Rockford Planer

cash · Mar 1, 2017

Yesterday at the Busch auction I was able to pick up their small planer. I as well won a 7' Carlton Radial Arm drill which I have immediate work for.

On the planer I was planning to use it for straight edges ect. This machine is in mint condition. When I would be in their shop in the past there would be some work around it so I knew they were using it. The ways are beautiful and the machine, from what I can tell, has not been changed or modified at all. There was NO name plate on the machine stating model number or anything else. It has a 22" x 72" table. I honestly don't know much about this machine or even how to run it!! I have a couple guys who told me they would show me if I set it up.

Maybe somebody here with a home shop and some extra $$$ would be interested in it. Or you have that friend looking for one.

I know this should not be posted here, but this is the area where guys who would be interested are looking. The for sale forum just does not get much traffic and this is related to machine rebuilding and scraping.

I would have to say there is probably not another machine like this on the market.

Rockford - Hydraulic Openside Planer | eBay

Zahnrad Kopf · Mar 1, 2017

Hey buddy! First off, congratulations! Second, I will be happy to come by and help you set it up and show you how to run it. They're fairly simple machines, but do their job better than any other. Good score!

Richard King · Mar 1, 2017

That machine looks like "The Beast" that Steve Watkins has. To those who want to have a good machine that will last for a 100 + years. You have your chance! I know a young man in Oregon who would love it. If you need a tax deduction :-) I bet he would volunteer to find a new home for it :-)

Richard King · Mar 1, 2017

If you guys are near Rockford next week, drop bye and say hello. B&K might need a planer too?

MCritchley · Mar 1, 2017

Way to go Cash! Hang on to it. that is a beautiful machine. I talked with the guy who ran it some time back, he said it was accurate. They used a lot of carbide tooling with the cast iron.

RC99 · Mar 2, 2017

The ones in that size come up from time to time. Last one I saw sold, was in better condition then the one in the ebay ad and and it sold for just under $2000 from memory.

Orbitbid.com(R) | *VIDEO* (1) 72" Rockford hydraulic... xsJmF1Y3Rpb25bc3RhdHVzXT1wYXN0JmF1Y3Rpb25bdHlwZV09 YWxsJmxvdFtjYXRlZ29yeV09YWxsJmxvdFtsb2NhdGlvbl09YW xsJmxvdFtzdGF0ZV09YWxsJnBhZ2U9MQ

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 3, 2017

RC99 said:
The ones in that size come up from time to time. Last one I saw sold, was in better condition then the one in the ebay ad and and it sold for just under $2000 from memory.

Orbitbid.com(R) | *VIDEO* (1) 72" Rockford hydraulic... xsJmF1Y3Rpb25bc3RhdHVzXT1wYXN0JmF1Y3Rpb25bdHlwZV09 YWxsJmxvdFtjYXRlZ29yeV09YWxsJmxvdFtsb2NhdGlvbl09YW xsJmxvdFtzdGF0ZV09YWxsJnBhZ2U9MQ

Somebody got a bargain there. Maybe because it's just too small for lathe beds. Looks like " one careful lady driver, never driven in the wet " was the previous owner.

Regards Tyrone.

cash · Mar 3, 2017

The machine RC99 posted does look identical to mine.

I am very surprised there were not any internet bidders on the planer when I was at the auction. It was only the dealer and I. I think this auction was maybe not advertised that well and it was VERY quick. Te investment company needed to get their money back fast.

The dealer I was bidding against bought the big planer. He called me yesterday and wants to swap machines. I am debating this depending on how the eBay sale goes.

From the video my machine is basically in the same condition, minus I don't have that nice vise on the table.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 3, 2017

cash said:
The machine RC99 posted does look identical to mine.

I am very surprised there were not any internet bidders on the planer when I was at the auction. It was only the dealer and I. I think this auction was maybe not advertised that well and it was VERY quick. Te investment company needed to get their money back fast.

The dealer I was bidding against bought the big planer. He called me yesterday and wants to swap machines. I am debating this depending on how the eBay sale goes.

From the video my machine is basically in the same condition, minus I don't have that nice vise on the table.

You'll find that you won't use a vice very often on a planing machine.

Regards Tyrone.

Mebfab · Mar 3, 2017

So you are selling the machine above? Did Busch close?

cash · Mar 3, 2017

yup-I am selling-

yup, busch closed.

case close on my point that many did not know about the auction.

there was tooling galore..........

the auction company did a terrible job, and to top it off, on the auction day, they did not even plan to have a friggn food truck there!!! People were looking for food, and when you hungry you don't bid!!! They brought in some cheap pizza at lunch as they knew people were hungry.

Derek Smalls · Mar 3, 2017

What's up with the scraping/flaking marks on it? Looks like someone recently did a terrible flaking job??? Or something???

RC99 · Mar 3, 2017

Tyrone Shoelaces said:
Somebody got a bargain there. Maybe because it's just too small for lathe beds.

Hard to say. If you had a specific use for it then it was most certainly a bargain. But in a paying workshop the floor space such a machine takes up might be better taken up by something like an Elgamill. A planer is a one trick pony. I think the ebay one the price is very optimistic. I would think $5000 would be closer to a selling price.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Mar 4, 2017

Derek Smalls said:
What's up with the scraping/flaking marks on it? Looks like someone recently did a terrible flaking job??? Or something???

You mean on the purple machine ? I was thinking that also. I'd be surprised if that mottling was done by " Rockford ". It looks like somebody had gone over it at a later date.

Regards Tyrone.

Forrest Addy · Mar 4, 2017

Hell of a machine a Rockford planer that size. With it you can plane most small milling machine small lathe castings to remove the wear down to a witness mark. If you have your set-up skills and broad nose technique honed to a fine degree all that remains of the scraping is bearing development and fine tuning the alignment.

I'm a good planer hand. A good planer hand on a good straight planer can reduce scraping time by 75%. Rich knows what I'm talking about I'm sure.

A planer using broad nose technique leaves a surface flat, with a dull sheen and without feed marks. The finish looks like satin ribbon laid edge to edge. Cross scrape the surface to prep for the first print and two or three cuts after will bring you to full coverage at 10 spots per sq inch.

I often worked with an old retired scraper hand contracted in for machine tool rebuilds. He and I working together could take worn clean castings to like new and scraped in some unbelievable short time. Until old Carlsen had that stroke we were a money machine for the company.

The very best scraper hand in the world can't compete with a straight planer for working wear down to a scrape-able surface. But you have to have a straight machine and good technique.

That Rockford planer if it's straight as claimed and in the right hands can make a good living working with a machine tool rebuilding shop. It's a couple feet short for full length press brake dies but it will do shorties very well along with rubber molds, long full keyed shafts, ,etc..

Does it have a side head? I examined the images but I couldn't be sure

Demon69 · Mar 4, 2017

Does it really look that weird? Looks ok to me tbh, like the final row of scape marks all going in the same direction. Pics can highlight that sometimes and hide the rest of the job. Same with polished tops depending on the angle of that the photo was taken.

cash · Mar 4, 2017

Forrest Addy said:
Hell of a machine a Rockford planer that size. With it you can plane most small milling machine small lathe castings to remove the wear down to a witness mark. If you have your set-up skills and broad nose technique honed to a fine degree all that remains of the scraping is bearing development and fine tuning the alignment.

I'm a good planer hand. A good planer hand on a good straight planer can reduce scraping time by 75%. Rich knows what I'm talking about I'm sure.

A planer using broad nose technique leaves a surface flat, with a dull sheen and without feed marks. The finish looks like satin ribbon laid edge to edge. Cross scrape the surface to prep for the first print and two or three cuts after will bring you to full coverage at 10 spots per sq inch.

I often worked with an old retired scraper hand contracted in for machine tool rebuilds. He and I working together could take worn clean castings to like new and scraped in some unbelievable short time. Until old Carlsen had that stroke we were a money machine for the company.

The very best scraper hand in the world can't compete with a straight planer for working wear down to a scrape-able surface. But you have to have a straight machine and good technique.

That Rockford planer if it's straight as claimed and in the right hands can make a good living working with a machine tool rebuilding shop. It's a couple feet short for full length press brake dies but it will do shorties very well along with rubber molds, long full keyed shafts, ,etc..

Does it have a side head? I examined the images but I couldn't be sure

yes-it does have a side head. I wish when I was young and had more energy I would have learned to run one of these machines. I learned on and have put all my energy towards grinders. Planers are such a different breed of machine but so majestic as well.

cash · Mar 4, 2017

Derek Smalls said:
What's up with the scraping/flaking marks on it? Looks like someone recently did a terrible flaking job??? Or something???

yea-the scraping does not "look" the best. Remember-scraping is for bearing and oil pockets. With this pattern they did produce oil pockets but they did not scrap 90 deg to each other each time. I assume Busch rescraped this maybe at some time?

cash · Mar 4, 2017

RC99 said:
Hard to say. If you had a specific use for it then it was most certainly a bargain. But in a paying workshop the floor space such a machine takes up might be better taken up by something like an Elgamill. A planer is a one trick pony. I think the ebay one the price is very optimistic. I would think $5000 would be closer to a selling price.

I have already had a dealer offer me more that $5k so this tells me it is then worth much more than that.

BUT-with this being said, you need to have a buyer, right time, right place to buy the machine.

The 2 Radial arm drills went for over $12k, this was about $5k over market at an auction but I can tell you both guys absolutely needed them and one of them was me!

ewlsey · Mar 4, 2017

Scraping looks good to me. They must have got a deal on that awful paint. It was on about half the machines.

Rockford Planer

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