Photo Index - Parks Woodworking Machine Co. - Model 97

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Parks Woodworking Machine Co.
Cincinnati, OH.

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Planer, Wood
Machine Size:	12"
Submitted By:	Greg Ruhe

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Model 97
Date of Manufacturer:	1970's
Serial Number:	none
Last Updated	12/13/2009 11:13:53 AM

Comments:

I acquired this machine from Keith Bohn at Arnfest '08. I did a complete restoration including new cutterhead bearings, turning down the infeed and outfeed rollers, and truing up the cutterhead pulley shaft. The latter required a new undersized pulley that was bored out to match the new shaft diameter which was reduced by approximately .015". This modification also required a new keyway to be cut in the shaft and the pulley. G and G Grinding located here in Omaha, NE. did all the machining, and I would highly recommend them - they do great work at very reasonable prices.

The belt guard was built by a local sheet metal fabricator using the excellent drawing done by Keith O'Boyle and published here on the Mothership. It fit nearly perfectly, requiring only a slight touch up with a file to get a nice fit with the stand. The cost was nearly half that of what D.C. Morrison wanted for theirs.

Last weekend I was able to reassemble everything and get it tuned up according to Bob Vaughan's excellent video. All I can say is WOW!! - the planer is a real joy to use and it is very exciting watching the chips spew out. I ran a test piece of 8" wide poplar through and was getting full width tightly curled shavings with virtually no snipe and an unbelievably glass smooth surface that would require no more than 120 grit paper in a random orbit sander to get it ready for final hand sanding.

This is by far the most complicated restoration I have done so far, and also the most satisfying. This will replace my 1986 Ryobi AP-10 (the original lunchbox planer), which is my last piece of non OWWM.

Photo 1:

Comments: Overall view
Source: Greg Ruhe

Direct Link
IMG Code

Photo 2:

Comments: Outfeed and gearbox
Source: Greg Ruhe

Direct Link
IMG Code

Photo 3:

Comments: Right side
Source: Greg Ruhe

Direct Link
IMG Code

Photo 4:

Comments: Outfeed before
Source: Keith Bohn

Direct Link
IMG Code

Photo 5:

Comments: Infeed before
Source: Keith Bohn

Direct Link
IMG Code