Thread: Thicknesser advice needed

Hi Wifey,
Are you looking for a bench top or a stand alone unit? What ever you get, make sure it has the Helix (spiral) head on it, your neighbours will love you for it. It's about a third to half the noise of a straight blade unit, if a segment is chipped, just turn it around for a new edge.
I can't honestly say that any unit is better than the other, as I've no experience with them, apart from a bench top Carbatec, which I wouldn't offer to my worst enemy, noisy and it vibrated to bits.
Kryn

Hi Wifey

welcome to the forums

Thicknesses produce copious amounts of chips and dust -- does hubby have a means of collecting those chips and dust?
If not your budget (or hubby's) will really need to include either a biggish dust collector or a workshop vacuum and cyclone -- though the dust experts generally recommend against the vacuum and cyclone combination.

If you are going to be thicknessing recycled hardwood, the straight blades will not last anywhere as long as the inserts on a spiral or helix head. And the straight blade machines are pretty noisy.

Also, the inserts give a better , smoother finish.

If you hit a nail in your recycled wood, and yes, there is always a nail, then that ruins a blade and they are not cheap to replace, whereas on the spiral or helix heads you just rotate one or two of the inserts, as they are square shaped pieces of carbide, about 15 x 15 mm from memory, and each edge is sharpened.

So strongly recommend you look into getting a thicknesser with spiral or helix head.

PS Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your purchase

Thanks for all the info guys. Benchtops are the only ones in the budget, and the one I am looking at https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/W815 has the spiral head, so that is a bonus.
The Carbatec sounds like a no-goer, so will add that to the reject list.
Hubby has a 4 car garage size man cave, yes he is the envy of his mates so plenty of room for him to make dust and clean it up. Even if he doesnt, it's in his shed so not my problem - haha
Wifey

Originally Posted by wifey

Thanks for all the info guys. Benchtops are the only ones in the budget, and the one I am looking at https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/W815 has the spiral head, so that is a bonus.
The Carbatec sounds like a no-goer, so will add that to the reject list.
Hubby has a 4 car garage size man cave, yes he is the envy of his mates so plenty of room for him to make dust and clean it up. Even if he doesnt, it's in his shed so not my problem - haha
Wifey

If he's going to be running recycled timber, a set of these is pretty much mandatory Carbatec CT-330X Hafco T13S Accuhead Carbide Inserts They'll last much longer than the steel tips it comes with

As for the dust, it's not a case of 'make a mess and clean it up', it's a case of 'you MUST use a dust extractor with this tool'.

Actually, it is your problem, as fine woodworking dust is generally carcinogenic, and needs to be collected as it is generated. You don't want to be a young widow, eh? This is why most machines have a 4" hose connected to a big dust extractor. Some of the smaller machines have a dedicated large vacuum cleaner attached

Have a look at some of the posts on this forum by BobL. His preference is for 6" hoses from most machines, to get a good airflow going which will efficently deliver the dust from the machine to the dust collector

Have a look at the Carbatec FM-300 with the money you have left over. Oh and ideally it should be positioned outside the shed when operating.

Originally Posted by wifey

Even if he doesnt, it's in his shed so not my problem - haha
Wifey

.... but the dust in his lungs may eventually become your problem - unless you have a really good insurance policy on him!

Seriously, the fine dust is a real health threat but you don't necessarily need extra machinery. If he can wait for a nice day and then do all his stock preparation outside while wearing a dust mask then he should be OK. Just buy him a decent mask to go with the thicky, then make sure he doesn't use it in the shed and all should be well.

I'll go to sje-tools to get the carbide inserts. It's cheaper and better and he frequents this forum. Actually this thicky generates more chips than dusts nevertheless dust exaction is a good thing to have.

Thanks for the heads up, definetly don't want to lose my hubby for a table. Will make sure I get the dust collectors and that he uses it outside. Will also look into the FM-300

Thanks Bob, will make sure I get decent masks too. Now I'm worried cos he's been making a staircase out of recycled hardwood and has been cutting inside with his mitre saw. Will now tell him to make sure he wears a mask whenever he's cutting, and to go outside.

Well i will heartily recommend the T-13S - since I own one . . . along with selling the inserts (thanks for the mentions folks! )

Not plugging my own wares too much but speaking from personal experience the HSS inserts that come with the thicknesser won't last long again weathered hardwood, I know I wore out both cutting edges out on my original set in the space of a week just running pine fence palings . . .

In terms of dust extraction - definitely recommended however the T-13S does do a pretty good jobs of clearing the chips and dust out on it own, simply with a dust bag over the extractor outlet will catch a significant amount.

Cheers

Steve

The Melbourne Timber & Working with Wood Show is coming up 9-11 September at Caulfield, and there may be specials that might interest you and stretch your dollar further.

HI Steve,
Thanks for the info, looks like he's getting the T-13S for his birthday. And you'll be getting an order from me for the inserts too. How long should I allow for ordering and shipping of the inserts?? His birthday is in October, so I have to strategically plan to get everything but as close as possible so he doesn't see things on the credit card statement that I don't want him to see!!

Bought the T-13S recently as a replacement for a T330 straight bladed unit for doing exactly what you want to use it for - recycling old hardwood from a demolished house.

The machine is design wise a lot better, a lot quieter and lighter than the old one and so far the HSS bits that come with the machine have held up but I will be getting tungsten carbide when they wear out.

Just one gripe, the machine is definatly an imperial model with a metric scale on the front. The internal preset stops are imperial and the height changes 1/16" per turn of the adjustment handle.