Used Planer Advice

[Mike Truhn]

Mike

I have had a Woodmaster 712 for about 20 years now and it works very good as a planner I have never used it as a molder (even though I have that option). It is 220volts, it has never had any problems with anything I have put through it

Mike

[Dave Cav]

I had a Woodmaster a couple of years ago. It was over 20 years old and the PO was using it as a planer. I got it to run a house full of custom stain grade molding and sold it shortly after the house was finished, but it worked fine. They are a fairly basic machine, but still in production in the US and parts are readily available, and they're easy to repair or adjust if necessary. The fact that they have been in production for probably over 50 years says something.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I bought a 718 to use as a planer years ago, and was not impressed. The rollers are very far from the head, so I got a lot of snipe and feed problems. I assume this is a compromise to allow for a larger molder or drum sander head, but I don't know. The one I had was old and well or badly used, so maybe one in better shape would work better, but I wouldn't buy another unless it was a really good deal.

[David Kumm]

The WM is a great molder but by nature of the design, it will be a compromise as a planer. Their can be no close to the head chipbreaker or pressure bar due to the room needed for molding heads. That can cause snipe. To be fair, many if not most 15" planers have poorly designed chipbreakers and PB too but they are placed closer to the head. Dave

[Ron Selzer]

I am still looking for a planer. I have a chance for a Woodmaster 712. A buddy picked it at an auction. Depending on how old it is and shape its in I think it would be a good deal at $500
I haven't looked at it yet but am going to this weekend. I've read quite a bit about the Woodmaster and see they have a good following.

Another buddy has had a Woodmaster for several years, but only uses it as a molder. Said it is a Great molder but he has never used it as a planer. Didn't think it would really be heavy enough for a planer. Told me to keep looking for a used Jet or Shop Fox. Something made out of cast iron. So I come back here to ask

Opinions on a Woodmaster 712 as a planer ?

Is there any of you that have a Woodmaster as a planer ?

My main use will be a planer.

I bought mine "new" in 1987. It had been returned to the factory, figured out after running it that the idler pulley for the feed belt was mounted on the wrong side, it was on the tension side of the belt instead of the slack side. Mine was the newer style with the stub ends for planer, sander head instead of solid shaft all the way thru. Definitely easier to change from sanding to planeing to molding. 5 hp motor with separate feed motor. No dust collection available at that time for it so added it myself.
Does snipe, however if boards are fed end butted doesn't snipe most of the time. Typically plane 80-100 bd ft at a time to eliminate most of the snipe and it is easier to maintain same thickness consistently. Made over a thosand ft of 3 1/2' wide molding with it, plane approx 1000 bd ft of rough sawn lumber a yr with it, don't care to sand with it(don't like drum sanders period). Was the right tool when bought and has been very handy for years. Now have a Delta 4 post, a DW 734 both never get used and just got a Mini max FS-30 which once repaired and running might finally get me away from the Wood Master 712, time will tell. At $500 it would have to be in bad not usable shape for me not to recommend it.
Ron

[Jon Fiebing]

First I want to thank the forum members who freely give of their knowledge.

I have read and learned, but did not have the $$ to do anything but that.

I have taken to heart that used Euro is a fine way to go and now I do have some $$, but not for new Euro.

There is this machine on woodweb..

https://www.woodweb.com/exchanges/ma...ts/531205.html

David K. and others is this one I should consider?

Its a different looking insert head; is it a good one?

Is the price fair, or too much and I can do better as I am in no immediate need having waited this long.

I live in MI and could go see it.

Larry E., you live in MI also ( I think?)

thanks in advance for guidance,

Jon Fiebing

[Phillip Mitchell]

Jon,

I think the Casadei planers of that era are fine machines, though factory support should you need it will likely be minimal. Doesn’t SCM own Casadei at this point?

That looks like a well outfitted machine that I would hope functions perfectly with little to no setup needed. I think you’re on the right track, but that’s a pretty steep price for that particular era machine if you ask me, but I tend to search long and hard for better deals as opposed to paying dealer prices for quick and convenient purchases. I would rather have a Tersa head in a planer personally, but many folks seem to love the helical heads.

I have seen similar size (520-630mm) Euro planers, often times SCM of the same or slightly newer vintage regularly available for less money than that asking price. Do you need 24” machine?

Forgive me if this has been mentioned or hashed out prior as I have read the entire thread, but do you have 3 phase power and/or are you generating it with a RPC?

This machine (and many other 24” Euro planers) have 12 HP cutterhead motors, usually in addition to a smaller feed motor (1-2 HP?) so you would need a fairly large converter to get this motor started.

I have an older 20” (500mm) SCM S50 planer from the late 70s with a 4 knife cutterhead and a 9 HP motor that I run with a RPC rated to start up to a 10 HP motor. It’s on a 30 amp, 220v 3 phase circuit. 12HP may need to go up to a 40 amp circuit, maybe? Hard to say without seeing the motor tag.

Just my 2 cents.

[Jon Fiebing]

Thanks Phillip M.,

this snip was useful...

I think you’re on the right track, but that’s a pretty steep price for that particular era machine if you ask me, but I tend to search long and hard for better deals as opposed to paying dealer prices for quick and convenient purchases. I would rather have a Tersa head in a planer personally,


It's not the right one and I am willing to search.
How did you find your s50?

thanks for your taking the time to answer.

Jon Fiebing

[Phillip Mitchell]

Thanks Phillip M.,

this snip was useful...

I think you’re on the right track, but that’s a pretty steep price for that particular era machine if you ask me, but I tend to search long and hard for better deals as opposed to paying dealer prices for quick and convenient purchases. I would rather have a Tersa head in a planer personally,


It's not the right one and I am willing to search.
How did you find your s50?

thanks for your taking the time to answer.

Jon Fiebing

Happy to offer my experiences, though they are limited compared to some here.

I found my S50 an hour down the road at a machinery dealer for $1500. This was after looking for that specific model for about 2 years prior and seeing exactly 3 available nationwide in that span of time. All of these others were more expensive (some by a factor of 2 or 3) and none of them were what I’d call close. My first experience buying from a dealer, but it was more like a typical used secondhand private party transaction as the dealer mostly dealt in larger scale, factory type production machines and larger CNC stuff. They’d acquired the S50 in a lot of other machines after buying out a closed up shop in the area and listed it on Machinio.com with no price and a few photos. I happened to see it and we worked out a deal. To think I had been looking for that model far and wide for 2 years and seeing a few listed for upwards of $5k and I found it the way I did makes me happy and enjoy the planer even more. It’s a fantastic and simple machine that doesn’t have the burden of electronic circuit boards that control all the functions, though the wiring on this era Italian machinery can be a gamble and not necessarily to be trusted.

The only thing that would make it better is a Tersa head, however I could not afford a newer (used) model SCMI S520 with Tersa head so I settled for an older, simpler machine with a 4 knife head. Maybe one day I could retrofit a Tersa head in it if I really wanted to.

Here’s a few photos of my machine.

[Jon Fiebing]

Phillip M.

Thank you for the nice story.

To someone who reads this post and who knows this forum- please start a thread for the following as it deserves to be read and disussed and homage paid. THanks in advance.


https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/ra...hsonian-museum





Rare woodworking machine restored in Kalispell heads to Smithsonian museum

---

by Vanessa Perez
Thursday, May 27th 2021

KALISPELL, Mont. — A rare Greenlee woodworking machine used in a Montana copper shop is now headed to a Smithsonian museum.

Steve Williams runs his Kalispell woodworking shop where he restores vintage machines to factory new conditions.
Williams says he’s had an ad on Craigslist for vintage woodworking machines wanted.
Three years ago, he got a phone call from a man in Chester, who had the 16-inch jointer machine. It had been sitting in a crate at his brother-in-law’s commercial farm near the Canadian border.


The machine does a variety of woodworking functions in an industrial environment.
Williams bought the machine and brought it back to Kalispell. He says he did research and found that the machine was originally purchased new by the Anaconda Copper Company in Great Falls in 1910.
Williams says he’s a part of a 20,000-member worldwide organization that's fascinated with woodworking machinery. He says the organization is confident that the machine is the last one in the world.
“There has been no mention of an existing machine, and one of us would know -- absolutely one of us would know,” Williams said.
Williams says he put in about 1,500 hours to restore the machine.
He says he notified the machine’s company, now owned by Emerson, about his plans to restore it.
“I just wanted them to know that this machine was still in existence, and it was going to have a new future,” Williams said.
He says the Smithsonian found out about the rare machine and showed interest a few weeks later.
Emerson provided the funding for the restoration, and the Smithsonian agreed to add it to their permanent collection at the National Museum of Industrial History Museum.
“They liked the idea of this machine because it was so unique, so rare, and had a great history -- great Montana history,” Williams said.






on vintage machinery is this one...


https://www.greenleediscovery.com/ourstory

Our StorListen to our latest NPR interview here:

https://www.northernpublicradio.org/...strial-history

The 1910 Greenlee Variety Woodworker

I am Steve Williams. I’m a 72 year old Vietnam Vet who lives in Kalispell Montana. I operate a wood shop specializing in the reproduction of woodwork for historic buildings. I’ve also been restoring vintage woodworking machinery for 30 years. My machinery, like me is vintage… It’s restored to factory new condition and I use it every day.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Jon,

There is a very nice looking and much newer (2005 model) SCMI S630 with a helical cutterhead listed for sale today on Woodweb classifieds. It’s the same price as the much older and rougher Casadei you were considering a few weeks back and is also in Michigan. Might give it a peak.

[lowell holmes]

I prefer to go to the toy stores, Lowes and Home Depot to buy such a tool. Go shop and see if you still want the used one.

[Mike Kees]

Lowell there is nothing even close to the size/quality of planers that are being talked about in this thread available in a big box store.