Thicknesser

[LancsRick]

Very deliberate title here, thicknesser not P/T.

The good news is that I'm frequently getting my hands on offcuts of PAR hardwood timber, which is fantastic. The downside is that it's nearly always 1" thick, and that's too damn thick for most of the stuff I want to do.

Given that I'm starting with flat stock, my plan is to just get a standalone thicknesser which I can pop up on the sawbench when I need it, and use roller stands to allow it to do its thing (space is precious in my single garage).

From the reading I've done the one to go for seems to be the Delta, but what would people say from experience?

Usage will be moderate hobby.
Minimum width capability of 10".
Bench mount, not freestanding.
Probably secondhand as going new would put me in DW733 territory, and that's a lot of cash!

Thanks!

 

[mbartlett99]

I've no experience with them at all but notice that loads of yanks use the Dewalt on their youtube videos. Whether thats a recommendation or not ...

 

[marcros]

I have the axi ct330. Great bit of kit.

I have no experience of its competitors but would recommend the axi if you can get one within your budget.

 

[Cordy]

This may be of interest

Thinned this Walnut today [with Makita] started as 4 pieces of 18mm square before gluing

 

[LancsRick]

Thanks - I think if I went over £300 I'd just bite the bullet and get the Dewalt DW733 as it seems universally loved. What I'm hoping for though is to get a better offering secondhand, maybe a Delta or similar, although if a DW733 or that 2012NB comes up I'll definitely look for them!

Thanks for the additional recommends .

 

[custard]

Smart move Rick.

I've a great deal of fondness for the workshop set-up that you're putting together. For many years living in London my workshop was single garage sized or less, and was based around a small bench with a single vice, a small range of hand tools, a bandsaw, a bench grinder, a router, and a bench top thicknesser. When I spent a few years making Windsor Chairs I added a small lathe and a drill press, but basically that was it as far as equipment went.

Less really is more. You make sure you understand how to get the best out of your kit, you keep it all sharp and in good condition, and no matter how small your workshop you leave space for glue-ups and timber storage. I learnt a lot, and despite the modest set-up I made a great deal of solid, hardwood furniture that still gives me pleasure today.

Good luck!

 

[LancsRick]

Thanks custard . You're right, we're pretty similar in that regard then (or were!) - swap your bandsaw for a RAS and table saw, and add an extractor, and that's exactly what I've got.

Now I just need a secondhand thicknesser to appear

 

[pike]

Thanks - I think if I went over £300 I'd just bite the bullet and get the Dewalt DW733 as it seems universally loved. What I'm hoping for though is to get a better offering secondhand, maybe a Delta or similar, although if a DW733 or that 2012NB comes up I'll definitely look for them!

Thanks for the additional recommends .

I had a DW733 and sold it. Maybe I was doing it wrong but I got snipe all the time which I never get on my Kity 439 (not that I'm suggesting thats a great machine either!). Also the DW733 was very noisy. Possibly these things were user error..

 

[LancsRick]

Right, tempted to go for one of these two new, I know both brands, and if they're a nightmare then I have a warranty to fall back on .

Any experience of either machine?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb70 ... _container

http://www.screwfix.com/p/triton-tpt125 ... 230v/5554k

Cheers!

 

[Nelsun]

Never clapped eyes on either machine but one thing to consider is ease of getting replacement blades if / when the need arrises. I'm sure you can but it's something to keep in mind i.e. it didn't occur to me at all when I got a Titan P/T

 

[LancsRick]

Hadn't occurred to me either, thanks!

 

[lua]

You're probably more likely to get spare parts for the Triton. With the Erbauer stuff you can't even get spare batteries!!!

 

[sploo]

The Metabo DH330 is pretty good, and usually well priced. A fair bit of snipe, but I've pushed one hard and it does ok.

Alternatively, a sharp hand plane works a treat and is considerably quieter!

 

[MusicMan]

I've had good experience with the DeWalt. I also made a pop-up stand for it using gas struts (the thread is here somewhere) as it was getting too heavy for me to lift onto the bench. OK I mean I am getting too old and feeble. I also found it well worthwhile to invest in the planer sharpening jig for the Tormek, which has saved me money overall over buying new blades. The difference sharp blades make is phenomenal!

 

[sploo]

I've had good experience with the DeWalt. I also made a pop-up stand for it using gas struts (the thread is here somewhere) as it was getting too heavy for me to lift onto the bench. OK I mean I am getting too old and feeble. I also found it well worthwhile to invest in the planer sharpening jig for the Tormek, which has saved me money overall over buying new blades. The difference sharp blades make is phenomenal!

The deep irony is that I first got into using hand planes when I needed to hog off some varnish from some old timber, and decided that abusing an old Stanley #4 (that I didn't know how to use) was preferable to damaging the knives in the thicknesser. Now (having sussed out hand planes and the art of sharpening) I use the thicknesser as the blunt instrument, and always finish off stock with a hand plane (which also works a treat remove snipe).

At some point I really should work out how to get the knives out of the thicknesser and sharpen them

 

[LancsRick]

I've picked up the Triton in the end as a new unit. Only used it briefly to set it up (perfectly parallel out of the box, just needed the scale adjusting), and taken a couple of "hog" cuts out of some ABW and then some fine finishing passes - seems like just the ticket - I got some ridging on the hog passes but it was buttery smooth on the finishing ones, so very happy. Now to just put it through its paces a bit more!