Kity Planer/Thicknesser 635 636 3636

[DTB1985]

Hi there.

Been looking for a planer thicknesser and partly because I have a few other Kity bits and with the price of them being pretty competitive I'd be quite happy with another one. I've been looking at the 635 636 and 3636.

To the best of my knowledge the 635 / 636 are identical save for one doing 200mm width and the other 250mm. The 3636 appears to be a more modern machine. I wondered if anyone has experience of these and might suggest pro/cons of each. I do like an old machine and love the design of the 635/636 however this also seems to mean they attract a premium / are less available due to age. Also with the age they tend to look quite rusty unless they've been very well looked after. I don't mind this really but wonder if the newer machine would mean less headaches. They also have dual feed speeds which I'm not sure the 3636 has (although I'm not sure how useful this is). The 3636 seems to have longer planing beds which might be nice.

I know there is also the even more modern 637 but they are out of my price range for the moment.

If anyone has any experience I'd appreciate your advice. I know there's no real support for any of these machines anymore due to Kity no longer existing but that doesn't really bother me.

Thanks,

James.

 

[MikeJhn]

James

Kity are now owned by Scheppach so some spares are still available, I think they still sell the Kity range under the Scheppach banner, may be worth looking at the range to see the similarities.

Page 12 & 13 here show most of the range: http://www.outillage-online.fr/kity-scheppach.html?p=12

Mike

 

[Simou1]

Hello James

I have the Kity 636 which I bought from Alan Holtham 25 years ago. It is a lovely machine and still looks new. As you say it is a 250mm wide planer but it is a single speed feed only with the side lever engaging the feed rollers when in thicknesser mode. Blades are widely available and I have never had to adjust anything on the 636 apart from changing and reseting the blades. It is a very basic but reliable machine. Chip collection, using an ancient Elektra Beckum SPA1000 is suprisingly efficient.

Mike is correct, when Kity went TU, Scheppach bought them out but I have no idea where they are made now or how they compare to the original French made Kity's. I bought the Kity saw and the spindle moulder at the same time and all three have been fantastic machines and are built like the proverbial outhouse.

 

[DTB1985]

Hi there,

Thanks for the advice so far, had a look at the website and all there new models don't really resemble the older stuff but fun to look.

Simou1 , can I just ask regarding the 636 do you mean the 3636 or the older on as I thought the older one had duel feed speed via a belt adjustment. Being fairly uneducated what do you mean by basic? Guessing things like dual speed but is there anything else its missing that is common/useful. To be fair basic sounds good to me as maybe less to go wrong.

Thanks for take the time as well.

 

[Simou1]

636 is on the machine and the instructions but it is possible that over its lifetime the machine specs changed.

As for basic, no LEDs, no flash electronics or brakes, just a very simple (like me) machine that has a feed lever for the thicknesser, a wheel to alter the thicknesser table height and top feed table adjusters.

 

[DTB1985]

It is annoying how Kity kept the same numbering for machines that changed so much. The old 636 looks like this:

I actually think its quite a pretty machine (although I appreciate that's not overly important) and has the dual feed speed (again, not sure how useful that is)

and then there the more modern one which I've seen labelled as 2636 and 3636. They look like this:

James.

 

[Simou1]

You are right James! 3636 it is!

In all the years I have owned the Kity I have never noticed the small outlined 3 in front of the bold 636! Mine is the 'modern' one in the bottom picture.
I blame 35 years of jumping out of perfectly serviceable aircraft with nary a Specsavers on the Drop Zone (and the Alan Holtham receipt which clearly shows Kity 636)!

Keep searching for a 3636 as it really is a super machine. I suspect the small 3 indicated the latest iteration of the machine, or French bloody mindedness.

 

[heronviewer]

Maybe you might to look at this one ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KITY-636-plan ... Swc2tZdHog

 

[MikeJhn]

My Kity has metal serrated feed roller's, this gums up if I am thicknessing resinous wood and marks the timber/stops feeding, so the roller needs cleaning at regular intervals, I use a dental pick, I know later models have a rubber outfeed roller fitted, this would be preferable to the metal serrated one, may be worth looking to see what models have that modification.

Mike

 

[Steve Maskery]

I had a (3)636, and when a tool cabinet fell off the wall and onto it, the insurance company just sent me a new one, a 637. It was a Friday Afternoon model, woefully set up, but Steiger(?) sent an engineer round to fix it. He'd never seen a P/T before (but he had serviced Chinook helicopters, so I did have some faith in him). He could not get it set up, so he took it away and it came back right. 16 hours of labour, mind.
But I digress.
The chip extraction is adequate but not excellent on either, the chute is better designed on the 637. The fence is poor on the 636 but decent on the 637.
I know the 637 is not on your radar, but I'm just trying to explain that the 636 has a few weaknesses.
Good luck in your search.

 

[DTB1985]

Thanks for all the advice.

MikeJhn: I'll ask that question when I'm looking at them and see what I find but thanks for the heads up.

heronviewer: Did look at that one and put an offer in but never heard back. Found another 3636 on gumtree that looks promising. A bit cheaper with the cable and a spare set of blades.

Steve Maskery: Thanks for the comparison, interesting to hear the differences. Ideally I'd like to get a 637 but they go for more than I can afford. Already looking at spending more than I originally was was with the 3636 so can't stretch it any further (even thought I want to). Still I'm sure its better than something from Screwfix / Homebase (at least I hope it is).

Again thanks all.

 

[smartecosse]

Sorry for the thread hijack but I too am looking at the Kity planers.......

I've been offered a 637 but I am struggling to find out what the approximate value of it is, spent an hour on google and no further forward.

One finished on ebay this morning for £360 and one with a matching Kity extractor sold for £375 on gumtree.

I am already way over what the planned budget was for the table saw and hadn't even been thinking of getting a planer but having seen it sitting in the workshop when having a look at the table saw I've been thinking it would certainly be a handy piece of equipment to have.

Is mid £300's about the right price for ones in good condition or is that high or low?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

 

[heronviewer]

Looking at the completed sales on eBay would give you a pretty good idea of what they go for.

 

[smartecosse]

Looking at the completed sales on eBay would give you a pretty good idea of what they go for.

I'd had a look on there but only four that I could see ranging from £330 up £670 giving an average of £479

Does that seem a fair amount for one in a decent condition or is it over priced at that?

Thanks