Triton TPT125 - Anyone know if this is normal?

[reyes]

Hey all

My first post, so go easy on me, but glad to be here!

I have just got a Triton TPT125 thicknesser but I seem to encounter something a bit unexpected, which is this:

When I push the wood in and allow the roller to begin feeding it towards the blade, it seems to get pushed down into the bed with a small thud type sound, as if it's pushing it into place or something. I'm no expert but this doesn't feel like a standard thicknesser attribute!

Before I consider opening a return, is there something I could be doing wrong? I have been very cautious about how much I lower cutter block but even at around ~1mm it does it.

Any assistance or general thoughts appreciated!

Edit: added video just taken

 

[rogxwhit]

Couldn't the 'thud' be just the feed mechanism engaging? Why do you feel that it has a bad import? I suspect that a clue to any defect might be in the results - meaning the freshly-thicknessed surface. How does it look? Is it even end to end, or is there sniping at one end or the other?

Whilst feeding in the material are you cultivating a consciousness of how it's contacting the bed, even before the infeed roller grabs?

It's hard to analyse remotely!

 

[reyes]

Couldn't the 'thud' be just the feed mechanism engaging? Why do you feel that it has a bad import? I suspect that a clue to any defect might be in the results - meaning the freshly-thicknessed surface. How does it look? Is it even end to end, or is there sniping at one end or the other?

Whilst feeding in the material are you cultivating a consciousness of how it's contacting the bed, even before the infeed roller grabs?

It's hard to analyse remotely!

Ha, it is hard remotely, I understand! Thank you for the help though.

I did mean to include there is a fairly significant amount of snipe on the front of the board.

The thud could well be the mechanism engaging but, and I'll have to run another piece through to make 100% sure, the impression I got immediately was the bed being pushed. It's this that made me check what flex is in the bed. As you can see in that video, there seems a fair amount and I'd be surprised if that's normal (it really doesn't take much pressure to cause it to bend).

 

[rogxwhit]

The bed should be rigid! If you can't fix it yourself by tightening something underneath, return it.

After glancing at an exploded parts diagram, I'm not much the wiser -
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/...ages/Diagrams/583534 TPT125 MK2 SCHEMATIC.pdf

 

[akirk]

the bed on mine does not move like that - something needs tightening / fixing

 

[sy-]

I have just checked on mine, the base is also rigid as above and appears to rest on the grid of the base below

 

[reyes]

That is extremely helpful everyone, thank you. Huge help, and I think the conclusion is a return.

I'm now just playing with the idea of going straight for a Makita for that next level up of build quality now I'm Triton-tainted.

Any other suggestions would be greatly received!

 

[reyes]

the bed on mine does not move like that - something needs tightening / fixing

I did take a look and, other than the 4 screws on each side, I cannot see any other areas for adjustment

 

[MikeK]

I am no fan of Triton either, having learned my expensive lesson on their other tools.

Here is a video that shows the bottom of the TPT125 from the bottom at about the 6:13 point. The thin metal sheet appears to rest on the grid frame of the machine and is cosmetic rather than structural.



I understand how the noise and movement can be annoying, but does this affect the performance of the machine after the sheet drops? If you loosen the four screws, press the sheet into place, and tighten the screws, will this remove any of the flex in the sheet?

These are notorious for infeed and outfeed snipe. However, if you can get consistent and accurate results for all but the first and last 50mm of board and can live with the flexing plate, this might be the best you can expect at this price point. If not, return it. It's a shame DeWalt doesn't offer the DW735 series of benchtop thicknessers in Europe.

 

[reyes]

Thanks for the vide, that's a good spot.

You know what Mike, I was almost ready to go for the Makita until I saw this Triton and read a couple of reviews, which made me think it was worth the punt. But, whereas I'd expect the Makita to have just worked like all the other tools I have of theirs, I don't know if I can be bothered messing with the bed and then knowing that it's so thin that I'll probably end up being disappointed with the results due to the very aspects of the build I'm accepting due to its price point.

I'm going to watch a few more vids on other machines and see how they look in comparison.

 

[rogxwhit]

The bed plate is an essential reference surface - any flexing is not on at all! I can only assume from the parts diagram that the pressed plate should contact the cast machine base which would then support it. It looks as if the 2 flanking side rails screw to the bed plate and to the base - and are the only mechanical connection. But plate and base need to touch.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Check that the infeed and outfeed tables (and rollers) are correctly aligned with the base plate.

They should be level with the base so that as the wood is fed in it is "grabbed" smoothly by the feed rollers. Snipe, and possible a bit of banging can be the result of the the infield and outfeed table/rollers being set too high or low.

 

[rogxwhit]

Terry - watch the OP's video. One thing at a time!

 

[reyes]

Check that the infeed and outfeed tables (and rollers) are correctly aligned with the base plate.

They should be level with the base so that as the wood is fed in it is "grabbed" smoothly by the feed rollers. Snipe, and possible a bit of banging can be the result of the the infield and outfeed table/rollers being set too high or low.

I spent a good while doing this Terry once I'd first seen the results (i.e. some snipe). As it happens, when I was using a level with magnets on one side and I noticed the bed move very slightly when I went to lift the level.

Aside from that, I ended up going with what the guy in the video Mike posted above suggests which is to have the infeed and outfeed plates level with the bed.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I had a similar problem with the flexi metal base. I simply removed it, put some double sided tape down and replaced the plate. No more flex!

 

[sawdustandwax]

There are 8, 3mm hex screws going through the two black strips either side of the plate, they hold the 'bed' down. Try tightening them and see how it performs.

 

[reyes]

There are 8, 3mm hex screws going through the two black strips either side of the plate, they hold the 'bed' down. Try tightening them and see how it performs.

Yep, I tried that too and no difference either.

 

[rogxwhit]

If its not like this across all examples of the product then it's a case of mis-manufacture - perhaps just a misalignment of fixing holes. It might be curable by adjusting (enlarging) them in one direction. Another potential fix could be to insert a packing sheet between base and bed - something like 3mm hardboard ...

But it's far from inspiring as to build quality. :-(

 

[reyes]

If its not like this across all examples of the product then it's a case of mis-manufacture - perhaps just a misalignment of fixing holes. It might be curable by adjusting (enlarging) them in one direction. Another potential fix could be to insert a packing sheet between base and bed - something like 3mm hardboard ...

But it's far from inspiring as to build quality. :-(

Exactly that...

I don't doubt there are some things that can be done to make it suitable but, if I'm honest, I don't like giving time to something that I kind of expect to not be an issue and which represents the overall quality of the manufacturing. So, I have the Makita in another browser tab and I'm just pondering pulling the trigger whilst I wait for a return confirmation!

 

[rogxwhit]

Not that anything's perfect, though ...