Real (Wo)Mans 20" planer, 9.8HP Diesel (w/pics)

[David F. Eisan]

Hello everyone,

At the Woodstock woodshow this year I was approached by a woman who was looking for an unusual planer. I had previously sold her some nice woodworking equipment and knew she likes good tools.

Her husband runs a tree removal service and brings lots of logs home. They bought a diesel band mill and are milling the trees into lumber. The band mill is out in the back 40 of their property and they only have a small generator for lights. She was looking for a diesel powered planer to use in the shed and keep the shavings at the back of the property. She had looked and asked all over if there was such a thing. I told her I had not seen one. A lightbulb light up in my head! I had bought a used HD 20" planer from a small shop that had stopped milling their own lumber that would be perfect for conversion to diesel. The electric motor was mounted up front, the entire machine was cast iron and it had a segmented infeed roller.

Once I had cleaned up from the Woodstock woodshow, my mechanic and I at work looked over the used machine, decided conversion to diesel was possible and worked out the price. Rebuilding the planer and converting it took a full week. Rich did a great job.

The planer now starts with the turn of a key and the 9.8 HP diesel roars to life.

did some testing on the planer yesterday and everyone in the shop who watched had a big grin on their face. Just for fun, we took a 1/4" off on one pass, not a whimper from the planer.

Mr. came to pick up the planer for his wife today. The best line I heard was, "I don't want a 10 HP diesel planer, I want a wife who wants a 10HP diesel planer!". I won't embarrass Richard by letting everyone know who said that.

Thanks for looking,

David.

Every Neighbourhood has one, in Mine I'm Him

[Leon]

Very cool David

When the engine first starts up and or shuts down do you get the typical short squeak out of the belts? Because of the high compression Diesels start with such force and stop with such suddenness there is usually a belt squeal from slippage.

[-MIKE-]

I LOVE it!!

Questions....

1. I notice there seems to be a lot of hight/depth adjustment on that machine. With the battery and engine mounted underneath, will it impede that? Was the motor there, previously?

B. How's the vibration from the engine, if any?

III. Was there a manufacturer's stipulation for motor RPM and how did you account for it?

[Nova]

... I was waiting for the punch line.

Nice job on the planer.

[Lee Michaels]

"David F. Eisan" wrote

This is the first time I have ever heard a "approached by a woman" story that involves woodworking equipment! She sounds like a keeper!

I have worked on a couple diesel powered welders that we mounted to a trailer and set u;p some benches, vises, etc. And I worked a few days with a couple gas powered sawmills. The notion of a portable planer that could take up residence right next to the sawmill is just brilliant. I love it. These are some real smart, capable people you are working with here.

And kudos to your crew as well. You took a piece of old iron, updated it and converted it to field use. Totally cool! I hope that they take real good care of it and it doesn't develop a chronic rusting condition.

The woodworking gods are totally pleased with you. Buy yourself a pint tonight. You deserve it.

[B A R R Y]

Who makes the engine?

[Robatoy]

It's a Rotax :-p

[Robatoy]

Those are good questions. What is the RPM of that Diesel?

[Mark & Juanita]

... snip

... snip

Dude!

[SonomaProducts.com]

[Lee Michaels]

OK, I am back again and marveling once again at the badass planer with a 10 horse motor on it. If anybody had one of thse back in the day, they would have plenty of biz running around planing the output from all of the small sawmills around.

But I have this wise ass gene. So..... I just have to do this.

That planer is good and all. But......., where is the dust control system??

OK, I will go now.

[AngelaSekeris]

You also seem to have the 'stating-the-obvious' gene. *smirk*

=3D0)

r

[Robatoy]

Boss's account...whoops

[-MIKE-]

5-10mph breeze.

[B A R R Y]

Cool!

Do you know if it's a 2 or 4 stroke diesel?

[Leon]

Those are good questions. What is the RPM of that Diesel?

Typically very low, below 2000 rpm.

[Leon]

Intake manifold. ;~)

[dpb]

Don't know what OP did, of course, and don't know the specific engine precisely, but most small industrial diesels are torque-rated at roughly

2200-2400 rpm. The little Japanese 3-cylinders JD uses in their small utility tractors are right in the middle at 2300 rpm for 540/1000 rpm PTO.

So, assuming this is in the same general range, it wouldn't take a terribly big step in pulley sizes to get roughly the right cutterhead speed; 20% or so on each from originals would certainly be good enough.

--

[Robatoy]

I was trying to be funny... 10 HP with all that weight won't get you far, eh?

Btw, I have been reading a bit on diesel aircraft engines. They seem to have quite a following.

[Puckdropper]

-MIKE- wrote in news:gg45d0$krb$2 @nntp.motzarella.org:

A cyclone would work better.

Puckdropper