No Planer Jointers

[Old-n-Kranky]

Hi all. This is my first post so please be kind and patient, this probably going to be a bit long winded so apologies in advance. First a little bit of background to help with context.

A number of years ago I was unfortunate enough to sustain injury following an accident on a customer site, which left me with an enduring chronic back problem. Normally I'm pig headed and just get on with it as best as I can and just put up with the pain. However, I noted that my back issue seemed to be affecting me more as I got older, so I made the decision to upgrade my hobbyist garage workshop in order to make my various efforts a little easier.

So I made plans to upgrade the workshops power, a new 16" bandsaw, a dedicated shop vac etc, etc. I had already planned to add decent sized planer/thicknesser so I started researching. I didn't want a budget machine, but the more I looked the more i knew a combo machine wasn't for me. I came to the conclusion that I didn't fancy lifting or removing the wings of the planer in order to use the thicknesser option, and didn't fancy doing a lot of bending while processing timber for whatever job I was doing at the time, so I decided to go the separates rout.

Yep, I ordered the Dewalt 733 thicknesser, a record BS 400 bandsaw, and with a lot of help, dug a big trench between the main house and the workshop for power and network (for power, alarm and CCTV). Before I was able to complete my upgrade and orders, I was struck seriously ill and ended up being carted off in an ambulance. After period in critical care (unconscious), acute care, and a spell in the renal unit of the Freeman hospital, I now find myself with a procurement problem.

My strength has just now started to return, and now want to continue with last years plans. I now have a new workshop chip and dust extractor waiting to be put together and installed yeah, but my standalone planer/jointer jointer is no where to be seen. I have looked and looked and looked, but all I can find are a small selection of budget bench top planers, exactly what I didn't want. WHERE ON EARTH HAVE THEY ALL GONE?

I find it hard to believe that the likes of Axminster, Record and Jet mid priced planer/jointers have either stopped being manufacture and sold, or are still being made by the likes of Jet for the US market, but not for the U.K. I would love know if the likes of an edict from a Brussels pencil pusher has decided that the machine that I want is too dangerous to use, or the market for standalone planers has crashed in favour of the more commercially marketable combined units.

I'm lost, can anybody provide me with a briefing on what happened, suggest a supplier that I missed, or tell me to put up and shut up as I have either missed the boat or have bored you all to death with my very long woes.

Many thanks in advanced.

 

[deema]

I would look at a secondhand Wadkin, they are fairly common on auction sites and will be a better option than most things you could buy.

 

[Ttrees]

I see them all the time, for cheap too !
Do some research on VFD's and buy a used machine that's dual voltage anything up to 5 hp is possible.
Although it gets expensive with 5 hp ...a 3 or 4HP VFD is quite cheap .
Get/make a cyclone while your at it and not a bag system Nother VFD for only a bit more than 100 quid

 

[Jacob]

There's thousands of them
"Jointer" is an american term - we call it Planer/Thicknesser, which may be why you couldn't find one.
Though I see Axminster has included 'jointer' in their titles http://www.axminster.co.uk/machinery/pl ... icknessers

And, as usual, the EU is not at fault.

PS oops I see you are after an over the top planer, or surfacer!
You are probably right about scarcity - nobody wants them for fairly obvious reasons. They are very archaic.
NB On many combi machines you don't have to lift the table, others are spring loaded etc. But if you aren't going to use the thicknesser it doesn't matter anyway!

 

[Ttrees]

Surfacers is what they go by aswell

 

[RobinBHM]

I think the market for small separates has a limited market in the UK.

Sedgwick for example only make combis.

Still popular in the US, but then they have huge basements.

Your best bet would be a nice second hand machine,There are often Wadkin 9inch ones for sale and they have nice long beds. Or a multico?

 

[gmgmgm]

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you really want separates, couldn't you buy two identical planer/thicknessers (e.g. from Axminster) and then just set them up as separate machines?
Also handy to have two machines, in case anything goes wrong.

 

[Old-n-Kranky]

Many thanks for all of your feedback, it is all appreciated. I know that I'm a noob to this forum, and accept that my long windedness (I know, not a real word, not an Americanism like Jointer) may have gone too far, but to put it simply, my back is knackered, and I have trouble lifting, bending, sitting, sleeping, and any other "ing" word that I haven't thought of yet, but all of them are painful, but I refuse to fully give up, and yes, that's painful as well. :lol:

As some of you might have spotted that I don't currently work in the carpentry/Joinery trade. In fact, I am an IT Professional (choke, manager), before that almost 20 years in psychiatry (not as a patient, but on occasion have been mistaken as one), and before that I worked as an apprentice for a small building firm. Before the business bellied up, the boss had me working along side the brickies, chippies, sparkies, sloppies (plasterers), and the roofies until one day I fell off and was lucky enough to land on a little bit of scaffolding. Ever since then, I have almost always preferred to do my own work where possible.

When last year, I had decided that enough was enough, and that I might never be fit enough to go back to work and be useful again, in a fit of madness, I ripped out all of the electrics that had plagued me for years, and started to throw out much of my old machinery. Some of it went to the scrap man, some to friends, and some just disappeared. And although I had started to replace it, the whole Sepsis near death thing got in the way and was a bit of an inconvenience.

So here we are in February 2017, I'm trying to complete where I left off. There is power to my workshop, I now have some new extraction just waiting to be installed. There is an electric winch about to be ordered, and hopefully it won't be so difficult to move stuff around in the future.

I'm still left wondering why I can't find a new reasonably priced but not low budget planer to complete my upgrade. I had briefly considered buying two P/T's and mounting one on a cabinet to give me better height to access the thicknesser, but even I knew that was a daft idea. So I now have my Dewalt 733 mounted on a cart, I haven't ruled out getting a new P/T and just not using the T.

I have even considered buying a second hand Wadkin, but then why did I throw out the planer that I had? Don't ask, I don't know what it was, it was something of a Frankenstein that I inherited from my late dad, with no boiler plate to indicate the manufacturer, and didn't work more than it did.

As far as I see it, my options are:

A. Locate a supplier who can sell me a new Planer at a reasonable price.
B. Locate a supplier who can sell me a pre-loved Planer.
C. Go with the option of buying a new P/T and not using the T.
D. Build a sled for use with 733 to help flatten and square wood on a small scale?

I suspect that if all else fails, that I might just have to bite the bullet and go with option "C", whether I like it or not. Again, apologies for my long wordiness (is that a real word, who knows who cares), I haven't really spoken to any one for quite a while, that's my excuse, it could also be that my wife overdosed me on my morphine again

Thanks for all your comments, it's been an interesting first post. I know what some of you are thinking? You are hoping that my next posts will be shorter

OAK.

 

[wallace]

What size planer are you after, What is your budget. my motto is old is gold. It doesn't even have to be a wadkin but it would help. I recently sold a perfectly good 9" multico planer for next to nothing on ebay.

 

[mugginsNO1]

I'd agree with wallace on the 'buying used' front. You'll get more for your money and if you want to upgrade later you'll lose less (or break even) on your outlay. The classifieds on here are worth a look and there is always fleabay. If you google used planer/thicknesser you'll find a few dealers that sell them and can deliver. Maybe avoid 'craiglist' for your search......lots of scams. As you're having problems lifting, you might want to look at a machine that doesn't require lifting/swinging infeed or outfeed tables. Sedgewich would be one to look for. Either that or go for a dedicated thicknesser and separate jointer. Good luck with your quest.

 

[Old-n-Kranky]

Thanks guys, I get what you mean by old is gold and the various scams online (I currently work in cyber crime). I know that my postings have been been a bit lengthy, that's just me excited about getting back to normality again.

When I first started my quest for updating my garage workshop, the idea wasn't just to make my life a bit easier and kinder on my back, but also to provide something that I could leave to my eldest son when I eventually pop my clogs. So the plan was to replace most of my machinery, something that I'm well on my way to achieving.

So to the current issue, I have the space and now the power to serve my workshop going forward, thus no matter what direction I head in with regards my choice of Planer, the resources are there to run it. If it was just for me, I wouldn't spend more than about £1300. However, as I would like to provide my eldest son with the opportunity to learn and hopefully earn, I think that I could stretch that figure to somewhere around £2000.

This year, I'm looking to making a load of new hardwood doors for our current house, something that in the past I could normally have done blindfolded. But this time I want my son to be heavily involved in the whole process, doors and gates have been been my forte for years.

I'm in no hurry at the minute, but as my strength returns and I don't need naps through the day, I will be wanting to get back in the workshop and start making again. In the meantime and as you have suggested, I will keep searching and hopefully with have a planer in whatever form, ready to use.

Thanks guys,

OAK.

 

[whiskywill]

There's thousands of them

I think you'll find that there ARE thousands of them. :roll:

 

[Ttrees]

You said shop vac ...is this for handheld tools ?
What kind of an extraction system do you have ?
And what size mcb in your circuit breaker ...or do you have something like a rpc or other system ?
I'd suggest if you have not read up on dust extraction, look up Bill Pentz's site...dated I know
but the information's there ...
That's why you see cyclones in Axminster tools .
Provided you have power to run the machines, depending on your runs....
You might have to go the 3 phase VFD route .
I would spring for this, and look for other three phase equipment with dual voltage 220/240V motors ...
Read Bob Minchin's Induction motor PDF and get yourself a bargain ...
This may be your only solution if you don't want to wait an age, for the right machine to fall into your hands...
These specific surfacer only machines are usually in a production environment with a thicknesser beside it.
That said I seen one last week for a bargain in single phase ...I look at machinery every day though :lol:
Tom

 

[Nick.]

Hi Old-n-Kranky - could be worth calling Dave at D B Keighley Machinery in Leeds

I was in there a few weeks ago and pretty sure I saw a Jet 8" jointer (code: 60A) he still had in his showroom. Not guaranteed as my memory is not 100%, but it's worth a call to check if he has one as as they are superb machines but were discontinued some time back.. From what you have said, this will fit the bill for what you are after.

If my memory is wrong then they may have other alternatives, plus Dave will likely do you a deal too.

Cheers
Nick

 

[Myfordman]

+50!!!

I cannot recommend the Jet60A highly enough. Heaven knows why it was discontinued.

Bob

 

[wallace]

With a budget of £2k the world is your oyster, you could get a 26" monster for that

 

[Old-n-Kranky]

Cheers for the tips guys. Strangely enough, Keighley's is on a list of showrooms to visit when we head off to Leeds next weekend for a family thing in Pudsey. I wonder if I dare ask my wife if she wouldn't mind taking me a few days earlier? Not sure if I'm brave enough yet )

I will give them a call sometime tomorrow, and let you know how i get on.

OAK.