Delta 22-560 portable thicknesser

[CYC]

Hey Noely,
Could you tell us how you find the Delta thicknesser, I don't know if you ever owned or used any other similar thicknesser but how does it compare?
How are the blades on the Delta 22-560, how many?
Are they resharpenable or they are disposable?
Any comment would be appreciated :wink:

 

[Noel]

Hi CYC,

I used the DeWally 733 and to be honest there is very little difference between the two. Only thing I didn't like on the yella one was the cutter head lock. Much easier with a side lever on the Delta. Price was also a factor. At the time of purchase (about 2 years ago) the Delta was at least £100 cheaper. Can't recall if the dust hood came with the 733, it was standard on the 560.
The Delta was spot on (no bother!) out of the box, no snipe if you're not too greedy on the cut, as noisey as any other thicknesser. Great finish on stock and good chip removal with a 4" extraction hose.
Two knives, disposable, and still on the first edge.
On the US market the Delta and the DeWalt have now been replaced by the 2 speed Delta and the 734 / 735 (3 blade cutter, auto head lock)series. Maybe sometime, if ever, these models may reach these shores.

Any other Qs, just ask.

Rgds

Noel

 

[Noel]

CYC,

I think Andy King did a group test of portable thicknessers in '02 in GWW. If you want I can send you down a copy.

Rgds

Noel

 

[CYC]

Thank you Noely. Very good information I needed.
In dublin McQuillans sells the Delta (although I have to double check the model) for €445, cheaper than the DW 733 at €470.
It appears to have all the requirements I would be looking for, including the disposable blades and accurate setup.
I am not sure the extractor hoods are included, what do they look like?

Thanks

 

[Noel]

I'll send the GWW group test down to you.

Rgds

Noel

 

[Noel]

Also have a gleek at:
http://www.epinions.com/
Put in DW733 and 22-560 to get further info.

Rgds

Noel

 

[RogerS]

I'm a little confused as reviews on epinions only refer to this as a planer. I'm looking for a planer/thicknesser. Is the 22-560 such a beast?

Am I correct in saying that the 22-565 is the same machine as the 22-560 but comes with a stand?

Last question I have concerns length of infeed and outfeed tables. In the Collins Guide to Woodworking they recommend that these should be at least 1m but looking at the Delta they look nothing like this length. Is this a problem?

Bit new to power planing and thicknessing

 

[Noel]

Hi Rsinden,

The Delta 22-560 is a thicknesser in UK parlance. In US parlance it's a planer. To confuse the issue further a planer in the UK is called a jointer in the States. then, of course, there planer / thicknesser combination models available too. These are very popular in the UK & Europe. Seems simple enough..........

The 22-565 is a 560 with the stand.
1m infeed / outfeed supports? I've only seen such sizes on 3 phase industrial machines. Bear in mind that most of these "lunch box" thicknessers are designed to be portable.

Rgds

Noel

 

[Neil]

Part of the problem you are having is that the Americans call them different names to us, so we have:

UK Planer = US Jointer
UK Thicknesser = US Thickness planer

And then you have the combination machines, called Planer-Thicknessers here - I think this is what you are after. This includes machines like the Scheppach HMS260, Electra-Beckum HC260M and the Kity 1647.

It is the Planer part where the length of the beds is so essential.

The Delta is a thicknesser only, and for thicknessing the length of the beds is not so important, as it is really there just to support the wood. All of the non-industrial thicknessers have bed lengths of less than 1 metre.

Sorry I don't know about the difference between the 22-565 and the 22-560, but it sounds like you are not looking for one of these anyway...

I'm sure someone else will clear this up better than I have, but I hope this helps! Check out the review of the Scheppach HMS260 in the Reviews section if you like - I think this is what you are looking for.

Cheers,

NeilCFD

 

[Noel]

This is a thicknesser
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=CT330
This is a planer / jointer
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=CT150
And this is a planer / thicknesser combination machine
http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=AW106PT

Rgds

Noel

 

[Neil]

Thanks Noely, why didn't I think of that?

Let the pictures do the talking...

NeilCFD

 

[Neil]

Noely,

I saw in the review which you sent to CYC that the Delta has polyurethane feed rollers, which I haven't seen on any other thicknessers. How have you found these? Any thoughts on whether they are better/worse or make no difference compared to the rubber rollers on some of the other thicknessers?

Thanks for your help!

NeilCFD

 

[RogerS]

Excellent! Many thanks to you all for the clarification and pointers. Great website!

Roger

 

[Noel]

Hey Neil,

Hope you had broadband for the test CYC sent you............

Yes, nice rollers. I think alot of planers use metal infeed and rubber outfeed. Prolly not much difference between the rubber and the polyurathane other than the rubber may perish / harden through time. On soft woods certainly no chance of indentations which I've seen on metal rollered machines.
If I had to buy again I'd still go Delta with the Dewally a close second. Not a lot of difference except two points: Delta more user friendly, especially use of cutter head lock, Delta has disposable blades (Dewally has resharpy jobs). Two minor plus points for the 733 are: depth turret (similar to a router) and the little thing that indicates depth of cut.
Rgds

Noel

 

[RogerS]

The Axminster thicknesser looks very similar to the Delta and other thicknessers. Is this because form follows function or that they share common parts inside?

One other question..what is the smallest piece of wood I can expect to plane/thickness?

 

[Noel]

Can't comment on others but the Delta will plane down to 5mm and lenght wise about 12". Any shorter, or indeed thinner, use a false bed.

Rgds

Noel

 

[Neil]

Hi Noely,

No broadband, but I do have unmetered dial-up so it was fine :lol:

I think you've managed to sell the Delta to both myself and CYC - it really does sound like a great machine at a great price. The only other thicknesser I'm considering is the Makita, but it is a lot more expensive, and the extraction hood and stand are extras :roll:

Thanks for all your help and the review - very useful!

NeilCFD

 

[RogerS]

Hi Neil

I was wondering whether you'd considered the Axminster planer/thicnesser since for a couple of hundred (!!) pounds extra one gets a planer as well. Or do you already have a planer?

Roger

 

[Neil]

Hi Roger,

Well, I certainly would consider the Axminster planer/thicknesser (you do mean the AW106PT, don't you?) but seeing as I live in Ireland, it isn't really an option. Axminster will deliver up to 100kg to Ireland for a flat £10 fee, but items over 100kg are by arrangement. The AW106PT weighs in at an impressive 150kg, and I haven't even bothered to ask how much it will cost for shipping as I know it will be a huge cost for something that heavy.

I'm also pretty set on having a separate planer and thicknesser, and I'm almost certainly going to go for the Axminster CT150 planer @ £400 (and 80kgs so only £10 for delivery ) and the Delta thicknesser at a little under £300 when bought in Euros in Ireland. So the total is only £100 more than the combined machine, before adding the delivery costs.

The main reasons that I want to go for separates are that there is no changeover time between modes, and I prefer the cast-iron fence on the CT150 planer to the aluminium extrusions used on the AW106PT, Scheppach and Electra-Beckum. Also I think the planer beds are slightly longer than those of the combo machines, although I might be wrong on this. The main disadvantage to the separate machines is that the planer has only a 6" planing width, whereas the combo machines have 10" (or in some cases, 12") but this isn't a big deal for me as I would rather rip down to 6" widths anyway - for wider panels I can join the 6" widths together, alternating the growth rings to avoid cupping. Also the dedicated thicknessers have brush motors and so they are very noisy - not a problem for me living in the middle of nowhere, but it may be an important consideration for you.

The big separates vs. combined planer thicknesser debate is a difficult one. Most people on the forum have gone down the combo route (see the Forum users' planers & thicknessers thread if you haven't already...) but I think there are a few forum members who are going down the separates route in the near future. For example I believe that our esteemed host, Charley, is going for a Jet 54A (Axminster CT150DL) planer and an Axminster CT330 thicknesser.

Not an easy decision, but there are plenty of people on the forum who know a lot more than I do about this and I'm sure they will chip in if you have any queries!

Regards,

NeilCFD

 

[Noel]

Roger,

Take your point regarding the Ax combination unit. Appears to be a well specified machine. When I was considering the purchase of a thicknesser I obviously looked at the various combination units that were on the market but one particular aspect influenced my decision - the fact that with a "2 in 1" unit you had to adjust settings when switching from one mode to the other. Now, it may be an indication of how my brain functions (moot point, I know) but on a long and evolving project it just sounded like too much hassle to try and reset a particular setting if I have a rethink, make a mistake etc. Plus the fact that two years ago there wasn't anything at a comfortable price point that satisfied my needs.
As I've mentioned before I'd go the same route again and there does seem to be a perceived acceptance that dedicated, stand alone machinery is far more adaptable regarding use, storage etc.
A further point that influenced my decision on the two thicknessers (Delta and Dewalt) was the practically bottomless pit of user information that was available from US websites and WW forums.

Rgds

Noel