Which Planer Thicknesser

[woodyray]

Hi
I am thinking of treating myself to a planer/thicknesser for hobby work (I want to branch into wooden toy making, but will probably undertake larger projects as well).
My budget is up to £400.
I do not know a great deal about these machines, so would appreciate advice on points to consider, and any recommendations regarding
make/model to consider.
Also, does anyone have experience of the Draper BPT200.
Many thanks for any help.
Regards
Ray

 

[r896neo]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1909487#1909487

 

[Norcon]

With that budget I'd be looking at the MAKITA 2012NB PLANER THICKNESSER 240V

 

[Deleted member 174758]

With that budget I'd be looking at the MAKITA 2012NB PLANER THICKNESSER 240V

The Mak 2012NB is a thicknesser ONLY. No planer facility. Great for reducing pre-planed timbers, but that's all

 

[Harbourwoodwork]

Hi
I am thinking of treating myself to a planer/thicknesser for hobby work (I want to branch into wooden toy making, but will probably undertake larger projects as well).
My budget is up to £400.
I do not know a great deal about these machines, so would appreciate advice on points to consider, and any recommendations regarding
make/model to consider.
Also, does anyone have experience of the Draper BPT200.
Many thanks for any help.
Regard
Ray

That machine comes with different badges and different prices ,get the one with the cast iron thicknessing table some are made of ally too soft in my opinion

 

[woodyray]

Many thanks for your replies. You have given me some useful points to consider.

Having looked into this a bit more I'm beginning to wonder if I should wait a bit longer in order to try and save up for a decent more substantial p/t that may last longer than a cheaper type.

Keeping an eye on eBay as well.

Regards

ray

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Keeping an eye on eBay as well.

In that cas keep an eye open for three brands; Kity, Metabo/Elektra-Beckum and Scheppach. All streets better than the Chinese copies

 

[Norcon]

I have the Electra Beckum HC260M now superceded by the HC260C.


Three of the new additions that I can see to this machine are as follows....

•3 Micro Switches for operator safety
•Cast Iron thicknessing table for long life & stability
•Removable power lead

The cast iron thicknesser bed is a good addition. You can also get a wheel kit.
Though I made my own and set the out feed to the exact height of my table saw which doubles as an outfeed support table. Very handy for long lengths.

The top tables are still aluminimum which is fine.
This machine is about £600 quid now including vat.

A Jet might be worth considering when you go that far.
The JPT 260 was £850 inc vat a couple of years ago.
For that you get cast iron beds all round and a 3 blade cutter block.
The top beds fold up for thicknessing mode and the feed mechnaism can be turned off whilst planing so less wear on those sprockets.

They drop 1200rpm on the cutter block speed with a very similar feed rate on the thicknesser so I think the JET may just have the upper hand on finish quality. Especially when planing.
Maybe J&K would like to comment on that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A new addition into the world of production planing which afaik is unique to the Austrian Felder group is the carbide tipped cutter block which has individual carbide cutters fitted in a spiral around the block.
Half the noise emission, less power needed to swing the block, 20 times longer cutter edge life and a better finish they claim.
Doesn't sound too shabby.
But its like comparing a mercedes and a vauxhall imo.
Their Hammer A3 26 entry model machine is £1350 up to about £6k for the big AD 741 Felder.
The specifications/configurator might add more cost to that.



They built ther Hammer range with a few added in compromises to cut the cost and target the buyer with a tighter budget.
But still beautiful machines and superbly built and knocks spots off anything made in china.
The additional accessories to these machines are second to none imo.
In their specifications/configurator you can choose between the 3 knife quick-change, self-setting cutterblock system or the 3 knife standard-knife cutterblock or the Silent power spiral cutterblock.
Again not too shabby.
I'm gonna have the B3 Winner Comfort in my workshop just as soon as I have the shekels saved up.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

A new addition into the world of production planing which afaik is unique to the Austrian Felder group is the carbide tipped cutter block which has individual carbide cutters fitted in a spiral around the block.

Sorry to say, Norcon, but these have been in the US market for at least a dozen years now with TC-RT heads like Shellix and Byrd being available as aftermarket upgrades. My understanding is that they originated in the 1990s on large industrial throughfeed planer/moulders and spread outwards (and downwards) from there. I agree that they have longer life, lower power requirements and a longer cutter life (oh, and incidentally if the heads have something like multiples of the 12 x 12 x 1.5mm then dealing with hard inclusions in the timber such as stray screws or bullets or just plain old grit, will be a lot cheaper and faster) - mainly because I've been using TC-RT router cutters since the late 1990s and they have exactly the same advantages. Where I'm less sure is in the claim that they give a better finish. as good, yes, but there is a tendency for very slight witness lines to be formed on some timbers with some designs of head. For a commercial operation this matters not one jot because everything is going to be shoved through a wide belt sander anyway, but it is a point worth bearing in mind - that and the fact that a 4-row, 24in wide cutter will need around 192 tips (a 12in one will need 96) - all at £1.30 or so a pop. Nice if you have the money, though, but not what the OP was considering, methinks

They drop 1200rpm on the cutter block speed with a very similar feed rate on the thicknesser so I think the JET may just have the upper hand on finish quality. Especially when planing.
Maybe J&K would like to comment on that.

You can do the math yourself:

Cuts per mm = No. of cutters x Rotation of block (in rpm) / Feed rate (in mm/min)

The higher the number of cut per mm the smoother the surface appears to be, however spiral cutters always seem to produce visibly smoother surfaces and the larger the cutter block the shallower the "scallops" cut - which is why industrial machines with 5in/125mm blocks always seem to produce a smoother surface than small machines with 3in cutterblocks even when feeds and speeds are identical. No matter what it all sands or scrapes out in any case - and nobody expects to deliver finished work straight off the cutter, Except, that is, for most of the joinery shops round here!

At the end of te day for a small shop any of the generally available 10in machines is going to be better than those dinky little benchtop jobbies

 

[Norcon]

Just to add regarding the HC 260M. The feed rollers are mounted in bronze bushings and will start to squeal after a while.
So a squirt of lubricant is needed in there ever now and then and you need the straw nozzle attachment on the spray tin to get it to the bushing.
I'd be expecting the higher end machines to have ball bearings.

Anyway this is the condition the HC260M will leave African mahogany with sharp blades. Real purdy innit.