Planer thicknesses for garage

[earnest]

Hi everyone, this is my first post, though I have been a lurker for the last couple of weeks.

I’ve been interested in woodworking for long time but finally decided to commit in practice too.

I am almost done with my first serious project ever, building the English joiners workbench, inspired by Rex Krueger. Lots of mistakes and opportunities to learn, it is really fun and even therapeutic and soothing.

I would like to get a planer thicknesser. I’ve found this used Sedgwick PT255 on FB marketplace for about £1000. The owner says it was not used in the past 5 years and it is in a good condition.

I am also considering a new Record PT107 or Axminster AW2260s. This is my approximate budget for this.

Any recommendations and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, please and thank you.

 

[Cabinetman]

Welcome, Sedgwick are a very solid make, I have one of their saws and find it to be brill, as a beginner you may find setting up the blades not as easy as one with Tersa blades, but I don’t think that should stop you.
Value wise, I don’t know tbh, but it’s a lot of machine for that money.
Good to see that you’re buying quality old solid equipment.
Ian

 

[earnest]

Welcome, Sedgwick are a very solid make, I have one of their saws and find it to be brill, as a beginner you may find setting up the blades not as easy as one with Tersa blades, but I don’t think that should stop you.
Value wise, I don’t know tbh, but it’s a lot of machine for that money.
Good to see that you’re buying quality old solid equipment.
Ian

thanks, would you say £1k is a good price for a used Sedgwick?

 

[Sideways]

I think that one may be overpriced.
It's an old one.
They didn't change much over the decades, but it may need a good overhaul and that requires some practical skills. Bearings and bushes not v dear but it does take time.

The cutter guard isn't shown. The extraction hood is ££ as a spare from Sedgwick so real cost is as much as 50% higher than shown.

Once done up, a Sedgwick is a much better machine than an Axy or Record.

 

[Sideways]

This is also old, but slightly less so and more complete.
A better buy, and this from a seller who has been around a good while and I consider expensive.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285813693934

 

[earnest]

This is also old, but slightly less so and more complete.
A better buy, and this from a seller who has been around a good while and I consider expensive.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285813693934

Oh wow yes this is definitely a better deal. If this FB seller drops the price to 500-700 region, would the eBay one still be a strong preference?

Also something I’ve just realised is that it’s a 3 phase machine, I have a single phase at home

 

[Logger]

That is a good machine, but my opinion is that £700 ish should get you a good one. I believe that a older machine like that is a better bet than newer ones with more plastic parts to break.

We have a wadkin and Dominion planer which both get a lot of use and work a treat. We added a Wixey digital gauge to the dominion thicknesser which means you have a very accurate digital readout too so best of both worlds.

https://www.machine-dro.co.uk/300mm-12-wixey-remote-planer-readout-with-fractions

 

[Sachakins]

Decent 3 phase converters aren't too cheap either.

 

[eribaMotters]

The Record and the Axminster are nice machines that will give good service, but they are not in the same league as the Sedgwick. New, these machines are expensive and for good reason. This is a machine designed for the professional workshop and serious use.
If you look on e-bay, facebook marketplace etc and find a nice clean one for £1000 near you then buy it.

Colin

 

[earnest]

Which model would you suggest please?

 

[Sachakins]

Which model would you suggest please?

Sorry, not my area of expertise. Just when I was thinking of buy old 3 phase machines, the types that provided good reviews back their prices put me off

Similar thred in 2022, here's the link https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/3-phase-inverters.139891/post-1621951

 

[Woodworker Ireland]

Hi everyone, this is my first post, though I have been a lurker for the last couple of weeks.

I’ve been interested in woodworking for long time but finally decided to commit in practice too.

I am almost done with my first serious project ever, building the English joiners workbench, inspired by Rex Krueger. Lots of mistakes and opportunities to learn, it is really fun and even therapeutic and soothing.

I would like to get a planer thicknesser. I’ve found this used Sedgwick PT255 on FB marketplace for about £1000. The owner says it was not used in the past 5 years and it is in a good condition.

I am also considering a new Record PT107 or Axminster AW2260s. This is my approximate budget for this.

Any recommendations and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, please and thank you.

If

Hi everyone, this is my first post, though I have been a lurker for the last couple of weeks.

I’ve been interested in woodworking for long time but finally decided to commit in practice too.

I am almost done with my first serious project ever, building the English joiners workbench, inspired by Rex Krueger. Lots of mistakes and opportunities to learn, it is really fun and even therapeutic and soothing.

I would like to get a planer thicknesser. I’ve found this used Sedgwick PT255 on FB marketplace for about £1000. The owner says it was not used in the past 5 years and it is in a good condition.

I am also considering a new Record PT107 or Axminster AW2260s. This is my approximate budget for this.

Any recommendations and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, please and thank you.

If you dont already have 3 phase power you would need an inverter. They can cost as much or more than the machine. But the sedgwick is a great machine to use they go for ever. Best of luck with it.

 

[eribaMotters]

The PT 255 is the one to go for with its 10" capacity. It will easily cope with anything the serious home user will want to do. I had the 12" MB some years ago and at 400kg it was a bit heavy to move around the garage. I replaced it with a newish white SD300 12" Startrite that I'm very pleased with. I have seldom used that 12" capacity and would have preferred the 10" Sedgwick if I could have found one at the right price.

Colin

 

[earnest]

The one from FB is a 13a single phase machine, but doesn’t look like the seller will be willing to reduce the price to 500-600.

If I were to pick new Record PT107, Ax AW2260s or Charnwood W583, which are all in the same price category, what would be the best machine, please?

 

[earnest]

I think that one may be overpriced.
It's an old one.
They didn't change much over the decades, but it may need a good overhaul and that requires some practical skills. Bearings and bushes not v dear but it does take time.

The cutter guard isn't shown. The extraction hood is ££ as a spare from Sedgwick so real cost is as much as 50% higher than shown.

Once done up, a Sedgwick is a much better machine than an Axy or Record.

Does this look neglected and something that would require expensive or laborious repairs?

 

[Sideways]

That looks quite clean at first glance, but you need to look carefully for signs of wear, zooming in on the teeth of the various wheels.
From the photo, the big toothed wheel looks ok.
The small toothed wheel that drives it can't be seen in the photo and will have much more wear than the big one as it rotates several times for each rotation of the larger wheel.
The two sprockets up top with the chain passing over them are significantly worn. You assess those exactly like the sprockets on a bicycle. Notice that the teeth are very sharply pointed and the the U shaped gullets between the teeth are not a tight U anymore but become a broad, shallow V shape as they climp towards the points of the teeth. This isn't a sign of abuse, just wear from many hours of use and probably little or no lubrication.
If the sprockets are worn, then odds are that the chain will be worn too.
If I were overhauling this for my own use or to sell on, the chain and all the sprockets would be due for replacement.
The flat and V belts would be changed as a matter of routine (cheap enough), and the wear on the sprockets would probably mean a complete new set of bearings and bronze bushes.
Once done, and properly setup, that machine would run for years more but you need some mechanical competence and tools to do a full overhaul. That's why a fully restored machine will cost you £1000+ more than an "as found" machine.

 

[deema]

Notice the flat belt pulley on the motor…..someone has added a flange to the pulley to stop the belt wandering off! The pulleys are crowned which is what jeeps the flat belt tracked on top of the pulleys. The reason the flange has been added is I believe because the bronze sintered bushes in the arm that holds the upper pulley is worn causing the pulley to tip too much for the belt to stay on. These are jelly bean parts, easy fixed.

The sprockets might not be jelly bean parts, look up the thread restoration Sideways and I did of an MB PT. We had to machine up jelly bean sprockets to get them to fit properly. I’m guessing the same sprockets used on the MB are used on the PT. You can buy spares from Sedgwick…..expensive!

 

[earnest]

Thanks @deema, @Sideways. Very informative and helpful. I see that it was at least £300 last year for replacement sprockets, and that’s without other replacements.

The seller was very…opinionated when I offered £600 and he'd rather keep it than sell for that price. I will think if I should offer more but definitely £1000 is pushing it.

If I were to abandon the Sedgwick, what would be a better machine buying as new: AW2260s or PT107 (or any other machine under £1500)? Please and thank you

P.S. ITECH 260SS looks interesting but that's £2000 mark , the family will not understand, or perhaps.... I say I found it on a garage sale

 

[Sideways]

I wouldn't offer more than the £600 on that green Sedgwick. The owner may have no understanding of machinery and has an unrealistic view of what it's worth.
I personally wouldn't buy an Axminster or RP machine - full stop.
Don't be in a hurry. Keep watching for a newer used Sedgwick or an itech perhaps. Your £1500 is better spent there. You need patience to learn the market and find the best deals. A small used trade machine (not axminster trade) at the right price is the clever buy.

 

[earnest]

I wouldn't offer more than the £600 on that green Sedgwick. The owner may have no understanding of machinery and has an unrealistic view of what it's worth.
I personally wouldn't buy an Axminster or RP machine - full stop.
Don't be in a hurry. Keep watching for a newer used Sedgwick or an itech perhaps. Your £1500 is better spent there. You need patience to learn the market and find the best deals. A small used trade machine (not axminster trade) at the right price is the clever buy.

Thanks, can't promise I won't make a hasty decision and go for Axi/Record or even ITECH for £2000 , but will try not to, as this is a very good advice and the right thing to do. The FB seller seems to be a professional (ex-)craftsperson (maybe musical instruments or something like that, so definitely not a DIYer like me).