Fixing up old planer

[Rob D]

Hi all
I have been given a 6 inch bench top planer which I think was made by SIP? It has no manual and no marking’s to confirm this. I know it looks pretty ropey but I can’t afford anything newer and it does have cast iron tables and fence. Unfortunately the 4 screws/bolts that attach the fence to the guide are missing and I’m hoping somebody may know where I could find some replacements?
It also need new blades, could anybody recommend suitable replacements?
Thanks for any advice that’s forthcoming.

 

[Daniel2]

I would suggest hunting down a local model engineer, or such like.
For someone with a metal lathe, it would be a piece of cake.
....
......
...... (Probably)

ATB,
Daniel

 

[Trevanion]

Looks like a surprisingly tanky little machine for a bench-top jobbie!

For the fence screws, I would have no idea what to tell you without any rough measurements but I would assume on a machine that new (relatively) it would probably be using metric fasteners. If I had to put money on it looking at it from here I'd wager it's M8. Take a ruler or some kind of measuring implement (A vernier caliper would be ideal) to the threaded holes and measure what would be the minor diameter of a threaded screw, IE the low points on the actual screw and the high points on the threaded hole, on an M8 screw this would roughly be 6.5mm

I'd have no idea where you'd get knives without seeing what they look like first, I would try emailing https://www.woodfordtooling.com/ with some measurements and pictures of your knives and see what they can come up with.

 

[Daniel2]

Agreed that they probably are M8.
I was looking at the plate they pass through though, and that seems to
require either a sleeve or a generously shouldered bolt. Hence
the lathe suggestion.
Of course, if it's a recent machine, they may well be available as spare parts.

ATB,
Daniel

 

[Rob D]

I would suggest hunting down a local model engineer, or such like.
For someone with a metal lathe, it would be a piece of cake.
....
......
...... (Probably)

ATB,
Daniel

 

[Rob D]

Thanks for the feedback gents. I’m off out to the shed in a minute to try and measure the size of the holes and the size of the blades.
I’ll report back on my findings.

 

[bourbon]

have you got a few bolts lying about ( we all have ) screw one carefully in the hole, If it fits, Then that is your size

 

[Rob D]

Blade was easy to measure but the hole less so as I don’t have callipers but it seemed as though the hole was as a suggested 6.5mm across.
The other picture is of the plate the bolt goes through before it bolts into the fence and it shows the outline of the shoulder of the bolt as you’ve suggested Daniel

 

[Trevanion]

I personally haven't got a clue where you'd find a blade like that, like I suggested above I'd get in contact with Woodford Tooling about it as they're usually pretty keen on that kind of thing and helpful.

I'd get some M8 socket flanged screws for that fence attachment but the high-tensile ones not the stainless ones as stainless can sometimes seize up solid, especially in dissimilar metals like cast iron.

Here's some for a fair price, just decide what length you need: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M3-M4-M5...LEN-KEY-HEAD-DOME-SOCKET-BUTTON-/362722789377

 

[Rob D]

Thanks for the help guys, it’s much appreciated and trevannion your right, for a small machine it is very heavy, unfortunately very loud to go with it!

 

[TheTiddles]

I personally haven't got a clue where you'd find a blade like that, like I suggested above I'd get in contact with Woodford Tooling about it as they're usually pretty keen on that kind of thing and helpful.

I'd get some M8 socket flanged screws for that fence attachment but the high-tensile ones not the stainless ones as stainless can sometimes seize up solid, especially in dissimilar metals like cast iron.

Here's some for a fair price, just decide what length you need: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M3-M4-M5...LEN-KEY-HEAD-DOME-SOCKET-BUTTON-/362722789377

Stainless on/in cast iron (or in fact just about any metal at ambient) should be ok, however stainless bolt with stainless nut is one where you want to put some grease in there first. If the bolts are short you aren’t going to get much advantage with high tensile, stainless is probably fine but bright steel will do just fine and cheaper too.
Aidan

 

[TheTiddles]

Hold up... why do you need new blades? Looks like there’s enough meat left on them to have them sharpened.
Aidan

 

[MusicMan]

Agree with Tiddles, bog standard stainless socket screws from anywhere, with washers, will do fine for the fence. It's only for the blades that I would go for high tensile bolts, but those seem to be there. Clean those threaded holes out first, though.

Nice chunky machine, with a solid fence system, often what lets down small planers. This should be a good one. And yes, those blades should sharpen fine unless there is something we can't see, such as a crack.

 

[Rob D]

You know what my next question will be. How do you sharpen the blades? Do you send them off and if so could anybody make any recommendations or is it something that can be done yourself.
I do have diamond sharpening plates but no power driven grinding wheels etc.

 

[Yojevol]

You know what my next question will be. How do you sharpen the blades? Do you send them off and if so could anybody make any recommendations or is it something that can be done yourself.
I do have diamond sharpening plates but no power driven grinding wheels etc.

I could sharpen them on my Tormek planer blade attachment. If you can get them to my daughter who lives in WuE she could deliver them to me tomorrow. Send PM if interested.
Brian

 

[TheTiddles]

You know what my next question will be. How do you sharpen the blades? Do you send them off and if so could anybody make any recommendations or is it something that can be done yourself.
I do have diamond sharpening plates but no power driven grinding wheels etc.

You get them done at a commercial sharpening service, should be about £8 I recon for the size you have.
If someone has the jig they can do it but for most of us, the machine and jig is more than many sharpenings done by someone else.
Aidan