Photo Index - Oliver Machinery Co. - #34- DSD

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Oliver Machinery Co.
Grand Rapids, MI

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Sander
Machine Size:	30" Disc
Submitted By:	Chuck Hess

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	#34- DSD
Date of Manufacturer:	1954.
Serial Number:	83608 (View SN Registry Entry)
Last Updated	2/25/2006 3:48:57 AM

Comments:

Oliver #34 DSD 30 Disc Sander Serial # 83608, 1954
Aloha,
I got a call from Oahu last year and a fellow woodworker told me there was a storage place that someone had left some machinery at for a long time and the owner was clearing them out. He was not interested in anything but wanted to let me know that there was an old Oliver 88 table saw there. So I called and the owner was not very cooperative; would not take photos or anything else. On the phone I did get him to tell me the serial # and deduced that it had an intact micrometer fence. So we struck a deal and he begrudgingly accepted my offer of what I thought that the fence was worth (since I was buying the saw sight unseen, which I dont like to do, I figured that I couldn't get hurt that way). So the inter island shipping arrangements are/were that he would palletize the thing and take it to YB dock for inter island barge trip to Maui. But, then he called me back and said that he also had an Oliver sander but I declined. He was trying to work me with a story about someone else that wanted it bad but if I acted fast I could etc. etc. No Thanks, I'll pass. So a couple of days later he called me again and begged me to take the sander. So then I had him where I wanted him and both machines were sent to Maui.
He did disclose to me that the bottom casting was cracked off and the piece was long gone and the machine was bolted to a piece of plate steel. I dont like things that I wont be able to repair so that is partly why I was not very motivated to buy this one. But I got it for next to nothing so what the heck. When it arrived I realized that the tag was stamped #34-DSD which is Olivers combination machine with a 30 disc on 1 side and Oscillating spindle sander on the other. The entire spindle sander section is MIA so this is in essence a #34-D now. Anyway I just now got around to firing her up for the first time. All we did was put a cord on it and wire brushed the table. Works great, true to Oliver form; no matter how ugly they get from abuse they will still do woodwork for ya, especially after we extinguished the flames! There was a little fire in the switch box, still dont quite understand what happened. I checked and the motor was wired for high voltage and the leads and wire nuts looked good, so assumed that it had been running that way when taken from service and I hooked her up to 480 volts. Inside the switch box there is/was a control voltage stepdown transformer and the coil in the mag switch is 115 volts. All the paperwork and diagrams are gone from inside the lid so I could only assume that it was running on 480. It wasnt much of a fire really but those sure do stink to high heaven! Anyway I know the thing works and I picked up a 2x4 and put a 1 1/2" radius on it in about 1 second. The sander runs very smooth and coasted for about 20 minutes after the shutdown. It was a little scary at first and I had that same old experience where when I got ready to fire it the first time my employees all stood back and watched me, shaking their heads, from a safe distance, and that seemed to make me a little nervous. Cool big old sander!
Aloha,
Chuck
Update 2/24/06
Funny story; I sold this sander to the stone shop across the street, they wanted to try it on some slate or something. They actually cleaned it and painted her metallic green. I'll post some more photos soon. It wouldn't do what they wanted it to, so he asked me if I would take it back and give them a little Powermatic 6 x 48 belt and disk combo sander, even trade. I agreed, since the price I sold the Oliver for was way more than I paid for the Powermatic new, and I got the Oliver back. Sometimes the less you say, the more they pay.
Aloha

Photo 1:

Comments: Cool big ole sander
Source: My beautiful wife's camera.

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