Axminster Planer

Northers · 27 Nov 2011

Greetings
I've just finished refurbishing (new bearings, re-surface tables etc.) an Axminster AW106. I've now spent a day setting and adjusting and have things working reasonably well. My question is what is the machine capable of? When thicknessing a 200mm wide board it is out of parallel by about 0.3mm across the width. Can I get any better than this? The cutter block is parallel to the thicknessing table and the blades are spot on so I'm wondering what other people get with this machine?
Also I don't seem to be able to get a perfectly clean finish when taking anything less than a 1mm cut, I've tried slackening off the feed roller but with no improvement. Again I'm wondering if this is a limitation with a serrated (rather than rubber) feed roller? Anyone ever retrofitted a rubber roller to one of these?
Any advise will be much appreciated!
Thanks
Northers

OPJ · 27 Nov 2011

I've got the same machine (AW106PT with aluminium fence) and, like several other users on this forum alone, I've also found that the thicknesser cuts with a similar discrepancy across its width. But, several did also find that the cutter block was out of parallel with the thicknessing bed. TrimTheKing did manage to put some shims (steel washers, painstakingly reduced in thickness on a sharpening stone!) under one side of the bed to correct this. I tried something similar with my machine but then, it seemed to cut about 0.5mm more off the other side! :roll:

I've learned to live with it. Such discrepancies don't need to ruin your woodwork. If you're still having trouble then, perhaps there really is something else at fault... Did you include the cutter block bearings in your replacement? Do you lock the thicknessing bed before passing timber through, so it cannot 'tilt' or deflect under load?

I'd have thought that tightening the feed roller springs would be more likely to help? Maybe I'm wrong.

Serrated feed rollers are going to leave blatant marks on your timber when you're removing less than 0.5mm. This wouldn't be an issue with a rubber outfeed roller (no idea whether they can be retro-fitted, sorry). Any other marks you find from larger cuts will be a consequence of the rotating action of the three-knife cutter block. While the finish is still significantly better than that of a two-knife block, it will still need further refinement (sanding, scraping, hand-planing, etc.) before it's fine enough for finishing.

How do you find the extraction on your machine? I've never found it to be that good on mine.

Northers · 27 Nov 2011

Thanks for the reply
I've been using the machine today and like you I think I'll live with it as it is. I did notice that when the thicknesser table 'tilts' slightly when it takes up the load (lock is on!). There's a strange item at when end of the table which the user manual refers to as a mandrel. Its about 20mm dia bar which extends from the lower face of the table at one end and extends down into the lower half of the machine....but it doesn't touch anything, it just hangs in fresh air!. Is this a secondary lock or something that my machine is lacking...this might explain the tilt?
Extraction with my machine is not good, I've gat a reasonably powerful extractor but I find that apart from roughing, I have to continually blow the machine out with compressed air, I also use this on finishing cuts in addition to the extractor.

Hudson Carpentry · 27 Nov 2011

I have the AW106 (PT2 I think with cast iron fence)

I hadn't checked if its cutting perfect but I can't say I have ever noticed its not, so if it does, its livable. I found the extraction to clog up quickly if there is no extractor but when the extractors on its very good.

I do get the marks from the auto feed if taking a little off but its rare that I take any less than 1mm off.

I have the "mandrel" on mine but can't see in the manual what it does or connects to. Ill have a look for you.

Hudson Carpentry · 1 Dec 2011

Looked in my machine and the mandrel just floats there. It touches nothing inside the machine. I assume it just takes out a little slack with the bed rocking side to side.