saving it more than anything else.

[Rick Potter]

I will give you $50 for it, if you can deliver it to my house. ;)

[Bradley Gray]

And the bidding begins

[Tom Bender]

I see a nice cast iron table with some junk attached.

[Alex Zeller]

When it comes to tools I'm like my wife with shoes. One can never have enough. She told me that if the Pentagon was my shop and the funds allowed I would fill it to the point where you couldn't walk around the tools.

That being said if I was going to try to make it into a tool to flatten slabs I think I would look into adding some conveyor rollers with some sort of sled on top of it so you could move the slab. The practical side of me wonders if the result would be better than just making something from scratch though.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Buy it, if you decide to send it on its way later, vise collectors (yes they exist) would have a feeding frenzy trying to get that table.