Kity planers

[Joshjosh]

Hi I'm quite new to woodworking so please excuse my lack of knowledge, I'm looking to get a decent planer thicknesser on a small budget and from reading previous threads think getting a second hand kity or similar would be my best option
At the moment I have no work space inside and so bring my tools out into the front yard to work and back into the house afterward. I like the look of the kity 635 and 636 but I'm wondering how portable they are? I'm pretty fit and not afraid to lift heavy objects but if it's a two man job then move then I'll have to think of an alternative
Thanks for any help josh

 

[RobinBHM]

You might find there are more elektra beckum / metabo planer thicknessers around - they are very good machines.

Can be moved around by 1 person, as can the kity machines.

You would be best to make some wheels and lifting handles to avoid the temptation to lift by the tables.

 

[Joshjosh]

Thanks for the advice!
So you would say any of those makes mentioned would be on par for quality?

 

[Eric The Viking]

I've got the smaller Kity 439.

I wouldn't want it in the house, as it would probably prompt divorce! It's awkward and heavy to move around, and the tables make it "fragile". I'm about to have a second go at a rolling base for it, just to move it around in the garage, as it's presently my most in-the-way bit of machinery (after the motorbike!).

Swiveling castors have the force exerted off-axis - the swivel is always being squished on the side next to the castor and levered apart on the other side. So your frame needs to be really rigid (mine wasn't good enough!). You also want the castors far enough away from the machine's centre of gravity that it can't tip over. That means effectively they need to be fixed outside the base area of the machine itself.

I'm back to the drawing board for my machine. I'll probably move them to be out a bit under the tables, and risk the possibility of it tipping towards/away from the motor (i.e. the other axis, where tipping is not so likely). You can also minimise the risk by using roller stands, especially for the thicknesser if you get an under/over design.

Not wanting to rain on the parade, but are you sure this is a good purchase if you haven't yet got a permanent workshop? I can think of a lot of more useful, portable tools I'd go for first, such as a tracksaw. Planing stock by hand is not just good exercise it's also very good practice (and very satisfying), if you're not doing things commercially. A usable #6 or #7 would cost you about 1/10 the cost of a planer...

E.

PS: Metabo bought Elektra-Beckum some years ago and merged the product lines, first by re-badging the older EB items. Both are considered pretty good quality. Current stuff is different and I've no idea about the quality, but it's probably good. Other good older models include Sheppach (very similar design to the EB ones) and DeWalt, although the latter seem to hold their value well on eBay.

 

[MikeJhn]

Hear's my Kitty on its mobile base, castors from "Castors online" the machine is brilliant, saves all the pain in the hands and arms that hand planing cause's (Arthritis) and gets the job done ten times faster, would not be without it.

Mike

 

[Hot stuff]

I've got a SIP 01344 and a Kity 636 and although the Kity has worked well for the last few years I'd definitely go for the SIP or one of its clones if I was to buy again.
The SIP is quieter, more accurate and easier to get bits for and as Robin said there are loads of them about.
I made a mobile base for the Kity which instantly made it more useable, allows you to shift it in seconds for longer stock etc, and stops the temptation to grab the beds when moving it.
A similar base for the SIP is next on the to do list or modify the old one and retire the Kity to the corner.
Dust extraction is also better on the newer machine and they're messy buglers of things so it's a consideration.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Joshjosh]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm currently trying to sort a permanent space to work so may wait till then I just wanted to get an idea of wether if I got one before I got a space wether or not I'd be able to carry it in and out of the house which sounds from your input that it's possible but not something that I'd want to be doing a lot, I have considered using a no. 7 as an alternative but also require the thicknessing aspect, thanks again for all the help guys I appreciate it.

 

[pollys13]

My Metabo HC 260 Mk1 planer/thicknesser I bought a Metabo mobile wheel kit for it, was about 30 pounds I think, can move it about with ease. There are a lot of 260 PT clones.