Sub £1000 Planer Thicknesser

[JWWorkshop]

Hello all,

I've joined the forum as I'm in the market for a new combination Planer/ Thicknesser and wanted to know if I was missing anything.

At the moment I have a top end budget of around £1,000 which would have to include any delivery/ courier. I have just enough space for a floor standing model but it will need to be wheeled out of the way when not in use so I think some of the older Sedgewick type machines are out on that basis. As it stands it seems that my only new options are a Metabo HC260. I may well go this route but I have some reservations about removing beds to change mode and some reviews have been mixed.

The only other viable options secondhand I have encountered have been either the Kity machines (which I don't know a great deal about or which models I should be looking out for though have heard good things) or any of the PT107 clones. Both options seem incredibly hard to find in my area (Ripon/ Yorkshire Dales).

Can anybody offer some advice on the best direction to go in or anything I have overlooked?

Many thanks,

JW

 

[Reffc]

At the budget end it may be worth taking a look at the Vevor 12.5 inch thicknesser which comes with a stand so you can tuck it all away when not in use. The Triton one also gets some solid good reviews and can be stand mounted so worth considering too? Cheap as chips and reportedly does the job well as any entry level one. Must admit the only ones I've used are all older more substantial machines, so could be worth looking to the used market for a quality compact stand mounted machine. At the heavier end of the scale, Charnwood's W583 offers a decent cast iron table with 3 knife cutter and decent rack and pinion, and 1.5KW induction motor. We use one of their W650 saw tables, and for the money there's not a lot else on the market that competes. They tend to be slightly better finished than equivalent Record machines such as the one you listed. Charnwood also do machine bases with castors so if tight on space you can move them out of the way.

 

[Spectric]

Many good threads regarding buying one of these and well worth a search and read so that you can avoid the pitfals others like myself have found. It sounds like a simple purchase but once you have some basic knowledge and understand what to look out for then it becomes not so simple. The way I look at most tools is that you are better off without them unless they can deliver a good quality job, I hate trying to make an inferior tool perform or having to spend more money to make it work like I would expect. Unless you have the experience and ability to change and set the knives then look for a machine that uses disposable knives, ones that you just fit without having to set, ie Tersa. I brought a Record Pt107 and in hindsight not a great purchase, I had to spend a further £300 on an aftermarket blade carrier system so that the pain of changing the knives was overcome. Also avoid Holzman as they are not very good unless you want a boat anchor! If you are looking for some pre purchase knowledge then I can recommend these video's from WWW

https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/dvds/peter-sefton-digital-downloads/
These helped me get to grips with my P/T .

Another aspect to take into consideration is changing from planing to thicknessng modes, many you have to remove the fence, swing out the two tables and move the extraction hood, this makes it a bit of a pita but like myself in this price bracket is what you get. With other models you can get ones where both tables swing out together making the changeover much easier but at a higher cost. This is a minor snag compared to setting up the blades in a PT107, so personally I would put the blade fitting at the top of the list.

It would also be worth visiting a showroom to see one for real, there is the Harrogate woodworking show just down the road from Ripon if it is on this year or you could take a trip to Bivens near blackpool but I dare say there are other places nearer to you.

 

[Sideways]

A used Sedgwick PT, the smallest 10" model, would be inside that budget but you might need to fettle it. It's a strong small machine though. Much better than (just for example) a similar sized Axminster trade machine.
Even the small one is heavy but they are moveable on the flat.
Note that no PT likes to be moved around however.

 

[Brdy]

Many good threads regarding buying one of these and well worth a search and read so that you can avoid the pitfals others like myself have found. It sounds like a simple purchase but once you have some basic knowledge and understand what to look out for then it becomes not so simple. The way I look at most tools is that you are better off without them unless they can deliver a good quality job, I hate trying to make an inferior tool perform or having to spend more money to make it work like I would expect. Unless you have the experience and ability to change and set the knives then look for a machine that uses disposable knives, ones that you just fit without having to set, ie Tersa. I brought a Record Pt107 and in hindsight not a great purchase, I had to spend a further £300 on an aftermarket blade carrier system so that the pain of changing the knives was overcome. Also avoid Holzman as they are not very good unless you want a boat anchor! If you are looking for some pre purchase knowledge then I can recommend these video's from WWW

https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/dvds/peter-sefton-digital-downloads/
These helped me get to grips with my P/T .

Another aspect to take into consideration is changing from planing to thicknessng modes, many you have to remove the fence, swing out the two tables and move the extraction hood, this makes it a bit of a pita but like myself in this price bracket is what you get. With other models you can get ones where both tables swing out together making the changeover much easier but at a higher cost. This is a minor snag compared to setting up the blades in a PT107, so personally I would put the blade fitting at the top of the list.

It would also be worth visiting a showroom to see one for real, there is the Harrogate woodworking show just down the road from Ripon if it is on this year or you could take a trip to Bivens near blackpool but I dare say there are other places nearer to you.

Hi, sorry to hijack the thread but I have read online that the disposable knives are only good for softwood is this correct? I was looking at the HC260C which comes with disposable blades which I’m assuming don’t need to be set?

 

[MARK.B.]

Brdy the disposable blades will work with both soft and hard woods,just remember to take shallower passes when doing hard woods and you will not have problem with them

 

[Brdy]

Brdy the disposable blades will work with both soft and hard woods,just remember to take shallower passes when doing hard woods and you will not have problem with them

Thanks mate, I’ll probably purchase the HC260C after Xmas then!

 

[clogs]

dont exclude the likes of a Dewalt d27300

it has wheels already, coz it's heavy......bought mine new.....
Look at Makita and a couple of German makes as well ........

I have a proff 16" pl/tk but wont be selling the Dewalt anytime soon
buy qual and u can always get ur money back when u upgrade.......

 

[clogs]

oops forgot to add it'll have to be used to get under ur price limit.....
I think the cost of the Dewalt new is around £1400 now.....u need to check....
I've not been working in the UK for over 20 years......
my Dewalt has gotta be around 15 years old or older....I forget....

 

[Fitzroy]

Personally I'm an advocate for the second hand market of old heavy machines. However, they take some searching for and a willingness to go and collect, and you need a certain ability to appraise and/or carryout any repairs or fettling that is required. If you are electrically savvy then you can go the three phase with inverter route. Give us your thoughts in these areas and we may be able to point you at some options on ebay/gumtree.

 

[Ollie78]

If under a grand is the budget then second hand is certainly the best bet.

Ollie

 

[Wilson joinery]

I’m getting some really good results with my elektra beckum hc260 (I believe this is very similar to the newer Metabo - not sure where this one is made). Mine is 25 years or so old, made in Germany and cost around £350. They are excellent little machines. Maybe have a look on Facebook or eBay to see if there are any near you? You’d then have a few hundred pound left to buy some other toys . I would have also considered a Sedgwick which have also been mentioned in here but getting this it into my workshop would have been extremely difficult.

 

[JWWorkshop]

As it stands my options are a new Metabo HC260 (£600) or a good nick Kity 637 (£920). There are a few low priced HC260 models near me but they all look in very poor condition and I’m running out of time as there are a few orders I need to get in for Christmas.

Sadly I haven’t managed to find many of the other examples listed a suitable distance from where I live to make collection viable.

Does anyone know if the 637 can take a Tersa block?

 

[Daniel.l]

I have a second hand record pt260 and I hate it. It is alright for light use but don't expect much accuracy. So far my fence bracket fell to pieces and one of the roller block broke. The bed of the thicknesses also had a lot of movement in it. It took me a good while to get it somewhat accurate. At that budget I highly recommend a second hand machine it's hard to beat the old machines for robustness and good quality

 

[rogxwhit]

Whether used or new, something's common to all woodworking machines which is that you have to be ready to set them up. They are often badly set up from the factory (well why would they care?) and in further life have often been abused / set up wrongly. But it's all part of the deal. You're not getting a washing machine or a kettle. Sometimes, just sometimes, you'll come across a saw, a planer, a spindle or whatever that's just right. Then you can afford a smile. But otherwise ... well, keep your expectations tempered.

It could also be right that the more lightweight they are, the more likely they are to be out of kilter.

 

[Spectric]

This has been said before but even some of the £1500 machines have issues but at least you stand a chance of something delivering without being a pita to use. Think of this as a race, £920 gets you in sight of the finishing line but £1500 gives you a chance of getting you over it. I brought the PT107 but that failed to deliver out of the box and needed another £300 spent on it so buying cheaper machines is in my view just increasing your chances of getting a pup.

With these machines I thing rigidity is everything, you would find a big secomd hand cast iron machine much better than many of the modern sheet metal machines and is definately a case of you can't get something cheap and expect great results. Tersa is the way to go in my opinion followed by a helical head, either way disposable blades are easier to setup spot on everytime.

 

[rogxwhit]

My view on planer cutterblocks and knives is that conventional knives are quick and easy to set up - you just have to engage with the process. Such is what many of us had to do anyway for years. If any arbiter is required, it's in the results achieved ...

No need for wallet-draining 'solutions'.

 

[Spectric]

No need for wallet-draining 'solutions'.

The right solution is to do your homework first unlike myself who thought that they cannot be that hard to setup and walked blindly into the problems. You are right that " it's in the results achieved " which were not good, I got the best results from two knives because it became a chicken and the egg synario until I fitted the Esta Bruck carriers and reversable disposable knives. I then set the outfeed table to the new blade height and it was an immediate transformation, results that were very good and although blade changes are not as fast as with Tersa they are much faster than the originals and also much cheaper.

 

[Terrytpot]

At the asking price of £400 this kity might suit someone on here…
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/989917475515666/

 

[Yojevol]

As it stands my options are a new Metabo HC260 (£600) or a good nick Kity 637 (£920). There are a few low priced HC260 models near me but they all look in very poor condition and I’m running out of time as there are a few orders I need to get in for Christmas.

Sadly I haven’t managed to find many of the other examples listed a suitable distance from where I live to make collection viable.

Does anyone know if the 637 can take a Tersa block?

This one available at Thirsk. Definitely worth a phonecall.
Brian