10" thicknesser and planer advice

[Jillos]

Hi there,

I work with reclaimed wood, so a thicknesser is pretty essential to prevent hours of sanding.
As a newbie woodworker, I bought a basic Triton model from Screwfix, but the performance really isn't great. It doesn't handle the wider pieces that you get from euro pallets at all, so I'm looking to upgrade to something a bit more serious.

My needs are:
10" thicknesser so that I can thickness scaffold boards
Planer on the top
Single phase
And that's about it!

I'd be looking for second hand so that I can get something better for my money.
Budget is up to about £500. Don't mind if it's floor or bench standing.

Any advice on some options please? I've been searching equipment auctions, ebay etc, but would just like some advice on what's good and what's to avoid!

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but some up-to-date recommendations would be good.

Thanks all.

 

[Eshmiel]

The only P-T I have experience of is the Scheppach HMS 260 10" machine, single phase. There's three for sale on e-bay at the moment.

It's been very reliable indeed, needing only one new capacitor and a drive belt or two in the 20-summick years I've used it (from new). If you look at a seond hand one, check that the rubber feed rollers are in good nick. These can be affected by extreme conditions, or so I read. Mine are still solid and unglazed after passing gawd-knows how much timber through them.

These machines, I believe, were made in Germany before Scheppach went rather downmarket. Their machines from 15 or more years back are of good quality whereas the latest stuff seems to be just Scheppach coloured & badged every-one-sells-it items, made in the Cheapies-R-Us factory far away and over the continents.

 

[Sideways]

Don't buy something good. It was enormously frustrating at a men's shed that guys would bring along old pallet wood and other scavenged timber, even logs from roadside trees, and wreck our bladrs and scar our machine tables with the nails and embedded grit and gravel that these contain.
We tried scanning with a handheld metal detector (like security and bouncers use) but thes edon't catch everything and can't see stone, so we banned reclaimed wood altogether.

 

[alex robinson]

Agree with what Sideways said. The grit from scaffold boards will blunt blades incredibly fast, quite apart from any nails. How about a big belt sander for dealing with reclaimed wood?

If you start damaging machines, scaffold boards or pallets can be a bit of a false economy. You could always save the thicknesser for nicer bits without potential hidden horrors?

 

[Jillos]

The only P-T I have experience of is the Scheppach HMS 260 10" machine, single phase. There's three for sale on e-bay at the moment.

It's been very reliable indeed, needing only one new capacitor and a drive belt or two in the 20-summick years I've used it (from new). If you look at a seond hand one, check that the rubber feed rollers are in good nick. These can be affected by extreme conditions, or so I read. Mine are still solid and unglazed after passing gawd-knows how much timber through them.

These machines, I believe, were made in Germany before Scheppach went rather downmarket. Their machines from 15 or more years back are of good quality whereas the latest stuff seems to be just Scheppach coloured & badged every-one-sells-it items, made in the Cheapies-R-Us factory far away and over the continents.

Thanks, yes I saw one of these in an auction recently, but couldn't work out whether it was singe or 3-phase - I think they do both - so I didn't bid. I would definitely go with one of the older ones (I think the one I saw was about 1990) as agree- the newer ones are just the bog standard 'last a year or so then dead' variety...

 

[Jillos]

Agree with what Sideways said. The grit from scaffold boards will blunt blades incredibly fast, quite apart from any nails. How about a big belt sander for dealing with reclaimed wood?

If you start damaging machines, scaffold boards or pallets can be a bit of a false economy. You could always save the thicknesser for nicer bits without potential hidden horrors?

Thanks @alex robinson and @Sideways. You know, I hadn't even thought of that. Of course I diligently de-nail the pallet wood and use a metal detector, but the point re scaffold is a good one - they usually have all sorts on them.

I think I still want the thicknesser, but I'll have a look at belt sanders too!

 

[alex robinson]

Thanks @alex robinson and @Sideways. You know, I hadn't even thought of that. Of course I diligently de-nail the pallet wood and use a metal detector, but the point re scaffold is a good one - they usually have all sorts on them.

I think I still want the thicknesser, but I'll have a look at belt sanders too!

Definitely get the thicknesser - they are great, but be gentle about what you put through it!

I got a Makita 9401 cheaply second hand recently and it is a game changer. Completely different beast to the flimsy rubbish 3 inch machines I had used before. The extra weight really helps both for speed and controllability.

 

[Jillos]

Definitely get the thicknesser - they are great, but be gentle about what you put through it!

I got a Makita 9401 cheaply second hand recently and it is a game changer. Completely different beast to the flimsy rubbish 3 inch machines I had used before. The extra weight really helps both for speed and controllability.

Is that a 100mm belt? And is it an older or newer version?

For example, here's one that looks older (but heavier) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22661012...uid=9i2Hi0pDSHW&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[alex robinson]

Is that a 100mm belt? And is it an older or newer version?

For example, here's one that looks older (but heavier) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22661012...uid=9i2Hi0pDSHW&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Yes, 100mm belt. Weighs about 7kg! Mine is from the 80s I think. Cost silly money new, but second hand far better value than the same amount spent on something new.

There are a few threads about them here. Simple, heavy and bulletproof. I believe there are still spares available, but mine hasn't needed anything yet. Don't accidentally plug it in when switched on - makes a hell of a crash when it zooms off the bench!

 

[simonridout]

Before buying a PT, I visited my local joinery workshop to get a ‘tutorial on the safe use of a PT’. They had a 14” Sedgwick with Tersa blades. Their solution was to use an old, chipped, set of blades for scaffold boards, before changing blades prior to final passes. Not the answer that I was expecting and only possible with a system which allows slick blade changes.

 

[Wilson joinery]

Hi

As well as the schepach (older ones) I’d consider the elektra beckum 10” HC260. I bought mine second hand a few years ago and it’s been great. Pretty sure it was made in the early 90s. I’ve heard decent reviews of similar models such as the metabo and later model elektra beckum ones (blue paint instead of green). It’s got 10” planing and 6” thicknessing capacity so probably similar or the same as the schepach and probably a few more of them to be had second hand.

Cheers
Pete

 

[Chubber]

I have done an apprisal of the Metabo 260, May 2024 . I don't know how to link to it, but searching ' chubber metabo ' finds it.

 

[Orraloon]

Any timber I think is suspect gets a run over with a hand held electric plane before going to the planer or thicknesser. Blades for electric planes are cheap compared to those in your machines.
Regards
John

 

[Mike Fletcher]

Our Shed was donated a Scheppach HMS 260. It is the older German produced variety and it is build like a bridge. Very very solid and heavy. For the reasons mentioned above we don't allow reclaimed scaffold boards. Overall a very good machine. If you can find one in your budget, buy it!

 

[pgrbff]

I also had an older Scheppach, with rubber roller. Solid machine and I preferred it, apart from size, to my current Minimax.

 

[Yojevol]

If going for a 4" belt sander, make sure it takes a 610mm belt. I've got an old Elu, great machine but it's 576mm belts are becoming scarce.
Brian

 

[Jillos]

Hi

As well as the schepach (older ones) I’d consider the elektra beckum 10” HC260. I bought mine second hand a few years ago and it’s been great. Pretty sure it was made in the early 90s. I’ve heard decent reviews of similar models such as the metabo and later model elektra beckum ones (blue paint instead of green). It’s got 10” planing and 6” thicknessing capacity so probably similar or the same as the schepach and probably a few more of them to be had second hand.

Cheers
Pete

Thanks Pete, yes the metabo HC260 is already on my radar, and I'm aware it's also badged as elektra. Looks perfect for me. I'd love to have the space to have a hulking great old machine, but like many others, I just don't have that space (although a new workshop is on the cards!) I saw a Scheppach HMT260 on auction the other day, but figured the 'T' bit meant it was three-phase, and enquiries I sent didn't elicit a response in time.

 

[Jillos]

Our Shed was donated a Scheppach HMS 260. It is the older German produced variety and it is build like a bridge. Very very solid and heavy. For the reasons mentioned above we don't allow reclaimed scaffold boards. Overall a very good machine. If you can find one in your budget, buy it!

As above, saw an HMT260 in an auction but figured it was 3-phase... Looked like a real beast and would have bought it apart from the phase issue...

 

[imageel]

My local men's shed has an Elektra Beckum with a defective rubber feed roller that basically we cannot even give away -post is here.
I've no idea why no-one wants it, even as scrap or for repurposing since the beds alone would make a very good marking out surface...
Dunno what the models you are looking at are like but the roller issue and the fact it takes slotted blades seems to make it an unattractive option...
Thicknesser aside it's built like the proverbial and as a surface planer is lovely to use - have surfaced many meters of 8in wide railway sleeper size slabs of beech with it and it is rock solid....