Planer/Thicknesser - Is it worth it for the hobbiest?

[Bodgers]

I have some basic-ish kit in my garage workshop (table saw, band saw, drill press) but I am wondering if a planer/Thicknesser is really worth it...

Currently, I have quite a lot of solid oak 20mm flooring left from a DIY project a few years ago, and I want to start using some it for a few projects I am planning. This stuff is T&G'd with a machined finish that attempts to fake ye olde chisels that apparently used to be used to flatten floor boards (it made sense at the time, but to be honest it looks a bit naff). Anyway, that needs planing off along with a reasonably heavy UV lacquer that it sports. I assume this will be fairly murderous to planer blades.

I was considering just taking it somewhere to get it it all planed off, but then I started considering a planer/Thicknesser. I have no idea how much anyone would charge for a planing service like this...

Budget would only stretch to one of the noisier brush motor affairs (the 10" Fox or the 8x8 SIP look ok). I would only be using it occasionally, and my garage is not attached to any housing, so I can live with the noise. Being able to dial out any problems with it is more important.

Anyone had the same dilemma?

 

[wizard]

Yes get one but get a second hand old one. I started off with a Clarke and it was rubbish and it did not do a good job. I sold it and bought a second hand one for £200.00 and it does a proper job.

 

[Bodgers]

Yes get one but get a second hand old one. I started off with a Clarke and it was rubbish and it did not do a good job. I sold it and bought a second hand one for £200.00 and it does a proper job.

What do you have?

It seems to be common advice to buy old second hand kit, but every time I look for stuff like this, stuff goes for prices so close to equivalent new versions, that by the time you have factored in a long warranty, there is no point.

 

[Jacob]

Some of the stand alone cheapo thicknessers are very effective. I used one once - can't remember the model, but it was a very clean cut mainly due to slow throughput and high rpm.
Noisy if you are next to it but high pitch noises (small machines) don't travel and may not be a prob further away.

 

[RogerP]

Noise aside they do a decent enough job. Take time to set the blades to the correct height and level and making some extensions to the output and input tables helps a lot.

 

[8squared]

Yes it's worth it, before I got mine I was limited in what projects I could do because I couldn't buy wood thin enough, couldn't get perfectly straight edges with table saw so joining boards to make a table or chopping board wouldn't of looked well made...

There is also the cost... buying sawn adds extra over rough but now I can buy rough (which isn't really that rough) and pretty soon it will of paid for itself.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

and lets not forget those pub tables etc chucked in skips....they become like a free wood shop when you have a P/T

 

[Walney Col]

My 8" p/t is one of my most often used tools I wouldn't be without it.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

For a budget P/T that in my case worked extremely well I recommend the RP PT 260 or its variants from other stables. Its a Chaiwanese clone badged by at least 5 different companies that I know of but it worked very well. The only thing I disliked was the faff in changing from planing to thicknessing. Even that wasn't too bad all told.

 

[nicguthrie]

I'm looking at the same type of thing. Pretty much decided on the £150 Titan. I've been collecting opinions on it, and for the money the consensus seems to be that it's fantastic, so long as you check that your particular model shipped to you is aligned alright, as some are a bit twisted, and there's no adjustment.

I've dithered about it for an age, but got to use an industrial grade one locally, and the extra flexibility it gives for reusing timber makes it a fantastic tool for working on a budget.

I'd love the RP PT260 that R.O.B suggests, if you've the money and space it's the Rolls Royce of smaller machines, but mine will be occasional light use, so £600 odds seems hard to justify.

All the best, whatever you decide.

Nic.

 

[PeteG]

I have some basic-ish kit in my garage workshop (table saw, band saw, drill press) but I am wondering if a planer/Thicknesser is really worth it...

Currently, I have quite a lot of solid oak 20mm flooring left from a DIY project a few years ago, and I want to start using some it for a few projects I am planning. This stuff is T&G'd with a machined finish that attempts to fake ye olde chisels that apparently used to be used to flatten floor boards (it made sense at the time, but to be honest it looks a bit naff). Anyway, that needs planing off along with a reasonably heavy UV lacquer that it sports. I assume this will be fairly murderous to planer blades.

I was considering just taking it somewhere to get it it all planed off, but then I started considering a planer/Thicknesser. I have no idea how much anyone would charge for a planing service like this...

Budget would only stretch to one of the noisier brush motor affairs (the 10" Fox or the 8x8 SIP look ok). I would only be using it occasionally, and my garage is not attached to any housing, so I can live with the noise. Being able to dial out any problems with it is more important.

Anyone had the same dilemma?

Hello Bodgers I'd say a P/T is most definitely worth having. I was buying planed all round timber last year and took it for granted that meant it was flat, square and straight.
It was only after posting on here I learnt otherwise. I couldn't understand why I had so many problems making a large drawer using tongue and groove cutters on the router table.
I had a little bad luck with the first couple of P/T's that I bought and eventually I purchased the Record Power PT260 with chip extractor, it's been brilliant!
I've picked up a couple of off cut bundles over the past month, this little lot cost £15.00, mixed Oak, Iroko and Sapele.
Some are too big for my P/T so I cut them down on the bandsaw first, after going through the P/T I have lots of perfectly good quality wood.
I was given a price for Oak by a local timber merchant last for Oak, £3.00 per foot, 1" thick, 7" wide, rough sawn, so my P/T will soon pay for itself based on what I pay for off cuts.

 

[wizard]

Yes get one but get a second hand old one. I started off with a Clarke and it was rubbish and it did not do a good job. I sold it and bought a second hand one for £200.00 and it does a proper job.

What do you have?

It seems to be common advice to buy old second hand kit, but every time I look for stuff like this, stuff goes for prices so close to equivalent new versions, that by the time you have factored in a long warranty, there is no point.

its a Scheppach it will do until i find a better one plus i will get my money back

 

[Scottdimelow]

I bought a 10" sheppach P/T, as above, until you have one you don't realise how handy they are. I've just dismantled an oak table, planed a couple of pieces and it's decent looking wood. It took a bit of fettling to align the beds but it's perfect now.

Plus you don't have to use off the shelf dimensions, which aren't really that accurate.

 

[Bodgers]

Thanks for the replies, looks like I will be spending some more money!