In your opinion what's the better P/T - the iTech or Axminster?

[Doug B]

The problem with old machinery is it was designed with no or very little thought for dust extraction.
I had 4 Wadkin machines at one time, comparing the workshop now with its modern machinery designed for extraction & how it used to be with all the dust from the old machines is like comparing chalk & cheese, I’ve never regretted getting rid of the Wadkins.

 

[Doug B]

I'm going to copy that Doug..

I have an A3 31 with the same analogue thickness gauge on it and the only thing about the machine that has bugged me is manually winding the thickness table up & down when swooping between modes.

Copy away, the only thing I’d add as a safety precaution (a bit belt & braces) is I set the clutch on the drill to the minimum setting that still allows the hand wheel to be turned.
That way if for some reason the rise & fall mechanism jammed the clutch would cut in avoiding any possible damage.

 

[TRITON]

In many instances this is not so; either the worn components can be replaced with standard, off the shelf, mechanical components, or in the case of something like a fence, can be substituted with a modern alternative.

For example, I changed some worn components of a Startrite ta 275 rise and fall mechanism with parts from RS, for about £30.

I substituted aftermarket fences from Axminster and from Scott & Sargent, at less than the cost of replacement parts for the old fences, and an upgrade in performance.

In both cases, the machines increased in value significantly. I know this because I sold them!

Yes, some old machines are wrecks, and a labour of love to restore. Often that labour has fantastic results! But for those whose main focus is working wood, as opposed to restoring machinery, something requiring less work is more appropriate.

But let’s be realistic; the significant majority of posts that I read about new machines (not on the scale where they’re delivered and commissioned by a tech) contain accounts assembling the machine, of niggling issues, modifications and often, moving on to something more robust. So a realistically, new machines do demand time, effort and skill to get installed and running at their best, just like an old machine.

Thats all well and good, though unless you deliberately bought the machine with the intention of doing it up, though i think not because until its dismantled, you've no idea what parts you need, where you'd get them and the cost.

So I think the OP is just after a machine to plane his timber, not a vast engineering project

 

[heimlaga]

The problem with old machinery is it was designed with no or very little thought for dust extraction.
I had 4 Wadkin machines at one time, comparing the workshop now with its modern machinery designed for extraction & how it used to be with all the dust from the old machines is like comparing chalk & cheese, I’ve never regretted getting rid of the Wadkins.

All my statioary machines are elderly or old industrial machines. Between 1910 and 1985. It has not been that difficult to upgrade the dust collection.

 

[Hornbeam]

I know its a lot more but I would seriously consider the Hammer models. Much better built/quality and when you factor in resale value better value in the long run. I looked at all 3 when I bought mine 3 years ago and very happy with the conclusion. I havent used the I tech but the Axminster is a much cheaper build. Chip extraction is excellent

 

[Doug B]

All my statioary machines are elderly or old industrial machines. Between 1910 and 1985. It has not been that difficult to upgrade the dust collection.

Dont get me wrong I did try & had some success especially with the spindle moulder but the surface planer & table saw I was never happy with, there was always spillage no matter what I tried as extraction hadn’t entered into the design of them.
The machines I upgraded to provided for excellent extraction straight out of the box & to me that’s the most important thing, I only have one pair & lungs & have known too many who have parted this world due to lung disease.

 

[deema]

I think we are moving into a debate about extraction which is a bit of a rabbit hole. All machines are hopeless at extracting the dangerous stuff. So, if you see shavings going up the chute / not collecting around your machine you may feel a sense of well being. Well, that’s a falsey. you don’t breath in shavings ie the stuff you see, you breath in the microscopic stuff that floats in the air, the haze in the air is the suspended dangerous stuff. If you have an air filter in your workshop, you will be surprised by how filthy it gets with the ‘most advanced dust extraction machines’ running. This is the stuff that causes lung issues. So, old or new, extraction may reduce the amount of sweep up you need to do, but you still need a mask with either.

 

[Chip Off the Old Block]

Neither! For that money you can buy a lovely secondhand machine, industrial quality that will maintain / increase in value and not add to more landfill,

I would be interested to hear which models and where to look please

 

[deema]

For modern machines I’d be looking at Sedgwick, Hammer, SCM, and for older machines Wadkin and Dominion. Auction sites and Marketpkace are good places to look.

There is a 10” Sedgwick PT 240v on this forum in the for sale section at £950 for instance.

 

[clogs]

MR,CoBlock.....
also have a look at homeworkshop.org.....it a UK based site....
it's a forum selling to the hobbyist of both metal and wood working machines....even parts off......
I've also done well with facebook market place.....

 

[Oaktree11]

Well, for what it’s worth I have a Axminster AP310SPT which I bought secondhand when it was a year old. For me, the spiral cutter head has been fantastic. I reclaim a lot of the wood I use and this machine has undoubtedly been abused by me but has come out on top.
You will hear criticism of having to lift the tables to change fromplaning to thicknessing. So what? It takes less than a minute. Get real. Yes there are machines that are easier to change over (I think the Itech may be one - both tables lift at once?) Not sure but if that’s important to you look at it, but for me a minute of my time isn’t too critical.
The one gripe I have with the machine is that when I got it it was horribly out of adjustment. The infeed and outfeed tables were all over the place. Adjusting it was a nightmare and much more complicated than it needs to be. Once it’s done it’s done and is not hard to maintain but mine was awful. Not the machine’s fault, I think the previous owner had fiddled.
I would buy another and I would recommend the machine but at the end of the day it’s up to the individual