Workshop Shopping List Advice

[lostgoat]

Hi guys,

I've been reading your threads for a long time now and finally decided to start one of my own that you can hopefully help me with.

I'm wanting to kit out the workshop that I am building (a modest serious hobby workshop!).

I would be most grateful for your thoughts and opinions on my shopping list.
Although we are on single phase, I will be going with three phase machinery as I will also be acquiring a diesel generator for the job. Anyone got any serious concerns or objections with that approach?

Surface planer - Wadkin RZ 16" planer

Thicknesser - Wadkin FE 24" thicknesser

Bandsaw - Not sure of make/model

Table saw - Wadkin 14" AGS

Large Disc Sander - Wadkin/Phillipson Double Disc Sander

Dust extraction - Anyone any thought on the Clearvue Cyclone? Are they available in Ireland/UK? Or other better options?

At a future time, a nice Union Graduate lathe

As you can probably tell, I am going for the older heavy cast iron stuff except I don't mind going modern/new on the dust extraction.
Would anyone happen to have anything along these lines for sale?? Or know where I could grab some? I would restore any older stuff also if it needed it.
I would prefer to buy in Ireland to save on shipping costs. But if something is available in the UK that really takes my eye, I would definitely consider it.

Thanks for any help!
Really enjoy this forum!
lostgoat

 

[RobinBHM]

Im guessing you arent going to me making dolls houses

That is serious kit, I assume you have the necessary lifting gear to move it into place and good access.

Wadkin is of course built like a tank made to last and last.

Ive had a Wadkin RZ planer for the last 16 years, which Im actually just cleaning up to sell. A fantastic Rolls Royce of classic surface planers. The fence sits dead square, the handle to adjust depth turns like silk. Not bad for a 30 or more year old machine. I'm only replacing it because the bed is a bit short for large joinery, the new machine has a 2600mm bed length.

cheers Robin

 

[lostgoat]

Hi Robin,

Ha, no doll houses for me!

I'm actually a (part time/full time) farmer, so have a tractor and gear for moving it around.

That's reassuring to hear you like your Wadkin RZ. From what I have read about the RZ, they don't have a parallelogram table rise/fall? Is that correct? And would that be a big issue?

Would you have any suggestions for good places to search for such machines? The supply of these in Ireland is scarce.
Could you tell me what money you would be looking for your RZ?

Thanks,
lostgoat

 

[RobinBHM]

The RZ doesnt have a parellelogram table it has the traditional wedge design. It is not a big issue, the quality and size of the castings on the RZ are such that the bed wont sag. It is easy to turn the handwheel to adjust depth of cut, anyway most of the time the cutting depth will be around the 2-3mm so there wont be much adjustment. There is also a handwheel on the outfeed bed so it is easy to adjust after a cutter change. The outfeed fence can also have shim stock put in if the beds are a few thou out of parallel.

I'd better not upset the MODS here as the machine isn't in the for sale section, but by all means ping me an email (google BHMjoinery).

Its difficult to suggest where to search for machines, certainly an ebay search for wadkin will bring you up a few pages. If you want to buy refurbished machines there are quite a few dealer that will offer Wadkins but expect ££££s if you buy that way, but you get a machine like new with a warranty.

Cheers Robin

 

[deema]

Interesting that you are looking at a 16" planer and a 24" thicknesser? Usually they match. May I suggest a Wadkin UOS which is a 16" planer thicknesser? It will reduce your shopping bill, and is a very nice piece of kit.

I would also suggest you consider having digital inverters fitted rather than diesel generator. It will probably be more cost effective, and you will benefit from soft start, and braking making them compliant with stopping regulations.

 

[lostgoat]

Hi Robin,
Thanks for the reassurance about the RZ, it instils more confidence when investing in machinery.
You were very happy with yours anyway. If it was longer, would you keep it?

Cool, I don't want to ruffle any feathers! I'll shoot you an email. Thanks


Hi deema,
Well, I know that a lot of people go for a matching pair of planer and thicknesser, but I think that I would never have any need for a planer larger than 16" nor any boards that size! But I would however glue a couple boards together and run it through the thicknesser.
A friend of mine makes furniture for a profession and he strongly advised me to so with separate machines, so the larger capacity of the thicknesser would be an option there. Space isn't a huge issue for me (famous last words!).

I think (although I'm not sure) that you only get about two thirds the power from a motor using an invertor? The other thing is that I would be hoping that the three phase power lines running a short distance from our gates would be extended past at sometime in the near future and I could ditch the generator and not have invertors on all my machines?

Does that sound sensible?
Thanks for all the input!

lostgoat

 

[AJB Temple]

All looks top notch. One thought: some years ago I used a very large diesel generator to power a workshop and provide back up power for a house (power cuts were a nuisance). Despite being a commercial device and so insulated and designed for continuous running, it was annoyingly noisy and sent low level vibrations through the building. This is not an issue if your are using machines all the time (as they are noisier) but it can be very intrusive otherwise unless you can segregate in a different building or room.

Re bandsaw: any high quality brand (Startrite, Felder et al) but for the machines you have listed I would be inclined to have a resaw capacity of 18" or more.

 

[deema]

Separates are preferable if you have the space and are time poor. I personally would have a P/T and also a wide belt sander for the same money, but if that's nit a limit either I'd have separates and a sander. If your doing a lot of glue ups, getting the grain to run in the same direction especially if your alternating flat sawn boards for future planing is teadious and doesn't always produce the best colour / board match. A wide belt sander is the better weapon of choice for this situation.

I've not found many if any situations where a planer or thicknesser needs to be more than 16" wide. If your making a door, the styles will be 4" each, and you would normally have a muntin, another 4" and two panels at say 15" on show, giving a total width of 42". That's an awfully wide door!

A star delta motor or dual voltage motor will not have less power when running when powered by an electronic inverter. The inverter creates a perfect replica of 3ph. The only down side I'm aware of is that you can't gain the benefits of star delta start up which enables higher inertia to be overcome by the motor for a given inrush current. Once the motor is running its switched into delta configuration (which is what the inverter uses). For woodworking machines of the type you've highlighted the high starting torque required to make a star delta arrangement desirable isn't really necessary. I don't believe they were originally wired up to have a star delta start.