Lumberjack PT330H-1 vs Axminster AP330ST Thicknesser…

[lski]

Curious if anyone can give me their thoughts on spiral/helical Thicknesser choice..

Am looking between

- Axminster AP330ST (Shinko DH330 / Carbatec TH BX330P on other continents).
- Lumberjack PT330H-1 true Helical thicknesser.

I believe both are brushed motors and 1800kW vs 1500kW


Am curious to know how Lumberjack have seemingly taken a bog standard thicknesser that is probs more or less the same as any Charnwood/Draper/Scheppach/Triton etc and sourced a true helical cutter for it?!

While Jet, Shinko, Axminster etc all now seem to have gone for spiral style cutters as their new products now rather than true helical ones… Presumably this is to hit a price point..


But still, how have Lumberjack managed to come up with a helical one at £100 ish cheaper…

I have obvs seen a good number of posts that say that true helical will probs be a tad better than the Axminster “spiral” cutter..

Interested to know how common sizes of cutter blades for helical spare blades are and if I would be shooting myself in the foot buying Lumberjack.

I also landed on the choice between these 2 as it's also slightly rare to find a 100mm dust outlet as standard. I have a beast of a Axminster Cyclone extractor already and even adapters aren't cheap these days so appreciate a 100mm port being included as standard.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

I’m interested in the lumberjack. Did u find answers to any of your questions above?

 

[RobNichols]

I've had my Lumberjack PT330H-1 for a couple of months now and I'm really pleased with it. I believe the cutters are "standard" square carbide cutters.

 

[TRITON]

I've had my Lumberjack PT330H-1 for a couple of months now and I'm really pleased with it. I believe the cutters are "standard" square carbide cutters.

Does it have a cutter block lock ? I cant find anything about that in the description.
The Ax has one and I'd rather pay 100 quid extra, than not have it.

Curious if anyone can give me their thoughts on spiral/helical Thicknesser choice..

Am looking between

- Axminster AP330ST (Shinko DH330 / Carbatec TH BX330P on other continents).
- Lumberjack PT330H-1 true Helical thicknesser.

I believe both are brushed motors and 1800kW vs 1500kW


Am curious to know how Lumberjack have seemingly taken a bog standard thicknesser that is probs more or less the same as any Charnwood/Draper/Scheppach/Triton etc and sourced a true helical cutter for it?!

While Jet, Shinko, Axminster etc all now seem to have gone for spiral style cutters as their new products now rather than true helical ones… Presumably this is to hit a price point..


But still, how have Lumberjack managed to come up with a helical one at £100 ish cheaper…

I have obvs seen a good number of posts that say that true helical will probs be a tad better than the Axminster “spiral” cutter..

Interested to know how common sizes of cutter blades for helical spare blades are and if I would be shooting myself in the foot buying Lumberjack.

I also landed on the choice between these 2 as it's also slightly rare to find a 100mm dust outlet as standard. I have a beast of a Axminster Cyclone extractor already and even adapters aren't cheap these days so appreciate a 100mm port being included as standard.

With you on the 100mm hose size, especially on a thicknesser as the volume of chippings is really high, too high for 63mm.

I have no doubt the lumberjack is a more than capable machine, but personally I'd prefer the bigger hose and the lock.

-------------------

Related/unrelated to either machine -

Another thing that i dont know the answer of in the case of the Ax is, is the bolts holding in the cutters the same as the lumberjack ? as in the lumberjack are standard hex allen key, and I've been repairing bikes for decades and they always have allen key(until recently*) which chew easily.

A chewed allen key fitting will have to be drilled off, because there is no other way you are going to get it out.
Anyone buys either, check what the bolts are and if they are allen key, then swop them out and get torx* fittings instead
Torx are way better if the bolt is tight or even to some degree seized in. An allen bolt will chew whereas the torx will not, especially if you need to apply a lot of torque to do or undo one.
Even tightening, knowing myself how easy allen key fittings chew, i would be scared to apply too much torque, and fast spinning blades will need a fair amount of torque just to be safe.

Every time you do or undo an allen bolt, the head is worn a little, and even slight wear and the key will slip, usually chewing the rest of it because if only one of the hex edges are damaged, it is f*****d and you wont get it out without a drill as the entire system of allen key design has become compromised

 

[Mike Fletcher]

Sheartack from Canada make helical cutters for a range of planners and thicknessers. They are not cheap, but the difference compared to a straight blade is obvious the first time you use it. And, they all have torx fasteners.

 

[RobNichols]

Does it have a cutter block lock ? I cant find anything about that in the description.
The Ax has one and I'd rather pay 100 quid extra, than not have it.


With you on the 100mm hose size, especially on a thicknesser as the volume of chippings is really high, too high for 63mm.

No. It does not have a cutter block lock. I've not used a thicknesser with a block lock so can't comment on how much that would be an improvement. It looks to have four pillars (one at each corner) that the block rides up and down on, and then two central screws (one each side) that move the block up and down. It seems to be a solid arrangement and there is no apparent movement issue in operation..

I use standard 32mm vacuum hoses from my two motor CamVac to the thicknesser via a Dust Commander cyclone. That arrangement seems to cope well with the chips. There seems a less debris left over after a timber processing session than I got with my previous Charnwood Worktop Planner/Thicknesser (though most of the chip build up with the Charnwood was due to poor design of some of dust porting which has many corners and spaces where chips collect). I think that's mainly because the chips produced by the helical head cutters are smaller than those of a long bladed cutter and easily vacuumed. Also the chip pathway away from the cutter block is short.

When I first got the Charnwood I thought I'd need to upgrade my dust collection system and the CamVac/Dust commander combination wouldn't be able to cope. To my surprise it coped very well, and I haven't felt the need to upgrade.

The main dust collection issue I have is how fast the cyclone bin fills, and I quite often find I need to empty the bin a couple of times during a thinknessing session.

I am sure I could improve the dust collection, but in a small workshop I just can't justify the space and cost of upgrading when I have a system that works well enough for my needs.