Thinking of Planer thicknesser purchase

[RogerS]

thanks all. To answer the queries on budget; I am strongly considering a Hammer A3-31 (Hammer-Felder-Format 4 is hobby/pro/industrial right? )

It is still a lot of money to shell out for someone who doesn't generate any revenue from the work. I want to be really sure that it will take my experience to the next level. It seems like it would, going on the replies here and what they might mean to me. thanks

Good man! Have you considered second-hand ? Do you have 3-phase ? Not sure on current pricing but I'd take a Sedgwick MB over a Hammer any day. I've used both. I get very sad thinking about the day my Sedgwick left the workshop. (long story)

 

[Trevanion]

I've heard various things about Hammer machinery, most of them pretty overwhelmingly positive but there have been a few concerning complaints from people whose judgment I trust like RogerS. I think one of those A3-31s floats around the £2000 price tag which is quite an investment for a hobbyist, but not a ridiculous one if you see yourself doing quite a bit of planing and don't want the faff of dealing with secondhand gear.

Hammer = £
Felder = ££
Format 4= £££

 

[Prizen]

thanks all. To answer the queries on budget; I am strongly considering a Hammer A3-31 (Hammer-Felder-Format 4 is hobby/pro/industrial right? )

It is still a lot of money to shell out for someone who doesn't generate any revenue from the work. I want to be really sure that it will take my experience to the next level. It seems like it would, going on the replies here and what they might mean to me. thanks

Good man! Have you considered second-hand ? Do you have 3-phase ? Not sure on current pricing but I'd take a Sedgwick MB over a Hammer any day. I've used both. I get very sad thinking about the day my Sedgwick left the workshop. (long story)

Unfortunately I am in Ireland. Very small market for used woodworking machinery. I like the idea of buying new , more generally.
Although comment from Trevannion and RogerS has me second guessing the Hammer. Is there anything specific on the Hammer that might impact decision in my case?

 

[rafezetter]

My dewalt 1150 P/t is lovely - old machine about 4th or 5th hand to me - still going strong - wouldn't be be without it, and as ppl said when you have that sort of work to do, or need timber in a dimension you cannot buy - you'll be so glad you have it.

I'm sure all of us would recommend you develop the skills to be able to dimension timber straight and true with hand planes, and for the immediate future you may just wish to do that for small projects until you get a better understanding of the type of woodworking you'll be doing, and during that period you can save up the pennies and hone in on what machine you want based on size, power and the work area you have.

I would really recommend taking the time to be sure on that last, because that's an expensive mistake to make and the better machine you can buy - the more you'll use it and get consistent good results from.

A restored sedgewick and similar will last a lifetime and then some - and mostly hold it's value.

I saw a kity combi machine just the other day up for sale for very reasonable money on facebook marketplace, having said the above about waiting and choosing wisely - right now people who need money seem to be selling off equipment - while it seems a bit mercenary to take advantage of, it's worth keeping in mind.

 

[LarryS.]

I’m in a similar boat and have been looking for a while

Worth looking on the Axminster site who have an offer in a planer thicknesser and extractor with a 200 pound saving which is rated for home use

https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-craft-planer-thicknesser-extractor-filter-package-720748

One other thing I’ve been considering is the noise for neighbours, which the ultimate solution looks like a spiral cutter block, in which case this is what I’ve been drooling over
https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminst...planer-thicknesser-spiral-cutters-230v-101156



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[robgul]

Interesting stuff - I've just ordered a cheapo Aldi machine (rebadged Screwwix Titan ?) for £160 - my first foray into planers ..... I may regret it but there's 3 years to find out with the warranty/return policy! Reviews and Youtube videos suggest it's OK for the money, which I'm happy with. Mostly going to be used for recycling pallet wood and scaffold board type material for mainly "rustic" build projects.

Slightly worried about the noise issue but our neighbours are 15/20 yards away either side and out during the day when I'm not and will be using it.

Rob

 

[mr rusty]

I have one of the cheapo titan/whatevers. As a jointer it's absolute rubbish because the tables don't stay parallel and flat. As a thicknesser it works just fine - I modified mine with a longer bed, and "adapted" the guard because I didn't have a vacuum that could cope with the chippings produced - just clogged up frequently, so in the end just let "the chips fall" and then shovelled and vacced them up afterwards.

I bought for 1 main project - converting about £1300 of rough sawn accoya into accurate sectionsm and it worked a treat - still on the original blades, but they are starting to lose their edge. I have some spares ( the erbauer ones also fit apparently). Don't try and take off too much - 0.5 to 1mm at a time is perfect. Don't jam the feed rollers, or the drive belts take a beating. Spare belts and blades are available from Solent Tools.

In use I removed the side panels every so often to oil the moving parts - its plain bearings and if they run dry it won't last long.

It's very noisy. Would I recommend. Yes if you go in with your eyes open and don't expect too much. No if you are expecting a quality piece of equipment to last a lifetime.

 

[DBT85]

Interesting stuff - I've just ordered a cheapo Aldi machine (rebadged Screwwix Titan ?) for £160 - my first foray into planers ..... I may regret it but there's 3 years to find out with the warranty/return policy! Reviews and Youtube videos suggest it's OK for the money, which I'm happy with. Mostly going to be used for recycling pallet wood and scaffold board type material for mainly "rustic" build projects.

Slightly worried about the noise issue but our neighbours are 15/20 yards away either side and out during the day when I'm not and will be using it.

Rob

It may well be the rebadged titan
It's all over Europe with different badges.

That's made it easy to find some good plans for a better fence if you want to make one.

Marius Hornberger did one, but this guy did one and has plans available do you can just print them out and cut around the templates.

https://youtu.be/zZnZVMIMhtw

 

[RogerS]

Prizen...this thread evolved into exactly the type of questions you're asking. I particular Hammer vs Sedgwick

post1338400.html#p1338400

 

[Prizen]

Thanks Roger. I wonder if there is a different arrangement for the A3-31 versus the combo machine in your case. Researching the fence issue on the web does throw up some issues, however, people state that it in the main, doesn't affect accuracy.

 

[RogerS]

Thanks Roger. I wonder if there is a different arrangement for the A3-31 versus the combo machine in your case. Researching the fence issue on the web does throw up some issues, however, people state that it in the main, doesn't affect accuracy.

I don't think so. As far as I can see, the P/T is a separate unit bolted onto the box with the TS and moulder in. Looks very much like the A3-31 to me.

The main issue is that, on mine, I have to remove the fence to put it into thicknesser mode. I don't know if that is the case with the A3-31...if it is, then it's a right PITA to get back on square each time.

I can live with the dishing and as far as flexing at the far end goes then I believe some people clamp a piece of wood behind the fence. I can't do that on mine. Of course, if you had a decent P/T like the Sedgwick then all those issues go away :wink:

EDIT: Just had a quick look. The fence is mounted differently to mine and is centre mounted ...much better. None of the videos I saw showed whether or not you have to remove the fence to put it into thicknesser mode. I'd check on that if I were you.

If you do go down the Hammer route then definitely go for the digital gauge on the thicknesser.

 

[Prizen]

Thanks Roger. Looks like fence removal isnt required for thicknessing ops.

 

[RogerS]

Thanks Roger. Looks like fence removal isnt required for thicknessing ops.

That's good to know. When I first saw this machine I had reservations about the accuracy of returning the tables back to their correct alignment after thicknessing. It sort of felt intuitively problematic. I'm happy to say that after using my machine, the reservations were unfounded.

 

[Chippyjoe]

Prizen,

My twopenneth worth if that's ok.
I am now on my second Hammer planer/thicknesser.
First one was a A3-41 with standard cutter block, lovely machine but due to personal problems had to sell my workshop damn women lol.
I bought a new A3-31 last year from Felder UK with the new spiral block.
Lovely machine and it is so much quieter with the spiral block.

People told me how much quieter it would be, but until you hear one running you can not comprehend the noise difference compared to the standard knife block, but it does come at a premium with regards to the cost.

I think it leaves a better finish as well especially in narly wood.
I can confirm that you do not have to take the fence off when switching to thicknessing mode.
I can not comment on the Sedgewick P/T but have only heard good things about them, I think Roger S used to have one and is a dedicated member to ask for advice.
Any questions feel free to ask.

Mark.

 

[Jonathan S]

Ive had an 240volt A331 straight blade since 2014, prior to that I had a kitty then an elu.
The A331 is a nice machine, keeps adjustment well and is easy to change from planer to thicknesser.
For me as a professional in a one man workshop doing low production stuff its been great, I have it set up with a power feeder to help with big planeing jobs when needed.
For a hobbyist it should be a very good and capable machine.
Prior to buying the A331 I looked at all the competition and the Sedgwick looked nice, the thing that would put me off a Sedgwick is having the fixed planner table fixed over thicknesser in /out feed table.....it would mean a lot of bending down and scrambling under a overhanging bed, my knees and back would probably not cope well.
One thing to consider when buying new....single phase machines keep there prices better than 3 phase, you will see if you look at the second hand market.



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[Stu2fly]

Hi everyone,
I’m new to woodworking and have no training so just learning as I go along. I have tended to just find old pallets, take them apart and turn them into shelves etc. I recently bought a P/T but it’s still in its box. I want it to tidy up the rough pallet wood. Fingers crossed it’s not too noisy.
It’s a Scheppach P/T.

 

[robgul]

Interesting stuff - I've just ordered a cheapo Aldi machine (rebadged Screwwix Titan ?) for £160 - my first foray into planers ..... I may regret it but there's 3 years to find out with the warranty/return policy! Reviews and Youtube videos suggest it's OK for the money, which I'm happy with. Mostly going to be used for recycling pallet wood and scaffold board type material for mainly "rustic" build projects.

Slightly worried about the noise issue but our neighbours are 15/20 yards away either side and out during the day when I'm not and will be using it.

Rob

It may well be the rebadged titan
It's all over Europe with different badges.

That's made it easy to find some good plans for a better fence if you want to make one.

Marius Hornberger did one, but this guy did one and has plans available do you can just print them out and cut around the templates.

https://youtu.be/zZnZVMIMhtw

Thanks for the tip-off. That looks brilliant (the guy is obviously a member of "Plywood Addicts Anonymous" given all the ply stuff in the film!)
My likeliehood of wanting to cut angles is minimal so I shall probably build the fence fixed at 90 degrees without the hinge/angle adjustment .... and perhaps make the part that holds it to the machine wider (i.e. longer along the bed) for even greater stability.

Rob

 

[MikeG.]

........... As a jointer.........

As a WHAT? In Chorley, they're planers. In America and Youtubeland, they're jointers. Carruthers, prepare the flogging tree........

 

[Hornbeam]

Prior to the Covid-19 problems I was looking to change my planer and looked at both the Hammer A31 and Sedgewick. Both 12 inch planers with the spiral block. Both exceptionally quiet and really nice finish. The sedgewick was absolutely rock solid but I didnt like the bending down for thicknessing, The new hammer has a central fence mount and seemed very good but nowhere near as solid as the Sedgewick. To convert between modes on the Hammer you have to wind the thicknessing table down a long way, In theory you dont have to do this with the sedgewick but if you have been thicknessing say 20mm material and then want to do some surfacing, you still have to wind the sedgewick thicknessed table down to get the dust collection chute in so I dont think the difference is as big a deal.
I still havent finalised my purchase and will wait for things to start up again
Ian

 

[RogerS]

Just been out to do a bit of thicknessing and that reminded me about one really annoying issue that I kept having with the Hammer. Namely that the feed roller on some softwood would not grab it and feed it through. I'd have to push with all my weight and then some to force the damn stuff through. This was regardless of depth of cut.
Never had this problem with the Sedgwick.

I kind of sorted things out by getting some Wurth Woodslide to spray on the thicknesser bed but even then you have to keep remembering to keep it 'topped up'.

Regarding bending down on the Sedgwick, have to confess that I was never aware of (a) either doing it or (b) that it was ever an issue for me...otherwise I'd have noticed it.