Planer thicknesser for less than £1,000

[bryan267]

Hi and thanks in advance for your help again.
After moving to the isle of Wight, I miss my old local wood yard, best choice here for hardwood is Travis Perkins and it's cheaper to ship it over from the mainland, I'm going to save a lot of money if I order cut to size instead of planed all round, so a planer thicknesser is going to be essential. I've looked at a few, and read through some pages here in the forums. Workshop space is a premium, I think that unless I can buy a portable, I'll still need to point the outfeed through the workshop door for any stock longer than 2 meters.
I thought the metabo hc260 was an ideal solution only a bit more than I originally wanted to spend, but while reviews are generally positive, bad reviews have said the belt goes often. It appears you can find a bad review of any planer thicknesser sold for less than £1,500. Since then my shortlist has just got longer and longer. I would love a secondhand sedgwick, but I'll struggle to point that at the workshop door let alone wheel it outside for longer pieces. I'm guessing it will be the same with the scheppach plana 3.0 or record power PT107 and charnwood w583. Leaves me back to the metabo, scheppach hms1070, record power pt260, sipp hms1070

I will need 10" planer, single phase but I can assign 16amp or more, fold up sides, or even removable, would be great, wheels a great idea also. I will need accurate work as there will be furniture and sash windows coming out the workshop, not to mention the workbench. Anyone any good ideas, comment on reliability, ease of use etc. Any device not mentioned that should be?

Bryan

*Maybe I should have just got a sports car instead.

 

[transatlantic]

Falls in the same category as the ones you say are too heavy, but just thought I'd mention it anyway

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ho ... ser-101142

 

[MikeJhn]

I constructed a base for my PT and fitted it with these: https://www.castors-online.co.uk/acatal ... ml#SID=308 I had to put an upstand all around the workshop platform, because if I nudged the PT it would run away to the edge, very manoeuvrable, but with the locking mechanism, both the wheel and angle lock, solid enough for any work.

Mike

 

[bryan267]

Quite right Transatlantic, it is another 150kg machine, maybe wheels and ramps are the answer. and there is an axminster AH106pt on ebay for £300, bit of rust. My workshop is 4.4mx3.6m and with the TS router combo, plus the spare freezer, sash clamp table and all the junk I need to store in there, its getting tight. The roof of the workshop extends another 2m over what is supposed to be a woodstore for the wood burners, at about 2m x 3.9m with only one large opening on a short side, I'm starting to think I should stick a door on it and insulate those walls also, not keeping any stock wood in there for fear of beetles from the firewood. There is a good 5 more meters outside before I hit anything.

I've seen a few of these old heavy weight machines with very long fence guides sticking out the back. is a 2m space deep enough to work in front of the likes of an axminster AH106PT, if I have space on either side obviously?

Has anyone anything good to say about any of the more mobile planer thicknessers?

Thanks again.

 

[Ttrees]

Don't be put off by weight, or by 3 phase power....
on modern machines, most are dual voltage (even easier to start without needing 16a plugs)
Grab yourself a bargain and a better quality machine to boot.
I can move my 200Kg table on a 6 pence, with two fingers, the 300kg bandsaw is easy moved when it gets going, as it needs to
be started grabbing low with a rugby tackle position, its very tall so if you try to start it at a normal operator height it will be like pushing it
over instead of moving it.
A planer thicknesser will be easy moved as its not tall.

I'd imagine a level spot on the floor or adjustable feet on a mobile base for this machine is would be a feature wanted
Did you look at hammer machines ?

Here's an example of some bases

 

[bryan267]

Seems there is a consensus on the wheels for heavier machines then.

As for Hammer, Look like great machines, Preloved £1,300 - ebay £1,200, too rich for me. I've got to make a space that was supposed to be simply sheltered into internal space now, and take extra damp prevention measures to stop the iron succumbing to rust. plus I'm going to have to screed the floor now and make the door, all out of the machines budget. Local concrete ready mix delivery mixed too strong and was set before the driver left, trowel hardly touched it. The firm had a similarly opposing complaint the same day, someone else's delivery had not set after 24 hours, wont be using them again, but at least I know a heavy machine isn't going to break the floor. I'll probably paint the screed with G4 damp seal for a smoother finish.

Found an axminster 106pt in good condition on ebay, I'm only bidding because its cheap but early days on the bidding, don't know what I will do if I win it, I want to get the roof on the workshop, but 60Mph winds due this week, not ideal conditions to move OSB3 sheets.

So it seems the ideal machines I should be looking for then, are the heavy weights Kity, sedgewick, axminster, hammer/felder I wont spot good and bad on the different models, so maybe I'll post here for a verdict before buying anything. because I'm on the island i'll be using pallet shipping to get it here.

Thanks again.

 

[transatlantic]

Why do people bid so early?

 

[Cordy]

Why do people bid so early?

Beats me #-o

If you look at buying bids at end of auction it is often a last second bidder who wins with just one try

Why does Bryan post a link to an item that he is bidding for (hammer)

Live eBay links are against forum rules btw

 

[bryan267]

My apologies, I removed the link. and can see your point.

 

[julianf]

I have one of those axminsters.

I like it, but its not without irritation (see my recent posts). You cant really thickness the whole 250mm either, due to the design being a little poorly thought out, and the machine needs some space around it, due to the tables tilting the wrong way, but i still find the device useful.

Its popular enough that you can buy new blades for it cheaper than most places want to sharpen them (ie about £24 delivered).

You will need a chip extractor for it. If you try without, the feed rollers will start slipping pretty much instantly. I mean, one or two passes, you would be ok, but it would be tedious stopping all the time.

 

[transatlantic]

I have one of those axminsters.

I like it, but its not without irritation (see my recent posts). You cant really thickness the whole 250mm either, due to the design being a little poorly thought out, and the machine needs some space around it, due to the tables tilting the wrong way, but i still find the device useful.

Its popular enough that you can buy new blades for it cheaper than most places want to sharpen them (ie about £24 delivered).

You will need a chip extractor for it. If you try without, the feed rollers will start slipping pretty much instantly. I mean, one or two passes, you would be ok, but it would be tedious stopping all the time.

I've been thinking about buying it for a long time but still unsure. It's either that or the Record/Metabo one. Not a huge difference in price, but the Axminster seems a lot more substantial.

 

[MikeJhn]

I'v never fancied one with two movable tables, always thought they would never go back in the same place and would need checking after moving them, the problem is that the solid one piece table units are much more expensive, my Kity does not have movable tables you just have to thickness under them.

Mike

 

[bryan267]

I see what you mean about the infeed and outfeed table lifting the wrong way, looks like you need to stand behind it to use the thicknesser?

 

[julianf]

you either need to turn the machine around, or walk round it.

its a stupid design - id be ashamed if it were my work - just a foolish concept

another bad thing about the machine is the guides on the sides of the thicknesser table - theyre not high enough to actually guide work, but just high enough for work to ride up on. i will either take mine off entrely, or remake them.

its only an issue if youre close to the machines limits, but the item cant really be said to thickness 250mm wide parts in its stock state


all that said though, its a resonable machine. i dont "lock" the tables down when i am in planing mode, as, doing so, tensions them down a bit, and thats obviously a factor of the lock arm rotation - id rather just place them back, and they seem to always go back in the same place that way.

ive not had to do it, but i dont know how hard it is to level the thickneser table. mine seems level, but if it went out, im not sure how easy it is to change.

mine was purchased used, and, for the money i paid, im happy, but if i had the sort of money a new one costs, id buy a wadkin bao/s, i think, as you could get a used one, and spend some amount on it, and still not be much more expensive than the new axminster

 

[Mrs C]

There is an Axminster on EBay for just over your budget which may not appear in searches as the gentleman can’t spell ‘Planer’, look under ‘Planner’ instead. It has been on for some time so might come for less.

 

[bryan267]

thanks Mrs C. well spotted.

 

[Ttrees]

That's made me steer clear of those cheap machines, so it has
Thanks for saving me the headache.

I hope your not specifically looking for single phase as a VFD is only 100 quid

Hold out as it will pay off in the end !!!!
I'd say there are some folks selling their models frequently,
because they want to upgrade to spiral or bird/shellix cutter heads
or have safer computer assisted controls

Tom

 

[MikeJhn]

Just for interest, Bernado who's products are readily available in main land Europe are a manufacturer, their product look awfully similar to the offerings by Axminster et all:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/planing-machi ... 0005.m1851

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/planing-machi ... SwsFpWSQYb

And this one looks like the SIP machine: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/planing-machi ... 0005.m1851

Mike

 

[transatlantic]

Just for interest, Bernado who's products are readily available in main land Europe are a manufacturer, their product look awfully similar to the offerings by Axminster et all:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/planing-machi ... 0005.m1851

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/planing-machi ... SwsFpWSQYb

Mike

As do Charnwood

 

[MikeJhn]

It seems most of the UK retailers just re-badge and sell on, I suppose its saves on the cost of manufacturing, its just a shame they are not less expensive in main land Europe, I will look on the Leyroy Merlin site to see if I can find an equivalent.

Mike

EDIT: had a quick look seems they do not offer the Benardo anymore, only these: https://www.leroymerlin.fr/v3/p/produit ... 1308218958

And Brico only have the Titan: https://www.bricodepot.fr/perigueux-tre ... /prod6024/

Benardo site: http://www.bernardo.at/shop/en/wood/woo ... hicknesser orders only for Austrian customers, I suppose due to export deals they have with other retail outlets..