sip planer/thicknesser 1344

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devonwoody
By the deafening silence so far it looks like you have just volunteered to do one.
 
Personally I'm all in favour of more than one person's review of any kit anyway, so I thought he already had volunteereed... :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
placing my review of the SIP Planer/Thicknesser 1344 model.





SIP Planer/Thicknesser 1344

10" x 6"



I purchased my SIP planer/thicknesser in February 2004 and after 12 months of hobby use I thought the forum would perhaps like to learn of my experience and usage with this machine.

Photographs are attached and as you can see storage for me is not a problem.

Picture one, Storage no problem for me.

pt1.jpg




Picture two. Positioned ready for use.

pt2.jpg




Picture three. The grub screws unmentioned in my manual which are the main part of planer setup.

pt3.jpg




Picture four. The set screws that have failed to hold into the whitemetal guard assembly. Time of photograph taken longer screws have been fitted whilst awaiting replacement fitting of new part supplied.

pt4.jpg






Firstly I purchased a wheel kit from Axminster Tools (this kit did needed adjustment on my model, some bolt holes had not been aligned properly by the manufacturer) for me this was a great boon, I can easily position the P/T anywhere in my garage/workshop to a suitable position depending on stock to be worked on.



The planer thicknesser arrived in one carton and in my opinion two people are required when unpacking and setting up. It’s heavy and come in separate pieces. The manual which arrived with the equipment was the usual problem (most probably translation) but there was a section which the printers had omitted to print. Not knowing that a portion of the manual was unprinted eventually led me to telephoning the help line at SIP and again led to confusion because SIP were also unaware that I did not have a fully illustrated manual and things obviously did not go easily. I managed to setup the machine but was not particularly happy and I posted a request on this forum about the poor manual supplied. A member directed me to a web site for manuals on this type of equipment and I used another manufacturers manual of a similar appearance and eventually learnt about setting up the planer tables using the grub screws on the outfeed table end which I had no previous knowledge.

SIP acknowledged that there were problems with the manual and said at the time they were arranging a reprint.



Over the past year I have had no problems using the machine and I reckon I have planed and thicknessed around 20 cubic feet of softwood. During that time I used only one edge of the knives (disposable type) and eventually came unstuck working on a piece of timber that somehow had got some grit embedded, this caused a knick on the blades which eventually meant replacement.



I have now come to a guarantee claim situation which I am pleased to say was settled quickly and satisfactorily. The planer guard assembly is constructed of aluminium and white metal and for some reason some screw threads lost their holding capacity. SIP replaced the parts and screws with overnight service.



I would advise users to watch this contraption which involves your hands sliding over the assembly (as most P/T machines have fitted) and takes a bit of knocking about when being used.



My verdict on this machine which cost under £400 with a two year guarantee is that for hobby use it has given satisfactory service and I could recommend to other users at this price.

I have changed the original review the guarantee period should read 2 years
 
thanks for the review devon, i am glad to get a users opinion on this machine as i have been considering it for a little while. there are sellers on ebay which offer this machine as well as an sip extractor for £475 and since i am in the market for both types of machine i thought it would be ideal. How well do you think the p/t would hold up to reletively frequent hardwood use? In your review you talk about hobbyist use, do you not feel that the machine would potentially be able to handle much more rigorous use. Once again thanks for the review.
regards
bad_hypertension
 
bad_hypertension":7vdbvr16 said:
thanks for the review devon, i am glad to get a users opinion on this machine as i have been considering it for a little while. there are sellers on ebay which offer this machine as well as an sip extractor for £475 and since i am in the market for both types of machine i thought it would be ideal. How well do you think the p/t would hold up to reletively frequent hardwood use? In your review you talk about hobbyist use, do you not feel that the machine would potentially be able to handle much more rigorous use. Once again thanks for the review.
regards
bad_hypertension

I used the machine on some oak (4x4" old well seasoned fence post) and it finished the timber perfectly when working at 2x1".
The machine comes with the guarantee and in my opinion is the same model cloned as many others at this price bracket. The next range of P/T's start at considerably higher prices so if you get three years use for £400 (£133 per year) why pay £1500 at £500 per year or £200 over 7 years.
By the way you definately need the dust/chip extraction system, you can fill a platic bag in minutes if working on wide boards.
 
I have also had one for about 12 months and have been more than happy with it. Not having the luxury of space, I too have it on a mobile platform.

The only thing that does irritate me is when winding the thicknesser platform down, you catch your knuckles on the chip extractor moulding and when you change back to 'planer' mode, you have to make sure that the microswitches are in the exact position, and for the one inside the thicknesser area, it can take some messing about to get it just right. You can almost guarantee that if it isn't working, then it is one of the microswitches.

Having said that, it has been remarkably good value for money - it does what it says on the can and feels safe to use. I have used SIP after sales service on a scroll saw and that service was never lacking in any respect.

I would certainly buy one if I hadn't already got this one. For Mr Bad Hypertension, I use almost all hardwood and it has never let me down (somehow I wish I hadn't said that)

Regards

Paul
 
Paul
I too knock my hands and strain my back on both items you mention above.

I think those Chineese have small hands and also don't stand so high :lol:

I wonder if the winding handle could have a home made adaption made so that the crank is not so extensive with its sweep.

Also can an electrical bod round here tell us how to isolate that micro switch on the planing mode.
 
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