# Saved this planer from being scraped - Yates-American B-44



## TraditionalTool (Jul 17, 2011)

This is an industrial planer. 24"x8", 7 1/2 HP 3 phase motor, weighs in the neighborhood of 3000 lbs. All parts are here except for the side covers.

This should compliment the sawmill when I get it powered up, since it's also 24" wide.

The seller got it from a friend of his and was going to restore/refurbish it, but didn't get the time and needed to get out of his shop. It needed a set of gears for the table, which the seller had bought, and the the large one which goes on the screw needs to have the collar taken down slightly. I can do that on my horizontal mill pretty easily. The new gears are the same ratio, 2:1, albeit not exactly the same tooth pattern, it's the ratio that really matters. Since they were $300 for the gears, the seller didn't buy 2 sets, and I concur, the original and new set should work fine together (2 screws for the table).


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## mikeb1079 (Jul 17, 2011)

mama mia! that's a big dog. back in the days when they didn't balk at stuff weighing a ton and a half  pretty cool man. do you have three phase power at your shop? or are you gonna phase convert or switch motors?


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## 820wards (Jul 18, 2011)

TraditionalTool,

That is quite a find you have. To be able to plane 24" boards would be awesome! Let us know when you get it working, love to see some boards running through it.

jerry-


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 18, 2011)

mikeb1079 said:


> mama mia! that's a big dog. back in the days when they didn't balk at stuff weighing a ton and a half  pretty cool man. do you have three phase power at your shop? or are you gonna phase convert or switch motors?


I have a Yates-American G-89 table saw made right around the end of the war, 1944. It amazes me that steel was at such a shortage but government contracts could get it. No shortage on steel in these old machines. My Yates-American G-89 weighs about 1600 lbs. This planer is about twice as heavy.

I currently use a Rotary Phase Converter, but it's a 7 1/2 HP, so it will only start a 5 HP motor. I will need to upgrade, possibly, if I can squeak another 10 amps into the circuit, and get a 10 HP RPC. I could go static also, but would loose some power. I think a VFD big enough to handle this would be very expensive...I haven't got it all figured out yet. :bang:


820wards said:


> TraditionalTool,
> That is quite a find you have. To be able to plane 24" boards would be awesome! Let us know when you get it working, love to see some boards running through it.


Who knows, maybe you'll get to use it one day! 

I need to clean it up and get it working.


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## 820wards (Jul 18, 2011)

TraditionalTool,

Who knows, maybe you'll get to use it one day! 

I need to clean it up and get it working.[/QUOTE]


I see your from the Left Coast too. I'm in the SF Bay Area, Livermore. I would love to see that beast run.

jerry-


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## HILLBILLYREDNEC (Jul 18, 2011)

What a piece of history. You can re power a unit like this with hydraulic power.


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## john taliaferro (Jul 18, 2011)

Think i would look for a gas eng with a outside air intake and exh and co2 dector . In my shop it would not have to run much .


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## rarefish383 (Jul 18, 2011)

john taliaferro said:


> Think i would look for a gas eng with a outside air intake and exh and co2 dector . In my shop it would not have to run much .[/QUOT
> 
> That's funny, I was just thinking that would be a cool use for my Disston DA211, 2 cylinder Mercury engine, Joe.


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## BobL (Jul 18, 2011)

Nice Score TT!


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## jimdad07 (Jul 18, 2011)

Very nice machine. Good score.


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 19, 2011)

BobL said:


> Nice Score TT!


 


jimdad07 said:


> Very nice machine. Good score.


 
I think so too! 

This will clean up very nicely, it will be a gorgeous machine...I'll probably paint it with a brush, believe it or not. Rustoleum "Hammered" paint brushes and and looks awesome. My friend painted the J-180 he restored on this page, with Rustoleum "Hammered". Click on the pic and you can see what it looked like before he started. I think this is in better shape. Roger gave me the number a place he bought his flat belt from.


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## mikeb1079 (Jul 19, 2011)

your buddy did an amazing job on that j 180 planer. looks sweet! 
thanks for the link


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## BlueRider (Jul 20, 2011)

I'm glad some one got that, I saw it on Craigslist. Having used one in the past it was hard to pass on it but I barely have room for the 12" parks I have now. If your in the area where that was advertised there is a 12" crecent jointer in north county.



The nicest planer I ever used was a 24" yates. Well worth the time and effort to restore.


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## TraditionalTool (Jul 20, 2011)

BlueRider said:


> I'm glad some one got that, I saw it on Craigslist. Having used one in the past it was hard to pass on it but I barely have room for the 12" parks I have now. If your in the area where that was advertised there is a 12" crecent jointer in north county.


I have a 12" Parks that has been restored but doesn't have the motor on it and needs a starter. I have an old 8" Crescent jointer with no motor as well.

I'm not really in your area, I live about 200 miles north in San Jose.

I have the same problem, no room really, but couldn't pass up on the Yates planer, it's a piece I really would like to have. I have a Yates G-89 table saw that is restored, I added a Biesmeyer fence to it:

(you can see the Parks planer in the back)

View attachment 191366




BlueRider said:


> The nicest planer I ever used was a 24" yates. Well worth the time and effort to restore.


I like Yates-American equipment a lot, I also have a small 6" jointer that I use for edge jointing.


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