Dummy questions about thicknessers

[Fromey]

OK, following this path, can anyone recommend a good electric hand planer?

They are all c\rap, suitable for rough work only.

Understood. I just want something to clean up the rough boards and help speed up getting them true and near to thickness. I can then finesse it using hand tools. At least that's the theory...

 

[RogerS]

OK, following this path, can anyone recommend a good electric hand planer?

I would make sure that you got one with a retractable guard. That means you can stick it down on the bench while the motor and blades are running down. I used to have a DIY Bosch that died. Then I bought a cheapie for site work....exactly the type of use you are looking to use yours for..and it didn't have a guard and what a pain in the ar*e.

Nothing wrong with a decent electric planer at all. There are some very good ones out there.

 

[Fromey]

Thanks Roger. The Stanley FlatMax planer has a little flip up stand that seems to be the deal. I've seen one in Homebase and it looks to be quite a reasonable build. Also comes with two knives that are reversible. I seriously think I might give it a go. If it's not suitable, I can always sell it for some recoup. If it's good, then I've saved myself some sweat and time. Plus, I can use it for rough outdoors work that I reserve my Faithful No. 4 for.

 

[Graham Orm]

I've also had a Bosch for about 25 years and use it regularly for work. When the blades are new (and they're only cheap), it's a great tool. It used to have a little drop down gadget that stopped the blades catching, but it snapped off and got lost ages ago. Not a problem easy to rest it on a bit of scrap until it stops.

 

[AndyT]

I've just had an email from Axminster offering the Makita KP0800 Planer (wider blades, trade tool) at £94.96 instead of £139.96 which might be interesting if you want something decent rather than flimsy.

 

[Fromey]

Thanks Andy. Yes, that e-mail just popped into my in-box as well. Although not explicitly stated anywhere, it looks like the Makita has two blades as well, so is a viable option. I've picked up the Stanley in my local Homebase and it's quite weighty and well made, not flimsy at all. To it's advantage the Stanley is 750W whereas the Makita is 620W and the Stanley allows ejection from the left which suits my set-up better and it comes with a side fence (not that I'm likely to use it) and a dust collecting bag.

Hmmmm, Makita, Stanley? Makita, Stanley? Makita, Stanley?

 

[eribaMotters]

I can recommend the Makita if its as good as the cheaper and lighter [now long since updated] 1901. I bought one about 20 years when I had to make and fit a couple of bay windows for the late mother in law. I wanted something to plane the bows out of the larger sawn stuff I was using before going onto the planer thicknesser, and also start shooting in the casements. I wanted and got a good quality yet lightweight single handed planer.

Colin

 

[Graham Orm]

Thanks Andy. Yes, that e-mail just popped into my in-box as well. Although not explicitly stated anywhere, it looks like the Makita has two blades as well, so is a viable option. I've picked up the Stanley in my local Homebase and it's quite weighty and well made, not flimsy at all. To it's advantage the Stanley is 750W whereas the Makita is 620W and the Stanley allows ejection from the left which suits my set-up better and it comes with a side fence (not that I'm likely to use it) and a dust collecting bag.

Hmmmm, Makita, Stanley? Makita, Stanley? Makita, Stanley?

Whatever you do don't buy from HomeBase or B&Q. Have a look online there's always somewhere much cheaper. Regarding ejection, my old Bosch can eject the chips either side by twisting the outlet half a turn.

 

[Dangermouse]

In my humble opinion, if you want to take out a cup or bow in a piece of board, the only machine that can do that without an immense amount of faffing around is a planer. A thicknesser does just that, after you have got the board true it takes it down to size. So go for a small planer lots on ebay, old and new.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DRAPER-Bench- ... 3ccccdbf85

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Metabo-ADH162 ... 4d08abfe37

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kity-Planer-T ... 1e768333e9

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Planer-Thickn ... 19d833cf56

Just a few available on ebay at the moment.

 

[Graham Orm]

Or what about a bench top planer? I have one like this. Width is limited, but so is your workshop. Mine works fine. I know that the primary purpose of this is to square the stock up, but at the end of the day it's a planer and if you treat the open blades with respect will work perfectly well as a thicknesser. A bigger one is top of my wish list.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DRAPER-78...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item231d945d08

 

[Jacob]

Just re-reading, I hadn't spotted this; if I rip a 1" thick plank into two, there is a lot of cupping that results from the change in tension (perhaps I shouldn't be ripping a board down the middle and trying to get two out of one;

What is the finished thickness you want? There are various strategies for getting just that, the basic one being to start with a sawn size from 6mm over-sized in width and thickness, more for longer boards.
Your 25mm sawn board split will give you about 11mm sawn (after losing the kerf) and you will then expect to lose 6mm in the planing to leave 2 @ 5mm finished thickness or a bit more.
But if you want say 10mm finished you would be very lucky to get that from both pieces of a 25mm board split down the middle . Not impossible, but unlikely.
And what are you making, what wood, and what tools?

 

[AndyT]

In my humble opinion, if you want to take out a cup or bow in a piece of board, the only machine that can do that without an immense amount of faffing around is a planer. A thicknesser does just that, after you have got the board true it takes it down to size. So go for a small planer lots on ebay, old and new.

Hi DM, I'm sure what you say is true, and I've thought hard about the question myself, but what Fromey wants is something he can use in his small shed - which is already full. For my occasional use, I can clear the shavings from a power planer with my workshop vac - which is an essential item everyone must find room for. But for any of the sort of p/t machines you talk about, wouldn't it be necessary to have an extractor as well - a sizeable machine in its own right, with a 3 or 4 inch hose? Is it practical to run even a little benchtop model without extraction to keep the chips off the bed?

 

[mickthetree]

Don't under estimate the noise produced by a small portable thicknesser. You need to factor in some hearing protection and extraction if using one. If no extractor then a good face mask especially as you will be using it in a confined space like a shed. It will make a lot of shavings.

I use a DW733 in my shed and it gives great results.

Us amateurs may well rip down stock to get the most out of offcuts etc. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not. As others have said, you can sometimes pull a bowed board back by planing the convex face and leaving it to settle. I've used this to great effect many times. Careful ripping on a well tuned bandsaw can realise some very useful material.

I'm sure Jacob's rules of thumb are right and allow for error, bowing, cupping etc, but I've had two 9-10mm boards out of a 25mm board recently. Having said that I often use of reclaimed wood that has been stable for many years.

I tried doing everything with hand tools and certainly learnt a lot, but a planer (Axi CT150) and a thicknesser have increased my work rate ten fold, leaving me much more time to spend on joints and aesthetics.

HTH

 

[Dangermouse]

In my humble opinion, if you want to take out a cup or bow in a piece of board, the only machine that can do that without an immense amount of faffing around is a planer. A thicknesser does just that, after you have got the board true it takes it down to size. So go for a small planer lots on ebay, old and new.

Hi DM, I'm sure what you say is true, and I've thought hard about the question myself, but what Fromey wants is something he can use in his small shed - which is already full. For my occasional use, I can clear the shavings from a power planer with my workshop vac - which is an essential item everyone must find room for. But for any of the sort of p/t machines you talk about, wouldn't it be necessary to have an extractor as well - a sizeable machine in its own right, with a 3 or 4 inch hose? Is it practical to run even a little benchtop model without extraction to keep the chips off the bed?

For the dust a full face mask would be neccessary, as to the chippings, you would have to clean up at short intervals, say after every side was planed.

 

[RogerS]

In my humble opinion, if you want to take out a cup or bow in a piece of board, the only machine that can do that without an immense amount of faffing around is a planer. A thicknesser does just that, after you have got the board true it takes it down to size. So go for a small planer lots on ebay, old and new.

Hi DM, I'm sure what you say is true, and I've thought hard about the question myself, but what Fromey wants is something he can use in his small shed - which is already full. For my occasional use, I can clear the shavings from a power planer with my workshop vac - which is an essential item everyone must find room for. But for any of the sort of p/t machines you talk about, wouldn't it be necessary to have an extractor as well - a sizeable machine in its own right, with a 3 or 4 inch hose? Is it practical to run even a little benchtop model without extraction to keep the chips off the bed?

No you don;t need one. I got by with an Earlex Wet'n'dry vacuum for a long time. That was using the Axminster CT150 which is cracking planer for it's size.

One thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned is the use of mobile bases in a small workshop/shed. They can get around the space problem.