1865 New Haven Iron Planer

[Sunset Machine]

It's back to the drawing board - the RPC didn't work, wouldn't keep running, spins down until the rotor locks. Physically, it's a very small 3HP/3600 RPM that I'm starting at 1750. The question now is to try a much larger 2HP/1750 (the planer is also a 2HP) or buy a larger pulley to get the 3HP/3600 spinning faster and trying it again. Any suggestions from you guys? There's no money for a VFD or another motor.

[Sunset Machine]

I've done some reading and found that another motor can be added later if needed (two idlers, one starter) and went ahead. I've a movie, but too large for here..

[Mayhem]

(07-08-2012, 07:00 PM)Sunset Machine Wrote: ...I've a movie, but too large for here...

No excuses! Stick it on YouTube and post a link.

[Sunset Machine]

Try this: http://youtu.be/ra-mgtJWmSg
Couple of minutes 16 meg video, originally came from the camera at 130 megs. Much too large, I ran it through something called Handbrake.

I put my hand on the table and found some odd movement, sort of a push-pause-push that feels like slop in the gear train. It improved quite a bit with a 1/2 hour run but is still noticeable. Can't help but feel it will show up in the finish. Maybe it just needs more way lube, or a heavier grade of it. Maybe it needs whale blubber.
_

[Rickabilly]

This sort of inconsistent table travel is likely to be related to the Electrical conversion process rather than any mechanical issues, to test for sure unhook the motor and rotate the pulley by hand if the pulley moves smoothly without any "grabbyness" the problem is almost certainly the electricity convertor, Sorry.

Unbalanced phases apply a kind of two steps forward one step back to the motor's torque output, which really bounces the gears against each other which seems to amplify the backlash vibration. Normally backlash isn't an issue except where the drive is a "reversing" one, and even with a planer table drive that reverses at each end of the stroke the lash should only show up as a clunk.
Best Regards
Rick

[stevec]

Sunset, thanks for the vid I enjoyed it. I fell in lover with the planer action years ago when I visited a Fla. agent of a German blister packaging machinery manufacturer. They had resurected an old planer and fitted bridgeport milling heads where the single point tools go (I think they had two because the planer had 2 independant feed screws for the tool holders.
Anyway, they were able to machine 6 foot (prolly 1.8288 meter) x 1 ft. wide tracks with grooves to accomodate the diferent blister sizes for different blister tooling.
I imagine a modern mill to handle 6' plus jobs woulda cost a lot more than the old planer even with it's modifications.

[DaveH]

Sunset,
Great video, thanks.
Totally different watching the motion

DaveH

[f350ca]

WAY TOO COOL, that is one of the neatest machines I've seen in a long time.
On the RPC, more of a question, I thought once you spun it up you disconnected the small motor and the 3 phase one ran on one phase generating the other 2

[ETC57]

Cool video Sunset,
Jerry.

[Sunset Machine]

(07-09-2012, 02:16 PM)f350ca Wrote: On the RPC, more of a question, I thought once you spun it up you disconnected the small motor and the 3 phase one ran on one phase generating the other 2

That's right. I turn on the starter motor and when things get rolling, flip the switch the other way and power up the idler (power off to the starter). The switch is a "center off", DPDT. I did get the idler to warm up today, so will try the piggy-back thing with another idler (the 3HP I tried first). The shaft of that one won't be connected to anything, supposedly adding to the capacity. I would guess the weakest link would be the 2HP, so this should double that. We'll see!

The planer is a strange one to use, and the crossrail takes the cake. You snug one side and then juggle the other up/down until it's parallel to the table. I'm guessing that's what a "planer gage" is for. I can see one being very handy. Expensive.

Here's a sample workpiece. About .010 DOC (guessing, the dials aren't graduated) and about 1/8" cross feed each stroke. Nice finish for a bit of 1018, except the part on the bottom end. The picture is turned 90 degrees, the rather wide and flat nosed cutter entered on this end. Looks like chatter or gear marks, bet there's a dried up old something in those teeth that I missed. It's not a steady pattern like might be coming from a motor, but seems to be localized in spots.