Does anybody have an axminster AW106pt Planer/thicknesser?
- Thread starter Thallow
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
shockingmoment
Established Member
I looked long and hard at one of these. Lots of very nice features. Good price too. However...
Bought the Record Power PT260 instead. Local dealer, free delivery. Same price ish. The 5 year warantee swayed me. Regret it now. Fence is awful. Move it and you need to set it again with a square.
The Axminster was a lot heavier with more CI (good in many respects) but would mean I'd struggle to move it in my cramped workshop (garage).
In hindsight what would I go for ? .... Axminster and tolerate struggle to move it. Buy the wheel kit perhaps.
Bought the Record Power PT260 instead. Local dealer, free delivery. Same price ish. The 5 year warantee swayed me. Regret it now. Fence is awful. Move it and you need to set it again with a square.
The Axminster was a lot heavier with more CI (good in many respects) but would mean I'd struggle to move it in my cramped workshop (garage).
In hindsight what would I go for ? .... Axminster and tolerate struggle to move it. Buy the wheel kit perhaps.
matthew
Established Member
I had to make the same decision last week, and like you I thought it was strange that not many folk owned this machine and was very close to buying it. However, along with shockingmoment, at the last minute I bailed out went for the EB HC260C. What swayed me:
* Weight - the EB is heavy enough and just didn't want to commit to having such a heavy machine to deal with in my small garage! This was the main reason, I think.
* I was also slightly suspicious of the low power of the Axminster (1100w vs 2200w) but based on other folks' comments perhaps this isn't an issue? Especially as it has 3 knives vs 2.
* Although the resharpenable knives are obviously better in the long run, I don't have a tormek/jig and figured I'd make a real hash of trying to sharpen them - so for now I'm happy with the reversible disposable ones.
* The cast iron tables would be really nice, but I found the addition of the tacky alu fence a bit upsetting. (At least my alu tables and fence are consistently tacky
)
* EB has 3 yrs guarantee, Record has 5... AW106PT is a lot of machine (on my scale, at least) to only have a year guarantee.
* Lots of folk having good things to say about EB & clones but not much info on Axminster. (But what there is is good, so don't let that put you off).
Don't really have anything to compare it to but results seem good. Anyway, see if any of those matter to you - but either way, AW106PT seems a good machine.
HTH, Matthew
* Weight - the EB is heavy enough and just didn't want to commit to having such a heavy machine to deal with in my small garage! This was the main reason, I think.
* I was also slightly suspicious of the low power of the Axminster (1100w vs 2200w) but based on other folks' comments perhaps this isn't an issue? Especially as it has 3 knives vs 2.
* Although the resharpenable knives are obviously better in the long run, I don't have a tormek/jig and figured I'd make a real hash of trying to sharpen them - so for now I'm happy with the reversible disposable ones.
* The cast iron tables would be really nice, but I found the addition of the tacky alu fence a bit upsetting. (At least my alu tables and fence are consistently tacky
)* EB has 3 yrs guarantee, Record has 5... AW106PT is a lot of machine (on my scale, at least) to only have a year guarantee.
* Lots of folk having good things to say about EB & clones but not much info on Axminster. (But what there is is good, so don't let that put you off).
Don't really have anything to compare it to but results seem good. Anyway, see if any of those matter to you - but either way, AW106PT seems a good machine.
HTH, Matthew
Thallow
Established Member
- Joined
- 18 May 2006
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 0
Adam - many thanx there were lots of useful threads (I Hadn't thought to look )
Shockingmoment & Old- hmm i know what you mean it IS a lot of weight - I work outta an old shed which is probably not much bigger than an average garage so Im with you on that one + floor is very lumpy so wheels not really an option I guess :?
Oh no Mathew you have given me another thing to think about :? but having just had a quick look it does look very promising (so thankyou) - i know its only been a week but how have you found it?
Thanks all for the feedback - helps me no end
)Shockingmoment & Old- hmm i know what you mean it IS a lot of weight - I work outta an old shed which is probably not much bigger than an average garage so Im with you on that one + floor is very lumpy so wheels not really an option I guess :?
Oh no Mathew you have given me another thing to think about :? but having just had a quick look it does look very promising (so thankyou) - i know its only been a week but how have you found it?
Thanks all for the feedback - helps me no end
ProShop
Established Member
There's quite a bit posted about this machine on the forum.
It needs a lot of fettling to get it set up properly, but once you've got it sorted it's a very good machine, the hp is not an issue as it's a 3 knife cutter block & gives a better finish than the usual 2 knife imho.
For the money Axminster want for this machine it's good value now, as it was over £600 some time back.
It needs a lot of fettling to get it set up properly, but once you've got it sorted it's a very good machine, the hp is not an issue as it's a 3 knife cutter block & gives a better finish than the usual 2 knife imho.
For the money Axminster want for this machine it's good value now, as it was over £600 some time back.
matthew
Established Member
Thallow":3lf5po4e said:
Used it quite a bit at the weekend and it seems good (although nothing to really compare it to). The tables seem a bit lightweight and the removable outfeed setup seems a bit suspicious at first glance but actually the tables are true and it gives a good finish (the two machines have similar cuts/min despite 2 vs 3 knives). And the fence seems rigid & square despite being just an aluminium section - it stays square when I take it off and put it back on (you need to for thicknessing) but I would definitely check it after changing the angle.
Having said that, I'm sure I would have been very happy with the cast iron and extended thicknessing table of the AW106PT - and sounds like it has more flexible/precise table adjustment. Alas praticality won over - I'm going to need to put more stuff in there (eg table saw, maybe mortiser etc) and wanted more flexibility in moving things around.
Thallow":3lf5po4e said:
Mine too - but I took a tip from another thread here and laid down a T&G chipboard (and painted it white) and now have a much better working environment for relatively little time and cost. Definitely recommended. Mounted my P/T on a chipboard offcut and it slides nicely now - suspect if you did the same the AW106PT would move well on a mobile base of some kind (should be able to rig something up as OLD suggested).
Regards, Matthew
I've got it - very happy with it. It does take initial fettling, but that helped me understand exactly how it all works. Very quiet motor in use, no power problems that I've come across, for 'sane' quantities of stock removal.
It is a heavy blighter. I ended up with my wife reversing a car, with one end of a block and pulley rope tied to the front towing eye, running up to a temporary mount on one of the garage rafters, to get it off the pallet and into position - it comes with lifting eyes screwed into the relevant holes.
You could do it as a two man lift, but the awful temptation is to grab the in/out feed tables - which of course is a big no-no for any P/T...
Once in position though, it's excellent value for money, IMHO. Like any P/T, you will need a proper chip extractor connected to it - they generate chips like they were designed for it...
It is a heavy blighter. I ended up with my wife reversing a car, with one end of a block and pulley rope tied to the front towing eye, running up to a temporary mount on one of the garage rafters, to get it off the pallet and into position - it comes with lifting eyes screwed into the relevant holes.
You could do it as a two man lift, but the awful temptation is to grab the in/out feed tables - which of course is a big no-no for any P/T...
Once in position though, it's excellent value for money, IMHO. Like any P/T, you will need a proper chip extractor connected to it - they generate chips like they were designed for it...
