Axminster MB9020 Benchtop Planer Thicknesser Mini Review

[Chems]

Still very happy with mine. Getting good results from it and its done a lot of work.

 

[MichaelM]

Thanks lads for the replies.

Alec, you would rate the Metabo then as a good buy? Funnily enough I have been watching a couple of them on ebay, well the Electra Beckum versions, but mostly they are collection only and that isn't an option for me. I really can't afford to be spending too much at this point so it's either going to have to be the Axminster or something used at roughly similar money I suppose.

Chems, could I ask since you are undoubtedly pleased with your Axminster planer and have had it some time now, have you had any similar experiences to the chap in the video review at all? Would you say yours is reliably accurate, i.e. once set does it stay that way and what would your thoughts be on using it for longer lengths of timber say for skirting for instance?

Thanks again,

Michael

 

[9fingers]

Michael,

One other option might be for you to say in your profile where you live and then see if any member locally would put your boards through their thicknesser for a few beer tokens or favours in kind etc.

Quite a few members here are retired and have decent workshops and could help. if you are near me I could certainly give you a hand.

Bob

 

[MichaelM]

Michael,

One other option might be for you to say in your profile where you live and then see if any member locally would put your boards through their thicknesser for a few beer tokens or favours in kind etc.

Quite a few members here are retired and have decent workshops and could help. if you are near me I could certainly give you a hand.

Bob

Bob, thank you very much sincerely for the very kind offer and it is indeed that, but I live in Co Down. I have enough ideas in my head to justify buying a machine not to mention the fact that I am trying to put together a small but viable workshop myself hence my interest in the little Axminster model. To that end I have just taken delivery of Rutlands large router table to add to the gear I have with one of Axminsters TS 200 table saws to follow at some point before the vat goes up. I have one of their AWESBS bandsaws and apart from the irritating bearing adjustment on it, I can't fault it at all. Once I set it up I was able to rip 1mm slices with it consistently which is very impressive for a bit of Chinese iron.

I am being realistic however and realise that in most walks of life you get what you pay for, with some notable exceptions. I'm wondering if this little planer thicknesser might be one of them and that the people who got bad ones were in the minority, though the fact that Alec got two in a row is something to be taken into consideration.

As far as buying second hand on Ebay goes you can see the problem. I have gotten a few heavy items brought over to Ireland but in general it is a fairly unattractive proposition for someone to package up large items for transport and for that reason it is rarely an option. There are two Electra Beckums on Ebay at the moment; one never used which was very attractive and the other approximately ten years old which given that I read that the tables wear on them would really need to be seen before purchase I suppose but since neither seller will package it's a moot point anyway.

With regards to my previous questions regarding long lengths I have found the answer in one of Chems posts that I missed first time around. Sadly due to the small tables 1.3 metres is its limit for jointing.

I suppose if nothing else turns up I will have to bite the bullet, get one and simply learn to work within its limitations. Damn it, I hate being a perfectionist on a budget!

Thanks again Bob, you're a gentleman,

Michael

 

[Chems]

Yeah you can't join really long lengths easily. But to be honest thats always a struggle on a machine. I recently jointed some long lengths with the help of another cabinet maker on a hammer machine with good long beds and it still wasn't easy. I think a good jointer plane is a quicker way.

With the cloned tools, although they look similar often there can be important little changes. And the things the guy pointed out in the video I haven't had a problem with, my fence defiantly isn't that flimsy and I don't have the same arrangement for the dust chute either. Bottom line, I've had a big axminster combi, a axminster CT150 and used a few other big machines as well as the SIP 6 P/T and lastly and lately the Axminster. And they all did the same job, I ended up with square timber. Its how you got there. The big axminster machine was quietest when thicknessing. The CT150 was always quiet and easiest to use. The SIP P/T wasn't as well made as the axminster one. Starting out or limited space can't beat the axminster small one. But buying again I'd get a CT150 cheap off the bay.

 

[MichaelM]

I've never had a P/T before so I do appreciate your insight Chems. The fact that you have been able to compare the small Axminster to other machines and still recommend it makes me think it might be worth taking a chance on if I don't find something a little better in the very near future. As Alec says, Axminster look after their customers very well which is one of the main reasons I normally purchase from them, and if the machine gave me any trouble I know it would be dealt with quickly.

All the best, and thank you,

Michael

 

[Chems]

Don't forget as well that the Axy model has 8inch capacity, which at £170 isn't to be sniffed at!

 

[MichaelM]

Don't forget as well that the Axy model has 8inch capacity, which at £170 isn't to be sniffed at!

At £153 even less so! I had pretty much given up on getting much second hand and when I saw the price reduction I jumped at it. I haven't had any time to use it yet other than a bit of a familiarisation process. I watched the wood whisperer video where he checks and adjusts the tables on his planer which has led me to discover that my infeed table is approximately 0.5mm high at its outside end. I can understand the need for perfection on long tables so is this ok on a small machine such as this or should I try to fettle it and get it spot on? Is there even a way to adjust it out?

I'm guessing there has to be some way of adjusting them if for instance they were badly out. I see that there are allen headed bolts screwing into the tables on each side and was wondering if there is any adjustment available before I loosen them and maybe regret it. I haven't had anything like this before so I am being a little on the cautious side. Has anyone else had a go at this?

Thanks, Michael.

 

[PeterSk]

I bought one of these on the strength of Chems' review, haven't regretted it for a second. Only thing I'd say is don't use the blade setting jig that comes with it, use a decent steel rule to set the blade tips level with the outfeed table.

 

[MichaelM]

Thanks Peter. I was wondering about that blade setting gadget myself thinking it looked a little awkward so your advice is very welcome.

Can you tell me if you found your tables to be ok? I am probably being overly fussy but I would like to hear from other owners just to be sure.

Other than those couple of things I am pleasantly surprised just how sturdy this little machine is.

All the best,

Michael

 

[PeterSk]

It could well be that I don't really know how to use the blade jig properly as the details and picture in the manual is pretty naff, however when I followed the destructions I found that the machine didn't work

I've not noticed an issue with the tables, but I've not really measured them too hard. However it seems to plane and thickness just fine, so if I do find any slop I probably won't be too concerned

 

[SammyQ]

MichaelM, before you purchase the TS200 saw new, are you interested in a pristine one with sliding table, stand, mitre guage, manual (and a few blades) for a price well short of Axminster's? If you are interested, I'm not far away from you in Belfast. PM me here and I'll give you details/phone numbers.

2 owners from new, both of us weekend warriors, so the saw was never thrashed/trashed on a site and the only reason I'm contemplating moving it on is the great big Wadkin AGS 10" I'm restoring needs the space.

Sam

PS Would you beleive, that if you do carpe diem....I'll be buying a new planer/thicknesser, now...which one, I ponder....?!!!!

 

[PeterSk]

It could well be that I don't really know how to use the blade jig properly as the details and picture in the manual is pretty naff, however when I followed the destructions I found that the machine didn't work

I've not noticed an issue with the tables, but I've not really measured them too hard. However it seems to plane and thickness just fine, so if I do find any slop I probably won't be too concerned

Well I'm certainly eating those words today. After a frustrating time trying to plane some nice white oak I got the other day, careful measuring with my new straight edge has revealed that the outfeed table is not flat and the far end of the infeed table is about 1.5mm below the blade end.

In short, this one is going back to Axy and I'll get a new one only after I've sized up all the tables, as there is no provision for adjustments on these things. D'oh!

 

[PeterSk]

Well after a lot of go-around due to Axy's new computer system, a brand new replacement arrived the other day. Tables are flat and co-planar, I've not used it in anger yet but it seems like it's made good

 

[TobyB]

Not much space in my workshop, and have to be able to carry stuff down cellar stairs to get there, so bigger machines not considered. I went for the Woodster PT105 as it's wider. It's on my bench at the moment and a few trial runs with some 9" wide walnut planks demonstrates it's going to save me loads of time I'd have spent with hand planes. Surface finish nice when fine cuts taken, but pretty good when done coarser cuts to shift material, although would need fine finishing by hand. I'm very impressed with this little machine - it might not be quick or rugged enough for a hard-working pro workshop - but for my level of use, it could be a very good value.

 

[Mark A]

Hi
I am thinking about buying the Axi P/T - has anyone had any problems after a couple of months of use, or is it still ok?

Thanks, Mark

 

[Pond]

I am so glad this thread didn't end in 'I was wrong it's in a pile of bits now', as I realised it is 8 months old.

Cos I bought one of these from Ax in High Wycombe last week (a slightly used one for £150) and haven't used it yet!

I am going to make a stand for it though, as it's too high to sit on my bench, the planer table is almost at chest height.

 

[MichaelM]

Hi
I am thinking about buying the Axi P/T - has anyone had any problems after a couple of months of use, or is it still ok?

Thanks, Mark

I have spent a little time using my planer and I feel I have gotten to know it now. I will second what others here have said and that is that with a little care it will churn out square timber in whichever species you desire. I find that less is more with it and that taking small bites at a time reduces snipe as does eyeballing a roller stand at the infeed side of the thicknesser. My tables aren't perfect (both have a slight hollow across the middle and the infeed is about 0.5mm higher at the outer edge) but for the short lengths of oak I have had reason to work with, it coped very well indeed and I have come to very much enjoy my first foray into the world of planer thicknessers.

However, I have three gripes. Number one is the fence, which although fairly sturdy looking does flex a bit under pressure but as I said with a little care and practice, you will compensate. Of course there is also the option of modifying it to your satisfaction.

Number two is the safety dust extractor hood which when in position for surface planing sometimes makes contact with the knives thus sending a nice spray of black plastic into the air and making a new opening that allows some future woodchips to find a new way out to the side.

Gripe number three may be peculiar to my machine but I doubt it, and that is the alarming tendency of the surface planer infeed table to wind itself down due to vibration while the machine is running. Within a few seconds my depth of cut will start to increase, and disturbingly quickly at that. I think a suitable spring between the infeed table adjustment handle and the edge of the table itself may provide sufficient damping to ensure the handle does not screw itself out. I have yet to try it though and may simply resort to clamping on a small pair of vice grips onto the adjustment shaft beneath the table in the meantime.

All in all, you do get a lot for the money, there is no doubt about that and like any machine, a little fettling will make it so much better.

 

[sparkus88]

Hi I am interested in the MB9020 but have a question. Other than here I can't find any substantial reviews on it but from what I understand its fairly similar to the woodstar one. Which I found a review for that said there was an issue with not being able to the blades at the right height on the planer because it meant the thicknesser wouldn't remove enough wood to remove marks left by the infeed roller. Is this the same for the Aminster? This is the review I was refering to http://idostuff.co.uk/sections/DIY/Woodstar Planer Thicknesser Review.html.

Mark

 

[MichaelM]

I too saw that review and asked some similar questions here before I bought mine but I can honestly say that apart from some snipe which can be minimised with care, the finish I get from my planer is most satisfactory. I have not altered the blades from the setting they were in upon delivery and there are no roller marks to be seen.