Forum users' Planers & Thicknessers

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Hammer C331 Combi excelent machine a full blade change 4 mins max no snipe
repeatable acurate to .03mm =D>
 
Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to how long (in terms of say linear meters) a set of blades would last planing up sawn soft wood (spruce or douglas Fir ect).
Basically I want to know if it's worth buying a planer/thicknesser or just continuing buying PSE at more than double the cost of sawn timber.

many thanks
 
Leaving aside the numerous benefits of owning a PT other than cost saving over buying PAR (which might be planed, but almost NEVER square or straight), then this will depend a lot on the quality of the timber. I can't put a figure on it but my PT knives go a long way between full regrinds, although I do hone them periodically.
IME the knots in softwood will knacker a set of blades almost as effectively as an abrasive hardwood with the added disadvantage that they tend to chip rather than simply go blunt.


Mark (a very happy Jet 310 owner)
 
Thanks for the comment. I think the scales are tipping in favour of getting myself a new toy.
 
Have just bought a Metabo 260. As I'm new to this I hope I've made the right choice. Seems to perform well but after a few pieces softwood to acquaint myself with the machine I then planed and thicknessed maybe a metre of 3 x2 green oak followed by around 10 9inch by 1 1/2 inch softwood planks - the disposable blades are now starting to tear and chip the timber and obviously need replacing - £20 a shot! I'm wondering whether I should invest in blades that can be resharpened which also apparently means another lockbar set. How much should I pay and what is the going rate for blade sharpening? Any suggestions gratefully received. Thanks
 
Wadkin BAOS 12x7 planer thcknesser.

25 years old, hardly used by a university department before I got it and all there / original. I love it! It'll outlast me and although it might not be a fancy colour i like the classic-ness of it.

Nough said!
 
H, blade sharpening seems to run at about £8-£10 or you can DIY.
I bought a Metabo thicknesser and the knives were about £20, 12 months later my supplier wanted £50!!!
I'm currently in the process of modifying the cutter block to take DeWalt re sharpenable knives. DIY, about half an hour.

Roy.
 
I have a wadkin BAO/S 12"x7" planer.
Just had my knives sharpened and cost about £9.

Anyone have any good tips on setting the knives properly?
 
If you can find a way of indexing the cutter block Liam it's easy.
The knives, as you probably know, need to be a few thou above the outfeed table when the knife is at its highest point.
The usual snag is ensuring that each knife is at its highest point. I have fitted a spring loaded plunger to my planer that engages in the slot that the knives fit into then use magnets on the outfeed table to lift the knife up.
Simples!

Roy.
 
hello all

just ordered a fox 22564-250 hope its not a mistake , at £230 delivered fleebay

tried to find a review but no luck this is for france hope to be using on sawn douglas fir and some oak. any comments welcome.

ian

good new year to all.
 
Rojek SP410 planer thicknesser- bought from APTC. Only had it 3-4 months.

Upon unpacking found alot of the bolts holding the machine together were loose, so all of these needed to be tightened. Next i put a straight edge across the surfacing table and found they were set up waaaaaaaaaay out. :roll:

After using the machine for 2-3 days the drive chain snapped (looks like a bicycle chain) Axminster came out later and repaired it (broke a clip that holds the dust hood down in the process) :evil:

After all that hassle thought everything was hunkydory-but no. Next on the list of things to go wrong, was for one of the tersa blades to slide out a little from the block, taking a nice scallop out of the dust hood (was under the impression the tersa system was meant to be the bee's knee's)
Blades dont last half as long as the previous planer (robinson 24 x 9 )

The idea of buying the planer was to upgrade from the older robinson model. It does provide a nice chatter free finish, but needs the blades changing ALOT. Also its up to current H & S which is a bonus.

Almost forgot to mention- The fence on the top for squaring up the timber is very long and flimsy. So when you think you're holding it square on one point of the fence, further along, you're a mile out. The MOST annoying thing, besides all the above, is to hold down the surfacing bed, it uses a cam/lever type mechanism. After an hour or so of top and tailing the lever vibrates loose, making real bloody hard work of trying to straighten something up if you dont notice ! :oops:

All in all, not very impressed with it. For the price of the machine we were expecting a much better quality machine. In the future, think i'd prefer to see the machine up and running instead of just seeing it unwrapped on a pallet.
 
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