Hobby v Trade Machinery

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billw

The Tattooed One
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What's the biggest differences between hobby rated machines and those designed for trade? I'm asking because if it's primarily quality then that's very different to it being about timber dimensions or volume of usage.

I've been skipping through designs and my plans and reckon there's rarely, if ever, a need for me to require large pieces, so max thickness 2" for putting through a planer/thicknesser for example, and widths probably less than 12". Occasionally there's a need for pieces that are about 6'x2"x2" finished size.

Just wondering what sort of level of machine I should be aiming at. With those sort of sizes, would a table saw be overkill? Seems like a bandsaw might be enough.
 
Hobby machines are designed for lighter usage and shorter run times. Trade machines are designed for heavy use and much longer run times, sometimes constant running. Motor quality is usually one of the big differences, a hobby machine will have a motor that can just about handle full capacity so use it for too long and you will burn it out, a trade machine will have a motor that is overkill for the job so can handle running constantly at close to full load.
 
Axminster rate my bandsaw for 2 hours use per week. I'm Ok with that, but my poor belt sander gets far more use than it is designed for, on that basis. Once I can afford to buy some more wood, I will try and abuse the rest of my kit more.
 
Trainee neophyte":2s3345es said:
Axminster rate my bandsaw for 2 hours use per week.

I think way back in the day Black and Decker designed their corded homeowner/DIYer drills to have a 2-hour total lifespan, realistically for a homeowner using their drill once in a blue moon to put holes in the wall or something like that it would actually take a few years to rack up 2 hours of drilling time so it sorta made sense from a keeping the costs low perspective.
 
Three hours, I read about thirty years ago. Five minutes a month gives a life expectancy of three years, which was thought to be adequate to ensure that at a bargain price you would buy the same brand again when it failed. Most of course would last longer.
 
Trade was low side of the middle and industrial was 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That's what you buy so that you never have to think about this question again :)
 
Sideways":1f0mnubd said:
Trade was low side of the middle and industrial was 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That's what you buy so that you never have to think about this question again :)

If I was using one machine for 30 hours a week I'd have no time to do anything with the wood I put through it! :shock:
 
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