Sedgwick PT255 Strip down and rebuild (with Photographs)

[ndbrown]

Karl's original topic was the inspiration for me even attempting this!
(Post updated to restore pictures lost from Photobucket change of 3rd party hosting)

Rather than go through the pro's and cons of Sedgwick v's anything else, I will try and keep to the subject in hand and hopefully at the end of this you can decide if this is the machine for you and also what to look for in a used machine and avoid any mistakes I have made. As I write this, I have another 3 months minor work to complete it but the machine is already back together and trial run a few days ago, albeit short of a few essentials! Also look at Karl's post on this as it is a great reference.

I bought my machine from an e-bay auction for £300. It is (or was) a 3-phase machine when bought, dating back to around the mid 70's. I think my machine is a fairly early one as it does not have the cast iron fence and has shorter tables than the PT255 available now. My machine also has a lever for engaging the drive to the thicknesser. From what I can see of the later machines, the thicknesser lever has gone and it appears to be permanently driven (can someone let me know if I am wrong in this)?

Let's crack on with the pictures. These were taken back in November 2011 when I bought the machine.

As bought, in a fairly sorry state, the cutterblock revolved and motor appeared OK, but it has suffered a fair bit of neglect and lack of maintenance. As you will see later however, as a testament to Sedgwicks simple design and use of high quality materials, nothing was actually worn out!
Front view of the machine, just unloaded (click to enlarge image)

I bolted it to the pallet it was already sitting on and the seller used his forklift to lift it into a small Ford Transit Connect I hired to go and collect it. It was then strapped down to the floor tie off points. You could fit it into an estate car, but you would have to remove tables, motor and anything else you could as these machines are seriously heavy (much lighter than Wadkins though). I was surprised that my father in law, who went with me took a further hour to ask how we were going to get it out!

DO NOT EVER lift these machines by the infeed/outfeed tables. The Sedgwick manual suggests putting a sturdy baton through the thicknesser, winding it up to the feed rollers and slinging the machine underneath the thicknesser table. Since we had neither a sling or crane and the thicknesser table was already jammed. We put two 4" x 2" lengths of timber through the pallet and three other "volunteers" and myself lifted it out of the van. There were a few groans as four adults took the strain of lifting it, maybe we need to be down the gym more (or in my case once might help).

This is the rear of the machine with the cover removed. It is a fairly compact machine and if you exclude the control lever knobs, the only plastic item is one nylon gear for the thicknesser. Other than the motor and drive belts, everything else is cast iron or steel. (click image for larger version)

This is a close up of the drive to the cutter block and infeed/outfeed rollers. You can see that maintenance has not been a high priority not to mention dust extraction judging by the amount of wood shavings to the right of the cutter block. It looks like it had spent the last days of it's industrial life planning pallet wood. (click image for larger version)

This is the underside of the Surface infeed table (outfeed end of thicknesser). Most moving parts were not and any that were still moving needed a lot of effort. (click image for larger version)

This is the underside of the Surface outfeed table (infeed end of thicknesser). The feed roller was jammed and canted at an angle. (click image for larger version)

Maybe the most helpfull advice i can give at this point is buy as good a machine as you can afford. If you buy a machine in this condition, make sure it cheap. It's often said that one of the good things about Sedgwick is that spares are still available. However, as you will discover to your cost. The price of anything substantial will be more than buying another PT255 secondhand. As long as all the cast Items are present and free from cracks or obvious serious damage. Most other smaller items can be made if required, more of this to follow. So make sure you check Infeed/outfeed and thicknesser tables as well as the remainder of the cast parts of the machine.

I will post more pictures in the coming days covering the last 12 month's rebuild. It will include stripdown and overhaul, conversion to single phase, making some simple new parts, where to buy common spares at reasonable prices, building a mobile base and upgrading to self setting disposable blades and fitting a digital thicknessing readout.

 

[Benchwayze]

Nice project here ND... Following this with interest.

I keep my Sedgwick 12" treated with Briwax, (The tables) So far the only other maintenance the machine's had is regular attention to the thicknessing roller-frame , with emery cloth, and the rising pillar is kept greased. The fence sliding bars, I keep bright, again with emery. I examine the chain every few weeks, and clear out the gunk and sawdust. After 20 years, that's about all it's needed, (Blade changes as necessary of course; a job I hate!) It's a great machine, and is much prized. It isn't going anywhere until Number One Son is clearing out the shop, come the day! :wink:

 

[ndbrown]

Hi John, that's good advice for me about the Briwax on the tables. I used a chemical black oxide conversion for all the bare steel parts but I don't know how well it will last but it is supposed to be good! I am fairly sure my machine will easily outlast me as well.
Nigel


Next stage of the strip and rebuild follows

1). Fence and bracket removal
As I said earlier, most machines will have a more rugged cast iron fence, but my one has this plain steel fence which is still rock solid when secure. I was missing a lever that tilts the fence but I have now replaced it and will cover this later. I slackened the fence lever off (Starred in photo) and slid the fence right out. I then removed the two M8 bolts with a 13mm spanner or socket (bolts arrowed in photo). After the bolts were removed, the bracket still required a light tap with a mallet to remove it after 40 years!

2). Outfeed table removal
CAUTION - Table is heavy and will need supported when being removed. Remove four M8 bolts with a 13mm spanner or socket (arrowed and the table has 2 bolts per side). The weight of the table should allow it to come away but make sure you have a good grip of it! There may be metal shims fitted under this table, make sure you keep a record of how many are fitted, preferably bag and tag them and identify which side they are fitted to. You might want to keep the table in place temporarily with a couple of bolts whilst you complete section 5

3). Infeed table removal
CAUTION - Again, this table is heavy and will need supported when being removed. Using a 13mm spanner or socket, only slacken the four M8 bolts (arrowed and 2 per side) at this stage. My table started to slide/move for the first time when I did this. I don't have the monopoly of wisdom for the next bit as there are a couple of ways to do this. The method I used was to remove the small grub screw in the collar at the end of the table (arrowed) with a 3mm Allen key. You might have to wire brush or clean the collar to see this grub screw. It's worth cleaning any grub screws sockets out fully to allow the Allen keys to get a good grip. Once removed the collar came of the shaft and I was able to tap the infeed adjusting shaft out of the cast table lug. The bolts and securing strips can now be removed and the table lifted off. More than one pair of hands helps here and don't drop the table on the wife/husband/girlfriend/partner if they are helping as it may damage the table and any resulting divorce or separation will undoubtedly make the price of the Sedgwick seem really cheap!

Table adjusting screwed rod is shown already removed for clarity below

4). The next part is REALLY IMPORTANT
If you have not already done it, REMOVE the planer knives from the block. Don't do what I did and leave them fitted only to lift and slide my hand along the block when removing it later. The multiple cuts healed eventually!
My block had two knives (I believe standard for the PT255), secured with 4 grub screws per knife (arrowed blue in the last photo of this section). A ball end 6mm allen key is best for this, but you can use a regular Allen key with the table removed. Again, you might have to spend some time digging the dirt and debris out of these grub screws before attempting to remove them. However, most machines that have been well maintained should not be too bad when removing these and on a plus point the older fasteners used by Sedgwick are much less prone to rounding off than modern far-eastern machines, probably as a result of good quality steel! If you use some penetrating fluid/spray to help remove these, remember to thoroughly remove all traces from screws and block before re-assembly as the friction will be helpful in holding the planer knives in!

The next photo shows the outfeed table removed. The blue tape is temporarily holding the shims I mentioned earlier. I had already removed my infeed roller before I took this photo, but I will cover this later anyway.

5). Cutter block and removal (stage 1)
You may as well remove two further grub screws that position the cutter block in the front and back plate (approximate positions are arrowed yellow), again you might have to clear dirt from them to see the hex socket for the Allen key. The front grub screw is on the angled casting face on the front left hand side and you will need a 3mm Allen key for this one. The back grub screw is on the top at the back close to the pully and you will need a 4mm Allen key for this one. You don't need to completely remove them at this stage to avoid them getting lost. These screws and collars don't actually hold the bearings in as such but actually position the cutter block front to back using two collars. At this stage, you might want to refit the rear table temporarily to help support the front and back castings supporting the bearings. Removing the drive belt to the cutter block first, and remembering to remove the grub screws already mentioned, begin by lightly tapping the head of the bolt securing the pulley using a piece of hardwood between the bolt and the hammer. Despite the poor condition of my machine, this was enough to start to get the cutter block slowly moving. You cannot remove the cutter block yet but I will come to this part next! This step was just to make sure it is able to move. I had already removed my outfeed roller before I took this photo, but I will also cover this later.
You can now start to slacken off the support stay that runs between the front and back castings of the machine (nuts arrowed in Red). This is threaded M16 and you will need a 24mm spanner or adjustable for these locknuts. The front part of the stay is threaded into a blind hole in the casting (Actually it's a through tapped hole that Sedgwick have filled on the outside of mine visible once you strip the paint). The rear threaded part is in a clearance hole in the back casting. You just need to remove the outer most nut at the back at this stage. You can remove the stay later with the front casting.

 

[wallace]

Very thorough descriptions, this will be good for people as a referance. Dont ye just love rusty old iron being brought back to 'life'
mark

 

[munkypuzel]

Hi ND, Great thread, love the detail and cant wait to see it come together. I have stripped several of these to various degrees over the years, but never gone as far as a full paint job.

You are correct, the PT255 changed to a permanantly engaged thicknesser quaite a while ago. The change was during the time when the livery was light green top/dark green bottom, so you can have a machine that colour combnination with or without lever.. I would guess the change was around mid 80's.

I currently own a year 1999 light/dark blue model with a rare 3 knife cutter block which was a factory option at £50 back then.

Great machine, bullet proof, never grumbles or goes out of adjustment which I guess is why the design has hardly changed.

 

[ndbrown]

(Post updated to restore pictures lost from Photobucket change of 3rd party hosting)

That's great information, I did wonder why some machines were missing this lever!
I suspect I will learn as much about these machines from other members when I am writing this topic as I have in rebuilding this machine.

Whilst I appreciate that longer tables are always better for straightening timber, what I really like about my machine is the slightly shorter tables as this makes it very compact (I only have a single garage to work in). When I say my tables are shorter, I think they are still longer than some other machines currently on the market.

I wish I had your 3 knife cutter block but I guess I will have to make do. I shudder to think what Sedgwick would charge for a 3 knife version today! Just in case anyone thinks I am having a go at Sedgwick during this topic, although their spares are a bit pricey, I have nothing but admiration for the people that designed these as they are a masterpiece of simplicity!

Nigel

Next instalment!

6). Removing the Infeed and Outfeed rollers and Motor
In the next photograph, remove the spring arrowed in Red, by disconnecting the lower end. My machine had a split pin that I just cut as I replaced it with a new link in the rebuild. Your machine might not have the thicknesser feed lever shown with the Blue arrow. Either way, you need to support the pulley shown by the yellow arrow as the spring is providing the belt tension on this pulley. At the bottom of the machine, slacken the two M8 nuts securing the right hand side of the motor with a 13mm spanner. You will also have to slacken the two M12 bolts on the front and rear motor left mount using a 19mm spanner or socket. I have not arrowed these bolts but they are at the very bottom of the machine front and back. You might need to soak these for a couple of hours in penetrating fluid/spray before trying to loosen these, but although my bolts were rusty, the steel did not feel soft and they still loosened off relatively easily. You should now be able to remove the main "V" drive belt and lift the chain off the in-feed and out-feed roller sprockets. The flat drive belt can be removed from the motor pulley but left hanging from the top pulley for the moment.

At this stage, I removed the original 3-phase motor and switchgear. As I was not going to re-use these parts, I did not worry about the wiring of them. If you are going to re-use these, take notes/photographs before removing any connections. The switch at the front of the machine is a DIRECT ON LINE Starter or "DOL" Switch which is fastened to the casting with two M6 slotted head screws that are accessed by removing the outer switch cover. The motor pivots in the base on a long 25mm square bar held at each end to the base with two M12 bolts (described above) plus a short metal strip at the front that is used to adjust the belt tension. This hort metal strip is bolted to the front lug of the motor with an M10 bolt and I would remove this strip before trying to remove the motor. I would suggest you remove the motor drive pulley before trying to remove the motor as the assembled motor and pulley are very heavy. Maybe best to prop the motor up on some wooden blocks before totally removing the three bolts mentioned above.
To remove the main drive pulley from the motor you will need to slacken the M8 bolts and washer at the end of the motor shaft using a 13mm spanner or socket. The pulley is ALSO held on with a 10mm Grub screw that is in the middle of the area where the flat belt is driven. Remove the grub screw with a 6mm Allen key. I would suggest you use a bearing/hub puller to remove the drive pulley. The drive pulley fitted to my machine is is cast iron (Cast Iron seems to be a real favourite material for Sedgwick!), and I would not recommend hitting it directly with anything to remove the pulley just in case you end up breaking off part of it.

In the next three photographs, I will hopefully describe how to remove the feed rollers and thicknesser table. First the rollers; Remove both sets of M8 nuts under the springs using two 13mm spanners or a spanner and a socket. Note the whole stud and spring might come out but this is not a problem as it can easily be refitted later. These are arrowed yellow and there are four sets (Two sets per roller). Note there are 4 smaller M6 grub screws and nuts that are used to set the roller height, these are shown with blue arrows. These M6 long grub screws can be left in place and removed later when you are cleaning up the front and back castings.

The infeed roller is shown removed below, note there is an "L" shaped bracket/strip fitted to the top of the rollers with 2 off M8 bolts (arrowed in Red). The bracket is not in my photo as I had already removed it and sent it away for nickel plating (more of that later). Once you remove the "L" shaped bracket/strip using a 13mm spanner/socket, the outermost bearing housing should come away. As a tribute to Sedgwick and despite a lack of maintenance on my machine, after 40+ years there was no wear in either part (the roller runs in phosphor bronze bushes). The block/bearing between the sprocket and roller is secured with a parallel spring pin. Taking care not to rest this on the sprocket teeth (to avoid breaking teeth on the casting), support it on the roller bearing block and the spring pin will drive out with a punch and hammer. The spring pin can be re-used again on re-assembly. The position of this pin is arrowed yellow.

This photo shows the outfeed roller with the bearings removed in the same way as described above. The hole where the parallel spring pin holding the sprocket on was fitted is arrowed here.

7). Cutter Block removal (Part 2)
Before proceeding, it's wise to get some help to support the cutter block for the next part. Note, you DO NOT need to remove the cutter block pulley as it will pass through the casting just fine. The Front casting is secured to the cast base with two M12 Bolts. You will need a 19mm Spanner or socket for these. The photo below shows the front casting already removed and the position of the M12 bolts marked in Red.
REMEMBERING to remove the cutter knives before supporting it, hold it firmly and lift the front casting away. The cutter block will now slide out from the rear casting, but remember, both these items are quite heavy! I kept the thicknesser table in place with a block of wood underneath the cutter block to support it whilst doing this.

The Cutter block with bearings fitted
The next operation will depend on the condition of the machine. If the bearings are fine and have no play, you can protect them from dust with some masking tape whilst you clean up the cutter block. I used a wire brush fitted to an electric drill for this. Please note the front bearing is a self aligning one and should have some axial movement. My bearings seemed fine, but as I had the machine stripped to this stage, I decided to replace them anyway, hence the next step. You can check the bearings by holding the cutter block with one hand and turning the outer part of the bearing with the other hand. If it feels stiff, rough or seems to have some play in it, I would replace it. If in any doubt, just replace them anyway. You could get a local engineering shop or bearing supplier to do this or do it yourself as follows.
You will need a small gear puller to remove the belt drive pulley and at the rear bearing. I have borrowed these gear pullers in the past but decided to buy one from my local Screwfix (local motor factors may be just as good/cheaper). My one was a Laser 100mm 2/3 leg reversible one. First removing the M8 bolt from the pulley with a 13mm socket/spanner along with the washer, fit the Gear Puller to the drive pulley and the drive pulley will come off fairly simply (follow gear puller instructions for this). The pulley drives the shaft with a short square key that you need to keep for reassembly. A round collar/spacer can now be removed to get access to the rear bearing. The rear bearing can be pulled off the shaft using the same technique as the drive pulley, use the puller with 2 opposite legs and locate them behind the bearing where the knives normally sit. The front pulley is a problem as the diameter of this is the same as the smaller diameter of the block and you cannot get the Gear Puller to grip it. Remove the M8 Bolt and washer from the front with a 13mm spanner/socket. The method I used was to prise the rubber seal from the outside of the bearing, remove the bearing cage with a small flat screwdriver an pliers (Note this will destroy the bearing), with the cage removed, the balls will fall out and you will be left with just the inner part of the bearing. I removed the remnants of the bearing fairly easily by driving a large OLD flat screwdriver between the remaining inner bearing and the cutter block with a hammer. You dont need to really hit it hard but you need to alternate where you are hitting it 180 degreed to avoid it jamming. It gradually moves off the shaft. Note: If you are uncomfortable with this method and are intent on replacing the front bearing, you could use a local machine shop or bearing service company to do this for you.

You can finish by removing the infeed/outfeed height adjustment screws (M6 Grub screws and locknuts) from the casting (Shown with Yellow arrows above). One of my adjustment screws was sheared off but there was still enough to grip with a set of molegrips to remove (having previously soaked it with penetrating fluid/spray).

New bearings I used were:
Rear - 6206-2RS C3 sealed bearing, my one was an SKF bearing
Front - 2204 E-2RS1TN9 Self aligning bearing, again manufactured by SKF
I will cover the replacement later during the rebuild.

The cutter block with knives removed but front and rear bearings shown before removal.
At the front of the cutter block (under the grime and rust on mine) are stamped numbers for the blade position. The wedges also have numbers stamped on them and these should be replaced in the matching position on the cutter block.

The Anti Kickback Fingers
These can be removed from the outfeed table by placing it upside down on a bench. The fingers are kept apart with spacers, but at each end of the anti kickback fingers there is a collar with a 2mm grub screw in it (see photograph). You might not see these grub screws as a result of dirt/rust OR more likely because the collar has turned round and the grub screw is hidden by the table casting. I used a set of molegrips to grasp the collar and turn it around so that I could get access to the 2mm grub screws. Clean the sockets out and remove them (bag them as they are very small). With the collars now at least slack or the screws removed, you can drive out the bar that holds these to the table casting. It's just a plain round bar and can be driven out from either side. Keep all the spacers and fingers together. My anti-kickback fingers were all slightly different lengths, but this seemed to be down to manufacturing tolerances rather than any predefined pattern! There are 12 spacers, 13 fingers plus the two collars with grub screws. Not all parts are shown in the photo.

Rear Casting / Gears / chain etc
The rear casting is secured to the base in the same way as the front casting (two M12 bolts). Removal is the same as the front but you should remove all the gears / chain /tensioner system first to reduce weight. The main (largest) gear is secured by a collar which is removed by slackening off another grub screw arrowed in yellow (4mm Allen key required). At this time, I would remove the other collar at the opposite end of the rectangular metal bar (also arrowed in yellow) as this will allow the small spur gear/thicknesser flat belt pulley to be removed separately from the main gear. Be careful to support parts as everything starts to come loose at this stage. The chain can also be removed for cleaning. The chain tensioner is removed by slackening off a 12mm bolt arrowed in yellow (19mm spanner/socket) followed by the M10 cover support studs which are secured inside the cover by an M10 nut (studs arrowed blue).

The Base Casting / Thicknesser Rise/Fall mechanism
This is probably the heaviest part of the machine! It is cast iron (there's a surprise) and you would be better getting help to lift it. The photograph shows it already removed and now sitting upside down, but you need to remove the four M12 bolts with a 19mm spanner / socket first. These can be accessed inside the base at the bottom of the machine (the positions shown with red arrows). Once the bolts are removed, get some help to lift it from the machine. I would recommend sitting it upside down as shown on some wooden blocks.
If your thicknesser rise/fall was poor or jammed, this is the area to attend to. My one had about 1cm of movement, but only with a lot of force. The cause is likely to be a combination of dirt/rust/wood on the central round support pillar along with a combination of this on the gears (arrowed blue). With the cast base supported on blocks, remove the 2 M8 bolts using a 13mm spanner or socket (arrowed in yellow). Be carefull as once these are removed the central column can drop.
Using a degreaser clean the area around the gears and the visible areas of the central column as well as the adjusting screw. Soak the gap between then central pillar with penetrating fluid/spray overnight. A light tap with a soft faced mallet should get it moving now. Clean and degrease all the all parts thoroughly.
The gears can be removed from the shaft by driving out a parallel spring pin (position also arrowed in blue). I only did this to help gain access to the casting for painting but it also allowed me to clean and grease the handle shaft as well. It's probably not essential to remove these though.

The base is constructed of welded sheet metal. There must have been a shortage of cast iron when this part was designed at Segwick, but at least it's not too heavy to lift! Although my one is very rusty, the metals is fairly thick and the base was still serviceable.

A pile of bits!!
By now, your machine should resemble this, lets hope it all goes back together again!

Finished strip down - The next post will cover refurbishment and rebuild - nice shiny and freshly painted parts!
I don't propose to cover the refurbishment of every single part as it's just going to clog up the forum with pictures and bore you, so I will group parts together (cast iron parts / steel parts / tables etc).

 

[ndbrown]

(Post updated to restore pictures lost from Photobucket change of 3rd party hosting)

Mobile Base
For me, a mobile base was a first step as I need to be able to move the planer out from its parked position next to the wall easily when I need to use it. As I had already discovered, lifting a completed machine onto a mobile base was not going to be an easy task, so I decided to rebuild the machine on the base. There are plenty of options for commercial mobile bases, Axminster, Rutlands to name a few. These machines were originally designed to be bolted down, in the case of this model, adding fixings to the four mounting holes in the fabricated base really stiffens it up as well. This is probably not true for larger machines with cast iron or much more elaborate bases. Another reason for bolting it down is stability in use. However, for me, I need it to be mobile and I felt that none of the commercial bases met my requirements, so making one was the route I decided on. I should say that I have already made two previous bases using the same design for my Bandsaw (Minimax S45 - see my other post) and for my Axminster AW19FM floor standing morticer.

This is the mobile base I made (I used 50 x 50mm wide angle iron - 5mm thick), I suspect it will be strong enough! I originally looked at buying the steel on e-bay for this but when I approached my Local Blacksmith to ask about a quote for welding one of these I found that he was MUCH cheaper for the material. All in cost for enough steel for this base is around £20, 100mm diameter Poly tyre wheels were another £9 and the adjustable M12 x 120mm long feet were another £15. The cost of getting my local blacksmith to weld this one up was £20. Wheels are rated at 230kg each and feet at 500kg, so were more than up to supporting the weight of the Sedgwick.
The finished base is really sturdy and the machine very stable when assembled to it. I will post a separate article on building bases at a later date, you only really need an angle grinder and some basic tools to make them along with a friendly local Blacksmith/steel fabricator!
(click image for larger version)

I have shown the completed machine fitted to the base so you can see the principle. I also made the lift bar to move the base around, the lift bar is shared between all my machines with these bases. Having the machines mobile in my single garage is essential to maximising space and useability as a workshop. The outriggers with wheels really give stability to the machine but are not as wide as the table higher up. It only raises the machine up by a couple of inches or so! (Click for larger image)

Refurbishment of Steel Parts
I am going to cover the refurbishment of the steel parts first. This purpose of writing up this whole rebuild is to share my experience, I am not suggesting that my way is the best and I will point out mistakes that I have made along the way as well!

Fasteners: The "standard" fasteners were made at a time when the UK made it's own fasteners and the quality of the steel is consequently very good, rust apart (I will cover this further down), you can clean these up and re-use them. I decided to replace practically all my fasteners with A4-80 Stainless Steel ones, this is a slippery slope though and adds to the cost of the rebuild without improving the performance of the machine. They looks nice and shiny though!
When I did my mechanical engineering apprenticeship in the early 80's, we were taught to fit plain washers under all nuts and bolt heads along with either single coil split washers or Nyloc nuts where vibration was concerned.
On my machine, most of my washers seemed to have disappeared (maybe during maintenance), so when I rebuilt the machine I followed the rules and fitted plain and split washers/nyloc nuts were I thought necessary. There are many sources of fasteners you can purchase parts from.

Thicknesser anti-kickback fingers and spacers
These were in a very poor state, I cleaned them up using a scraper and wire brush. As these parts move about in use, painting them was not really an option. There was an added complication that the "fingers" seemed to have been plated when new, and the plating was now just patches around the rust. I decided to take them to a local electro platers and have the fingers and spacers stripped and re-plated with a thick coat of nickel. If It was not cheap (£50)! If I was doing this again, I would remove the remnants of the plating and Black oxidise these parts myself (more of this later). If this is a winter project, and mine was. You could also remake the fingers quite easily in Stainless Steel.

Here are the anti-kickback fingers before removal, cleaning and refurbishment. (click image for larger version)

And after Nickel plating and re-assembly to the outfeed table. (click image for larger version)

Steel parts used in the Fence, Bridgeguard, Infeed table adjustment, infeed/outfeed roller studs, collars etc
All the bare steel parts were fairly rusty, but again, full marks to Sedgwick for using decent quality steel. After wire brushing and a soak in rust treatment they all cleaned up really well. I did not fancy a lot of maintenance keeping them like this so I wanted a solution/coating for these parts to minimise maintenance. Most of the parts move in some way, so painting was not an option. Following on from my experience with the cost of nickel plating, I needed to come up with a more cost effective solution. I had used a commercial black oxide finish at work many years ago and found it to be very good for steel parts as it does not increase the size of the parts but still gives a fairly durable finish.
After some searching on the internet I found a company specialising in a kit for home use. unlike a plated finish, this does NOT require any electrical current to work. It is a purely chemical conversion process.

The product I used was from a company called Caswell Europe, who have a web site with a bewildering array of processes for home use. The kit I chose was the 1 Litre SD Cold Ox Blacking Kit at a cost of £21. If you search for this on the web, you can read all about the process rather than me repeat it here. All I can say is that I followed the instructions and the results were superb! I also managed to do this in the utility room sink (don't tell my wife!) without turning any other items unintentionally black, though maybe a black utility sink would have been nice? This kit has enough chemicals to treat all of the steel parts on the machine (assuming you don't decide to turn the whole machine black). You may be able to buy similar kits from other suppliers, but I found Caswell really helpful to deal with.

Here is the fence bracket and sliding bar before my black oxidising kit was used on the bare metal. Note that I was missing the lever to adjust the tilt of the fence, you could make this but I found a perfect ready made replacement (available with a black oxide coating) from Wixroyd (Product 74600-W0127, Gear lever with tapered end), cost £6.10 + VAT. Note they have a minimum order charge of £50, but I decided to order all the other parts needed for the rebuild at the same time so this was not a problem for me. (click image for larger version)

And after: (click image for larger version)

Cutter Block, Infeed and Outfeed rollers
I decided that as durable as the black finish is, it would not be suitable for these items so I left them bare, I will therefore have some maintenance to keep me busy. All items were wire brushed, soaked in rust eater and then cleaned up again with a combination of wire brushing and emery cloth. MAKE SURE when you do this that you don't using anything too abrasive on any of the bearing surfaces. These only need a light clean up to remove loose rust. Again, the rust removal process did not leave me with lots of pitted areas and the steel polished up really well. The serrated infeed roller was a really time consuming item to clean up. I used an old wood chisel to remove the debris from the grooves and a variety of wire brushes in a power drill to clean it up. You can see the results in the photographs above at the back of the anti-kickback fingers.

Infeed table gib strip (clamp for moving table), Thicknesser Spring Latch and Thicknesser outrigger roller supports
You could apply the same process as above on these parts (de-rust, clean and paint or black oxide coat), I decided that some more nice and shiny parts were needed, so I remade these parts in 316 stainless steel. I don't have any metalworking facilities other than a pillar drill normally used for woodworking plus some standard hand tools (files, hacksaw, vices etc) but these parts are more or less the same size as standard flat bar sizes so you only need to drill and tap some holes. I finished parts with a wire brush as I was starting to become an expert with a wire brush by now!

Thicknesser catch in stainless steel (remember, not all machines have this part/mechanism). (click image for larger version)

Thicknesser roller stays in stainless steel. (click image for larger version)

Refurbishment of Cast iron Tables and Painting

Cleaning up the tables
Abandon thoughts of reaching for the wide belt sander here, these tables surfaces were precision planed when machined from the raw casting (that's a Metalwork version of a planing machine just in case you were wondering where I was going with this). Other manufacturers might grind these now but either way you have to clean them up using a degree of caution. You don't want to ruin an already flat table. This is one area where I decided that having a nice bright new looking finish was not required!

The photograph below show the outfeed table after cleaning and painting (Left) compared to the infeed table as bought (Right). I have no idea what was on these tables, but it seemed to be years of resin, splashes of paint, wax plus probably a few other things! To clean them, I carefully scraped them with an old 2" wide wood chisel, then using steel wool to finish of by hand - no powered wire brushes here! I worked from one side to another. As I cleaned it up I checked it with a straight edge, end to end, diagonally and then cross ways. By my standards, they seemed reasonably flat and I left it at that.

Stripping the old paint and re-painting
Again there are probably a variety of ways of doing this and as you will nave noticed so far in this refurbishment, I have done a lot of the work myself rather than take it to specialists, it's not because I believe I can do a better job though! Obviously there is the increased cost of getting someone else to do this, but there is also the added risk of something large and heavy (any of these cast iron parts) being accidentally dropped and/or damaged. It's also true you could damage one yourself, but you know the value of the machine. A subcontract paint shop might not appreciate the cost of a new part from Sedgwick. Refurbishing these parts is not like getting a set of alloy wheels stripped and repainted, if one of these parts gets damaged it's going to be expensive to replace. Some parts for older models of machines like mine might not be available either, lecture over and these are only my thoughts!

Paint removal
I used a proprietary paint stripper to remove the paint, it took a couple of repeat applications to remove the layers and one large tin did most of the machine. What I did discover when I ran out of stripper on the last part was how poor the new tin was at removing the paint, I got there eventually but I was not impressed. Turns out my original tin was the now banned methylene chroride based versions of this stripper (which seemed to work really well) versus the newer and safer formula which was poor in my experience. I would suggest you search this and other forums to see what products other people are recommending as this is what I would do if I was repeating this now.

Using appropriate eye protection and gloves, I applied the stripper and used a mixture of a scraper to remove the initial larger and thicker painted areas and various sizes of wire brush to remove the last remnants of paint/filler. You just have to be patient and work away at it until it's done.
The photo below shows the underside of the thicknesser table once cleaned up, The other castings were similar, so I am am just going to show this one. The base casting had a particularly rough surface finish on the underside and it took much longer to clean up.

Repainting
I don't want to start a debate on painting options, far less colours as there a probably a lot more people out there with much more knowledge than me on the subject! I will tell you what I have done and point out things I would do differently if I was to do it again.
Un-machined, cast surfaces are fairly rough and most manufacturers applied a filler to the cast surface before painting. Some manufacturer's took a lot of time and effort to do this (Wadkin, I believe were one of these), this Sedgwick had some filler applied. Some areas, like the underside of the base casting would require large amounts of filler and preparation to ever get a smooth surface, for little real benefit as it is completely hidden in normal use. So I generally applied filler to the areas that were visible. I say generally as I started the infeed/outfeed tables first and did not use much filler and ended up using a lot more on the front, rear and base castings. It's got to be down to your own preference on this. If I was doing it again, I would personally spend more time on filling and preparing the painted areas of the tables!

Paint - again this is going to come down to personal choice. I carefully brush painted everything, three decent coats on all parts apart from the sheet metal base which had one coat of zinc primer and two of topcoat. However, I chose to use a well known brand in the UK, available in smooth and hammered versions (I won't mention the name, but you probably know what I am referring to). Although nice and glossy and fine to work with, even after a year of curing on some parts I don't feel the finish is very durable when knocked or bumped. I would not use it again on this sort of project and would scout around the forums for a different product. Powder coating is probably the most durable finish, and I have much experience of this in my day job, but I was not prepared to risk having a paint shop process these parts in case of damage, maybe I am just being paranoid about his!

Next post - Conversion to single Phase and re-assembly notes

 

[munkypuzel]

Really interested in the black oxidising kit if you have any more info, and I would love to know how well it lasts..
That base looks terrific btw!

 

[ndbrown]

I have added the information on the black oxide kit/process now. I think the only areas that might not last as well are parts that are really regularly moved (main fence support bar). There is a separate black oxide cream/paste available that can be hand applied from time to time, so this might be an option. Time will tell though!

Thanks for the positive comments on the base.

Nigel

 

[MickCheese]

Nigel

Fantastic write up. Like a Haynes manual for the Sedgwick.

Mick

 

[munkypuzel]

Also loving the use of stainless - This thread should be renamed: Pimp my PT!

Right, im going out to the workshop to look at my not so shiny planer..

 

[marcros]

i like the bases. the cheap ones are ok, but i think that i might have a look at having a couple of your type made. i would be very interested when you do the thread on them. Yours look far sturdier, helped by the fact that they are not adjustable and so are nice and rigid.

 

[ndbrown]

Thanks for all the comments. Yes, I suspect I might have gone overboard on some of the details! It was also why I did not call it a restoration as it was not my intention to restore it, just make it look a bit better and work.

As I write, I am just about order a new DOL starter switch and in February, finish it off with new blades from Doug at Cutting Solutions. The cable fitted to it at present was only temporary to check the basic operation and has now been removed. I also still have a problem with the single phase motor installation that I am working on a solution for.

Most importantly, as it nears completion, I am getting quite excited about using it as I made a computer desk and bed last year and had to plane everything by hand. I hope my PT is as good as everyone has said they are!

Nigel

 

[marcros]

you may have gone a bit overboard with pictures for your own rebuild, but it will be a such a valuable resourse for anybody to use in the future. It will cover everything, and there is nothing more useful than a picture when looking at how to remove something. far better multiple pictures from various angles, rather than too few that dont quite cover it. and the next person to refer to it may well be tackling a different issue rather than a similar exercise to yourself.

like somebody said, the equivalent of a haynes manual!

 

[Benchwayze]

Nigel,

I am a little bemused with your colour choice; or rather that you decided to change from the original. However, I accept; in the words of the prophet... To each his own! You've done a super job, and the write up is extremely thorough; the excess of photographs is not a problem. We know how many words a picture is worth!

Also, looking at your short tables, I realise I am fortunate. Although the tables on my machine take up space, I don't think I should complain. The extra support they offer is worth it when milling long wide planks. Let me assure you, I will be extremely surprised if you aren't completely bowled over by the Sedgwick.

Mine is powered directly from a 16 amp supply, with a wall switch. A friend of mine fitted a large plug and socket too, and ran all the cables through reinforced sheathing. It looks good, and the plug means I can completely isolate the machine when messing with the block and cutters!

Enjoy your planer m'man!

 

[kirkpoore1]

ND:

Excellent writeup. I like the color too. I have a few questions and comments.

1. Although it worked for you, WD-40 is not a penetrating oil and doesn't do all that good a job of loosening up rusted parts. Someone doing a full restoration like this should get a spray can of penetrating oil (probably found at an auto parts store), or roll their own by mixing up a 50/50 batch of acetone and automatic transmission fluid. Don't make much--a little will go a long way.

2. I use a folding engine hoist to remove heavy parts like cast iron tables and large motors. It keeps my friends from avoiding my phone calls.

3. Does this machine have a pressure bar between the cutterhead and the outfeed roller? It doesn't look like it, but I might be missing it.

4. Upon reassembly, did you adjust the tables so they were parallel to the head? What about adjusting the feed rolls so they were at the same distance below the cutting circle?

5. I concur with your decision to change all the bearings. Unless they've been lubricated on a regular schedule, bearings will begin to fail after 20 years in even a clean environment. And a good feeling old bearing may be only minutes away from failure. Stay with a well known brand name, too--don't use no-name Chinese bearings. You never know what you're going to get.

Kirk

 

[ndbrown]

Hi John, thanks for the reply,
I decided on the paint scheme more by accident than intention, having never seen another machined in the "flesh", some of the small pictures of the two colour machines looked white on the Web for the lighter colour so that's how I started out. I think Axminster had Sedgwick make an all white machine for them at some point. The quality of the actual paint I am least happy about but I will cover that in the next update and despite the fact that I am a little disappointed with the paint, I don't plan to repaint it again soon.

Yes you are fortunate in having longer tables, and for prospective buyers this is one thing to be aware off. I suspect the vast majority of machines have the longer tables and I did not realise when I bought the machine that the tables were shorter on mine (it did look a bit more compact than I thought it would). I have only seen one other machine like this with the short beds. My serial number is PTB 207 and perhaps these were early models or specials for pattern making or something similar. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can explain why/when they changed (apart from the obvious reason for improving the useability of the machine). It helps gain space in my workshop but I guess I would have fitted in the longer table version as well and just got used to what I had.

Again, I will have to live with the table length as I dont fancy doing this sort of job again (I would rather be making furniture, or at least attempting it), but I am looking forward to using it.

I was worried about the need for a 16A supply as Sedgwick recommend this for their 240v PT255 model. In Scotland, to my knowledge, we are not yet affected by Part P of the building regs, so as long as the installation complies with the current wiring regs, I could still install a dedicated spur, circuit breaker, isolator and plug if needed. My Bandsaw has the same size motor at 1.5kw, 2HP and starts fine from the 13A supply. Even allowing for the extra inertia of the cutter block, nothing dimmed in my workshop when I started the Sedgwick up a few days ago for the first time, so with the feed disengaged, I might get away with it. It's something I will need to keep an eye on. But I will bear you comments in mind and other potential buyers need to be aware of this as well as my one does not have the 240v Brook Crompton motor fitted that the original version would have had from the factory.

Hi Kirk and thanks for the comments:
1). I will go back into the posts and change the references from WD40 to penetrating oil. I was probably just lucky

2). An engine hoist is an excellent idea and to be honest I struggled with the weight of some of these, not so much the dead weight, but lifting parts at awkward angles or from difficult positions.

3). No it's just the cutterblock then the outfeed roller

4). I was just about to start the process of doing the alignment now, but got derailed by an unexpected problem with my single phase motor installation that I need to fix first. I am also making a new set of cutterblock guards in Stainless steel this week! Assuming my machine was not built on a Friday afternoon, I am hoping that the machining of the surfaces has been done reasonably accurately.
The plan is to use the Thicknessing table as a datum and with the outfeed table removed, I am going to use a height gauge with Dial Indicator to check the the cutter block is parallel to the thicknessing bed. I have already checked the back and front castings/cutterblock bores are in line by using a straight edge across the two machined areas where the infeed and outfeed roller bearing blocks sit. Assuming it is all OK, I will start to check the same with the tables fitted as well as checking the tables are in line. There are multiple places that could be shimmed to even out any problems, l hope that there is nothing too bad, but will report back on all of this at a later date. I need to do this as I am going to fit "drop in" replacement Barke blades and I will need to repeat some of these measurements when I get these next month.
I am going to start with the roller adjustment process recommended in the Sedgwick manual. Hopefully that will be fine, but I have changed all the springs for new (non Sedgwick) parts so I am sensitive to the fact that I might need some trial and error adjustments here!

5). Yes, I noticed one of my replacement SKF bearings was made in Switzerland and the other in the USA. I guess it's really a global market now!

Nigel

 

[Benchwayze]

I had thought about an engine hoist. Problem is it's an expensive purchase for just one purpose. So maybe I'll hire one, should I need to lift the machine.

My planer is about 22 years old now, and as far as I know the bearings were sealed for life. Maybe I ought to contact Sedgwick and get the necessary information then. They sound fine, but as said, that doesn't mean much on a 20 year plus machine!

 

[kirkpoore1]

Nigel:

16 amps sounds high for a 2hp motor, so I think you'll be OK. I have a 3hp/240 v motor built in about 1920 that pulls only 16 amps.

Your paint may get better as it sets up. Some paints can take weeks or months to reach full hardness, especially in colder weather.

If you don't have a dial indicator to help with your alignment, I suggest getting on. A cheap one will work fine. A good how-to reference is here:
http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Getting Peak Planer Performance.ashxOf course, you'll have to translate it, where planer=thicknesser and jointer=planer.
Other helpful articles are here:
http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/
Look particularly at the Jointers and Planers section.

I just went through the tune-up process on Monday, and was surprised how much out of whack my thicknesser had gotten in only a year of use.

Good luck. You're doing great.

Kirk

 

[ndbrown]

Thanks again for the comments, next post and if you're bored by all of these, not too many more to go!
(Post updated to restore pictures lost from Photobucket change of 3rd party hosting)

Motor - Three Phase to Single Phase Conversion and Options

If you have a single phase machine and the motor is fine, then you can probably skip this section. If not, read on!

If you have or are considering a three phase machine and you don't have a three phase supply, there are two options.
1). Buy an inverter OR
2). Remove the three phase motor and replace it with a single phase one.

Single phase PT255's frequently sell for more as they attract interest from the hobby market and smaller businesses. The three phase machines are more suited to industrial environments where three phase is generally available.

The subject of running three phase motors with inverters is already well covered in the forums, so I don't plan to cover it again here. The best place to start for motor advice is here: http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/...in-the-home-workshop-updated-iss2-t35143.html

I decided that I wanted to convert the machine to single phase, running from a standard 13A domestic plug without any additional electronics (inverter), so that's the process I am going to cover here, concentrating on what is important to know about single phase motors in the Sedgwick PT255

Installing a single phase motor has been a real challenge, not because it's difficult, but because there are some things you need to be aware of, if you learn from my mistakes, converting to single phase is really very straightforward.

Here are some quick answers to questions I wanted to know the answers to but had to do the conversion to find out.

What sort of size Single Phase motor is required = 1.5KW Single Phase replaces the 1.1KW three phase (compensates for lower single phase efficiency). This is the size of motor that Segdwick fit to their single phase machines anyway!
Will the starting current blow the 13A plug fuse = No, using standard house wiring, 13A fused plug and and Main board fitted with domestic circuit breakers (MCB's) and an RCD. It starts and runs fine.
Does the replacement motor need to be braked = For home use, this is not mandatory anyway, but even so, the cutter block stops just short of 5 seconds after the power is switched off. I believe it has to stop in less than 10 seconds to be compliant with industrial HSE regulations.

The original three phase Brook Crompton Motor is shown installed here. The motor pivots on a 25mm square bar that supports the left hand side of the motor. The bar is fastened onto the bottom of the motor by two M10 bolts and the Motor/Bar assembly into the base of the machine by two M12 bolts. In the photograph, the rear M12 bolt is arrowed red but another M12 bolt is located at the front of the machine. You need to slacken these to adjust the belt tension and remove them completely to take the motor out along with the nuts shown by the yellow arrow (See previous sections for more details on removing the motor). The motor moves in the direction of the blue arrow to tension the belt. The main cutterblock drive belt is a standard A64 V belt which is fairly inexpensive and readilly available but the thicknesser drive belt is a special from Sedgwick, cost in 2012 was around £35 plus vat and carriage.

The removed Brook Crompton 3-Phase motor and starter switch is shown below:

The original Brook Crompton 3-Phase motor rating plate is shown below

And the replacement single phase motor rating plate for the motor I used is shown below:

The original 3-phase motor is a 90S (Short Frame) and my replacement single phase one was a 90L (Long Frame). The machine can actually accommodate either motor as the left hand motor support bar has the holes drilled for both the long and short frame motors. If all this talk of frames sizes seems too technical, you can read the article in the link at the beginning of this post and it wall all make more sense.

Problem 1
I wanted a Eurpoean motor if at all possible and managed to find good quality Italian manufactured motor at an attractive price from e-bay, however, when it arrived it looked like the picture below.
Unfortunately, it had been packed poorly and one of the motor feet had broken off. As my luck would have it, it is the most important mounting foot used to tension the belt.
On the minus side, this was the last one they had as it was a stock clearance, on the plus side, the company refunded my payment immediately and said I could keep the motor.

After a few days thinking about it, I decided I could fix the mounting lug and set about making some aluminium plates. With some custom plates, bolts and metal filled epoxy, the repair looked like this. Admittedly, not the nicest looking repair, but more than strong enough. The larger aluminium plate braces the left and right motor mounts to provide additional strength to the repair. A further (Hidden plate has been bent in an "L" shape behind the broken lug and is under this plate, then all have been bonded and bolted to the motor. Finally an additional brace is fitted at the front of the lug to one of the motor assembly bolts. Probably overkill!

Repaired, the motor was fitted back inside the refurbished machine - success was short lived.

Problem 2 (And your first important point to note)
No, the motor lug did not break off, but the belt could not be fully tensioned as the the black electrical box on the top of the motor was tight against the thicknesser central support column (see yellow arrows in photograph below). The black enclosure contains a start and a run capacitor. The original three-phase motor does not need or have these but all single phase motors do. The single phase Brook Crompton motor fitted by Sedgwick if you order a 240v single phase machine from the factory has these component mounted on the right hand side of the motor!

Option 1 - Choose a motor with these components on the side. A new Brook Crompton new one was quoted to me at over £400! Secondhand on E-bay is your best bet but 2hp 1.5KW 1420rpm single phase motors don't appear very often secondhand!
Option 2 - Now that you know, choose a motor with as small an enclosure on the top as possible. Suitable motors start at around £90 +
Option 3 - In my case I already had a motor, I could have cut into the black enclosure to gain some more clearance but electrical safety would be compromised and the end result would not look good. I could also have come up with some alternative mounting arrangement for the enclosure. I opted for making a customised motor mount. The underside of the standard motor mounts look like this:

My idea was to drop the motor a few millimetres lower and have the ability to slide the motor to the left away from the central column. I bought some mild steel bar 25mm thick and 70mm wide and spent a few hours (well a lot of hours actually) with a pillar drill, files and some taps. The result is shown below. The top bar is the original and the bottom bar is the one I made. The black squares are some captive M10 nuts I made as it's nearly impossible to get to the nuts at the left hand side of the motor when it is installed.

I also made a custom stainless steel bar mount for the right hand side much longer than the original Sedgwick one. This new bracket is bolted to both the right hand side motor fixings by M10 bollts instead of the original Sedgwick version that is only fitted with one bolt to the front motor fixing. In my situation, this helped strengthen up the repaired motor on the tension side (with the previously broken lug). Fitted with the new mount and adjusted, there was plenty of adjustment and clearance.

You need to change the original three phase on off switch (DOL or Direct On Line motor starter/switch). Single phase versions are available from various places for around £40. You also need to ensure they are fitted with a motor thermal overload of between 10 and 13A. I chose a Crompton Controls switch as I wanted one with a readily accessible emergency stop switch and a metal enclosure, but this was a personal choice. You will also need about 5m of 3-core round mains flex with a cross section of 2.5mm per conductor and about a metre of flexible conduit to connect the motor to the starter switch. The wired starter is shown here. The wiring is detailed in the starter instructions and only requires six connections to be made. You can re-use the two tapped M6 holes where the original switch was fitted to mount the new switch.

This is the motor switch fitted. Runs really nice and quiet - I suspect the noise will increase once I get blades fitted!

Next instalment - improvements (at least I think they are).