PT separtes or both?

[selly]

Another question from a beginner.

Would you get a separate planer and thicknesser or not?

I am not short of space (got a farm and lots of sheds) and although looking to buy second hand I figured I could spread the costs by buying a decent thicknesser for about 3/4 of the price of an entry level p/t and then perhaps buy a jointer later on. Or are those cheaper thicknessers just as capable as a more expensive one I mean its not like they have to be super super accurate like a saw is it?

By the way on table saws do the large ex factory ones that are too big for the home user ever turn up at bargain prices for somebody who can afford to spread the stuff around a bit? Can anybody advise something to look for?

 

[Neil]

Selly,

For those of us on a 'realistic' budget, there are compromises for each of the two routes. If you go for a P/T, you'll have a greater width of cut (probably 10") on the planer side, but the planer beds will generally be shorter and the fence on the planer will be aluminium. If you go for the separates, you will be a bit width-limited on the planer (6" or 8") but it is possible to get nice long beds on the planer and fences are generally cast iron and a lot 'nicer'.

There are a few other considerations too - for instance, with the combined machine there is an overhead changing from one mode to the other so you have to be quite organised about your workflow, whereas the separates are always ready to go.

Personally I went the separates route and have no regrets. I have the Jet 54A planer (only 6" width of cut, but the beds are 1.7m and the fence is fantastic) and the Makita 2012NB thicknesser. Lord Nibbo is very pleased with his 8" planer from Lyndhurst - see here. And this thread shows the diverse collection of machinery that other forum members have!

Hope that helps,
Neil

 

[Scrit]

Or are those cheaper thicknessers just as capable as a more expensive one I mean its not like they have to be super super accurate like a saw is it?

In a word, No! The cheaper machines use universal motors and are as noisy as can be, the heavier machines use induction motors and they're not only quieter but they seem in general to suffer less snipe at the board ends. As to super accurate, a thicknesser is probably more accurate than a table saw as you're asking it to produce a flat parallel surface. I also feel that the larger the cutter block diameter the smoother the result appears to an extent regardless of cuts per inch.

By the way on table saws do the large ex factory ones that are too big for the home user ever turn up at bargain prices for somebody who can afford to spread the stuff around a bit? Can anybody advise something to look for?

Yes, but the problem is that they are often three phase andrarely single phase, not all of them can be converted to single phase and you need to understand a bit about what you are buying to make sure that you aren't buying one which is goosed. By bargain prices I'm talking a similar price to buying a modern Taiwanese cast iron jobbie or a bit less, although you'll rarely see ex-trades machines with sliding carraiges - for that we tend to have separate cross-cuts or radial arm saws in the trades. Or at least we once did

Scrit