Thread: Old School 24" 3Phase thicknesser

Thanks Rob, some of the guys at the mens shed will indeed be interested to see the pics.

Originally Posted by veloaficionado

Square cutter block? Square blocks are death traps.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

People have been killed using old machines like this ?
Wow !

Melbourne Matty.

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

People have been killed using old machines like this ?
Wow !

Melbourne Matty.

Matty,
When you are lifting another one onto your trailer and the gantry collapses, and it all comes falling down on top of you ... maybe??

Cheer's,
Peter

PS
How many square head machines have you got?... some have multiple heads, don't they....honest now....how many square heads in total??

Originally Posted by lightwood

Matty,
When you are lifting another one onto your trailer and the gantry collapses, and it all comes falling down on top of you ... maybe??

Cheer's,
Peter

PS
How many square head machines have you got?... some have multiple heads, don't they....honest now....how many square heads in total??

I cannot tell a lie,
I have 3 square head thicknesser's, 1 four-sided moulder 1 five-sided moulder, at least 20 separate cutter blocks and hundreds of cutters.
As well, I am actively looking for an old square head Jointer/planer to restore for historical purposes and to use.
also, when no one is around I am quite comfortable using a square head block in a shaper too.

Melbourne Matty.

AS 1473.6 has the information about cutterhead geometry. I cant find a free copy of it to download, though i had to read most if the standards during my wood machining apprenticeship. Square heads dont meet the standard, rendering them unsuitable for continued manufacture and sale. Peter, there possibly is an exception for machinery produced before the standard, but definantly not afterwards. I know in the last couple of years, worksafe has been on a crusade to get emergency stops put on everything, and it is being applied to machinery regardless of manufacture date.

We all know that square heads were inherantly dangerous when compared to the modern equivelant. So lets not argue for the continued use of machinery we r only willing to use behind closed doors or only with automatic feed.

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

I cannot tell a lie,
I have 3 square head thicknesser's, 1 four-sided moulder 1 five-sided moulder, at least 20 separate cutter blocks and hundreds of cutters.
As well, I am actively looking for an old square head Jointer/planer to restore for historical purposes and to use.
also, when no one is around I am quite comfortable using a square head block in a shaper too.

Melbourne Matty.

LOL , It's a picture like a bunch of lovely old girlfreinds sitting around starring at you with an ugly smile people say "whats wrong with her teeth!!" and Matty gets angry for a while, then turns back and loves them and adores them . He treats them nice and they in return do a perfect job safely back for him . He knows old girls go hard and well , maybe a little slower sometimes but that's just fine.

I saw a 2' Wolfenden thicknesser with a square head the other week . It had let go of a 2' blade . the condition of the head and slots and nuts was very bad and out of shape from over tightening . It would have been very obvious to the person fitting it that something was wrong and they kept using it . Madness !!! Lucky it only smashed up the machine.
I should have taken pictures of that .

Rob

Why does no one use them in industrial settings anymore? You have to ask yourself that question.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

They do still use them , I've got one machine with square heads , and I know of two other commercial workshops that use them . They are being used a lot less though . If you want to make the world a safer place why not ban the motor bike of beer ? How many lives could be saved by doing that .

Originally Posted by Kuffy

AS 1473.6 has the information about cutterhead geometry. I cant find a free copy of it to download, though i had to read most if the standards during my wood machining apprenticeship. Square heads dont meet the standard, rendering them unsuitable for continued manufacture and sale. Peter, there possibly is an exception for machinery produced before the standard, but definantly not afterwards. I know in the last couple of years, worksafe has been on a crusade to get emergency stops put on everything, and it is being applied to machinery regardless of manufacture date.

We all know that square heads were inherantly dangerous when compared to the modern equivelant. So lets not argue for the continued use of machinery we r only willing to use behind closed doors or only with automatic feed.

Kuffy,

looks like I'm still waiting to see any actual act or regulation that outlaws the use of squarehead machines.

Think I'll ride my motorbike to the bottle shop and get some beers.....

Cheers,
Peter

Originally Posted by lightwood

Kuffy,

looks like I'm still waiting to see any actual act or regulation that outlaws the use of squarehead machines.

Think I'll ride my motorbike to the bottle shop and get some beers.....

Cheers,
Peter

You have been directed to the exact document. I am not going to pay to download it just to prove something I already know, neither are you it seems. And since your being nothing more than a dog with a bone about the question, if I say anything other than uploading the relevant document, you wont be satisfied. If you are hoping for a document, act, regulation, law etc etc saying "square heads are illegal" then there wont be one. Just like anything, you can design a cutterhead any way, shape, size you like.....so long as it is within the bounds of the standards, which squareheads are not. If your not happy with this answer, your out of luck because im not gonna waste anymore time with you.

Originally Posted by Kuffy

You have been directed to the exact document. I am not going to pay to download it just to prove something I already know, neither are you it seems. And since your being nothing more than a dog with a bone about the question, if I say anything other than uploading the relevant document, you wont be satisfied. If you are hoping for a document, act, regulation, law etc etc saying "square heads are illegal" then there wont be one. Just like anything, you can design a cutterhead any way, shape, size you like.....so long as it is within the bounds of the standards, which squareheads are not. If your not happy with this answer, your out of luck because im not gonna waste anymore time with you.

No worries...
seems to me your memory of the contents of the standard are pretty hazy.
....So it looks like I'm still waiting for someone to show me ....

cheers,
Peter

I have been looking at this thread because I love OLD MACHINERY, regardless of the safety features that may or may not be included. We all know that in the old days, things were made in a more convenient way for them with the technology that they had. Times have changed, people have changed, I have used an old squareheaded thicknesser, it was noisey, basic and frankly, didn't do a very good job. The modern h&f machine I have now is streets ahead of that old one.

Getting to the point of the post. We all know what a government document is like, you WILL NOT see something outlawed outright in print. This is the best I could find.

Isn't this need for absolute proof a little pedantic? I feel that this discussion has highjacked the real issue of the lovely old machine that has been saved from scrap.

My 2c worth

Rob

No Rob , Its not a Hijacking , its just a small discussion along the way about this machine, that's had it's run , I think .

Its a beauty , And it couldn't be in better hands at an Mens shed. Older blokes are smart most of the time.
I think most would agree that the dangerous thing about old style machinery is unsupervised or poorly trained younger guys and a stressed out boss who's business is going backwards and is cutting corners to save it.

That machine cleaned up and looked after will do great safe work if the important parts are checked over and renewed to original if needed. They worked well for many decades in good hands.

They take a little understanding .The danger to me is not the cutter head on these things , if its covered with a strong enough cover with dust extraction working well , No one should be mad enough to go any where near the spinning head while working it . and if they do, and they had been warned and trained , then they had it coming.

The danger is, that machine may not have any anti kick back device , in untrained hands , a too small piece of wood will expolde out backwards . Its got to be close to, or under the distance of the two top roller measurement for it to happen . I did it twice when younger and got hit in the hand on a Wolfenden 12" square head machine . If I had bent over and looked in to see where the wood was ( a BIG NO NO on any thicknesser) I could have been killed . The force was the same as a man taking a full swing with a cricket bat at my hand .


Rob

Whats this slot in the head for ? it looks like its for setting up moulding knifes . Is that right ?
Does it have any holes in the table for fixing a fence for keeping moulding runs in line with that cutter position ?

Rob

PS , I just went back and looked , there is lots of holes .