Modern Planer/thicknessers

[Pecker]

Afternoon all.

Firstly thank you everyone for such a great and informative site.

I'm a chippy, with a borrowed workshop that includes a very old (20year) maxi26 that is on it's last legs. I am considering buying a new p/t, but after spending hours (days and weeks according to 'Er Indoors) I'm ow in more of a quandary then ever.

In "my day" P/T s were wadins/sedgewick/ startrite etc. and ruddy heavy great cast things that hurt when you bumped into them.

Are the modern ones on legs like the E/B 260, SIP etc really any good for general joinery use? In a general carpentry shop? I am thinking a bout a Scheppach hms260 off ebay at the moment.

We can make anything from a 12ft field gate, to a bookcase to a porch over the course of a year. It's not every day use, but occasionally quite demanding. I'm also looking at moving into some furniture

Neither my collegue nor I are true joiners, (Ironically I'm the qualified chippy and somewhat dislike joinery, and Tony has no qualifications and is fab at joinery!) But we do take great care in our work and want to turn out the best we can on what at the moment is a very limited budget.

I was thinking of a large Jet or larger Scheppack but at about £1800 it's too much hence the question about the £400 - £500 bracket.

Incidently thank you (neil?) for the poll about which machines you use. Put me down as a Maxi will you!

Kind regards, Mark
PS Mark W if you're reading this, I'm a Mark W Too

 

[mailee]

Hi Mark and welcome. I would give my right arm for a Schappach 260. At the moment I am using an SIP portable thicknesser and it is crap. I have a cast jointer so really need a good thicknesser. I used to own an Electra Beckum HC260 planer thicknesser and it was a great little machine, sorry now I got rid of it. hope this is of some help. I am sure there are many of the guys on here who will enlighten you on the other makes of machine they use. :wink:

 

[Pecker]

Hi Mailee, thank you for your comments. I do actually have a small 6" SIP jointer, but I want a tru combo machine for space reasons. I'm lucky in that I do borrow a small Industrial unit, but it is still not big with all of an old friends stuff in it (It is actually 500 sq ft, but crammed to the gunnels with olf furniture and wood that I cannot dispose of).

I probably wont get the scheppach as it will probably go for a fair bit, but I'll keep hoping!

Mark

 

[paulm]

Hi Mark,

I also have the E/B260 and have used it for two to three years now, although only light diy/workshop use, but find it's good for everything you could ask of it.

Typical German quality (ie good!), the motor seems really powerful and copes with everything without complaint.

Think the current models have the thicknesser rise and fall handle and the on/off switch in a much better location than the older ones too

The fence is adequate rather than great, but I don't think you get better at this price range.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Mark

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Chris Knight]

Mark,
Quite a few of us round here have the Scheppach 260. I have had mine ten years now and it performs as well as it did when new, despite having been pushed very hard on occasions.

 

[Shady]

Hi Mark - welcome.

Don't know about the 260 - looks super though. Just a thought: the Axminster job is not often mentioned, but mine performs very well:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/1/product-Axminster-AW106PT-Planer-Thicknesser-21361.htm

You mentioned a tight budget: its a bit cheaper... It's also got a 3 knife cutter block (I get a very good finish from it), cast iron tables, etc. 'Trade' rated

Just a thought to keep you agonising... :wink:

 

[Pecker]

Shady, I have considered that model, but to be honest was worried about the low spec on the motor (1.1kw) and thought it might not have much guts to it? Does it not struggle with longer larger lengthts?
It does look a good machine though, I'd appreciate your thoughts mate.

If anybody else wants to give me comments about other options prob 10x6 ie the SIP, Elec B 260 and clones they would be most welcome!

Thanks all
Mark.
I do find this strange, all my life I've been called Woody and on most forums I'm known as Ukwoody - but here I'got to remeber to write Mark! hehe

 

[Adam]

I am thinking a bout a Scheppach hms260 off ebay at the moment.

Welcome to the forum. I've got the Scheppach you mention and I've found it fine. Certainly I've never found it struggling for power, and the finish is excellent. Only comment though is if you are going to be doing long lengths for garden gates and the like, you really out to have longer beds perhaps?

Adam

 

[Shady]

Shady, I have considered that model, but to be honest was worried about the low spec on the motor (1.1kw) and thought it might not have much guts to it? Does it not struggle with longer larger lengthts?
It does look a good machine though, I'd appreciate your thoughts mate.

Fair point: I can't compare it with other P/Ts, as I haven't used any, but it copes fine with everything I've thrown at it. Length is more about snipe, IMHO: provided you don't expect it to take (say) 4mm deep cuts in oak all day, it should cope with most tasks, regardless of length, provided you can support stuff properly. It's got cast iron tables, although the fence is aluminium. Not the most sophisticated of machines (it's a re-badged chinese one), and needs some twiddling to get running really well (there's a thread somewhere on the boards about this). I've never found the motor power limiting.

Bottom line was that, for me, at the price point, the cast iron and 3 knife cutterblock combined to make it the best cost/performance ratio I could find. I'm very pleased, and would recommend it, with the caveats above. (I think it's also 10mm 'thinner' in terms of the maximum width of stock it can take than the 260). Also very, very quiet, with a super induction motor - ironically, it's the biggest lump of metal in my shop, and the quietest in operation...

 

[craylad]

I have recently bought the Perform CCNPT £319 from Axminster and it works well. I have noticed the Charnwood, SIP, Metabo, Elektra Beckum, Draper and Record all look very similar except for the way that the electrics are run and the colour. The motor is very quiet and 2.2Kw is pretty powerful enough. While looking into these P/T's I found the the feed speed is important. Some run at 8m/s which is good for rough work apparently, the CCNPT runs at 5m/s which is supposed to be good enough for joinery.

 

[WellsWood]

Hi pecker, welcome to the forum.
Just a couple of opinions on your quandry; firstly I wouldn't have thought any of the machines mentioned so far are likely to be terribly satisfying (despite their many merits) if you've been used to using something as "professional" as a Maxi, no matter how "on it's last legs" it is. The reason I say this is that all the others (never mind their "trade" rating) are, I feel, aimed at a market that could be best described as "enthusiast".

Have you seen this thread?
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10935
TC has a Hammer 12" PT for sale. Now there's a machine to compare with your Maxi.

Second point is a little aside about the comment craylad made about feed speeds. Don't forget, when comparing these you must also take into account cutter block rotation speed and number of knives, since you need all three to calculate cuts-per-inch, a much more accurate indicator of finish than feed speed on it's own.

Whatever you choose, I wish you luck. Hving just gone through a couple of traumatic months researching and choosing a new PT myself I know how painful (and yet ultimately rewarding :wink it can be.

Mark
p.s.

PS Mark W if you're reading this, I'm a Mark W Too

seperated at birth? :roll:

 

[Chris Knight]

as "professional" as a Maxi,

Err.. Alf?

 

[WellsWood]

as "professional" as a Maxi,

Err.. Alf?

That'll teach me to read more carefully before I open my big mouth, I read "Maxi", but what I saw was "Minimax" -

Blame it on the heat.

 

[Alf]

as "professional" as a Maxi,

Err.. Alf?

Sorry, I was too busy laughing... :lol:

Actually that's not really fair; the planer thicknesser bit's not that bad - it's the only thing I use it for after all.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Pecker]

Cor blimey Guv, if it were a minimax I'd rebuild the ruddy thing!

No such luck though!


Mark W. If you are good looking, inteligent and witty, have to fend off the fair ***, wealthy and wise...


Then we're not related! :lol: :lol:

Mark Pecker.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Alf]

If anyone want's tot make me an offer - buyer collects... [-o<

Cheers, Alf

 

[Pecker]

well it's settled. I've actully gone for a Metabo hc260c planer /thicknesser. My regular local tool supplier (Tooltrader, Haverfordwest) did me a cracking special deal at £448 inc so I'm well chuffed - just hope I will be with the machine now :?

It was the three year Trade warrenty that swung it for me, plus good comments on here.

Many thanks to all you guys for your help!

I also managed to pick up a whole double pallet box of oak offcuts today for £20, so my colleague is going to experiment with various furniture items over the next few weeks and - he's got the brand new machine to play with! Gosh I spoil him!

mark

 

[paulm]

Think you, and your colleague, will be chuffed with the new machine Mark, but let us know how you get on and what you think yourselves.

Cheers, Paul.