Thread: Wadkin RD Planer Cutter Head

Originally Posted by auscab

You have the special order cutter block in your first machine...

Excuse my ignorance, but why is that "special order"? Is it the ability to fit moulding cutters? I thought all Wadkin buzzer cutterblocks had that provision for moulding cutters.

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Vann

Excuse my ignorance, but why is that "special order"? Is it the ability to fit moulding cutters? I thought all Wadkin buzzer cutterblocks had that provision for moulding cutters.

Cheers, Vann.

Yes Vann, to fit the moulding cutters . Wadkin calls it special order in the RD Paperwork. Both My ones don't have the feature. Same as S&S second machine .

BTW S&S . You probably realize It'd be a good idea to fix the studs before selling off the dud head . If selling off is what your doing .

Wadkin RD288a.jpg


Wadkin RD288ab.jpg

Originally Posted by auscab

Hi S&S .

You have the special order cutter block in your first machine . is that right? Nice to have . Not that I'd be running mouldings in such a way.
If I had no other way I would .

Why not transfer that special head to no 2 machine ?

I assume your getting rid of no 1 when no 2 is ready .

Rob

Yes thats right mate. It's got the prevision for the moulding knives. I would not be game to run moulding knives unless I had one of those special shoes that Jack Forsberg had made for his RM.

Because I don't particularly use the moulding knives I much prefer the other head, plus I am selling my first machine so I'd rather keep that head in that machine. With some help from Vann I'm going to the fit new studs and keep that head with the machine it came from.

If anyone is interested in purchasing and RD please get in touch.

Cheers
S&S

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

...May l put it up that those bolts are original to the machine?!

What!!! You're kidding me Matty. I've never heard of bolts before in a Wadkin cutterblock (mind, there's plenty I don't know about Wadkins ).

Wadkin bolt heads are quite distintive. They machined their own bolts are far as I can tell. If the bolt heads have any markings (Ajax, etc.) then they're not original. However I've blown up S&S's photos and as far as I can tell the bolt heads look just like Wadkin - although commercial bolts from Ajax etc. would look like that after being turned on a lathe to reduce the head thickness.

I think several US buzzer ("jointer") manufacturers use bolts (Oliver etc.). But I think Wadkins approach of using studs is a better idea. Over time, frequent tightening and loosening of the bolts (as knives are changed) will result in worn cutterblock holes, probably requiring replacement of the cutterblock. By using studs, that regular wear and tear occurs on the studs and nuts, not the cutterblock. A much better idea.


Regarding the 'special order' heads:

Originally Posted by auscab

...Yes Vann, to fit the moulding cutters . Wadkin calls it special order in the RD Paperwork...

I worked out why I'm surprised they're special order in that RD catalogue cut.

RB cat matt.jpg

RB cat matt2.jpg

Catalogue cuts from Matty.

Nothing about special order. It looks like the moulding provision is standard on the Wadkin 9" RB buzzer.

Cheers, Vann.

I simply have my suspicions Vann, it's very interesting to note the Condition of S&Ss machine, the cutter head, the bearings are just immaculate. The speculation that the studs were worn/stretched then removed and replaced with bolts doesn't ad up. I'd expect much more wear on all parts. But hey, neither does the fact that they are bolts and not studs doest make sense either. You are absolutely correct on the studs being better, from an engineering perspective studs are the ultimate. On race motors studs are used to hold the bottom end caps to the block and heads to the block.
Melbourne Matty.

Matty,

I had my suspicions as well mate. Everything was in such good condition, I couldn't imagine anything not being original.
There are two things on this machine that don't add up. Normally you can tell if something isn't original, it stands out like a sore thumb, but this machine features some parts that you could argue are original.
The bolts being the first. Even though Wadkin planers have studs fitted these bolts did not look that far out of place. They are all the same... old bolts with same thread, same head, close in weight as well. (ill get some photos tomorrow).
The second being the guard assembly. Majority of the time Wadkin planers have a cast bronze guard with the bronze/brass knob on top. The guard on this machine is solid sheet steel but still have the very familiar looking bronze/brass knobs on top. It's a very interesting machine and I would love to know more about its history and wether anyone else has come across such a setup before. Most of the evidence points to the fact that the bolts and guard are not original to the machine, but, this could be an anomaly.

I'll get some close up pictures and post them tomorrow evening.

Cheers
S&S

Originally Posted by scholey&sons

...The second being the guard assembly. Majority of the time Wadkin planers have a cast bronze guard with the bronze/brass knob on top. The guard on this machine is solid sheet steel but still have the very familiar looking bronze/brass knobs on top...

S&S RD2.jpg

There's something different about that guard support. The vertical rod looks right, including the square-head set screw to stop the rod dropping down too far. I'm not sure about the rectangular piece above that (neither of my machines came with a genuine Wadkin cutter guard) - but those two wingnuts are NOT Wadkin.

I think the cast bronze guard you describe is the standard Wadkin guard, but they also supplied a steel telescopic guard on some machines - and I believe the "pork chop" guard (or a bracket for it) was available for the North American market.

Cheers, Vann.

This is My Guard . Original right through I think . They are called a Bridge Guard aren't they ? The one thing I'm not sure of is the tightening buckle looking thing, rather than a wing nut . I do think I have seen these buckle looking ones on other Wadkin Guards but I cant find one in all of My saved pictures of other RD machines.

You seen them before Vann ?

Some of my saved RD pics have the tightening wedge that clamps down on the Bronze Bridge guard on the left side .
Its pretty hard to find a Machine that still has its Bridge Guard all there . Almost every one I see has parts missing .

When I first got this machine, My second RD, I was wondering what Id think of the Bridge guard . I'd never used one . My 12" Wolfenden Has a spring loaded Pork Chop .

I now love this Wadkin Guard . Its a little bit of time to adjust . 5 seconds and its done . Its the safest feeling guard Ive ever used .



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Rob

Rob,

Such a beautiful machine you have.
Yes thats right, they are called a bridge guard. I think its a fantastic design because It's always covering the cutter head when in use.
The buckle looking wing nut does not look original but it functions well I assume so thats all that matters.
It seems that anything with a thread on these machines seems to go missing or wear to the point it needs replacing.

To have the bronze guard and the adjustment rod still with the machine is just wonderful Rob. They work really well and are one of the safest guards to have on any machine. Thanks for sharing some pictures with us mate, much appreciated.

Cheers
S&S

Originally Posted by Vann

It's important to keep your cutterblock balanced. In order to do this your studs should be fitted in pairs (opposite sides of the cutterblock) and each pair of studs should weigh within 0.2g of each other. Similarly the nuts - but as these get swapped around at blade changes, best to have all ten within that range (or mark them to indicated weighed pairs).

Also the blades. We went through it at trade school and apparently a 2 gram difference in blade weight works out to something like 12 kilograms of dynamic load when it's spinning.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Also the blades. We went through it at trade school and apparently a 2 gram difference in blade weight works out to something like 12 kilograms of dynamic load when it's spinning.

Really ! That's huge .
Did they tell you what speed that was at ?


Edit.
Ill be weighing my blades from now on . Ive done it with spindle moulder blades. Never even thought of it for the buzzer or thicknesser

From memory, it was regarding thicknessers, so 120mm diameter block @5000 rpm.

I can't confirm the accuracy of what we were told, someone smarter might be able to chime in.

EDIT: It's probably less of an issue with buzzer/planer blades because the head has nice chunky bearings at both ends, as opposed to a moulder which is only supported at the bottom (hence the rule of keeping moulder cutters as low on the spindle as possible), but it's still best practice.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

From memory, it was regarding thicknessers, so 120mm diameter block @5000 rpm.

I can't confirm the accuracy of what we were told, someone smarter might be able to chime in.

EDIT: It's probably less of an issue with buzzer/planer blades because the head has nice chunky bearings at both ends, as opposed to a moulder which is only supported at the bottom (hence the rule of keeping moulder cutters as low on the spindle as possible), but it's still best practice.

Thankyou so much for your input on this, very interesting. I think I'll be doing the same as Rob from now on, putting them on the scales to get them close as possible. It can't hurt to get them similar in weight.

Cheers
S&S

Hi Everyone,


I'm excited to share an update on the Wadkin RD cutter block with you all. I have been on hiatus for some time now, renovating my home and working through some changes at work so I haven't had a chance to focus on the restoration as of late. But, I'm finally back in the workshop and getting stuck into cleaning and polishing the cutter block.
Yesterday I received a package all the way from Petone, New Zealand. I'd like to pass on a very special thank you to Vann for helping me with replacement studs and nuts for the clam style head. When I received the machine I found the clams held down by a bunch of 5/8 inch hex head bolts. At some point the original studs had been removed and discarded, probably due to stretched threads. For safety reasons and also to restore originality it was imperative that the head was converted back to a stud/nut configuration and without Vann’s assistance It would not be possible.
When it comes to installing the new studs it is important to remember that due to the slight taper on the head, each stud will have to be measured and cut to the appropriate length to ensure they don’t protrude. As you can see in the pictures I have a stud at either end to determine how much needs to come off each one to fit the taper. Once I’ve finalised the measurements Vann is going to cut the remaining studs for me and match their weight for balance. I’m really looking forward to getting this beautiful machine back up and running.
Thanks everyone for following along.

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