Rutlands Sale for Planer Thicknesser - 204mm x 120mm

[planetWayne]

Hi all,
Just wondered if anyone has used / thoughts on this from Rutlands - apparently on sale at the min.

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+planer-thicknesser-204mm-x-120mm+DK6724

Thanks
Wayne.

 

[JakeS]

Hi all,
Just wondered if anyone has used / thoughts on this from Rutlands - apparently on sale at the min.

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+planer-thicknesser-204mm-x-120mm+DK6724

It looks just like all the other generic 8x4" planer thicknessers around - they all have nearly-identical metal bits and different plastic bits and very similar/identical specs. For example, here's an Erbauer from Screwfix:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb05 ... 230v/81126

which looks identical except for the plastic being a slightly different shade of blue, and the Rutlands one not having "Erbauer" written on it!



I have a slightly smaller but still very similar model from SIP. On one hand, it's horribly noisy and I barely use it for that reason alone... on the other hand, it does a perfectly decent job* and units like the Rutlands one are generally priced somewhere between £200 and £400 depending on whose name they have on them, so it does genuinely look like a discount for a change.




* Mine actually has an alignment issue with the infeed table at the moment that means I can't run it in planer mode without either taking 2mm cuts or the cutters hitting the aluminium table, but I think that's damage rather than a manufacturing defect - I got it second hand, and I'm sure it didn't do that when I first picked it up so it's probably something I did. I've not got around to trying to fix it because it's so bloody noisy!

 

[chaoticbob]

I have the Axminster badged version (now discontinued) - I think I paid about 230 for it. Like Jake I find it does the job, but the din is terrible - it has a brush motor. The first one I had from Axminster had a table misalignment problem (infeed and outfeed making a shallow V towards the blades) but it may have been my fault for grabbing the ends of the alloy tables to lift it out of the box - not sure they are rigid enough to support the weight. Second one was fine though.

Robin.

 

[planetWayne]

This would be my first purchase of anything like this (planer thicknesser) My tool range is wide meaning I have the cheapest drill press from Aldi to a festool track saw - its the accuracy that generally narks me with the cheap stuff, that said I've never needed to use any depth stop (which doesn't work anyways) on the Aldi drill press and it does what I need it to just fine. I've used cheap circa saws and the guides or depth settings are just too 'out' for my liking (hence the festool - one extreme to the other!). I think what would give me grief is the fence not being accurate or strong enough or it not cutting squarely when thicknessing. Not too worried about the noise if thats all it is.

If this fits to dip my toe then I'm cool with that but if there are any recommendations for the next level up so to speak I'm open to ideas. Space is the big issue though.

Wayne.