# Powermatic 221



## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

Since old machinery is such a popular subject around here, I thought I'd post a few pictures of a used planer my boss picked up 25 years ago and tell it's story. It's not quite as old as most of the things that have been posted here lately but I'd still consider it an old timer.

It's a Powermatic model 221 which is a 20" planer which, based on what I've read, they made for somewhere around 30 years starting in 1955. Motor options were 5hp, 7.5hp, or 10hp main motor with a 1hp feed motor with variable speed 20-50 fpm. You had the option of solid or sectional infeed roller and chip breakers and 3 knife, 4 knife or in later years, their stagger quiet cutterhead. They also offered a knife grinder. 

Based off of the serial number, the one my boss picked up is a 1955 model and it had a 5hp motor, sectional infeed roller and chipbreakers, 4? knife cutterhead and the knife grinder when he got it. It was well used by the time he bought it and they just had it under roof, sitting outside. For whatever reason the table was dished in the middle and the infeed roller had seen better days. 

Over the years, the infeed roller and chipbreakers have been replaced, the table has been refinished, the 5hp upgraded to 10hp, the 4? knife cutterhead upgraded to the quiet cutterhead and last year upgraded again to a shelix cutterhead. The cutterhead bearings have also been replaced when the cutterhead was changed. 

Here she is as she sits today:


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

Wow im positive we had one identical to that in my high school shop class.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

A powermatic like that will be my upgrade from my 18" Delta wedge bed.

Those are wood eating machines.


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

jkfox624 said:


> Wow im positive we had one identical to that in my high school shop class.


bet it didn't have a cutterhead like that ^^^:thumbsup:


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

TimelessQuality said:


> bet it didn't have a cutterhead like that ^^^:thumbsup:


Haha nope, im pretty sure the blades were original on the one we used.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

JC,
Nice looking machine!:thumbsup:
My 221 still has the original paint, 3 knife, & 10 hp. My sectional infeed needs some tlc, but everything else works great. I speeded up the cutterhead a bit to get it closer to a more optimum knife speed. It's amazing how much stock they can remove in one pass.
They are definitely work horses!

Thanks for sharing yours,
Joe


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## Bergstrom (Mar 14, 2009)

Why did he chuck the knife grinder in favor of the helical head? I know the cut is nice but the insert tooling is expensive. I love that planer and I have had the debate in my head a few times if on board knife grider would be the best way to go.....


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## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

Bergstrom said:


> Why did he chuck the knife grinder in favor of the helical head? I know the cut is nice but the insert tooling is expensive. I love that planer and I have had the debate in my head a few times if on board knife grider would be the best way to go.....


The Shelix cutterhead was money well spent. The old cutterheads had a habit of taking some pretty good chunks out of whatever you were planing, especially out of maple and beech. Part of the reason may have been not spending enough time on the sharpening. To sharpen the blades right, readjust the pressure bar and do any other tweaking is really a couple hour process that we never seemed to have the time to do right and even if we did spend the time, it would never be as nice as what you get out of the Shelix. 

The carbide cutter also stay sharp much, much longer. The cutterheads have been on the jointer and planer for close to a year now and we haven't had to turn the knives yet. We've probably ran a couple thousand board feet threw them so far and there are no major nicks and while they aren't quite as sharp as they were, they still cut good. Ideally we would have had to sharpen the other cutters at least twice by now. 

Since we haven't had to change the cutters yet, I can't say for certain how long it takes but, I don't really expect it to take any longer than it did before.


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

That is truly one of the beasts of Arn.. Check this out , http://cgi.ebay.com/Industrial-Oliv...ltDomain_0&hash=item23126a16ac#ht_2678wt_689a shame how devalued the Arn OWWM market is.... 


B,


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## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

PrestigeR&D said:


> That is truly one of the beasts of Arn.. Check this out , http://cgi.ebay.com/Industrial-Oliv...ltDomain_0&hash=item23126a16ac#ht_2678wt_689a shame how devalued the Arn OWWM market is....
> 
> 
> B,


30" Oliver for only $2,500?  :blink: They had one of those at my trade school, it was just an awesome beast. They closed the school 5-6 years ago and I often wonder what happened to all the tools.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

J.C. said:


> 30" Oliver for only $2,500?  :blink: They had one of those at my trade school, it was just an awesome beast. They closed the school 5-6 years ago and I often wonder what happened to all the tools.


Did you see all the other listings he had?
All that sweet old machinery is going to go to the scrap yard.:sad:

I bet someone could offer them a little over scrap value and have some nice stuff.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

PrestigeR&D said:


> That is truly one of the beasts of Arn.. Check this out , http://cgi.ebay.com/Industrial-Oliv...ltDomain_0&hash=item23126a16ac#ht_2678wt_689a shame how devalued the Arn OWWM market is....
> 
> 
> B,


 It's even worse for the bigger machines. The market is flooded with all turning equipment. Unfortunately, I bought mine at the beginning of the price declines. When I first started out doing turnings, it was hard to find a 1/2 decent lathe below 10,000. I ended up buying the smallest one that would do what I needed for 6,000. They occaisionaly show up on ebay, & no one even bids on them. I saw one the other day end with no bid at 800. The furiture manuf business in this country is dead. It's down to barely 1/2 what it was 20 or so years ago. I blame most of it on lack of tort reform, & the other 1/2 on unions.
Joe


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## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Did you see all the other listings he had?
> All that sweet old machinery is going to go to the scrap yard.:sad:
> 
> I bet someone could offer them a little over scrap value and have some nice stuff.


I think that planer and 52" wide belt sander would compliment your new 16" jointer nicely. Plus, they'll hold your shop down nicely if a tornado ever comes through. :thumbup:


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

I saw a real nice Oliver 232 up for auction on that gov auction site, and it,s close by, Pensylvania. I never dealt with this Gov auction site, have any of you? I may just bid on this saw if I can find someone on here that is from PA. Do you think they could load it on a truck, it is already on a pallet but I do not know how it works with them.:blink:


Thanks,

B.


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## J.C. (Sep 28, 2009)

PrestigeR&D said:


> I saw a real nice Oliver 232 up for auction on that gov auction site, and it,s close by, Pensylvania. I never dealt with this Gov auction site, have any of you? I may just bid on this saw if I can find someone on here that is from PA. Do you think they could load it on a truck, it is already on a pallet but I do not know how it works with them.:blink:
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> ...


I don't have any experience with Gov auctions. Where in PA is it?


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