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Thread: Help identifying a thickness planer

  1. #1
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    Help identifying a thickness planer

    Hey Creekers: I just acquired a massive-heavy thickness planer and cannot figure out what make it is. It was a school machine and the labeling is gone. Pictures follow...IMG_0656.jpgIMG_0648.jpgIMG_0647.jpgIMG_0649.jpg Can anyone help? The casting/stamp in the fourth pic is the only number I found on the thing.

  2. #2
    Resembles 1940's or 1950's era Belsaw planer.





    After a bit of looking, a Belsaw 910 from the 1950's.



    Look at the VintageMachinery website under photo index by manufacturer (Belsaw Machinery Company).

    That is my best guess.

    scott
    Last edited by Scott Snavely; 04-24-2019 at 2:16 PM. Reason: add photo

  3. #3
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    If not that maybe a Parks?

  4. #4
    I agree with Belsaw.

    Probably their "Rustomatic 5000" model.

    That's gonna' be SOME restore job! - But Belsaws are supposed to be extemely good machines. Almost up there with Powermatic and General, and much nicer than Parks, etc. (As long as it's not one of their "planer molder" models, which I don't think it is.)

    When you get this finished, the before / after pics will be something to see.
    Last edited by Allan Speers; 04-24-2019 at 2:43 PM.

  5. #5
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    Not the 12 inch Parks.
    Bill D

  6. #6
    Looks like a Belsaw to me too.

    Matt, I think you are remembering that Belsaw and Parks both made 12" planers for the Craftsman label. The Parks all have oil bath gear drive and bed rollers.

  7. #7
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    I think you’re right Bradley. Thanks

  8. #8
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    width? plus some more words tomake minimum

  9. #9
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    Holy crap! How you going to get those elevation screws working again? Did they store it outside? Massive heavy? I guess you've never seen a Yates American, or any other commercial machine from that era. Belsaw always advertised in the back of Popular Mechanics. Then latter Woodmaster, who also advertised in magazines like that, started making an almost identical machine in 1980..

  10. #10
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    I actually own a belsaw planer/molder/sander which I have never turned on (It is stored in another county) I got this beast out of a junk pile compiled from county schools. The base might be shop-built (IDK). Would be easier to handle if separated. I am not looking at it right now but I think it may be 15". I wasn't aware of Foley Belsaw making institutional machines. In this lot was a Walker/Turner 6" jointer and a Powermatic sander (disc and belt) and a Keller h-beam oil-bath hacksaw as well as a Powermatic 87 bandsaw (pieces of which I'm trying to sell over in the classifieds https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....63#post2921063). Looks like the threads are pretty much gone as they're so fine, but Belsaw still sells some of the parts. Might be able to get a machinist friend to make them. @Allan Speers...is there some particular Belsaw model that is complete junk so as to be called rustomatic 5000? And thanks Scott Snavely for the ID help. I'll try the site you refer to.

  11. #11
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    Bill, I think it's 15" (I'm not near it now) and what does "more words tomake minimum" mean?

  12. #12
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    How you going to get those elevation screws working again? Sprayed blaster PB on them and I intend to wire brush them but I think the scale is as deep as the threads.Pretty sure I am not going to bring it to pristine but if I can make it functional that is a plus. As I stated elsewhere, I bought it in a pile of scrap. Just wish they hadn't dumped the stuff out of a trailer in a pile.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Timothy Robinson View Post
    Bill, I think it's 15" (I'm not near it now) and what does "more words tomake minimum" mean?
    I'm not Bill, but can explain. The system here won't accept a post that is shorter than a certain number of characters. He just added the bit you quoted to get above that minimum.

  14. #14
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    A friend had a Belsaw 12" planer/moulder many years ago and it did not have a pressure bar or chip beaker. As a result it was a marginal planer.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Jensen View Post
    A friend had a Belsaw 12" planer/moulder many years ago and it did not have a pressure bar or chip beaker. As a result it was a marginal planer.

    Yes, like I said, the planer-molders aren't very good. Way too many compromises in order to make the molding part work. (The same with Woodmaster) - But the ones that were just planers had all the desired features, proper distance for roller to cutter, and held adjustment pretty well They didn't have the vibration damping of a PM100, and evidently weren't as easy to adjust but they were very good.

    Anyway, that's what I've read. I never actually owned one.
    Last edited by Allan Speers; 04-26-2019 at 11:31 AM.

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