I am in the process of buying my first planer/thicknesser. I have looked at virtually all the machinery on the market but am finding it difficult to make a decision because of having no hands on experience with any of the machines. I had hoped to find a test comparison somewhere but to no avail. I would be the only one using the machine (if that makes any difference at all), and need a machine that produces a fine finish and can easily be accurately set. At the moment, size and pricewise, I'm looking at the Hammer A3 31 and the Record Power PT320. If there is anyone who could help steer this lost soul - it would be very appreciated indeed.

Jamie Cowie-Shaw

jaywendy@btinternet.com

Robert,

I put a review on my Woodstar in the reviews on the home page, it is almost identical to the Fox, so hav e look and see.

Derek. 

Hi

 I'm after my first planer/thicknesser and the Scheppach 260ci seems well recommended. I live in Bulgaria and want to set up my workshop mainly because the timber here is badly finished ie, softwood not square, rippled, rough sawn, unequal dimensions, knotty and high resin. My main objective is to end up with decent 4x2, 3x2, 6x1 etc with a view to profiling skirting, architraves and door casing. Any advice in this area would be appreciated, also spare parts i may require as will be difficult to source in BG.

 Others machines of interest are rip saw/table saw, sanding machines and extractor.

 Thanks

 Michael

"Lipstick on a pig" springs to mind!!!!!

If the wood is that bad, it doesn't really matter how good your kit is, you are still going to end up with knotty and resinous 2nd fix joinery. I reckon your first priority is trying to source some decent timber, kiln dried.  Only then will the machines be of any use to you....

Mike

Lipstick on a Pig - must remember that one. Obviously the better the timber the better the results, unfortunately easier said than done over here, will keep looking!

 Any feedback on the Scheppach 2600ci?

Its a decent machine but resinous timber will badly affect the rubber coated feed rollers, and dull the two blades quickly.

Mikes advice is good, source better grade timber, then I am sure the Scheppach will serve you well. I have had one from new, over 20 years and in fact its been workin hard today and as good as it was when new. Like anything, it needs maintaing and the occasional fettle, but a good machine. I prefer the model before the cast iron one. The CI version is clumsy in comparison and the exhaust blocks very easily.

As for a table saw, I have a Scheppach TS2500, great for small work but the main tablesaw is now a Fox 36-540, cheaper than the Scheppach and in my opinion  a step up. But read plenty of reviews and check for neaest service and spares. Good luck !

If you have the money and the space:

Sedgwick 12" under & over planer/thicknesser. Serious kit, and you will never need to buy another.

John

Well after the countless hours surfing the net for reviews, prices etc, I finally decided on the Fox F22-568 p/t. It was on special offer with free delivery (not bad considering over 150kg), all the info i could find gave it the thumbs up.

If any of you guys have a comment or review on this model i'm all ears.

My other more important question : what to use regarding maintenance and upkeep? I have heard Liberon lubricating wax, ProtecTool wax and Rocol dry ptfe spray are good to use.

As a novice i would appreciate a complete idiots guide to machine maintenance and cleaning. Also picked up a 2nd hand Sip 1hp dust extractor.

Is there also any particular order / routine of setting up "straight out of the box"

Thanks in advance for any information.

Hi Michael,

I think this Fox machine is identical to the Axminster AW106PT I own - in which case, good choise, as I love it!!

Yes, the Liberon wax is great for keeping the thicknessing bed and surfacing tables free of friction. You may want to wipe over them first with white spirit to remove any grease or dirt. PTFE is an alternative to the wax but, it won't last as long (you'll have to re-spray fairly often). However, as it is a "dry lubricant" (unlike WD-40) it's ideal for lubricating all the gears, chains and moving parts. If you remove the back cover from your machine and look in the manual, you should be able to see the points that require lubricating every so often.

Most people find the surfacing tables are set up accurately "out of the box", as it were. If you've got a good straightedge though (minimum 1m) it may be worth checking for yourself, just in case. As you carefully rotate the cutter block by hand, the top of the "cutting circle" should be flush with (or, ideally, marginally higher than) the outfeed table.

Are you fortunate enough to have the space to use this machine without having to move it around??? If not, I highly recommend you get a wheel kit/mobile base of some kind - mine was only £30, I think both Axminster and Rutlands sell it (check the maximum weight limit).

This machine has some great features. One of my favourite is the lever to disengage the thicknesser's feed rollers when you're using the overhead/surface planer - always make use of it! I previously owned a cheaper machine that didn't have this function and it would shred the drive belts in no time!

I've found my machine requires very little service and I hope you have fun with yours too. If you haven't used a planer thicknesser before then I suggest you spend some time on YouTube to get an idea of the correct operating procedures ~ watch out for some Americans where they tend to slide the bridge guard out of the way... Look out for the Wood Whisperer, he's normally got the right idea.

Hi OPJ

Thanks for the info.

Am I right in thinking that Liberon is for the bed and tables and PTFE is used on the moving parts (gears, chain etc).

I am currently building my workshop (I live in Bulgaria) and fortunately have an acre of land so the workshop will be approx 10mtr x 4mtr, unfortunately this means i won't get to play with my machine until Dec or later.

I have read some articles in the forum regarding workshop layout but any more suggestions are more than welcome (good lighting and plenty of power outlets i believe).

 At least it gives me plenty of time to track down all the useful information contained in this site and others.

Will be checking out the reading material you mention, hopefully under the heading "Dummies guide to P/T's.

 Mike

Michael Wilson wrote (see)

Hi OPJ

Thanks for the info.

Am I right in thinking that Liberon is for the bed and tables and PTFE is used on the moving parts (gears, chain etc).

Yep, you've got it.

Sounds like it's gonna be one heck of a workshop - do make sure you keep us updated with photographs!!