Planer/Thicknesser Advice

[Orion801]

Hi,

I know there seem to be a million and one threads about which planer thicknesser to buy, but I'm struggling to find many specific details of any. I'm currently sorting out my workshop and intend on buying a planer thicknesser in about a month when everything will hopefully be ready. It'll only get occasional use for hobby work, in particular I'd like to make some hardwood furniture for my house. At the moment I'm weighing up a few options that I'd appreciate some advice on:

1. Metabo HC260C (or Record Power PT260, they seem fairly similar) - £670 including a chip extractor
This would seem the most cost effective option for a fairly heavy duty machine, I'm just not too sure how much of a pain it's going to be switching between planing and thicknessing modes compared to other models. If anybody knows of anything to set the Metabo apart from the Record Power I'd be interested too.

2. Fox F22-583 (or Charnwood W583, again seem similar) - £702
This would be about £200 more than the Metabo as I'd need to get a chip extractor (I've only got a workshop vac at the minute). It looks quite a bit sturdier than the Metabo and the few comments I've managed to find from owners seem positive. I'm just not quite sure of exactly what the main benefits for the price are to judge if it's worth the extra.

3. Woodstar PT85 or similar - £250
For a low cost machine, these seem very well reviewed and would leave me a lot of spare cash for a chip extractor and other tools I'd like to add to the workshop such as a pillar drill and bandsaw. Again, I'm struggling to work out exactly what difference I'm likely to see in ease of use and end results for hobby work to determine what's worth spending money on!

I'd really appreciate any advice from people that have experience of these or similar machines!

 

[deema]

The most important feature of any P/T is the rigidity of the feed tables with respect to the spindle. The machines take a lot of pressure when being used and anything that is not absolutely Rock steady will deflect or move. If the in feed or out feed tables move by anything at all, the machine won't work properly. Typically the stuff once planed will become tapered along its length indicating that the tables are not co planer with each other.

I am completely biased, so my personal views will not agree with everyone, but I feel that aluminium tables, or lifting tables simply don't have the rigidity that is required. (there are probably exceptions for the really top end machines.

At the price level you are indicating I would suggest that you look at a second hand machine with cast iron beds and preferably indeed and out feed tables that don't lift up. You should be able to get a small Wadkin, Sedgwick, Robinson, or Dominion machine for the price level you are indicating. Any of these machines will IMO out perform those that you've inducated with the added advantage that should you decide to sell it will fetch the same or more than you paid for it.

Good luck.

 

[Orion801]

Thanks for the advice Deema. Unfortunately I'm not sure that a 2nd hand machine like a Wadkin is really an option. I've only got single phase and don't fancy converting to three phase, plus the majority of the machines are pretty bulky and I'm very limited on space as I'm using a standard single garage for my workshop (already have 2 workbenches, a woodrack and tablesaw in there, and want space left for a pillar drill and bandsaw).

 

[Ring]

I have the Electra bekum hc260 had it for 10 years at least and it takes very little time to change from one mode to another cracking machine.
Jim

 

[Hemsby]

I have the Electra bekum hc260 had it for 10 years at least and it takes very little time to change from one mode to another cracking machine.
Jim

+1
I have the HC 260K version. Set up correctly it is a great machine. No regrets at all purchasing this machine. No problems running on normal 13amp supply
Keith

 

[deema]

I fully respect your view, I would just like to suggest that the three most used, and therefore important piece of equipment that most woodies have have in descending order

1. The workbench
2. Circular saw
3. Planner thicknesser (for those with room, separate machines)

Get these right and you will have a superb base for building your projects. Again IMO other machines are nice to have and compromises on size, quality are not as significant.

 

[Hemsby]

Hi,

I know there seem to be a million and one threads about which planer thicknesser to buy, but I'm struggling to find many specific details of any. I'm currently sorting out my workshop and intend on buying a planer thicknesser in about a month when everything will hopefully be ready. It'll only get occasional use for hobby work, in particular I'd like to make some hardwood furniture for my house. At the moment I'm weighing up a few options that I'd appreciate some advice on:

1. Metabo HC260C (or Record Power PT260, they seem fairly similar) - £670 including a chip extractor
This would seem the most cost effective option for a fairly heavy duty machine, I'm just not too sure how much of a pain it's going to be switching between planing and thicknessing modes compared to other models. If anybody knows of anything to set the Metabo apart from the Record Power I'd be interested too.

2. Fox F22-583 (or Charnwood W583, again seem similar) - £702
This would be about £200 more than the Metabo as I'd need to get a chip extractor (I've only got a workshop vac at the minute). It looks quite a bit sturdier than the Metabo and the few comments I've managed to find from owners seem positive. I'm just not quite sure of exactly what the main benefits for the price are to judge if it's worth the extra.

3. Woodstar PT85 or similar - £250
For a low cost machine, these seem very well reviewed and would leave me a lot of spare cash for a chip extractor and other tools I'd like to add to the workshop such as a pillar drill and bandsaw. Again, I'm struggling to work out exactly what difference I'm likely to see in ease of use and end results for hobby work to determine what's worth spending money on!

I'd really appreciate any advice from people that have experience of these or similar machines!

Seems you are about 80 miles from me. May be worth the journey but not sure if it is practical, but you are more than welcome to come over and try out my machine.

Keith

 

[PeteG]

Hi,

I know there seem to be a million and one threads about which planer thicknesser to buy, but I'm struggling to find many specific details of any. I'm currently sorting out my workshop and intend on buying a planer thicknesser in about a month when everything will hopefully be ready. It'll only get occasional use for hobby work, in particular I'd like to make some hardwood furniture for my house. At the moment I'm weighing up a few options that I'd appreciate some advice on:

1. Metabo HC260C (or Record Power PT260, they seem fairly similar) - £670 including a chip extractor
This would seem the most cost effective option for a fairly heavy duty machine, I'm just not too sure how much of a pain it's going to be switching between planing and thicknessing modes compared to other models. If anybody knows of anything to set the Metabo apart from the Record Power I'd be interested too.

2. Fox F22-583 (or Charnwood W583, again seem similar) - £702
This would be about £200 more than the Metabo as I'd need to get a chip extractor (I've only got a workshop vac at the minute). It looks quite a bit sturdier than the Metabo and the few comments I've managed to find from owners seem positive. I'm just not quite sure of exactly what the main benefits for the price are to judge if it's worth the extra.

3. Woodstar PT85 or similar - £250
For a low cost machine, these seem very well reviewed and would leave me a lot of spare cash for a chip extractor and other tools I'd like to add to the workshop such as a pillar drill and bandsaw. Again, I'm struggling to work out exactly what difference I'm likely to see in ease of use and end results for hobby work to determine what's worth spending money on!

I'd really appreciate any advice from people that have experience of these or similar machines!

Hello Orion I bought the Record Power PT260 with chip extractor last October, this was after first buying the Axminster AW106PT2 which didn't work and the quality of finish which was very poor, then they were £800.00, now I see it's £1000.00, after a refund I took a chance on the Excalibur version from Woodford. The fence is pretty useless on the Excalibur and I'd planned to replace it, cutting the story very short, that too went back. I then went for the Record PT260 which has been brilliant since day one. The fence is very easy to adjust and quite solid even though it's alloy, and although I check it for square aftter it's been removed, on many occasion it's has remained square once attached. It's not as quick to change from Planer to Thicknesser as it is using the Axminster, Excalibur and other P/T's with the Gull Wing swinging tables, just as those aren't quite as quick as the Jet. It doesn't like if you try and remove too much in a single pass, I'm still using the original blades, but working within it's limits, the wood is perfectly accurate/square and smooth.

I bought the CX2000 chip extractor as part of the package deal, that too is a great little machine for the money. It's fairly quiet, you wouldn't notice that it's on once you have timber going through the P/T.
I had to remove the plastic guard covering the fan as the hose soon blocked, but once that was removed everything was fine. The bag due to it's size soon fills up when I have a lot of timber to plane, but the
size of the extractor is perfect for my workshop. It's light and easy to move about. https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/record-power-pt260-cx2000-chip-extractor-t84204.html

To sum it up, I'm never in that much of a rush to let changing from Planer to Thicknesser be a problem, it's accurate and does exactly what I want it to do, plane and thickness rough sawn timber accurately,
it's not too big and is easy to move about on the supplied wheel kit. With the CX2000 it's a nice little package! I do occasionally suffer from a little Snipe which is more down to me than the machine or I'd have it all the time.

 

[Orion801]

Thanks so much for all the advice guys, really useful!

Thanks for the offer of trying out your machine Hemsby. I've had a quick look and I'm not sure if the 260K is a slightly higher spec machine than the 260C? There doesn't seem to be much info I can find but the one website I did find selling them had it at a much higher price tag! If it's essentially the same as the Metabo I'm looking at then I may take you up on the offer in a while when the weather's picked up, would give me a good excuse to get the bike out for a decent ride!

I think I'm leaning towards getting the Metabo or Record Power bundle, does seem to be the best value and seems like people's experiences here have been fairly positive.