I recently rebuilt a Marunaka Royal 10 super surfacer and have been using it. This is a simple machine in
which a belt drives materiel over a fixed knife to create a smooth surface on wood. Like a hand plane.
Modern versions (mine is 1960’s) of this machine have a feature in which the machine senses when wood is placed at the inlet, starts the motor, cuts a programmed number of shavings, then returns the material to the inlet side of the machine. This is all done in rapid fashion, the stops and reverses are instantaneous.
A friend of mine sent me photos of what the inside of the control panel looks like on his setup, but I’m wondering if a CNC version of this is possible or feasible. I have a fair amount of money sunk into this old cast iron beast so I would like it to be all things the modern day version is, if reasonably possible. If not, I’ll certainly continue using it as is since it is an incredible time saver.
Oddly enough this machine is capable of working with thinner strips of material than some of the current machines so it has advantage there.
I can post photos of the control box if that is helpful.
Here is a video of the modern setup: