GA Gray Planer on SF Craiglist

cjtoombs · Feb 14, 2013

Just found this baby, and it's the right size for putting in a small shop. Frankly, I'd love to have it myself, but I've already got 2, and I think my wife would kill me. Besides, I don't have any room left for it. These don't come up out here on the west coast often, so maybe someone here will pick it up.

GA GRAY Metal Planer

Here are some picks of it:

I think this is the same guy that had a big antique lathe on CL, if he hasn't gotten rid of it he also had an old horizontal mill. I think the price is a bit high; I purchased one of similar size and about comparable shape from a PM member a couple of years ago for 1000. That was just above scrap price, by maybe 100, at the time.

cjtoombs · Feb 14, 2013

The remaining pictures:

traditional-tools · Feb 14, 2013

I saw that on craigslist...such a beautiful machine, I would just love to have it if I had room. Not often you see such an old machine intact like that...even the spoke wheels look to be in good shape, table edges look crisp, all the arms and mechanical pieces look all there, just the hand-lever/wheel for the cross feed....

It's probably a good thing it wasn't listed for free, or I would have it in my yard. I need more projects like I need...[fill-in-your-descriptive]...

Cheers,
Alan

SouthBendModel34 · Feb 14, 2013

Oh, come on guys!

Take a hint from the tractor collectors, who never store all their tractors in the same place because that would make it too easy for their wife to count them !

Andy FitzGibbon · Feb 14, 2013

traditional-tools said:
Not often you see such an old machine intact like that...even the spoke wheels look to be in good shape, table edges look crisp, all the arms and mechanical pieces look all there, just the hand-lever/wheel for the cross feed....

Cheers,
Alan

Hmmm... except for the big chunk busted out of the outside pulley, the bent cross feed screw, and the broken clapper box casting.

Andy

peter · Feb 14, 2013

Wooha, there are other old machines and one lunger gas engines. I would be on the phone (or emailing my number) if this was in my region. I am not real good at picking out details, I see enough to think this was worth a visit and the planer would at least be just an excuse to get a foot in the yard and see what else. I definitely see old iron for two guys and a pickup.

traditional-tools · Feb 14, 2013

SouthBendModel34 said:
Oh, come on guys!

Take a hint from the tractor collectors, who never store all their tractors in the same place because that would make it too easy for their wife to count them !

Hah, I think my wife gave up on trying to count...I have a yard I could store it at, she wouldn't even have to know about it...even so I could tell her if I was to buy it, no problem there...alas, I'm not flush with cash at the moment, so it's not worth $1400 to me.

Andy FitzGibbon said:
Hmmm... except for the big chunk busted out of the outside pulley, the bent cross feed screw, and the broken clapper box casting.

Andy

That stuff is pretty easily repaired. Some of the cast arms and such like that are much harder. Compared to some of the non-original planers that surface, at least it looks original.

Looks like a sound machine to me, for it's age, and I hope I'm in that good of shape myself if I ever get to be that age before I'm inoperable.

Cheers,
Alan

Andy FitzGibbon · Feb 14, 2013

traditional-tools said:
That stuff is pretty easily repaired. Some of the cast arms and such like that are much harder. Compared to some of the non-original planers that surface, at least it looks original.

Looks like a sound machine to me, for it's age, and I hope I'm in that good of shape myself if I ever get to be that age before I'm inoperable.

Cheers,
Alan

I didn't mean to say that it's not a worthwhile project- just wanted to point out those problems to folks who might be interested. The broken pulley would be sort of a tricky repair, particularly if the piece is missing.

Andy

TedinNorfolk · Feb 15, 2013

There is a Cincinnati Planer Co planing machine not far from here just the same as that machine;is there anyconnection between the two companies? Ted

Joe Michaels · Feb 15, 2013

Ted:

G.A. Gray and Cinncinnati Planer were two separate companies, both of whom happened to be located in Cinncinnati, Ohio. I think, when the move to DC Motor driven planers happened, Cinncinnati put the name "Hypro" on their planers. The "Hypro" planers went to a large DC motors to power the platen, and usually had smaller motors for rapid traverse on the rail and tool heads. The Hypro planers had a fairly distinctive look to the control levers for throwing in the feeds (driven by the stroke of the table) or rapid traverse (driven by the independent motor).

cjtoombs · Feb 15, 2013

Alot of the planers from this era of simmilar size looked very simmilar. My Ohio could be easily mistaken for this Gray from a quick look.

neilho · Feb 16, 2013

Dang. Wish there were something like that about 2500 miles closer. Oh well, someday.....

Neil

TedinNorfolk · Feb 16, 2013

Thanks,I think thatanswers my query. Also with any very large mfg. town I imagine ideas were moving from firm to firm just like the tradesmen! Ted

pan60 · Feb 16, 2013

Man I wish that was close to me!
Wonder what that would cost to ship.

Moonmughal · Jul 14, 2018

hello there a fine machine i am slo looking for a nice planer like that can u plz help me get 1 ? regards

cutting oil Mac · Jul 15, 2018

One thing about many of your old planers ,As far as I can see,the owners of these old machines in the United States,seem to be fond of leaving them outside to weather,(Hence the light surface rust) At least that is a step up from the owners of old machine tools in Scotland who were more inclined to bust them up for scrap the moment the last component was lifted off the table
Sentimental thoughts? not a chance.

rj1939 · Jul 15, 2018

cutting oil Mac said:
One thing about many of your old planers ,As far as I can see,the owners of these old machines in the United States,seem to be fond of leaving them outside to weather,(Hence the light surface rust) At least that is a step up from the owners of old machine tools in Scotland who were more inclined to bust them up for scrap the moment the last component was lifted off the table
Sentimental thoughts? not a chance.

There was another habit in use in the western states several decades ago. The cost of scrap iron was cheaper than that of rip rap, so old machines would meet their end in a creek or river keeping the banks from eroding.
There is a write up in Antique Power about resurrecting a Big Four tractor that had been relegated to just such a fate.

cncFireman · Jul 15, 2018

I am sure there is plenty of old machinery buried or sitting at the bottom of a pond or river throughout the U.S.

rj1939 · Jul 15, 2018

I do hope this one finds a good home and will be put back into working shape..........It is one old machine that there seem to be more interest in, than there is supply

Garwood · Jul 18, 2018

I was trying to buy some commercial property on a riverbank a few years ago. The couple acres was all fill put in in the 1930's. Probably 10 feet deep of vehicles, tractors, very large engines. I picked an engine valve out of the ground that was over a foot long.

GA Gray Planer on SF Craiglist

Aluminum

Aluminum

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Aluminum

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