Need Help Identifying this old, tiny planer

[John Gordon]

Hi Folks,

I have just inherited this very small 4" (I think...) bench-top planer. There are no markings or plates on it anywhere that I can find. It has a 3/4 hp Emerson motor attached (in a very awkward place). Dad never used it, and I think someone just gave it to him. It runs pretty well, but needs some TLC.

Any help identifying it, or comments, documentation and/or advice on whether it's worth a light overhaul would be appreciated. I don't have much shop space, but I could see getting it to where I could get some use out of for minor projects...??

Unidentified Planer.jpg

Many thanks,

John
Madison, AL

[Charles Taylor]

That's a Sears, Roebuck & Co. (not Craftsman) branded 4" jointer. I have one squirreled away somewhere, and I'm thinking it has a plate with a model number. I will look when I get a chance. Meantime, you can try to locate it in the manufacturer's index on the vintagemachinery.org Web site.

Chuck

[Charles Lent]

It's definitely a jointer and not a planer, and I agree with Chuck about the likely Sears Roebuck brand, since it looks very much like one that my uncle had. Everything in his shop had been bought from Sears Roebuck, since there were very few other sources for home shop tools back then. He had some Craftsman and some Sears Roebuck brands.

www.owwm.com (vintage tools) should have more information on it.

Charley

[Charles Taylor]

Here it is...on the one i have, there is a plate underneath the outfeed table with the model number: 149.21871.
Jointer.jpg

Model Number.jpg

The vintagemachinery.org entries for this machine reveal the actual manufacturer as American Machine & Tool Co.

[lowell holmes]

It also reminds me of a 4" Shopsmith jointer I used to have that was mounted on it's own stand with a motor.

I got several years service out of it until I traded up to a 6".

[Bill White]

"It also reminds me of a 4" Shopsmith jointer I used to have that was mounted on it's own stand with a motor."

I had one too. It was a heavy little feller, and worked well. The cast iron fence was a plus.
Bill

[Chris Fournier]

That is a gorgeous little machine, makes me want to be a model maker!

[John Gordon]

Chuck, Charlie, all of you folks!

Thanks. I appreciate the great responses. I've got a line now on it's origins... I can't believe I called it planer... I had "Planer on the brain" yesterday, as I was working with my planer all day...

I've never had a jointer at all, so I am wondering if this one will only disappoint me to wishing I had at least a 6" one. I don't do a lot of work, but do have a lot of raw, milled oak and poplar that I eventually need to get in shape for projects. I know I can use the TS to get a decent edge, but not like a jointer would produce. However, I probably don't want to try and use this one for a rough 1x12x15' either...!

[lowell holmes]

I used my 4" jointer for several years before I upgraded. It was a great little tool. It will certainly joint edges. It will only flatten up to 4" though.

I can only flatten up to 6" now, double stick tape it to a larger board and run that through my thickness planer. I can flatten boards up up 12" that way.

I'd say go for it if you want it.

[Lewis Justis]

As others have said, Sears sold that machine as well as table saws, drill presses, and lathes built by AMT. They were built out of cast iron and sheet steel stampings. They were also sold direct from the manufacturer through mail order ads in Popular Mechanics and other magazines. Many a boy, myself included, got started woodworking on these low cost machines back in the '60s and '70s.