Planer thicknesser

[colinstone]

I'm looking at getting a planer thicknesser but will not use it a great deal - "hobby" will probably suffice. Was thinking of either the Perform or Jet machines in the Axminster catalogue at =A3160/=A3200. Anyone got one of these and any comments?? TVMIA

[John Rumm]

I had a look through the specs for some of these a while back. The perfom looked like quite a good contender at the budget end. The thing that put me off a little was that it has a smaller than normal dust port[1] (2" IIRC) and uses HSS knives rather than TCT. Construction wise it looks to be very close to a model that Axminster used to sell a few years ago under their own "white" range (don't recal the model number, but it was later replaced by the CT344). I have used one of these, and it was not bad - but not fantastic. The main limitation was lack of a locking mechanism for the cutter head, and short in and out feed tables which made it a bit snipey.

The JET model I have not looked at as closely - but it seems to be a model that is badged by a few different people. From the description it looks reasonable.

There is also a SIP planer/thicknesser model in your price range as well:

ordinary thicknesser they do also looks quite good, and does have a head lock - but the price is creeping up.

In the end I went for a DeWalt 733 which I have been very pleased with. I did a mini review a while ago for that:

You *will* need some serious dust extraction for these things. Something like the 1hp model shown here works well on thicknessers:

[Andy Hall]

I've used one of these 50mm extraction port machines and it is the extraction that is its downfall really.

You could get away with making 0.5 to 1mm cuts, but that's about it. Anything more would create far more chips than could be handled through the duct.

HSS knives are not necessarily a problem - I mainly use these on my Felder planer/thicknesser although TCT are available as well. The main issue to watch for is that the wood is "clean" going in. One ding from an embedded piece of grit or metal and the blades are written off. I use a wand type metal detector and a careful visual inspection of anything that goes through the thicknesser.

have a high air throughput is important rather than fine dust filtering ability. However, if one is going to buy an extractor, it's better to get one that will do both.

[dingbat]

Which do you want it for? Thicknessing or jointing ?

IMHE, a 13" lunchbox thicknesser has been an excellent investment (the bigger and better Axminster white one). It also gives me an extra 2"+ of width, compared to a "10 x 6" convertible p/t. This extra width is invaluable. Much better results than their older white one too (largely owing to it now having a head lock)

I also have a 6" jointer (Axminster CT150) which I like because it's a substantial cast iron machine and handy for cabinetmaking. Not exactly indispensable for carpentry though.

Both of these machines were about 400 each, which compares well to the

800 for a comparable convertible. Given the extra width on the thicknesser, I'd definitely suggest going with two separates.

My thicknesser paid for itself within a month, in terms of cost savings on timber. Buying rough sawn and thicknessing it saved a fortune. Actually what I did was to help the timber owner thickness their workshopful of rough sawn oak and keep a slice of it for my own uses.

I've no idea what you'd do with the 4" or the lightweight 6" "toy" Perform machines. You can surface plane both sides on a thicknesser alone, but you can't thickness on a jointer alone.

[dom]

When you say hobby, do you mean physically small projects or larger/joinery stuff but infrequently?

Your choices may be good for really lightweight stuff, but not for joinery - even infrequently

If you can possibly stretch your budget further, do so. A heavy beast will do so much more, and on planers and thicknessers it really counts.

Do you see yourself mostly using prepared timber and adapting it to your needs - or more rough sawn/sawn on your own bandsaw timber?

If it's prepared timber, you may be better spending the lot on a better thicknesser and doing without the planer until funds allow.

I bought a larger combined planer/thicknesser - and it's the thicknesser part that gets 85% of the usage (mind you the 15% planing is invauable for straightening timbers - e.g. rough sawn oak).

[John Rumm]

Indeed. The SIP one I linked to comes with a felt top bag to capture fine stuff if you want to use it for that.