Planer Current Draw

You can rewire it to 230V and use a smaller wire size.
Each HP of pure power draws 746 watts. at 230V that would be 16.22 amps.
Each HP of pure power draws 746 watts. at 115V that would be 32.5 amps.

depending on how far your machine is from the receptacle, I would consider hard wiring a new circuit to handle the new 40 amp breaker you’ll need for 115V but a 20 amp breaker at 230V would be easy to do and you could use 10/3 SJOO cable, capable of carrying 50amps per leg and available at any RV dealer for about $150 for 35’.

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

I thought about rewiring the motor for 230V but it is an old motor and the wiring diagram is not very legible. I will try again looking at the motor to see if I can tell.

Download the PDF owners manual for the unit. It took me about 30 seconds to find it with Google using the phrase “Powermatic 160 planer”

-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!

Well, I was wrong about the motor voltage. I is a 230 V. So, I have the electricity problem solved. Now, I need to figure out how to use the thing. I realize it needs a good bit of tune up, but it was running when I bought it. Can the cut depth be adjusted on this machine? I have the manual and it does not say anything about that adjustment. I know I seem really stupid but I guess I am just overlooking something.

Doesn’t the table move up/down when you crank one of the handles? That would be the depth of cut, raising the table would move the wood closer to the knives.

-- I long for the days when Coke was a cola, and a joint was a bad place to be (Merle Haggard)

The table does move up and down for different board thicknesses. The upper feed rollers limit the stock, though. It seems to me that if the upper rollers and cutterhead do not move independently up and down then the depth of cut can not be changed.

Nope, the table up/down is what does it. The planer should cut maybe 1/16” or so per each cut, then you crank the table up and remove the next 1/16”. With a 160, you can probably hog off more wood than that, maybe up to 1/8” or so, but generally lighter cuts are more satisfactory.

-- I long for the days when Coke was a cola, and a joint was a bad place to be (Merle Haggard)

Fred, you are right. I have it working fine now. It is obvious I have a lot to learn.

5 HP on 110V – I new something was fishy !

-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""

The fishy part is my ignorance. I guess I will eventually learn. Ha!