Wadkin BAOS any users ???

[catface]

evening all,
anybody out there used a Wadkin BAOS 12" planer thicknesser & can offer some comments on it ? I know one guy locally with one which gets an annual service & otherwise runs fine with no appreciable maintenance, but he doesn't process hardwoods, only softwoods, so the HSE requirements are a bit more lax. Looks like a sound bit of kit, but no chip extraction apparent (make your own hoods ?). Any comment appreciated (be as rude as you like |) regards, Catface.

 

[bob321]

i would for a cleaner enviroment when finished you will have bedding for your hampster :lol:

 

[Digit]

I used one as an apprentice and we used a broom!
Seriously though, the amount of timber one of those can remove would need a very good extractor to shift it all.

Roy.

 

[catface]

cheers gents,
regards, catface.

 

[OPJ]

...he doesn't process hardwoods, only softwoods, so the HSE requirements are a bit more lax.

Apologies for going slightly off-topic but, I don't understand this statement... Surely the H&S requirements are identical whether you're working solid timber of man-made boards?! Only situation I know of where the regulations wouldn't apply is if the machine is being used for private use, not commercial... :?

 

[catface]

Hello OPJ
I've only researched these matters as an amateur but like many others I have some interest in becoming professional with the woodwork at some point. Therefore, when I was uprating machines about a year ago I decided to ensure that replacement equipment would pass relevant HSE requirements - I didn't want to set up shop & then be told my saw or extraction didn't meet the relevant requirements per Health and Safety directives.
When looking at dust extractors I found that there appeared to be less stringent requirements for dust extraction where only soft wood was being sawed. THis was nothing to do with the quantity of dust remaining in the air to be breathed in by the carpenter, but entirely to do with risk of fire and explosion.

Some HSE documents state that sawn softwood produces dust not likely to be an explosion risk, unlike sawn hardwood or man-made board products which are considered to be such a risk (this distinction according to, for example : link >

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis32.pdf

and I quote :


"machining and sawing softwoods which produces
chips, shavings and coarse dust with only a small
amount of fine dust. This does not normally create
an explosion risk, so long as the fine dust is not
allowed to separate and accumulate within
confined spaces;
● sawing and machining hardwoods which often
produces woodwaste containing considerably more
dust than that from softwood. Assume this is explosible."


I concluded therefore that hardwood and man-made board waste needed greater containment and control than sawdust from sawn softwood.

This also implied that ATEX137 (governing control of explosive dusts such as wood dust) did apply to all kinds of woodwaste, but that softwood waste (generated by sawing) would not be considered an explosion risk in smaller quantities (unlike hardwood waste) and thus not need extraction equipment compliant with ATEX137 (such as having explosion relief panels or vents issuing to outside of the building).

Hope you're still awake at the back there !
Regards, Catface.

Its not a distinction that matters much unless you're going to only process softwood, not board or hardwood. As I mainly like working with Hardwoods my kit will need to be compliant with the relevant regs. including ATEX 137.

 

[lathepilot]

Catface, I have a BAOS that I am in the final stages of restoration. I bought it as a non-runner so I haven't run it yet. :shock: I tested motors etc as I went though!

I used to use a Sedgewick of similar size a few years ago. That was a two knife block/single speed thicknesser feed, and produced decent results. The workpiece always needed a tickle up with a plane or scraper though. I mostly used Maple, Cherry, White Oak and Pitchpine on that machine, and it ate them all up just fine!

I am hopeful of better results with the BAOS. The two speed thicknesser feed should give me a chance at minimising pitch marks. It is also nice and heavy for it's size.

Perhaps the main drawback I can see at this stage is that the tables aren't very long. This could be a problem if you want to work with long boards etc.

I reckon that my machine hasn't had a lot of servicing. The grease in the gearbox was fossilised and everything in the lower body was very rusty and grimey. That said, there was very little wear on the worm gears and the helical rise and fall gears. They are really built to last.

I would echo the comments above regarding extraction capability. You can fill up a big bag very quickly. Also get the best extractor you can regardless of the material you intend to work with.

I will be making some hoods etc soon (-punch press at work! 8) and hope to have it in one piece in early April. I am just spending time on getting the setup as good as I can. I reckon time spent now will pay off in the long run.

I don't know how this machine compares mechanically to others of a similar age, but I am impressed generally by the quality of the machining and solidity of the parts. My machine should have decades left in it!

If you are thinking of buying, most belts and bearings etc can be found cheap on the 'bay. These ol' girls need a bit of careful handling :wink:, but, for me, the satisfaction of using them outstrips more recent machines.

There are some great threads about restoration of these and similar machines on here. Do a search for "BAOS".

I hope this helps.
Thom.

 

[Maverick.uk]

Thom

I bought it as a non-runner so I haven't run it yet. .

May i be cheeky and ask what you paid for a non runner? I am on the look out for a non runner thicknesser or planer / thicknesser.

Thanks

Mav

 

[catface]

helllo lathepilot,
the BAOS is a good quality heavy machine & should run indefinitely with a bit of servicing. Sounds like you're doing a cracking job restoring it & it ought to be well worth the effort when its all done. One thing I like about this age of machine is that it is usually repairable & the service / instruction manuals are good (even list the bearing ref. numbers for spare parts). Its much easier to swap bearings out on this type of machine than on something witha pressed steel chassis. . .
Also, it has adjusters built in for most of the parts which need setup eg fine adjusters under the thicknesser table. This means you can set the thicknesser be parallell to the cutterblock easily (unlike on my scheppach 260 where you have to turn the machine upside down to access the 4 lifting pillars, disconnect the pillar drive chain, move one or more geared wheels one tooth(and not lose your place), refit chain, turn machine over, and recheck for parallellism) !
Yes the tables are a bit short, but I've not got much space to play with. I don't use roller stands for the thicknesser, preferring to hand feed having had a jam up with a plank which developed a bow during machining & pulled the roller stand up onto its front legs. With Careful infeed for thicknessing & I dont' get snipe much so that's ok.

For long pieces planing I use the slide table on the Tablesaw to support the end foot of the plank, then use scrap to raise the planer infeed bed upto the level of the top of the saw slider table. this gives me a nice long infeed level with the planer infeed, and the tablesaw slider gives me about 5 feet of motion before it touches the planer infeed table (I cant do this on the current machine as the planertables' warped so the top is unuseable, hence looking for a replacement machine).

Its a GOOD THING to be breathing life back into machines like these & I'm sure your efforts will be well rewarded . Thanks for the reply, Catface

 

[Samk]

helllo lathepilot,
the BAOS is a good quality heavy machine & should run indefinitely with a bit of servicing. Sounds like you're doing a cracking job restoring it & it ought to be well worth the effort when its all done. One thing I like about this age of machine is that it is usually repairable & the service / instruction manuals are good (even list the bearing ref. numbers for spare parts). Its much easier to swap bearings out on this type of machine than on something witha pressed steel chassis. . .
Also, it has adjusters built in for most of the parts which need setup eg fine adjusters under the thicknesser table. This means you can set the thicknesser be parallell to the cutterblock easily (unlike on my scheppach 260 where you have to turn the machine upside down to access the 4 lifting pillars, disconnect the pillar drive chain, move one or more geared wheels one tooth(and not lose your place), refit chain, turn machine over, and recheck for parallellism) !
Yes the tables are a bit short, but I've not got much space to play with. I don't use roller stands for the thicknesser, preferring to hand feed having had a jam up with a plank which developed a bow during machining & pulled the roller stand up onto its front legs. With Careful infeed for thicknessing & I dont' get snipe much so that's ok.

For long pieces planing I use the slide table on the Tablesaw to support the end foot of the plank, then use scrap to raise the planer infeed bed upto the level of the top of the saw slider table. this gives me a nice long infeed level with the planer infeed, and the tablesaw slider gives me about 5 feet of motion before it touches the planer infeed table (I cant do this on the current machine as the planertables' warped so the top is unuseable, hence looking for a replacement machine).

Its a GOOD THING to be breathing life back into machines like these & I'm sure your efforts will be well rewarded . Thanks for the reply, Catface

Hi, I need to make a slight adjustment to the thicknesser table using the fine adjusters. I’m struggling to locate them. Is there any chance you can help describe their location … or maybe a picture?

 

[MikeK]

Welcome to the UKW, Samk. Catface hasn't signed in for over 11 years and the others in this old thread have been absent for nearly as long.