Niles Planer

[chauky50]

Recently acquired a 32 x32 inch Niles Planer with a ten foot table and 12 feet overall length. Looking to find a good estimate of the weight.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Recently acquired a 32 x32 inch Niles Planer with a ten foot table and 12 feet overall length. Looking to find a good estimate of the weight.View attachment 431895

I always found the best way was to break the machine down into the individual elements, then add them all together.
Bed - ? My guess from your drawing - 2.5 tons
table - ? “ “ “ - 1.25 tons
Uprights - ? “ “ “ - 2 tons
Cross rail and top box plus other bits and pieces - ? - 0.75 tons

Total = 6.5 tons or 13,000 lbs. So if you say a max of 8 tons or 16,000 you won’t be far wrong. That’s a pure guesstimate. No doubt somebody will know the exact weight because they have a book with the weight in it or they have a similar machine.

Regards Tyrone

 

[M.B. Naegle]

We need pictures! Is it a working machine or a project?

 

[ncjeeper]

We need pictures! Is it a working machine or a project?

Yes I second that.

 

[Robert Lang]

Recently acquired a 32 x32 inch Niles Planer with a ten foot table and 12 feet overall length. Looking to find a good estimate of the weight.

The catalog you got the illustration from, lists it at 13,400 lbs.

Rob

 

[John Garner]

Tyrone, I'm impressed.

 

[johnoder]

Whitcomb Blaisdell 36 by 30 high with 10 foot table weighed 15,000 in their 1920 catalog. These are the sturdy jobs with no "feet"

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

When machines came into the shop for repair and before they were lifted off the vehicle the fitters I worked with used to have a sweep. £1 in each and “ guess the weight “ . Nearest to the actual weight gets the pot. It got very competitive, 20 to 30 fitters having a go, it was well worth winning. The crane driver lifted slowly on purpose so we could all see the needle on the crane scales going around. Much suspense ! As a result we all got reasonably good at guessing weights. Both with complete machines and sections.
One day a big German press came in and we were all a fair way out, that was until we realised it was made from cast steel instead of cast iron.

Regards Tyrone

 

[chauky50]

Thank-you for your help. Here is a picture just sent to me, have not seen it myself yet. A little different in the legs to the catalogue pic. It will sit well in the company of my John Bertram & sons lathe.

 

[Robert Lang]

Thank-you for your help. Here is a picture just sent to me, have not seen it myself yet. A little different in the legs to the catalogue pic. It will sit well in the company of my John Bertram & sons lathe.

This is an earlier Niles planer than the one illustrated above, which is from the 1891 Niles catalog.
This is from the 1880's, so the weight is probably less than the 13,400 lbs from the 1891 catalog.

Rob

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

If you’re planning to do work for customers I’d take that “ Cash Only- No Credit “ sign that’s hanging up behind the planer.

Regards Tyrone

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just looking at the photo again. There’ll be a really unusual amount of overhang on the table when it’s running on maximum stroke.

Regards Tyrone

 

[pat pounden]

Just looking at the photo again. There’ll be a really unusual about of overhang on the table when it’s running on maximum stroke.

Regards Tyrone

just load it in the old chevy truck and take it home--then a flat belt off the rear wheel and you are in the machine shop biz

 

[chauky50]

The catalog you got the illustration from, lists it at 13,400 lbs.

Rob

I got the planer home a few days ago without mishap. I am still having difficulty determining the size. It has a table 32" wide but is 36" between the uprights and the same 36" table clearance. One distinguishing feature is the four round holes in the upright castings. The factory tag does not have a serial # stamped.

 

[Robert Lang]

I got the planer home a few days ago without mishap. I am still having difficulty determining the size. It has a table 32" wide but is 36" between the uprights and the same 36" table clearance. One distinguishing feature is the four round holes in the upright castings. The factory tag does not have a serial # stamped.

Planers are always listed by the capacity between the two housings and not the width of the table.
Also the stroke or length it will plane will be the length of the machined surface of the table and does not include the chip pockets at both ends of the table.
So your planer is a 36" x 36".
I don't think the tag that says "1910" is a Niles tag. Your planer dates in the 1880's.

Rob

 

[M.B. Naegle]

If it's like other machines from the period, the serial would be stamped somewhere in iron like the end of a way or something. I'd bet the brass tag was an inventory tag from a prior owner.

I'm finding on my 30x30 Whitcomb planer that the serial number is stamped several places, such that they used it as a batch number as they were fitting it together at the factory. Other companies like many lathe manufacturers would stamp a 2 digit number on the parts as a batch number that was of little consequence once it left the factory, but the serial number would be more prominent and a 3 to 6 digit number.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

If it's like other machines from the period, the serial would be stamped somewhere in iron like the end of a way or something. I'd bet the brass tag was an inventory tag from a prior owner.

I'm finding on my 30x30 Whitcomb planer that the serial number is stamped several places, such that they used it as a batch number as they were fitting it together at the factory. Other companies like many lathe manufacturers would stamp a 2 digit number on the parts as a batch number that was of little consequence once it left the factory, but the serial number would be more prominent and a 3 to 6 digit number.

Most of the planers/plano-mills I worked on had the serial number stamped on the end of the cross rail nearest the operator. Usually on the upper way. Maybe that was just a British thing.

Regards Tyrone

 

[chauky50]

I have a few machines that have brass inventory tags. The placement and style of the tag on this machine looks factory to me. Have not found any stamped numbers yet. Thanks