Axminster AT260 SPT - Opinions needed

[starlingwood]

Hi, I bought an iTECH 260s spiral thicknesser back in January but getting fed up with the extended delays, its now estimated 15 May.

Would this similar spec machine be just as good, its a few hundred more expensive as it does not come with the digital thickness display too.

Or should I go for the AT310SPT...is 50mm extra width the only difference?

 

[NickM]

I'm happy with mine. The only issue I had was that the roller pressure was too high which caused a jam and also a bit of snipe. Axminster sent someone out and sorted it out for me. The engineer suspects they changed the springs they were using but didn't adjust the pressure to compensate. There are some other threads on here which would be worth looking at. I did buy mine before the prices went up last year...

It does come with a mechanical digital read out which seems to work well. It reads to tenths of a mm but I confess that I don't need to work to those tolerances so can't comment on whether that level of accuracy is achievable in practice.

I've never seen/used the iTECH so can't comment on how they compare.

 

[starlingwood]

I'm happy with mine. The only issue I had was that the roller pressure was too high which caused a jam and also a bit of snipe. Axminster sent someone out and sorted it out for me. The engineer suspects they changed the springs they were using but didn't adjust the pressure to compensate. There are some other threads on here which would be worth looking at. I did buy mine before the prices went up last year...

It does come with a mechanical digital read out which seems to work well. It reads to tenths of a mm but I confess that I don't need to work to those tolerances so can't comment on whether that level of accuracy is achievable in practice.

I've never seen/used the iTECH so can't comment on how they compare.

Oh thats good, I quite like the idea of the digital read out and that's with the 260 version?

 

[NickM]

Oh thats good, I quite like the idea of the digital read out and that's with the 260 version?

Yes. I actually bought a digital read out when I ordered it, but the p/t came with one anyway so I returned the other. You could always check with Axminster when ordering,

 

[starlingwood]

Yes. I actually bought a digital read out when I ordered it, but the p/t came with one anyway so I returned the other. You could always check with Axminster when ordering,

Thanks, I've gone and ordered and double checked the one with spiral head comes with display and the one with traditional knives does not.

Arrives in 13 days!

 

[johnnyb]

its a fairly good machine for the money but the spiral cutters a revelation!. the main problem is the lift up and down tables and getting them co planar. also the feed rollers are a bit small and if your extractions a bit poor they can rapidly stop feeding as the serrations get clogged