My new, old planar

[Peter]

I removed this Putnam planar from an old factory slated for reuse. The photo attached is the culmination of three days effort, clearing the way inside and out. The bed is 6 foot long with 24" between uprights. I found the origional Putnam countershaft and ceiling hangars and I hope to have this running with an electric motor in the rafters driving the overhead pulley system as originally operated.

The factory was D. Lovejoy and Sons founded in 1848, makers of machine knives and located in Lowell Mass. I found a circa 1905 catalog and have shown a scans of a factory scene. Unfortunatly none of those old hammars remain.

I found this link with a planar in operation, on the practicalmachinist website:
http://www.bbssystem.com/videos/pratt_whitney.wmv

[NAMPeters]

Nice catch.What dd you use for bate?

Neil Peters

[Orville D]

Is that the place that was near McKitterick Hardware?? I grew up in Lowell. My grandfather was a foreman at the old Boote Mills, and his cellar used to be full of old machines. They all got dragged off to the scrap dealer before I was old enough to know what treasures they were.

[Peter]

Orville,

You are correct, thats the place. It is a heart breaker to hear about some of the really old machinery that was scrapped out- right up until fairly recent.