In need of Jointer for Amish neighbor

[dirk martin]

My Amish neighbor needs a new jointer. He'll remove the electric motor, and make it belt drive.

He's looking for 8" or greater width.
Wants a 72" bed.
Can't afford helical knives.

Wants to spend under $1,000.00

He liked the GO656 from grizzly, but it's on back order.

Any other ideas I should look at for him?

-dirk
WoodchucksWood

[Ryan Basler]

Don't the Amish not use electricity?

[John Lanciani]

Don't the Amish not use electricity?

I'd be that they run it off of either a line shaft or hydraulic system with a diesel prime mover.

[Nick Decker]

Around here, at least, there seem to be different levels of Amish "devoutness", kinda like other religions.

[Jim Becker]

Don't the Amish not use electricity?

The OP indicated the Amish neighbor would be removing the electric motor and running the machine off other motive source; likely either hydraulic or shaft-driven from an internal combustion engine as someone already mentioned. This is quite common for makers in that community who's practice allows using engines for fixed utility purposes.

[dirk martin]

Jim is correct.
Like I said, he will be removing the electric motor.

He'll be running it via a gas engine driven line shaft.

[Brian Holcombe]

Being that he's going to take the motor out anyways, and that he's looking for wide, long and reasonably cheap...old iron seems like a logical choice.

[Jerome Stanek]

Old iron 3 phase would be perfect

[Mike Henderson]

I visited an Amish woodworking shop one time in PA. Except that there's no lights in the shop - but skylights - you wouldn't know it from a non-Amish shop. The tools are the same - cabinet saw, jointer, lathe, etc. but in that shop, they were driven from a diesel engine via some flexible shafts.

And Amish woodwork is about the same as any other commercial woodworking shop. The furniture was standard "commercial" furniture, not handmade stuff.

Mike

[David Eisenhauer]

As I understand it, it is not "electricity" per se that is to be avoided, but rather the "connection" to the non Amish society at large via tie in in to an existing electrical network.

[Peter Kelly]

The Amish guys I know run their 2-3 person woodshop on solar power & a wind turbine. Works amazingly well.

[Mike Henderson]

As I understand it, it is not "electricity" per se that is to be avoided, but rather the "connection" to the non Amish society at large via tie in in to an existing electrical network.

I think you're correct. Amish welders do stick and MIG but they have a diesel generator in the shop to power their equipment.

However, that would lead you to think that they could use electric power tools as long as they had a generator but that's not allowed.

It's complicated!

Mike

[Darcy Warner]

They have pole power around here.
Find him a big old used machine that's belt drive.

[Ryan Basler]

The OP indicated the Amish neighbor would be removing the electric motor and running the machine off other motive source; likely either hydraulic or shaft-driven from an internal combustion engine as someone already mentioned. This is quite common for makers in that community who's practice allows using engines for fixed utility purposes.

I may have read over that but i don't remember seeing that when i posted. Opps. Im not up to date on all the varieties of Amish culture so interesting to hear about how they make everything work.

[Greg Hines, MD]

We have a large Amish community just North of town, and the wood working shops I have visited look a lot like the New Yankee Workshop. Much more than my own. They use a diesel or propane generator to power them.

Doc