Ken's New Jointer - She's a Beauty

[jteneyck]

You two are practically pros at moving these big ol' machines now.  Maybe an "on-the-side" retirement business should be considered.  A partnership, of course.

Nice looking machine and very nice job moving it! 
 What is the HP on the motor, John?

Doug

We think it has a 5 HP motor because that's what info. on the web suggests.  But we have not been able to verify it yet, nor could the seller, because the motor plate, if there is one, is on the bottom of the motor. I'm hoping it's that large because we're going to lose about 1/3 of that when we run it on single phase power with a VFD.  I think the VFD is going to work out well, though.  We should be able to program it for soft start, which will take a lot of load off the motor to spin up the massive cutter head that's on this thing.  And it will be able to brake the cutter head when the power is switched off which will eliminate having to use the mechanical brake it has.  

John

[jteneyck]

I hope the blade guard is someplace on the pallet 

Nice machine for sure 

And good for John to help out a friend  

Joe

Yes, the seller took off the guard and put it inside, behind the dust chute.  It's a really nice, segmented design that falls over the side of the machine as it opens. 



I don't know who invented that design, but it was genius.  The fence, also shown in the picture above, is inside the plywood box on the skid.  The seller really went the extra mile getting the machine ready to ship.

FWIW, the seller has a bunch of other equipment he's looking to sell.  If anyone is interested I'll go dig up his e-mail and make a listing and his contact info.  I don't know how much he wants for them, but if they are priced like he did with the jointer they could be a real bargain for someone.  

John

[gcrimmins]

 I'm hoping it's that large because we're going to lose about 1/3 of that when we run it on single phase power with a VFD. 

I've never heard of losing power with a VFD. Are you maybe thinking of a static phase convertor, which does cause a loss of power? 
-Geoff

[jteneyck]

I've never heard of losing power with a VFD. Are you maybe thinking of a static phase convertor, which does cause a loss of power? 
-Geoff

Yep, you are right; my mistake.  Perfect, we'll have plenty of power when I want to surface some really wide lumber. 

John

[Cian]

Very 
.  Friends do make the world go 'round.

[TDKPE]

Just make sure it's a VFD that's rated for 5 hp output with single-phase input. You can run a 3-phase VFD on single-phase, but you won't be able to get the full output from it like you would on a 3-phase supply. 3 hp used to be the limit, but it seems there are now VFDs that claim to output the full 5 hp on single-phase input. Which would be ideal for your application, obviously.

[jteneyck]

Just make sure it's a VFD that's rated for 5 hp output with single-phase input.  You can run a 3-phase VFD on single-phase, but you won't be able to get the full output from it like you would on a 3-phase supply.  3 hp used to be the limit, but it seems there are now VFDs that claim to output the full 5 hp on single-phase input.  Which would be ideal for your application, obviously.

Yes, that's what Ken bought (single phase input, 5HP, 3 phase output) based on the recommendation of Bloomington Mike, IIRC.  I thought the limit was 3 HP with single phase input, but some digging revealed they do go to at least 5HP; however, at the cost of most of the units I found you could buy a new single phase motor and just be done with it.  But Mike had a very economical recommendation that he said works well, so that's what Ken went with.

John

[Dave Diaman]

John,  I have been keeping my eyes on all the auction sites for a nice machine similar to Ken's to come up. My one requirement is that the machine has a helical cutter head. Most machines can have one added but the cost of the machine would need to be substantially less to cover the additional cost. I use an old Oliver 24" jointer on occasion which has straight knives on it. The thing is so loud that I have to wear ear plugs and ear muffs when I use it. I'm sure the thing can be heard from miles away when it is started up. I currently have a 12" jointer so I'm not in desperate need and can hold out for a good deal. I figure if I don't find something in the next year or so I may just bite the bullet and buy a new Hammer or Minimax machine.

[jteneyck]

Hey Dave.  Well there's certainly nothing wrong with a new or used Felder or MiniMax jointer; I sure like my 14" MM J/P.  But Ken paid so little for his machine that he could afford to dump another $2K in a helical head for it, assuming someone makes one, and still be maybe half the price of a comparable new machine.  I've seen a couple of old iron 16" jointers in the last couple of months with helical heads.  That was rather surprising, but there they were on C-list.  If I see another I'll send you the lead. 

Ken and I discussed a helical head for his, briefly, but he quickly pointed out that it was a low priority for him because he has a 25" dual drum sander.

John

[Dave Diaman]

A helical head on a jointer has absolutely nothing to do with finish quality for me. I have a helical head on my planer so it really isn't necessary. The big issue for me is noise. The 24" jointer I use on occasion hardly ever gets used because it is just so darn loud. Everyone in the shop uses a little DJ 20 because it doesn't sound like a jet engine when you use it. Hopefully Ken's is designed so it doesn't have that issue. The old Olivers are particularly bad because the way the air from the dust collector gets pulled across the cutter head.  Hopefully I will come across something like the one Ken found in the next year or so.