The Planer/Thicknesser is perhaps one of the most used pieces of equipment in most workshops both hobby and professional, It's definitely one of the first machines for rough timber to touch behind perhaps a saw to cut to rough sizes. There are a plethora of machines available from the little, cheap 8" Screwfix/Toolstation jobbies all the way up to 36" wide monsters that'll dim the lights on the whole street :lol:. Selecting the right machine for you really comes down to space you have more than anything else, everyone wants the 36" monster but not necessarily will everyone fit it in their shed so there's gotta be a compromise between the practicality of the machine and the space available. I think most hobbyists will opt for what's referred to as a "PT260" style machine such as the old Electra Beckum, Dewalt/Elu or Kity 10" planer/thicknessers as these are very capable machines for their size and weight which don't take up a hell of a lot of space in a small shed and they're fairly easy to move around if need be.
I've personally got a separate surface planer and thickneser at home, they eat up more space in the workshop than a combined unit but I wouldn't be without separates on a productivity level. The surface planer which is a Multico "NS" is also a far more versatile machine than a standard P/T as with it, I can surface plane, rebate to a depth of 25mm, do very accurate bevel work with the fence and the ability to drop the beds to take everything off in a single pass, produce excellent tenons with the sliding carriage attachment and square scriber knives on the side of the block, very accurate tapers for legs and such and even with a bit of ingenuity make raised panels by lowering both beds below the apex of the cutter block to the depth of the panel and traverse the panel 45-degrees across the cutterblock with a homemade fence. One of these coupled with something like a lunchbox thicknesser and you could practically make almost anything. The Thicknesser I have is a Multico "TH" which I restored and put a thread up on here of the progress, if you want to see the inner workings of a machine and perhaps what to look out for regarding wear and tear if looking to buy secondhand machines it may be worth a look:
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/the-most-expensive-multico-th-in-the-world-restoration-t118842.html
It's also a machine that doesn't take prisoners if misused and disrespected, cutters spinning at 70 times a second and meaty bits coming into contact usually end up with a trip to A&E,
like this poor fella (*************** warning). If properly used with guards in place and proper and safe technique, however, there is very little to go wrong. Although, if someone was very new to the craft I would urge them to learn how wood works in slow motion with hand planes and such before moving onto bigger, louder and more dangerous equipment with spinning blades. If you start using a P/T without prior knowledge about how wood cuts and behaves you’re on a slippery slope to a painful experience, monetary or physically like the example above.
RogerS":2wj92l01 said:
How easy is it to swap from planer mode to thicknesser mode ? Some, like the Hammer, will lift the infeed and outfeed tables up to get into thicknesser mode. I hate this design. Others like the Sedgwick MB keep the tables fixed.
Personally, I don't think I'd ever go back to using a fixed table combination planer like a Sedgwick MB, they do have their strengths like increased accuracy and reliability but there are a few weaknesses I've found. I've got quite a bit of experience with a few different machines and for day-to-day use and comfort, I would rate machines like that the lowest as it plays absolute havoc on your body to be bending down underneath the tables constantly to feed stuff through and adjust the machine. Flip-up tables done
well like on the Felder AD machines are much nicer to use in thicknessing mode because you're not having the crawl underneath the tables to use the machine and you can work fairly comfortably for a long period, it's not absolutely perfect but I find it better than a fixed table if you're doing big runs. Flip-up tables done badly on cheaper machines however are just an absolute accuracy nightmare and should be avoided. The absolute best, in my opinion, are separate machines as there's no swap-over time involved and both are constantly ready for work, the thicknesser can be adjusted to be at the perfect height for your body too so you can work comfortably for hours on end. If you're only a hobbyist doing the occasional bit of planing what I've written above doesn't really matter at all but if you're spending your whole life in the trade it's a point worth considering.
