I doubt it's 3 phase. Most likely single phase 120/240V. The motor should have a data label showing what it is. What to offer is a hard call. What's the asking price on it?

 

He is asking $300. The craigslist post says "not sure of power needed motor in lower cabinet". I emailed him asking what he meant by that and his response was. "motor may be 230 or 177 3 phase, not sure of power needs, have not looked for or found tag on motor".

I asked if he could snap a picture of the motor for me and am still waiting for a response. It's a 1.5 hour drive from me so I can't easily just stop by. I said in my email if it had a motor that ran I would give him the full $300, if he can't verify it runs I was thinking $250.

 

I'd pay no more than $200 if motor doesn't run. Don't offer the asking price out of the gate. Most people don't expect to get the full asking price. Kinda to late for this advice since you already said you'd pay the $300 if running.

 

I jumped on the $300 offer quick because 8" jointers rarely come up in my area for reasonable prices and seem to disappear fast. I left him a voicemail, so hopefully he calls me back.

 

smart move, 8" jointers are hard to get anywhere for only $300. Sometimes deals are so good its easy to pay the asking price. Its a delta, you should be fine. Good Lock!

 

I hear you. It's easy for me to say not to offer the asking price since I'm not in the market for it.

 

The basic machine without a stand/base is a 37-315… add the enclosed steel stand and it becomes a 37-317, or the enclosed cast iron stand and it becomes a 37-316. The motors offered for the machine in the 1959 catalog were 3/4, 1 and 1.5hp, and both single and three phase options were available - so there is a good chance that machine may be three phase. The single phase motors could be run on 120v or 240v, three phase was 208-220v or 440v. Just for reference, the machine was offered as a complete package (jointer, stand and motor and switch) with a 1hp motor. For a single phase machine w/steel stand, it was considered a 37-341, w/cast iron stand a 37-331. For three phase, w/steel stand was a 37-343 and w/cast iron stand a 37-333.

Cheers,
Brad

 

Just got pictures. It's a 3 phase 1.5hp on the sheet metal base. Still haven't got the guy on the phone though.

 

Some people, my self included prefer text message or email.

It seems like the guy will respond to text or email, ask when would be a good time to come check it out & that you already went to the bank…. It works for me… Before buying it you could check the head by removing the belt & spinning it. Its a 8", I am currently looking for one. I found a delta commercial unit posted yesterday for $750 (a good deal) but its 100 miles away & a bit more than I want to spend.

 

He seems to want to work over email but isn't super timely on responses. I offered him $200 since I will need a motor or VFD. Crossing my fingers.

 

Picked it up today! Not as heavy as I thought. Got it for $275. Knives are a little knicked up but the cutter turns freely. I'be got a guy that runs an electric motor shop near me and I'll see if he has anything single phase I can swap in.

 

I have that same model as a 3-Phase and as a 1-phase. I used parts from the 3-phase to get the 1-phase running. But now the transformer (D50833-91) burned up. Found another and replaced, but something else must be wrong. Let me know how you end up wiring yours to get it to run. Tracking down parts is getting harder to find. Any help would be appreciated. I had it running with a 3/4 HP Motor and have a 1-1/2 HP if needed.

Thank you.

 

DsrtLeeRacer, that is definitely a different contractor from the one I have so I can't really help you there. Have you checked the motor? You should be able to bypass the starter and direct wire the motor to a plug just to test it. I would poke around on OWWM a bit, there is a lot of information on there about magnetic start switches and diagnosing issues.

I still haven't gotten around to wiring mine. The insulation on the wiring of the contractor is totally shot so I will have to rewire the whole things. I have a nearly brand new 3hp Leeson 1PH motor that I picked up for next to nothing I will be putting in once I get some time freed up.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good mobile base for this thing? Are the Portamate units worth the price?

 

An update. Slowly but surely I'm getting it running. I replaced the 3 phase motor with a 3hp Leeson 1 phase I found for $100. Overkill, but it was the correct rpm and frame size and cheap. Rewired the contractor for single phase replacing the overloads with ones sized for the new motor. Polished and waxed the table, fence, and cutterhead. Sharpened the blades. Next up is to install a 240V circuit and find the correct belt. Crossing my fingers that the contactor works.

 

Still moving slow. I got the 240v outlet installed today and the jointer fired right up. Now all I gotta do is set the knives. I checked the table for parallel and they are great. All the table cranks and fence adjustments move beautifully. So far I've got about $450 into the machine. Not bad considering I was looking at dropping $1200 on a new Jet 8". This one has it beat handily in the fit and finish department.

 

I'm new to LJ, long time viewer and know this is an old thread but I just bought a 1967 37-315 with a 3ph motor (original!) but I'm going to swap it out for a 1ph motor. How did you wire the contactor?
I'm going to have a friend of mine help me wire it (master electrician) but I'll take any help I can get. I plan on keeping the 3ph motor until I get more 3ph tools to justify a rotary phase converter. Thanks!

 

bdresch,
Congratulations on an awesome new jointer. I wish I had an 8"
Keep the faith in old tools!

 

crmaslyn,

Take a look at OWWM website, there is a lot of information there. I had the benefit on my motor starter of having a schematic inside the panel indicating how to wire it 1ph or 3ph. The only thing I needed to change was my heaters, they were sized for the 3ph 1.5hp motor that came with the jointer so I needed ones sized for the 3hp 1ph motor I put in. Without seeing your specific starter I couldn't begin to tell you how to wire it for 1ph.