Info on a Bridgewood 20" BW-508 planer

[Kevin Weller Bloomfield,PA]

I know a guy who is looking to sell one of these. I did a little searching which has turned up no information. Have any of you owned one of these or used one with knowledge of it? I realize that parts will not be available or any support for that matter. I am considering this one as the weight and size are in the area I want to be in. I would like to know if there are any big hang ups with these machines. Thanks

[Mark Wooden]

I used one in a shop I worked in for three years; the machine ran very well as did a Bridgewood 12" jointer purchased at the same time. Never any real troubles beyond occasional adjustments
They were imported by Wilke Machinery, they would tune up the machines at their facility before they shipped them so they were really a good value.
Sadly, they've closed their doors. But since other importers sold the same machines under different labels, parts machines may be around

[Curt Harms]

I could be mistaken but I thought some parts and support are still available from Wilke machinery. http://www.chwilke.com/ I never heard why Wilke quit importing machines, they're still in business.

[Kevin Weller Bloomfield,PA]

I called and talked to someone from Wilke and the first thing he said was that there are no parts available. I was kind of wondering if other manufacturers branded this machine as well which would make parts available easier, maybe.

[Jim Andrew]

Might be worth a call to Grizzly. Possibly the same planer as one of the Grizzly models.

[Michael Handrinos]

Curt closed his doors after somebody sued him because they were stupid. They had hurt themselves by not operating the machine safely. The bridgewood brand was a good one. They used to have a PM 66 next to a bridgewood saw with the tops removed to show the quality of his saws. I've had a 12" yorkcraft jointer for years that is a real workhorse. I needed a spring for my jointer blade guard, called Grizzly and had it on in two days.

Mike

[Ed Lebby]

hi All -- we just came into a Bridgewood 20" planer (3 phase) as part of a larger lot

CHWilke's website is no longer active ... does anyone know how to get parts for this? or if Wilke has new contact info?

It looks like it might have been made by GeeTech in Taiwan (still around)

Any help appreciated -- thx!!

I could be mistaken but I thought some parts and support are still available from Wilke machinery. http://www.chwilke.com/ I never heard why Wilke quit importing machines, they're still in business.