pneumatic/Air line to big planers?

[Nick Crivello]

I sometimes see large planers with air line plumbed up to them. Models such as the SCM s630 class machines. What's the purpose of these?

[David Zaret]

i have an SCM L'Invincible, and had to run air to it. the feed rollers have variable pneumatic pressure, independently controlled front and back.

--- dz

[jack duren]

The planer/sander have air..

[Nick Crivello]

The planer/sander have air..

What are you trying to convey here?

[Nick Crivello]

i have an SCM L'Invincible, and had to run air to it. the feed rollers have variable pneumatic pressure, independently controlled front and back.

--- dz

So instead of using segmented feed rollers, the rollers are one piece? Any good illustrations of this configuration?

[jack duren]

What are you trying to convey here?


we had a planer/sander on air.im not sure if the planer parts was on air. I wasn’t the operator..

[Nick Crivello]

we had a planer/sander on air.im not sure if the planer parts was on air. I wasn’t the operator..

Ok, are your responses pertinent or helpful towards answering the question at hand?

What was the air for...?

[jack duren]

It’s a planer /sander. It has sanding belts, but not sure if the planer head was on air or not..

[David Zaret]

So instead of using segmented feed rollers, the rollers are one piece? Any good illustrations of this configuration?

no, it's still segmented... the shaft has cylinders on either side, two on front, two on back, independently controlled. i could snap a pic, if you want...

[Bill Dufour]

Ok, are your responses pertinent or helpful towards answering the question at hand?

What was the air for...?
Many big belt sanders use air to control belt tension and belt tracking.
Many misuse the terms and call a wide belt sander a planer since it turns the wood into two parallel planes like a rotating knife planer does.
Bill D

[jack duren]

Ours was a a planer/sander. SCM planer sander. Our ps planed and had to wide belts . You can get a planer/ three belt. These sanders get up to 100k.

[George Yetka]

I want air to my small machine to keep the table free of dust. It would be nice if there was a fine spray keeping the infeed clear of dust

[Jim Becker]

I want air to my small machine to keep the table free of dust. It would be nice if there was a fine spray keeping the infeed clear of dust
That's an example of a a way of "using" air and while certainly valid, it's a little different than how air is often provisioned on the larger machines. In many cases, the use case there is not dissimilar to how air is used on my CNC machine to assist with lifting the Z axis by having a counterbalance cylinder to reduce the weight that the Z-axis motor has to lift. It uses pressure, but doesn't "use air"...no air is expelled. For those big machines, air pressure is often used for automation of media clamping/tension and other things. It may also be used for lifting assists and positioning, etc. It's a pretty practical way to do these functions and more if you think about it.

[Albert Lee]

515526

Here is what it looks like inside my L'Invincibile S7, you can see the pneumatics above the roller.

[Warren Lake]

it makes sense to use air as compression same as a spring. Id not heard of it in a planer.

It doesnt work in all things, we built a machined years ago using electric for feed, then changed to air and doing it again I would have used oil over air. The feed is not consistent in that case with the way the air compresses it can sort of stall build up more pressure then take off and that is not consistent feed.

Nice machine Albert. i have old Invincible and its excellent build quality . I might be wrong but see SCM in three levels. I have the best in the really old stuff likely 55 years old or more and their middle level stuff in my newer SCM stuff still likely 30 years old or more.

[Nick Crivello]

Thanks Albert, that’s quite interesting. What are the compressor or air line requirements for that?

[Nick Crivello]

it makes sense to use air as compression same as a spring. Id not heard of it in a planer.

It doesnt work in all things, we built a machined years ago using electric for feed, then changed to air and doing it again I would have used oil over air. The feed is not consistent in that case with the way the air compresses it can sort of stall build up more pressure then take off and that is not consistent feed.

Nice machine Albert. i have old Invincible and its excellent build quality . I might be wrong but see SCM in three levels. I have the best in the really old stuff likely 55 years old or more and their middle level stuff in my newer SCM stuff still likely 30 years old or more.

Warren,

What vintage/model L’Invincible do you have? I’m currently weighing whether to hold out for an older s63 or a newer s630/s520. The older s63 series are growing on me and they appear to be a robust option that is easier to care for and maintain vs the newer stuff with the whiz bang electronics.

if I can find a decent deal on one and throw a new Tersa/helical head in, it might be the way to go.

[Albert Lee]

Thanks Albert, that’s quite interesting. What are the compressor or air line requirements for that?

Its not a lot, a small compressor would do the work. I rarely use it because I use soft timber, if I dont turn on the valve, ie, no pressure I can do 0.1mm without getting planner marks on the stock!

[Albert Lee]

it makes sense to use air as compression same as a spring. Id not heard of it in a planer.

It doesnt work in all things, we built a machined years ago using electric for feed, then changed to air and doing it again I would have used oil over air. The feed is not consistent in that case with the way the air compresses it can sort of stall build up more pressure then take off and that is not consistent feed.

Nice machine Albert. i have old Invincible and its excellent build quality . I might be wrong but see SCM in three levels. I have the best in the really old stuff likely 55 years old or more and their middle level stuff in my newer SCM stuff still likely 30 years old or more.


Here are a couple of pics of my L'Invincibile si X panel saw, took delivery last year around July?

the thinnest of all the steel plates on the machine is 12mm! thats like 1/2 inch for you folks up in the States.

the machine weighs 1128kg, about 2480lbs.

515527

515528


very smooth sliding action. words fail to describe them.
515529

[Warren Lake]

In SCM going by memory rough guess the combo machines are 1965, One shaper maybe the 70's, one from the 80's and the sliding saw table maybe late 80's or 90's The invincible is different right from the start the base is not sheet steel. My general stuff has thinsheet steel that flaps in the wind, slider is quarter plate same as the griggio jointer and ill need to improve it. Plan to line it all with Duc Seal and take any tone away from it.

the hum from the combo is such a nice sound. I have old school cutter heads and you will be hard pressed to find old machines with new generation of heads. I can work with what I have as that is what I started on and the type of work and I learned more than we were taught. I priced out a tersa for the 24" planer and it was 7k approx whichis over three times what the machine cost. Not discounting it I havent got to that machine yet and it will need some work so first will get it on track with what is in it then for the most part ive always got by fine on high speed steel.

Nick on machines ive not had luck finding them when I needed them and paid too much once as had to have one to complete a job. Ive since seen that machine for 20 percent of what I paid for it used. Ive been able to buy stuff before I need it enough times and its still how I do it. I was moving one general table saw to another room and decided I didnt want to set it up but had used it for over 40 years. I looked on a forum saw a small slider and bought it without seeing it. that was a good choice zero chance id be happy on the general now having used this small slider. Ill still keep the generals and use them and be fine but they dont compare at all. The best value in machines is old used stuff. Even better if you get it from the original owners who bought it new