Page History: K-Line K2100 planer
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Page Revision: 2008/09/29 16:57
K-Line K2100 12-3/4" x 4" planer
Made by Kneisley Electric Company, rebadged by Foster Manufacturing and sold by Freeman Supply, it’s a K-Line K2100 12-3/4” x 4” planer originally manufactured around 1948.
The entire casting of the K2100 is aluminum along with a 12-3/4” x 20” cast iron table. Even with that much aluminum and without the sheet metal stand and motor, the planer alone weighs 170 pounds.
Two 6” x 6” steel plates work as guides when raising/lowering the table. These are the guide plates that Tom Kneisley said were difficult to adjust and keep in adjustment. The 1953 model K2200 was redesigned to use guide pins like the Yager/K2000 10” planers, needing no adjustment. Also like the 10” planers the 12” has a 3 knife cutterhead with ball bearings while the powerfeed rollers have bronze bearings. Both rollers have a pair of adjustable compressed springs for feed roller tension.
The K2100 has a power “automatic table adjustment device”. By engaging the clutch the single adjusting screw raises or lowers the table. Final adjusting can be done by hand adjusting the 14” center wheel.
Although a 1-1/2 to 2 hp motor was recommended, this planer has a 1 hp 1725 rpm Baldor repulsion motor hinged below a wood table in the cabinet base. A 6” pulley from the motor to a 3” pulley drives the cutterhead at 3600 rpm. A 7” pulley mounted on the motor shaft drives the infeed and out feed rollers.
While trying to find information about this motor, I came across a history of Baldor containing this statement: “The fully enclosed, low horsepower, repulsion induction motors made by Baldor were ordered by manufacturers of such industrial equipment as floor sanders and pumps which required high starting torque and an enclosed motor.” Richard Kneisley developed and patented floor sanders for American Floor Sander Company. It might be a leap historically, but Kneisley’s early familiarity with Baldor motors might have figured into it’s use in this K2100.
compare 2100/2200
cast iron
guide pins
no power adjustment
each side one piece casting not 3