Planer thicknesses for garage

[deema]

I’ve rebuilt a number of machines, vintage and modern. In my experience, I won’t rebuild modern machines unless they are the high end commercial machines. Why? Well I have found the trade / DIY machines to be very poorly engineered and don’t hold their setup making for disappointment and costly return visits to machines I’ve worked on.
So, Sedgwick, very happy to work on these machines, solid proper engineering that will life generations. Not the best, but extremely good and far better than any IMO of your other suggested machines.

The chain, bearings and sprockets will need changing at some point. Looking at the sprockets I’d want to change them, BUT for DIY the chances are they will out last your lifetime as they are.

We would strip and repaint the machine in the modern blue and white colours and replace anything worn to bring it back to usually better setup than when it came out of the factory. Now, this takes a fair bit of time, some tools, but nothing too elaborate and is within the capability of anyone who has say changed the breaks on a car. You usually don’t lose money buying Sedgwick, you definitely will lose money buying a new trade / DIY machine and IMO struggle to get them working properly. P/Ts must be very stiff / rigid to work properly. So a light machine that’s made to a cost won’t again IMO give the performance you need.

 

[Sideways]

...look up the thread restoration Sideways and I did of an MB PT. We had to machine up jelly bean sprockets to get them to fit properly. I’m guessing the same sprockets used on the MB are used on the PT. You can buy spares from Sedgwick…..expensive!

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/sedgwick-mb-planer-thicknesser-full-refurbishment.136008/

 

[earnest]

@deema, @Sideways would you have any opinion on something like this please: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204768668576
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226100894039
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296318939906

 

[heimlaga]

Eletra Beckum is more like hobby grade though at the upper end of it.
Startrite is unknown to me.

I have rebuilt quite a few machines and honestly it is easier to make something out of a 100 years old industrial machine that was thrown out as "worn out" or "outdated" 40 years ago and has sat in a bush behind a barn overgrown with moss ever since than to make something out of a 15 years old well used hobby machine out of a dry hobby workshop.
Not because those old rusty wrecks are easy to rebuild but because modern hobby machines are built to such a tight price point that there is nothing there to start from.

I am currently rebuilding a pre-war cast iron glue press that was toppled over and then had the counterweight from a forklift dropped on top of it. Repairing such a wreck takes plenty of time and a bit of skill and a good welder and plenty of nickel rods but it is still easier that building a machine out of a pretender.

 

[earnest]

Hi all, I found another planer Sedgwick 12x8 for sale, this is the insides.

@Sideways, @deema, @heimlaga and others, would appreciate any feedback, if possible, please. To my uneducated eye, the one I attached previously for 10x8 looks a bit "beefier" and more complicated than this 12x8 (maybe because of the added flange like noted here)

 

[Spectric]

and more complicated than this 12x8

Simplicity is often better than complexity and I would have thought that any Sedgwick is going to be better than modern asian clones, you have two motors for a start so cutter block and feed rollers have their own power rather than driving the feed off the cutter belt like with the PT107.

 

[earnest]

Simplicity is often better than complexity and I would have thought that any Sedgwick is going to be better than modern asian clones, you have two motors for a start so cutter block and feed rollers have their own power rather than driving the feed off the cutter belt like with the PT107.

Thanks. The previous internals were also from Sedgwick though

 

[Doug71]

Pretty sure that is an old Sedgwick MB, I have the same model. It is a solid old workhorse, think it weighs nearly 400Kg. I converted mine to ESTA knives and added a Wixey gauge to make it more user friendly. It's nice that you don't have to lift the tables for thicknessing as you know no settings are getting changed.

The downside to it is it's old, for example they weren't designed with dust extraction in mind so that isn't great. Mine only has a 2 knife cutter block, I would prefer 3. Thicknessing below about 10mm you need to use a sled but even then the machine seems a bit brutal for fine stuff with only 2 knives. I presume it will not have a brake.

It is a good solid machine that has never let me down but just lacks the finesse of a good quality modern machine.

 

[earnest]

Pretty sure that is an old Sedgwick MB, I have the same model. It is a solid old workhorse, think it weighs nearly 400Kg. I converted mine to ESTA knives and added a Wixey gauge to make it more user friendly. It's nice that you don't have to lift the tables for thicknessing as you know no settings are getting changed.

The downside to it is it's old, for example they weren't designed with dust extraction in mind so that isn't great. Mine only has a 2 knife cutter block, I would prefer 3. Thicknessing below about 10mm you need to use a sled but even then the machine seems a bit brutal for fine stuff with only 2 knives. I presume it will not have a brake.

It is a good solid machine that has never let me down but just lacks the finesse of a good quality modern machine.

Thanks, that’s insightful, would you use a sander to improve any roughness?

 

[Doug71]

Thanks, that’s insightful, would you use a sander to improve any roughness?

It's not roughness, the finish is comparable to any other 2 knife planer, it's more that sometimes if you are trying to thickness something thin on occasion the machine can just eat it and not much comes out the other side!

I can get a bit of tear out on for example Sapele when thicknessing if the grain is interlocking, it would be nice if you could slow down the feed rate a bit.

 

[deema]

It’s the older MB Sedgwick, good machines, probably the best castings you will find in their range: ie all castings arnt as good quality as they did back in the day. I can’t see anything from the photos which suggests it’s not a good machine. It’s missing the blade guard, which IMO is vital and a dust chute. Bith of these can be bought from Sedgwick or made yourself.

I don’t think it’s done a huge amount of work, the sprockets don’t look very worn.

For a machine of that vintage it’s almost certain that the following will benefit the machine hugely.

1. Replace bushings in the feed rollers.
2. Replace cutter block bearings
3. Replace motor bearings
4. Replace belts.
5. Change the oil in the gear box. (This will have an imperial gearbox so make sure it’s working properly before you buy: not making any grinding sounds etc: as although you can buy a replacement it will be metric and will need a new motor too. The last time we swapped these out it was circa £1K!
6. Clean and lube the chain.
7. Clean and relubricate the thickness table ruse and fall gears.

None of that it too difficult, and all the parts are easily available. @Sideways and I write a thread on restoring a MB that details how to do each of the tasks.

 

[earnest]

It’s the older MB Sedgwick, good machines, probably the best castings you will find in their range: ie all castings arnt as good quality as they did back in the day. I can’t see anything from the photos which suggests it’s not a good machine. It’s missing the blade guard, which IMO is vital and a dust chute. Bith of these can be bought from Sedgwick or made yourself.

I don’t think it’s done a huge amount of work, the sprockets don’t look very worn.

For a machine of that vintage it’s almost certain that the following will benefit the machine hugely.

1. Replace bushings in the feed rollers.
2. Replace cutter block bearings
3. Replace motor bearings
4. Replace belts.
5. Change the oil in the gear box. (This will have an imperial gearbox so make sure it’s working properly before you buy: not making any grinding sounds etc: as although you can buy a replacement it will be metric and will need a new motor too. The last time we swapped these out it was circa £1K!
6. Clean and lube the chain.
7. Clean and relubricate the thickness table ruse and fall gears.

None of that it too difficult, and all the parts are easily available. @Sideways and I write a thread on restoring a MB that details how to do each of the tasks.

@deema, thanks a lot. I guess the biggest concern would be the motor, looks like it has 2 so that would be £2k in worst case scenario? This machine is being sold shy of £700 right now.

 

[deema]

It has two motors, the main motor is a 2.2KW L90 frame, so probably circa £200. However, usually both motors just need new bearings, so around £25 in total. The gearbox won’t have had the oil changed since it was new, I can’t remember what it needs, but usually fir around £100~£150 you can buy all the bits to make it as good as new.

 

[Brigandchief]

Hi all, I found another planer Sedgwick 12x8 for sale, this is the insides.

@Sideways, @deema, @heimlaga and others, would appreciate any feedback, if possible, please. To my uneducated eye, the one I attached previously for 10x8 looks a bit "beefier" and more complicated than this 12x8 (maybe because of the added flange like noted here)

 

[Brigandchief]

I am but a newbie here and have just put my SIP 10 x 6 Planer thicknesser on eBay. Noe enough posts to put it here!!!
Cheers

 

[earnest]

I am but a newbie here and have just put my SIP 10 x 6 Planer thicknesser on eBay. Noe enough posts to put it here!!!
Cheers

Feel free to send me a direct message with your ebay item or just post item ID if link is not allowed in your case
I think I have found your item. Unfortunately, this is in a different category what I am looking for, thanks.

 

[sploo]

Mine's still available if it's of any interest: https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/holzmann-kad-320-12-planer-thicknesser.147589/

 

[Brigandchief]

Feel free to send me a direct message with your ebay item or just post item ID if link is not allowed in your case
I think I have found your item. Unfortunately, this is in a different category what I am looking for, thanks.

Just to be sure the number is 204796423026 but no worries hope you find what you want.
Cheers David