Bench top jointer

[Arkade_UK]

Hi
Does anyone know of a decent quality benchtop jointer available in the UK?
It seems that most of the good models are big combined planer-thicknessers - such as the lower-end Axminster - but I have narrow access and steps etc into my workshop (shed)
I only need it really for 1m length pieces of timber and could probably manage with a 4"- 6" width. Seems that all of the models that look ideal are US only apart from the proxxon which I think is a little undersized.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Harbo]

Metabo HC360C but it’s Jointer/thicknesser

Rod

 

[Fitzroy]

St. Albans and London are pretty close. Not a bench top model but a small floorstander, and will knock the socks of anything new.

ftagh-multico-6-planer-t122948.html

F.

 

[Arkade_UK]

That looks really solid - I wish I had the time/skill etc to restore!

 

[Arkade_UK]

I did consider the Metabo - but I have a triton thicknesser and would rather spend on a dedicated jointer.
I find it strange there are no quality small jointers similar to Cutech and Grizzly available in the UK?

 

[transatlantic]

I find it strange there are no quality small jointers similar to Cutech and Grizzly available in the UK?

It's frustrating isn't it.

Just don't make the mistake I made and try the Rutlands jointer. Just awful.

 

[I’ve got wood worm!]

It's frustrating isn't it.

Just don't make the mistake I made and try the Rutlands jointer. Just awful.

Interesting, I’ve just seen this and was going to post about it. It’s about £160 I believe but I’ve never tried Rutlands before and my friends Rutlands Gear has always looked pretty crappy...

 

[MikeG.]

THEY'RE NOT JOINTERS. THEY'RE PLANERS.

 

[transatlantic]

Interesting, I’ve just seen this and was going to post about it. It’s about £160 I believe but I’ve never tried Rutlands before and my friends Rutlands Gear has always looked pretty crappy...

It really is a crap Jointer. You can't get it flat/level/co-planer and mine got so hot after only a few minutes, you couldn't touch it. So pretty dangerous too.

Don't waste your time or money on that Jointer. It's not a jointer I would recommend.

 

[thanos999]

i was thinking off buying the rutlands one but readig this thread has changed my mind so i just need a planner already got a makita thicknesser and i dont want to spend much over £200 was thinking to get the eurbuer planner thicknesser from screwfix but they dont have any off any make they sell can anyone help?

 

[billw]

I just got the Rutlands one literally an hour ago. Just ran my first piece through it and it seems fine. WIll do a better report once I've had a better go.

 

[billw]

It really is a rubbish Jointer. You can't get it flat/level/co-planer and mine got so hot after only a few minutes, you couldn't touch it. So pretty dangerous too.

Don't waste your time or money on that Jointer. It's not a jointer I would recommend.

You can't get it flat - I've managed
You can't get it level - I've managed
Gets hot - mine doesn't

I think there might be some discrepancy in usage though - I'm running boards of 350mm length and 20mm thickness through it, and doing one or two at a time before switching it off for a min to check them for square. Maybe with heavier usage I will notice shortcomings more clearly.

The fence is sturdy enough, although I need to properly tinker with it as the front bracket is virtually at 90deg and the rear's more like 89deg, I know it's not much and with the stuff I'm doing I can barely notice but if I can get it spot on I might as well.

I'm only taking 0.5mm off at a time (walnut), but I managed to flatten most pieces in three passes or less anyway, I'm going to run them all through a final time at 0.25mm to see if that improves things - not that they're *bad* but you need to run a smoothing plane over the finished result. That might be due to me putting the pieces through too fast/slow/whatever rather than the machine's fault.

I can appreciate most people on here would find it useless - but once I've planed a batch I'll not be switching the machine on for maybe two weeks whilst I continue the rest of whatever I'm making. Nor am I that likely to make anything that won't fit within its capacity, well to be honest since I'm only making things that I want to make I can just ensure that will be true - doesn't fit, don't make it or simply glue narrower stock together after planing.

Since it's about 10kg, it's easy to put it on the bench, bolt it down, use it, remove bolts, and then put it out of the way. It's pretty much ideal for my circumstances. Record BS250 and a Metabo DH330 next up - that'll be the end of machinery for the time being.

Would it suit a hobbyist? Given the size, capacity, and price I would think so. Want to make a dining table? No.

 

[MikeG.]

you need to run a smoothing plane over the finished result. .....

You pretty much have to do that with any straight-knife machine, depending on what you consider an acceptable finish.

 

[transatlantic]

You can't get it flat - I've managed
You can't get it level - I've managed

Maybe what we call acceptable tolerances are different? but I was simply using a straight edge resting on the outfeed to check that the gap was even along the infeed table and it rarely was without lots of fettling, which makes the whole machine kind of pointless other than for very rough surfacing.

The mechanism for raising and lowering the table is rather poor. You can fettle it to get it parallel at one depth, but then after adjusting the depth it would go out of wack. And if the you think the fence is sturdy enough, then I'm inclined to take everything else that you're saying with a pinch of salt, as again, the fence is utter garbage.

You might think that I am expecting too much for a cheap machine. But in my opinion, the tool has one job, if it can't do that one job, it doesn't matter how cheap it is, it will always be worthless. Just like a cheap square.

 

[billw]

And if the you think the fence is sturdy enough, then I'm inclined to take everything else that you're saying with a pinch of salt, as again, the fence is utter garbage.

The fence just needs to be at 90 degrees to the table, which it (almost is because I didn't spend much time adjusting it). Once it's 90 degrees what else does it need to do? It isn't going to get any significant pressure against it so the chance of it moving it must be pretty slim if you're capable of tightening a nut. It's made of metal and flat, it does a basic job.

I'll check the top with my straightedge today. Acceptable tolerances - probably yes because I'm comparing what it can do well in 30 seconds versus what it takes me an hour of frustration to get mildly close to. Is there daylight if I put my square against it? Yes, but it's a fraction of a mm at worst. What tolerance do you work to?! Like I said, it's perfectly capable of making a hobbyist's life easier, if you're not a hobbyist then my review could easily be dismissed, which is fair enough, but for someone in my position I think it's fair. My comments point out that to most people on here it probably is "junk".

In my eyes if it saves me 30 hours of stock prep, then it's cost me about a fiver an hour to keep my anxiety at bay AND allow me to get on with making things out of wood rather than making pieces of wood flat(ish).

 

[transatlantic]

I didn't need to look for light under the straight edge, I could visibly see the error.

Anyway, either you got lucky, or I got unlucky, but the reviews of the Sliverline version (looks to be pretty much the same machine) seem to agree with what I have been saying.

No point in reading Rutlands reviews....

 

[Kevin mc veigh]

I did consider the Metabo - but I have a triton thicknesser and would rather spend on a dedicated jointer.
I find it strange there are no quality small jointers similar to Cutech and Grizzly available in the UK?

Since you have the Triton thicknesser then the Metabo could be used in jointer only mode ... as I do. The Metabo is a very good jointed in my opinion . It’s reasonably quiet too .

 

[Kevin mc veigh]

Since you have the Triton thicknesser then the Metabo could be used in jointer only mode ... as I do. The Metabo is a very good jointer in my opinion . It’s reasonably quiet too .

 

[billw]

I didn't need to look for light under the straight edge, I could visibly see the error.

Anyway, either you got lucky, or I got unlucky, but the reviews of the Sliverline version (looks to be pretty much the same machine) seem to agree with what I have been saying.

No point in reading Rutlands reviews....

Silverline version looks identical , in which case 50% of the Amazon reviews are 5*, 18% are 1* and some of those are valid and some are just useless gripes.

Like I said, for what it is and the money it costs it does a job and the job it does will, for some people, suffice.

 

[MikeG.]

Since you have the Triton thicknesser then the Metabo could be used in jointer only mode ... as I do....

Planer mode, you mean, I presume.