Equiping a new workshop

[Yettiman]

Hi,

I know it has been asked before but machines change so I thought it would be ok to ask again.

I have been saving up for a Hammer C3 and will be ready in time for the Oct show. But would I be better off going for separates?

If so, what are yout thoughts? I am a hobbiest, but want a machine /s that will not only last but are accurate and do not require an engineering degree to keep them that way. I have a 20' x 12' workroom, just being built.

Thanks for any advice given

 

[p111dom]

I depends really what tool layout you could achieve with your space. When I started out I obsessed about getting a Kity Combi 2000 and only didn't because I didn't have the cash at the time. I ended up going for independent tools when I found they cheaply second hand which was a happy accident. My previous house had a garage which was around 8 feet wide by 22 feet long. My first saw was a Kity 419 which seemed small when I bought it but when in place I realised that I wouldn't have wanted anything bigger. After drawing a scale plan of the garage and drawing a to scale a picture of the combi 2000 I realised that it was lucky I hadn't bought it as while it would have fitted in there would have been very little space around it and the Kity combi is quite small for a combi machine. These days having to set up a machine from one configuration to another is a big frustration. My planer thicknesser requires me to remove the fence and the outfeed table and reconfigure the dust hose which doesn't sound like a big deal but when you want to switch from jointer to thicknesser and back several times it's a real pain. Machines like the Jet PT-310 make it quicker and easier and I would plumb for one just for it's capacity but the change over would still annoy me which is why I've just bought a seperate jointer. High end combi machines like the Hammer are excellent quality but they still require the removal of fences, reduce your overall capacities like ripping width and are very expensive. I would say you would need 3 feet minimum on the planer side for standing and manoevering boards and if it has a sliding table you'll need around 4 feet min from the blade to the left hand side plus walk around space of say 3 feet. Total width I would say would be around 13 feet min. As for length of space, I'm forever ripping down 8 foot long sheets of MDF and my wood supplier tends to have rough boards which are 10 feet long. I have to cut them in half to get them in the car so I'm still regularly running 5 to 6 foot boards through the saw to remove the waney edge. So that's say 6 feet infront and 6 behind the blade plus satnding room infront and behind of 3 feet each end, total 18 feet min. I think you could just about manage it with the space you have but it would dominate your whole shop. I presume it's very heavy so ask yourself could it be wheel mounted and moved around? Where would I put other kit, drill press, mitre saw, bench etc? Where would I store wood? My shop I would say is slightly larger than your average hobbyists but I still had to think very carefully about where to out everything so when in use the machines didn't get in eachothers way. I have a jet super saw which is a good piece of kit but I still get frustrated having to screw the fence onto the sliding table. Ripping, crosscutting, ripping, crosscutting the change over drives me mad and thats a reletivley minor change over. A combi machine would send me barking. :twisted:

 

[andycorleone]

I was amazed about the build quality and performace of the Hammer Combi In my opinion lot better than most Jet, Scheppach or Record Power separates. is a shame than since May they are about 15% more expensive. You will enjoy: a scoring Blade, 310 P/T Capacity, very nice carriage (Not the same as a Felder but quite good). lot o people don't like combi because the often compare them with the old Records and Metabo (BTW cheap Made and bad quality machines )

 

[ProShop]

I've had Felder combi machines and they are good, and combi machines in general are a good option IMHO, you just have to be organized that's all. It's just a shame Felders customer service is just simply dreadful.

Felder have increased their prices recently 1st May 2008 by a whopping 12%,
in total Felder/Hammer machines and all the accessories & tools have gone up nearly 30% in the last 4yrs alone. :shock: .

Have you thought of part combi's, ie saw/spindle combi and then a planer/ thicknesser combi ?.

However at W8 in Oct is the time to buy one as thats the only time they give the best discounts as they are having to compete with all the other manufacturers at the show. But it's well worth looking at all the other firms there before parting with your hard earned cash .

W8 have joined forces with the Interbuild show, so it should be a good but very long day out





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[Corset]

I have a Hammer B3 saw/spindle and I have only had it about 2 months. I am very happy with it. I have to say that the thicknesser bit adds alot to the width and looks a faff to change about. I think a saw spindle and a separate planer thicknesser is the way to go if you do go down the combi route. Then again that is just my opinion.
In terms of quality I felt it was worth the money but I like anything if you really had to justify it I could say it is a luxury. I am glad I got the 2m table as it doesn't really affect the foot print to much and as I have the foldaway power feeder bit that adds the xtra 60cm or so to the length anyway. In terms of accuracy I cannot fault it yet. Plus i store a lot of stuff under the right hand table so it hasn't affected my space as much as I thought.
Owen

 

[Yettiman]

Many may thanks much appreciate your time and advice.

Lots of thought provoking facts, I think I will just continue with my plan and save like crazy till W8 then see what happens at the show. Meanwhile I might set up a couple of mock ups out of mdf to see how annoying the lost of space will be.
A second question if I may, can a Planner thicknesser be place against a wall permenately i.e can it be used in that position?

if so the spindle saw option might be worth looking into

Thanks again

 

[ProShop]

A second question if I may, can a Planner thicknesser be place against a wall permenately i.e can it be used in that position?

if so the spindle saw option might be worth looking into

Thanks again

essentially yes they can, some machines fit fairly tight up against a wall, some need a bit of space off the wall to allow for the fence mechanism etc to clear when lifting the tables for the thicknessing mode.








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