Do many hobbyists own planer thicknessers?

[Distinterior]

Ps

Remember, when costing, you really do need a decent method of extraction. I can't imagine trying to operate mine with a hoover style extractor.

Fully agree with that. And chip extractors take quite a lot of space (at least in a one car garage..)

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Good point! I have a Jet chip extractor dedicated to my Hammer P/T. It's only a 950 model and can struggle on the odd occasion to clear some of the chippings if I'm taking a heavier cut on a wider board but it does collect the bulk of them. I use mine with a 100mm dia hose with a reducer as the P/T does have a 125mm outlet.... !

 

[AJB Temple]

For me, a P/T is indispensable, as is my fairly large bandsaw. They are both used a lot. The P/T cost me £220 I think including two spare sets of blades and a setting tool, and is a second hand Axminster Trade one with a 10" cast iron lifting bed. Weighs quite a lot and my wife and I struggled a but to get it home and installed. This was my first ever P/T and I had zero experience of them. It only has three blades and so does not deliver the fine finish of a spiral cutter, but is still very useful: I used it today to dimension some oak for a pair of tall triple glazed window frames. That was 26 linear metres of wood, that started life rough sawn and was planed on all four sides, so over 100m of planing. Doing that by hand would take me ages - couple of days probably, whereas it was 90 minutes work on the machine.

 

[MikeG.]

.......Remember, when costing, you really do need a decent method of extraction.........

I don't mean to come across as old fogey-like, but I am perfectly content to let the shavings just fall to the floor then sweep them up. One day I'll put in an extraction system with ducts here there and everywhere, but in the meantime I wouldn't want to put newcomers off with the thought that they couldn't possibly have a PT without investing in a socking great extractor system too.

 

[AJB Temple]

I agree with Mike above. In my experience a P/T produces a very large amount of big chippings. I do have a big Jet cyclone extractor as it happens, but of all the power tools I use, I would be far happier using the P/T without extraction than for example the big belt sander or disk sander.

 

[FatmanG]

No but I'm 100 gazillion trillion % going to get one as soon as my new workshop is built my current building can only fit my bench and my belly wall to wall at the moment and by the time the new shop is built I will have gained enough hand planing experience. I think you should only get a p/t once your competent with using a hand plane. Only then a p/t can be a useful time saving machine and not a short cut.
Fatty

Your logic is flawed; Youre going to do all the work that a P/T can do in a tenth (or less) of the time, and THEN youre going to get a P/T when theres nothing else to use it on :shock: :roll: :lol:

I was never competent with a hand plane. I tried a couple times, found it slow, boring, and painful on the wrists. Or, I can run a 3 metre x 30cm plank both sides through a P/T in just under minute, and then go on to do something I really want to do.
Hmmmm tough...... 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

You do what's right for you Bob I am doing the same my logic has been flawed a long time what I was saying is I'm definitely getting a p/t when I can accommodate one but in the meantime I am learning to use a plane its a win win for me

 

[fezman]

Yup - bought an axminster AC PT something or other last year and sold my Metabo lunchbox thicknesser (which was a great tool BTW) to a member on here.
As for extraction I have the RP DX1000 - the cheapest model and it performs well. The only downside is the number of times I have to empty it - if space wasn't an issue then i would have opted for a larger capacity.

 

[Trevanion]

I don't mean to come across as old fogey-like, but I am perfectly content to let the shavings just fall to the floor then sweep them up.

Nowt wrong with that, Mike. So long as you remember to try and keep out of the firing line of the dust shoot especially in thicknessing mode where sometimes the odd loose knot or dodgy bit of wood can be launched out of the machine like a bullet, that being said I've been hit square in the forehead by a chunk of timber loose on the thicknessing bed when bending down to adjust the bed and look at the gauge, even with decent extraction :lol: The nice thing about planers is very little actual dust is produced so an extractor can be an optional extra, although it is a very welcome one if you don't want to sweep up.

I actually think one of the most versatile machines I've probably got is my 12" Multico NS surface planer. With it, I can surface plane, rebate to a depth of 25mm, do very accurate bevel work with the fence and the ability to drop the beds to take everything off in a single pass, produce excellent tenons with the sliding carriage attachment and square scriber knives on the side of the block, very accurate tapers for legs and such and even with a bit of ingenuity make raised panels by lowering both beds below the apex of the cutter block to the depth of the panel and traverse the panel 45-degrees across the cutterblock with a home made fence. One of these coupled with something like a lunchbox thicknesser and you could practically make almost anything.

 

[sunnybob]

I was rubbish with planes at school woodwork, shifted to metalwork at age 14. Spent 50 years working with all forms of metal and machines. came back to woodwork on retirement.
Gues what? I'm STILL rubbish with planes. Cant get the hang of them, and dont have enough time left to try. :roll: :roll:
My dad was extremely good at cabinetry, I still have two of his planes, one now over a 100 years old and been in our family since new. He gave up trying to teach me when I was 17.
But I do really enjoy destroying wood with machinery, the best of both worlds. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

 

[MikeG.]

.......... my 12" Multico NS surface planer. With it, I can surface plane, rebate to a depth of 25mm, do very accurate bevel work with the fence and the ability to drop the beds to take everything off in a single pass, produce excellent tenons with the sliding carriage attachment and square scriber knives on the side of the block, very accurate tapers for legs and such and even with a bit of ingenuity make raised panels by lowering both beds below the apex of the cutter block to the depth of the panel and traverse the panel 45-degrees across the cutterblock with a home made fence. ........

Blimey, that's quite some capability. I'd love to be able to do big rebates like that.

 

[heronviewer]

I've had a Kity P/T for years and would not do without it. Saves hours of slaving away, not to mention sore shoulders !

 

[Doug71]

I don't mean to come across as old fogey-like, but I am perfectly content to let the shavings just fall to the floor then sweep them up.

Back in the old days our PT didn't have extraction, the piles of wood shavings around it were ridiculous, I visited an old joiner a few weeks ago where it was just the same, was like going back in time.

I would never use mine without dust extraction these days, especially if planing any kind of hardwood.

 

[MikeG.]

Mine aren't ridiculous. I simply scoop up the shavings every few minutes. Leaving the piles to turn into drifts is just lazy.

 

[Trevanion]

Mine aren't ridiculous. I simply scoop up the shavings every few minutes. Leaving the piles to turn into drifts is just lazy.

Real laziness is having an eccentric piston on a broom of some kind inside the machine to push the shavings out, like Ishitani Furniture has :lol:

1:08 onwards, It's a great watch throughout anyway.
[youtube]Iii3W-O6Lvo[/youtube]

 

[Lons]

I would have thought very few diyers have P/T, as a lot of projects may involve sheet goods or Pao solid timber.

The answer to your question is IMO that you're almost certainly correct in saying few diyers have them but you're directing the question at the wrong audience. DIY is normally considered to be general repairs, decorating, hanging pictures or shelves etc. where off the shelf materials usually from the big sheds are used, often cut to size on purchase.

This is a woodworking not a DIY forum and whilst most of us are most likely DIYers as well we are in the main enthusiastic woodworkers of one kind or another with very different attitudes and requirements.

In my case I have had a little K5 for 30 years which includes a well used small planer thicknesser and for a number of years owned a decent size Robland 310 until I ran out of space and as I make mostly smaller items these days I sold the Robland, I regretted that so have since bought a DeWalt lunchbox thicknesser which has a small footprint.
Do I use those for DIY?, very rarely but for woodworking most definitely!

 

[RogerS]

I used to have a P/T but found it too noisy. Now I get my man to plane it for me. :wink:

 

[twodoctors]

As as self-confessed hoarder, and a DIY / hobbyist woodworker, I do have one. Bought a SIP one for not a lot of money from Gumtree. I can't say I use it much as I am not very good at it. Getting snipes and all that / not doing properly. I have recently learnt how to adjust the blade properly and no longer have snipes on the planer side. Not tried thicknessing yet as I have no need to.

No, my recent projects are plywood based. I also make bandsaw boxes but have no need to plane/thickness. I am learning hand-sawn dovetail at the moment, so when I eventually try to make a box I might plane/thickness some of my collection of hardwood (bloody hoarder!)

 

[MikeG.]

I used to have a P/T but found it too noisy. Now I get my man to plane it for me. :wink:

I wondered where Carruthers had got to. You must have offered him better terms.

 

[thomashenry]

Nope. I'm a purist, and like to do all I can with handsaws and planes.

 

[Lons]

Nope. I'm a purist, and like to do all I can with handsaws and planes.

Nothing at all wrong with that Thomas we're all in it to hopefully enjoy what we do and up to each individual to decide which methods achieve that.

I can't say I enjoy using a planer thicknesser, noisy, messy and certainly don't get the buzz of satisfaction I get as a sharp handplane "sings" across the wood surface ( can't manage that too often ) but it gets the job done quickly and lets me get on with other things. I'd possibly never finish a project without using machinery.

 

[julianf]

.......Remember, when costing, you really do need a decent method of extraction.........

I don't mean to come across as old fogey-like, but I am perfectly content to let the shavings just fall to the floor then sweep them up. One day I'll put in an extraction system with ducts here there and everywhere, but in the meantime I wouldn't want to put newcomers off with the thought that they couldn't possibly have a PT without investing in a socking great extractor system too.

Mine is inoperable without extraction.

The chips are sufficient enough that they not only fill the grooves in the feed rollers, and interfere there, but also clog (as far as I recall, see below) the blades and wreck the finish.


I purchased the thickener from someone closing down - when I was there I saw his other kit, but only purchased the thicknesser.

Got it home, used it for a week, realised it didn't work for longer than a short while before clogging due to the chips, called up the seller and reserved the extractor for pickup the next weekend.

I'd have been happy enough for the chips to go on the floor, but certainly with my thicknesser (Axminster 10 6 or something) it just won't work without active chip removal.