Dedicated thicknesser advice

waenfelys · 23 Nov 2010

Hi

I've seen that this has been discussed before, but I was wondering if somebody could offer a bit of advice on a dedicated thicknesser.

I've been looking at the DW733 (£375), Jet JPM-13(£800), and Axminster TH410 (£790).

Space isn't an issue. It looks like the TH410 has a fairly small table which puts me off a little. The Jet has a larger capacity than the DW (330mm compared to 317mm) but surely that alone doesn't justify paying double?

Whilst I'm at it (and only for the future!) - can anybody recommend a good quality dedicated 8" planer? I like the look of the Jet 60A but it's not cheap at £1K. Worth the money or are there better value alternatives around?

Thanks!

Peter T · 23 Nov 2010

waenfelys":hu7uykpn said:
Hi

I've seen that this has been discussed before, but I was wondering if somebody could offer a bit of advice on a dedicated thicknesser.

I've been looking at the DW733 (£375), Jet JPM-13(£800), and Axminster TH410 (£790).

Space isn't an issue. It looks like the TH410 has a fairly small table which puts me off a little. The Jet has a larger capacity than the DW (330mm compared to 317mm) but surely that alone doesn't justify paying double?

Whilst I'm at it (and only for the future!) - can anybody recommend a good quality dedicated 8" planer? I like the look of the Jet 60A but it's not cheap at £1K. Worth the money or are there better value alternatives around?

Thanks!

I had a DW733 for a number of years. It's a very good unit and I can recommend it.

A point to watch is that these units tend to be quite noisy! For me that was a problem and I sold mine and bought an Axminster PT106 which doesn't have the same capacity but is a lot quieter.

Nick. · 23 Nov 2010

Peter T":hrjv5bwn said:
waenfelys":hrjv5bwn said:

A point to watch is that these units tend to be quite noisy! For me that was a problem and I sold mine and bought an Axminster PT106 which doesn't have the same capacity but is a lot quieter.

Click to expand...

Hi all - JPM13 has an induction motor, so a lot quieter than benchtop brush motor units.

Also designed for heavier duty/accurate work... yep I better stop before I get accused of advertising

OPJ · 23 Nov 2010

Keep an eye on eBay for surface planers - recently, there have been a few 9in and 10in machines (Multico, Daltons and Wadkin) going for <£300 - would've tried to get one myself, if only I'd been able to find a decent courier quote in time.

You don't see many thicknessers on eBay - well, they're either the "portable", loud universal brush motor types (DeWalt, Makita, etc.) or, at the other end, you're looking at paying £2,500+ for an old piece of Wadkin engineering, three-phase as well. Very occasionally, you'll see single phase Multico thicknessers selling for less than £500 but, don't hold your breath!

Your best solution may be to buy a combined planer-thicknesser (like the AW106PT, for example) and removed the feed tables; essentially giving you a floor-standing thicknesser with low-noise and a reasonable price.

I've never understood why it is that you can buy a 10in planer-thicknesser (new) for around £600 yet, stand-alone thicknessers (with induction motors) start at around £800 and, for an 8in planer, you're looking at a minimum of £1,000 brand new...?! :duno: I'm not trying to suggest that the Jet machines are over-priced or anything; far from it.

If I had the space, I'd buy a large planer off eBay and use my AW106PT as a thicknesser only, as I described above. While all planing machines make considerable noise while they're cutting (under load), the noise those "site" thicknessers make while simply running is horrendous, if you haven't heard one before - it's somewhere between a loud vacuum and low-flying aircraft...!

waenfelys · 25 Nov 2010

Thanks all

I like the idea of a sturdy old planer, although it will have to be single phase - will keep looking.

I also think I'll shy away from the 'noisy' thicknessers. I've got ear defenders but the dog hasn't!