Thicknesser & Planer/Thicknesser Help Please

[ChadPFC]

Hi everyone,
I've been wanting to make chopping boards for a while, and found someone selling a Clarke CPT250 local to me which I now own. Blades seem ok, but I've noticed it needs a blade setting jig to replace them which mine doesn't have. A previous thread on here (This One) shows someone 'bodging it' with a 5mm shim, so I guess I can try that when the time comes.

My issue is I've now been offered a Scheppach HMS1070 but it definitely needs new blades.
I'm very tempted to buy this, as it can also plane & joint boards which is ideal for me making chopping boards.

Question is:
Which of the 2 tools is better, any pros or cons to either? I've no idea how to set the blades on the Scheppach, but it doesn't mention a jig in the manual whereas the Clarke machine I have definitely mentions a jig, so I'm assuming it will be easier?
I'm also struggling to find the replacement blades for the Scheppach machine.

 

[Ollie78]

You don't need a jig to set the knives.
Use a straight ruler or other straight edge of some kind, put it over the block resting on the outfeed table. Rotate the block by hand ( obviously unplug the machine )until the knife drags the straight edge along.
Set the knives so it drags the straight edge along about 3mm and certainly no more than 5mm. Do it on both ends and the middle of each knife. You can fine tune this for your machine later but these figures will work.

For the knives try Woodford tooling or Appleby wood turnings. Once you know the size of the knives search by that.
You can send them out for sharpening as well, get a few sets and once a couple are blunt get them sharpened.


Ollie

 

[Spectric]

At least you only have two to set and don't bother with the setting jigs as they are not a great solution to setting them as I have already found out.

In case you don't have a manual

https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals/woodworker/CPT250_Planer_Thicknesser.pdf

 

[ChadPFC]

You don't need a jig to set the knives.
Use a straight ruler or other straight edge of some kind, put it over the block resting on the outfeed table. Rotate the block by hand ( obviously unplug the machine )until the knife drags the straight edge along.
Set the knives so it drags the straight edge along about 3mm and certainly no more than 5mm. Do it on both ends and the middle of each knife. You can fine tune this for your machine later but these figures will work.

For the knives try Woodford tooling or Appleby wood turnings. Once you know the size of the knives search by that.
You can send them out for sharpening as well, get a few sets and once a couple are blunt get them sharpened.


Ollie

Thanks, but it doesn't have the outfield table. This one you feed the wood through it.
I'm hoping there is another way to set them in a machine like this?

 

[worn thumbs]

I skimmed through the manual for the Clarke machine and it explains the usage of the jig.I can't see how you would do the job without it.The Sheppach looks a lot like a machine that has been sold with other labels on the front and I'm fairly confident that you can use the technique described in post #2 to set the knives.As to which is the better machine,I would rate a planer/thicknesser as a more useful machine than a thicknesser as it can do a bit more,such as straightening the edge of boards that won't fit through a thicknesser,due to width,and the fence provides some support.

 

[Ollie78]

Thanks, but it doesn't have the outfield table. This one you feed the wood through it.
I'm hoping there is another way to set them in a machine like this?

I see, sorry for confusion but the mention of planer/thicknesser in the heading and the Scheppach being one as well lead me to ( wrongly ) assume the Clarke was a p/t as well.
I am sure you could make a setup gauge or jig for the thicknesser fairly simply. As long as the knives are set parallel and equal to each other it should work fine.
I am thinking a strip of wood to hold the knives in a little rebate and a couple of magnets to hold it against the spindle or something.

Ollie

 

[MikeJhn]

I use a piece of plate glass on the outfeed table to set the blades at table height, never understood the other methods, seems to me they would introduce snipe on planing.

 

[worn thumbs]

I see, sorry for confusion but the mention of planer/thicknesser in the heading and the Scheppach being one as well lead me to ( wrongly ) assume the Clarke was a p/t as well.
I am sure you could make a setup gauge or jig for the thicknesser fairly simply. As long as the knives are set parallel and equal to each other it should work fine.
I am thinking a strip of wood to hold the knives in a little rebate and a couple of magnets to hold it against the spindle or something.

Ollie

In principple,you are quite right but in practice you need to use a jig with geometry that corresponds to the original or the calibration goes wrong and the scale will no longer apply.

 

[Ollie78]

In principple,you are quite right but in practice you need to use a jig with geometry that corresponds to the original or the calibration goes wrong and the scale will no longer apply.

I see, tricky then. I guess you can only assume the blades that are in it now are correctly set and work from that.
A lot of machinery has movable scales for calibration if required. Good luck with it.

 

[Spectric]

It is a lunchbox type or maybe a letter box type is more appropriate. They call it a planer thicknesser but I cannot see how you would use it for anything other than thicknessing.

 

[Myfordman]

Its a thicknesser on our side of the pond and planer on the other

 

[Fitzroy]

Plane a straight edge on the narrow face of a piece of c. 20mm x 35mm timber, put the timber through the thicknesser and also make a reference mark between frame and blade head on the thicknesser. You can now take the blades out and have a reference to blade set point (timber thickness) and head position (reference mark on the frame). Return the head to the same position and then adjust the blades so they just touch the reference timber, when you turn the head (by hand with the machine unplugged!) the blades should drag the timber forward by 3-5mm.

When setting my thicknesser the infeed roller fouls on the reference timber so on the band saw I cut away a portion such that it clears the roller and antikick fingers, see high quality image below. This method does rely on the ability to set the blade height when the head is close to the table, although in theory you could thickness the original piece at whatever depth you wanted, although although then the blade may struggle to drag the timber forwards as it will be much heavier. Hopefully you get the idea!

.