Wood Magazine 116 by Larry Clayton

Author:Larry Clayton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Wood, Home and hobby woodworker
Publisher: Meredith Corporation
Published: 1999-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

the kids were taught to take care of things. So I evaluate the area."

Almost a sure bet for finding good used machines is a two-man cabinet shop, says Chuck. "You can usually count on the machines being well-maintained until they're upgraded. No matter where you find them, though, if a machine has been pulled from service and is gathering dust, be wary. If a guy has a woodworking shop, and he's not using the machine anymore, it's probably worn out."

Even used machinery dealers sometimes try to pass on a problem, according to Chuck. "Beware of the pretty paint job, because it might be all that was done. In the business I'm in, it's called a 'DuPonc rebuild.'"

A question of power

The ad is appealing—a cabinet shop offers some used commercial equipment at great prices. Chuck cautions that you do a power check. "All commercial and industrial machines are built to run on three-phase electric power because it's cheaper to operate. And three-phase is an aspect of machinery where you can get financially burned.

"As an example, many school shops have three-phase equipment," he goes on to explain. "You go to a school sale and see some jointers for sale. One might be running on three-phase and one exactly like it in another part of the room is hooked to 220-volt. There's a chance you could buy the

wrong one for the electric service you have. So always check the electrical requirements of the machine you're thinking of buying," he says. "If you don't have three-phase power or don't want to convert, the machine is no good to you."

How can you tell if you're looking at three-phase equipment? "If the motor has a plate," says Chuck, "it should read 'three-phase' or 'poly-phase.' If there's no plate, look at the wires going to the motor. A three-phase motor will have three hot wires and a ground wire. Single-phase will have only two hot wires and a ground."

What about simply swapping the three-phase one on the machine for a

Continued

AUGUST 1999

Well^Aged Woodworking Machines

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.