Thicknesser or planer or Combi??

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gidon

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Hi

I've posted a variation of this on rec.woodworking but thought I might get more relevant responses here!

Here goes:

This has been discussed before but I would be grateful for some current
advice - and less confusion!
I am trying to decide on whether to get a thicknesser, a planer or a
thicknesser/planer combination machine.
I am tempted by a Dewalt DW733 thicknesser - but there seems to be a split in opinion on whether such a machine can be used for wood prep without a planer (jointer). The problem is planers (jointers) as wide (12") as this thicknesser tend to be very expensive. If I can get by with just this
thicknesser that'd be great - would appreciate your advice. Some say you
cannot get two parallel sides with just a thicknesser - but then if you have
a planer which is only 6" wide (which most seem to be) - this is your new
limit and they'd be no point having a 12" thicknesser surely??

The other possibility is a combi machine popular here in the UK. The problem is these are more expensive (double the price of the DW733) and not as wide (max 10").

So my choices

Just thicknesser (US planer I think!): Dewalt DW 733 (can get new £300
ebay.co.uk)
above + Planer (US jointer): Rexon 1560 (£200 screwfix) or Axminster CT150
(£400)
Or combi: Electra Beckum 260 (£600+) or Sheppach 260 (700+)

Sorry if a confusing e-mail - but hopefully you get my drift.

Cheers

Gidon
 
If you are converting kiln dried hardwood, then you are right, a thicknesser on its own will be as much use as a ***** in a ******* etc

You MUST get one face flat before you have a chance of getting the other face flat AND parallel to the first.

I personally prefer the combination 10x6 machines. 10 inches will handle most of the KD hardwood you will come across whereas 6 inches won't. I used to have a Kity 1637, and recently when I decided in needed a planer I bought another one from MTS for £820 incl delivery, the best price I could find. The Kity is the next step up from other 10x6 and is worth the extra money. It is accurate, heavy and sturdy, something you will need when you plane the edge of a 5 foot plank

John
 
I have a Rexon 1560 and am well please with it, and I have a Delta thicknesser which also works well for me. It is a bit of a pain ripping everything down to 6" widths before planing the first surface on the jointer, but I have limited space, so need to be able to move tools arond the shop easily. Budget was also a consideration. My jointer cost about £200 & the thicknesser about £300. I often rip the planks down to a shade under 6" and can then run 2 in parallel through the thicknesser
 
Thanks - just the advise I was after. I saw on another group that the Axminster Perform Thicknesser/Planer is reduced down to £380. This seems a good price. And I can't afford much more - although I would like to buy some better ideally.
When you say 10x6 - you mean 6" thicknessing capacity? The Perform has this.
I'm not so keen on the idea of ripping planks to 6" wide. And I do want to be able to plane kiln dried timber.
Now I need to find space in my workshop ...
Can't understand why most jointers are only 6" wide - if thicknessers are 12" wide?
Cheers
GIdon
 
One advantage of Chris's method i.e. ripping to 6" then planing, is that you will get more thickness from any given board. A lot will depend on what you envisage making. If you are making table tops then you will probably want as much width as you can get, on the other hand, for many other projects 6" boards will be fine

John
 
Hi Gidon,

I have bought the Axminster Perform Thicknesser/Planer, the £380 price is plus VAT, the current deal is you get £12 wroth of blades ( one set ) free.
Space is an issue, I have a quite large workshop, but need to move machines about to have room to used then on anything more than 3' lengths of timber. The Thicknesser/Planer is heavy even with some of it made from aluminium, this is a good fault. :shock: If like me you need to move it about, buy the wheel set, an extra £34 plus VAT.

I have not prepared loads of timber with my machine, bigger projects in the planning stages, but its performance has been excellent. :D

The other thing you will need is a dust collector. The design of the guards and interlocks to meet the safety requirements means the shavings when thicknessing are not self-clearing. I have a NUtool collector which has a problem with the long shavings from wide timber, they clog on the fan guard. :cry: I am building a cyclone dust collector that will solve this. :)

Back to your second question, about the width of the tools, from lurking on rec.woodworking I have found that in the USA (where most posters are from) they seem to rip every thing down in to 4" or 6" boards. This allows the smaller planer (jointer) to be used. The narrow boards are then edge glued back together and put though the thicknesser (planer). The reason given for this is to produce a more stable wide board, as you should reverse the growth rings on each piece being glued up.
 
Hi Gidon,

I agree with all the others that have answered your quiry, it does seem a bit odd that you can get a 12" wide thicknesser, but not a surface planner to match. Such is the way fo the world and pwoer tools in genaral. If you go for the P/T combined you get the benifit of being able to surface plane wide boards, but then the price starts to go up, as you have found. I wish you luck in your choice.
DaveL, any chance that you could share the cyclone idea that you are putting on your dust extractor, I could do with something like that on my Charnwood extarctor.
 
Hi Woodtek,

The cyclone I am partway though building is from WOOD Magazine's downloadable plan, here http://woodstore.woodmall.com/cycduscol.html it cost $9.95. I paid with my Barclaycard, you get quite a good rate.
Its very nice having an electronic copy (PDF) of the plans as I have made notes on pages as I worked on different parts and can then print a new copy for the next stage, if required.
I have used 18mm MDF, now all painted yellow :eek: . I have finished the wooden parts. I have bought some galvanised sheet steel, its a bit on the thick side :? but I found it quite hard to get anything that was thinner that did not seem like tin foil :shock:
There are lots of ideas for home made cyclones on the web.
The other thing that seems to work is a dustbin (trashcan) lid separator.
Here is a link to buy one, in the states :!:
http://www.americanwoodworker.com/20000 ... l/DC/main/
while this is what some one has made
http://www.leestyron.com/html/dustcollector4.html
both are worth a look, I hope you get some ideas from these.
 
ijam":3h40y21g said:
Be careful, after reading this the budget for my workshop (in planning stages right now) went up yet again...

Ian

Ian,

Welcome to the forum & thanks for the link, but whatever budget you have set aside for the shed, double it :shock: :!: :p you'll always find new gizmos & stuff to fill your new work space :D
 
Hi, Dave and Ian,

I, m an Ian to, just thought you would like to know that. Anyway thanks for the info on cyclones, I will have a good look. It would be much better than the air bag on top of my Charnwood extractor, which although I am very pleased with, it gets clogged very quickly with dust, so is not so effective until its cleaned again. I will let you know my findings.
 
Thanks for your responses. I am pretty sure I am going to get the Perform P/T - especially at the £380 discounted price it seems good value.
But need to check I can fit it in my smallish workshop. Wheels may be a good idea. Will keep you posted of my final choice.
Many thanks
Gidon
 
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