Hand operated planer - assistance needed

Hi

Could you have a glance at the photos here :

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and help me with the cross feed mechanism. There's a component mounted on the bed-cranking spindle (I have no idea of its real name) which strikes a 'stop' screwed in a slot on the side of the bed. This component has two 'arms' - it can be rotated 180deg, because the base is designed to allow it to 'fall over' one way, but not the other. As it strikes the stop on the bed (or rather the stop strikes it) in one direction it actuates the cross feed. In the other direction it folds over and allows the stop to pass. Except that there's no spring to make it stand up again, so it just falls over. There are no obvious missing bits that I can see. It has to be free to work the other way round, too.

Can anyone see what I'm missing, either in the way of understanding or parts?

Cheers John

Reply to
john.midgley
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Hi John

Is that a Tom Senior planer?

I've looked at the pictures and I think I understand how it works. Two thing occur to me. Is it possible that the return springs below the striker are meant to return the shaft sufficient vigorously to flick it upright? The other thing I wondered was whether there might be a cavity for a spring underneath the striker - at the corner near the pivot pin.

HTH

Russell

Reply to
Russell

and another thought - could there be a missing part at the other end of the table designed to lift it up.

Russell

Reply to
Russell

Hi That has to be a Tom Senior I have a link to photos of my Tom Senior shaper,

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Mike

Reply to
Mike cole

If the bit you are describing is the T shape in picture 18 then I can make a suggestion. |The system is only designed to operate at the extreme of travel. That is, when the bed is at the end of the back stroke the stop strikes the T head in the locked direction, moves the pawl mechanism on the cross feed, never goes beyond the T striker and then starts the cutting stroke. The two springs return the T striker to the upright position

The Flop-over is a safety mechanism so that if you overrun the T on the back stroke the mechanism drops into neutral rather than trying to operate the cross feed during the cutting stroke with the usual disastrous results.

Also so that you can easily operate the machine without any crossfeed if you are cutting a single tool wide slot.

So why the reversible handle?

I have No idea (unless there are times when you want the feed at the end of the cutting stroke when the tool is clear of the work?)

Your picture 18 looks as if the stop is the wrong side of the handle, the machine is at the end of the backstroke, the work is clear of the tool and it looks as if the next move is to begin the cutting stroke (but that could all be because you have just photographed the machine rather thna set it up.

Does that help?

Reply to
rsss

Hurrah! Solved it, I think. I had a look at the 'T' shaped component in photo 18 out in order to check a couple of points raised in replies; I couldn't remember how far it flipped over, and I wanted to check whether it had a countersink underneath for a spring. The answer to the first question is - it lies flat when it falls over; the second

- no, there's no countersink. But, removing the component I looked more closely at the pivot. It can't be seen in the photo, because it's on the other side, but it's a screw. The odd thing is that the head of the screw is suspiciously elongated - you can see it protruding from the back. What you can't see is a very small (~1mm hole) cross drilled in it. Mmm. Looking at the front of the 'T' piece, there's a groove filed in it, and another 1mm hole, barely visible next to the groove. That set me thinking as to how a spring could go through the hole in the pivot, wrap around it a couple of times and then up and across in front of the groove. I've no piano wire to hand in that size, but a length of stainless TIG rod fit the hole and works for experimental purposes.

The adjustable stop is symmetrical, so the 'T' piece deflects both ways, but now one way it operates the cross feed, and the other way it just flicks over and stands up again. The planer cuts metal! Further messing around needed, and maybe I should sharpen the cutter since it's probably been 80(? 100?) years since it was used last, but it definitely cuts.

Cheers for the suggestions.

John

Reply to
john.midgley

Strange - that looks very similar to my TS shaper.

Russell

Reply to
Russell

Ah Russell I would say it's the spitting image, Mike

Reply to
Mike cole

Interesting. There is a certain family resemblance to the clapper box casting. There's no identifying marks anywhere on the planer. Have you seen a similar planer that you know to be a Tom Senior?

John

Reply to
john.midgley

I thought it was more than a family resemblance -it looks like it could even be the same casting.

There are some Tom Senior planers on this page and there are definitely other points of similarity.

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Russell

Reply to
Russell

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