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I bought a used pro planer that came with a round table hight wheel instead of the crank (I would rather have a crank). The wheel has a plastic "gauge" that list various measurements like 1/8, 1/4 etc. It also has a stainless steal table. I thought the planers had solid cast iron tables. I'm just starting a maintenance routine on it and may discover additional differences.

It would be nice to get some idea how old it is.

dynabase wrote:I bought a used pro planer that came with a round table hight wheel instead of the crank (I would rather have a crank). The wheel has a plastic "gauge" that list various measurements like 1/8, 1/4 etc. It also has a stainless steal table. I thought the planers had solid cast iron tables. I'm just starting a maintenance routine on it and may discover additional differences.

It would be nice to get some idea how old it is.

When you say Pro planer I assume it is on a power stand. Some sellers think that if the planer is on a power stand it is a Pro planer. That is not necessarily true. SS made a Power Stand for the MK V mounted planer. The MK V mounted planer has an aluminum table skinned with stainless steel. Mounting a MK V mount planer on a power stand does not equal a Pro planer. The pro planer does indeed have a cast iron table. The Pro planer has a 1 3/4HP motor. The power stand for the MK V mount planer has a 1 1/2HP motor.

The easiest way to tell besides the table is by the label on the in feed shield. On a Pro planer it says "12" Professional Planer". On a MK V mount planer it says "Shopsmith 12" Planer". Of course the model numbers are different also.

As for the age, what is the serial number.

Well I guess I don't have a pro planer after all. It's a M5990 sn 02207. I think it's still worth the $300 I paid for it and I guess I can always take it off of the stand if I need the floor space.

Re the crank, I am amused that a 'tip' is to mark angles around the crank to indicate amount of thickness changed with rotation of the 'crank'.

That duplicates the function of the calibrated plastic dial on the round knob.

dynabase wrote:Well I guess I don't have a pro planer after all. It's a M5990 sn 02207. I think it's still worth the $300 I paid for it and I guess I can always take it off of the stand if I need the floor space.

If you only paid $300 it is still a great deal and absolutely worth what you paid for it. The biggest difference is the cast iron table. AFAIK everything else is the same. It will serve you very well.

JPG wrote:Re the crank, I am amused that a 'tip' is to mark angles around the crank to indicate amount of thickness changed with rotation of the 'crank'.

That duplicates the function of the calibrated plastic dial on the round knob.

What 'Tip' are you referring to?

jsburger wrote:

JPG wrote:Re the crank, I am amused that a 'tip' is to mark angles around the crank to indicate amount of thickness changed with rotation of the 'crank'.

That duplicates the function of the calibrated plastic dial on the round knob.

What 'Tip' are you referring to?

At around 9 min.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... edures.htm

JPG wrote:

jsburger wrote:

JPG wrote:Re the crank, I am amused that a 'tip' is to mark angles around the crank to indicate amount of thickness changed with rotation of the 'crank'.

That duplicates the function of the calibrated plastic dial on the round knob.

What 'Tip' are you referring to?

At around 9 min.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... edures.htm

Interesting!. I don't know why that is necessary. I can eyeball a 1/16 or 1/4 turn as accurately as the masking tape.

I have a Wixey digital height gauge on my pro planer and I routinely check stock thickness with a dial caliper. If I turn the planer crank the amount on the on the chart the dial caliper verifies the result. The Wixey also confirms the result. No tape necessary.

The adjustable plastic dial on the round knob has marks with 1/128" resolution(1/8 turn). Close to 8 thousands.