planer thicknessers

[graduate_owner]

Hi,
I have an Axminster 106PT which I thought I'd use a lot, but as yet it hasn't done much work. I don't mind having to remove the fence/guard, or having to raise the tables. It is a bit of a pain to have to wind down the thicknesser base though, and this has to be done so that the dust extraction chute can be swivelled round. The chute is attached to a flexible hose so there's no adjustment issue there. However having to wind down the base each time would not put me off buying the machine.

What I found interesting in the forum comments is the bit about having to re-set the tables after moving them for thicknessing. Is it really necessary - does hingeing them up and then back down really move them out of alignment? This would be useful to know ready for when I start using the thing seriously - if I ever do.

One last thing - is it me, or is the machine a tad (that's the decimal version of snippet) underpowered?

K

 

[custard]

Hi,
I have an Axminster 106PT which I thought I'd use a lot, but as yet it hasn't done much work. I don't mind having to remove the fence/guard, or having to raise the tables. It is a bit of a pain to have to wind down the thicknesser base though, and this has to be done so that the dust extraction chute can be swivelled round. The chute is attached to a flexible hose so there's no adjustment issue there. However having to wind down the base each time would not put me off buying the machine.

What I found interesting in the forum comments is the bit about having to re-set the tables after moving them for thicknessing. Is it really necessary - does hingeing them up and then back down really move them out of alignment? This would be useful to know ready for when I start using the thing seriously - if I ever do.

One last thing - is it me, or is the machine a tad (that's the decimal version of snippet) underpowered?

K

I can't talk for other machines, but I can flip the table up and down all day, or make multiple changes to the planer cut depth, and all settings remain absolutely dead on.

 

[heimlaga]

I don't know about table flipping and table sag issue on new machines (new means less than 30 years old ) but on some elderly machines this is a problem especially if the owner hasn't oiled the joints often enough. Everything har worn a little and over time the tables start to sag. However it should be possible to repair in one way or another. Maybe one could ream out the joint and install a thicker pin or scrape down the underside of the hinge that is usually bolted to the frame.

Planers with tables sliding in dovetailed ways often suffer from the same problem after 50 or 60 years of use but this can usually be fixed using a scraper. I did it once with decent result and knowing what I learned doing it I think I could get a totally perfect result next time.

 

[Peter T]

If I know I'm going to have to change over my 106P/T a number of times, I setup a chordless drill/driver with a socket so I can drive the thicknesser table up and down with the nut on the end of the handle shaft.

Lazy I know, but it saves a lot of handle winding!

 

[yetloh]

Custard,

I think the comments (and certainly mine) raising the tables and losing the settings relate to the need to accommodate the dust chute rather than raising the tables as such, but I do worry about whether they will go down again exactly as before forever, particularly if there is any debris about.

Jim