REQ: Bursgreen Thicknesser - Which Model?

[seeall]

Hi,
Can anyone identify the following Bursgreen Thicknesser. I know it's single phase 12x8. Any help would be much appreciated. Regards

[dom]

Hello seeall, welcome to the forum, you're gonna need Scrit for this one.

[Scrit]

Hi seeall

As Dom says you're going to need Scrit for this one.......


..... oh, that's me?

OK, then, that is a Bursgreen UO/1 thicknesser made from the about 1949 until about 1957 or so when it was replaced by the BAO 12 x 7in thicknesser. Bursgreen were a part of John Sagar who became Wadkin-Bursgreen in 1957 when Sagar sold out to Wadkin, so that particular machine is at last 50 years old. And BTW, I believe that you'll find the size it accommodates isn't 12 x 8in but is only 12 x 5in. It has a couple of bigger brothers, the UO/2 18 x 5in thicknesser and the UO/3 18 x 9in thicknesser as well as the UO/S 18 x 9in planer thicknesser. My understanding is that only the UO/3 and UO/S were manufactured with the Wadkin badge, although they were both offered well into the 1960s.

I've taken the liberty of making the pictures viewable:







When checking out the machine there are some things to be aware of. The square box sticking out to the left of the machine (when viewed from the infeed end - it's that box you can see in the third picture) is an oil-filled constant mesh gearbox. Its' prone position makes it vulnerable to rough handling and some do get cracked, so look for oil leaks and bodged cracks in that area and avoid - spares are no longer an option. If possible ask to see the machine running. These gearboxes are noisy, but shouldn't howl - that indicates excessive wear. The gearboxes are normally 2-speed (20 and 40 fpm = 6.1 and 12.2 m/min, 3-speed boxes running at 20, 30 and 45fpm = 6.1, 9.1 and 13.7 m/min were available but are uncommon) so you won't see a ripple-free finish off the cutters; after all they were joinery machines. If you are checking out the machine take a look at the drive belts from the motor (multiple vee belts) and check their condition. Cutters are readily available from woodworking machinery dealers and tooling specialists (such as Bennett's in Sheffield, the saw makers). Lastly this is a cast iron machine and I believe that it weighs nigh on 500kg, so be aware of that when moving or locating it

Scrit

[seeall]

Hi Scrit,
Thank you for all the information. It's amazing how many sellers cannot use a tape measure or calculate weight. I was told it weighed about 2cwt, sorry 100kgs. I doubted this claim, it being made at a time when everything was made of heavy cast. Regards.