Revitalising old timber planers
THERE COMES A TIME WHEN EVERY PIECE of mill machinery needs to be replaced with something more modern, efficient and accurate, but that doesn’t mean it has to be scrapped.
If the base frame of the machine is sound, it could be upgraded with new parts and drive systems, which may be the answer for New Zealand sawmills and wood processors who have a decades-old planer that is well past its best.
Wood mill equipment supplier, USNR, has recently formed a new division that is dedicated to re-furbishing old machines. It’s called the Upgrades & Conversions Group and its Manager, Doug Knous, gave a run-down of its services to the WoodTECH 2018 conference in Rotorua last month.
He says: “I know that some of you here are still running 1970’s vintage planers and they’re giving good service, but they could be better.”
The Coastal brand of planers that
USNR purchased a while back is a good example, says Mr Knous. They are overengineered, with massive frames that were built to last, and they make an ideal candidate for upgrading.
His new group can supply new electric drive motors to replace obsolete hydraulic systems for better speed regulation, along with replacement feed rollers, knife and head upgrades, jointer upgrades, upgrading the servo setworks and so on.
“We can literally breathe new life into your old Coastal planer and make it like new, but for much less than a brand new machine,” adds Mr Knous.
NZL