Thread: Thicknessers - what size to get?

While the smaller (12 1/2in) thicknessers will do the job with hardwoods your best to buy something from one of the better named stores than say one from Bunnings... Timbecon Carbetex etc have them at reasonable cost.

Either way first thing to do is to get a good set of blades and change them out... hold onto the set that comes with the machine for an emergency set but get some good ones in the machine straight away.

They will work hardwoods, I mostly use Jarrah and very old Jarrah at that and have thrown Tuart and Malay hardwoods through my small one in lengths up to 20ft x 10in wide without a hicup... mine is one from Timbecon.

The 15in would of course be a better option simply from the point of veiw that it is a lot heavier and solider... the smaller one has to be bolted or clamped down to the bench to take the size planks I was throwing through it whereas the same timber thrown through the 15in causes no problems with the thicknesser moving whatever... there are other things that put the 15inch above the smaller 12 1/2in thicknessers like the width of blade the two speeds and the cast iron feed tables among other things.

Simply put they are similar horses of a totally different breed.

Do I still use the small one? yes on occasion (I have and continue to have issues with my 15in thicknesser but these will one day be resolved.. be positive Shane be positive it will happen ) I find that the smaller one is handy to take on the job or for small quick jobs and the blades are a bit cheeper... but neither machines sets of blades last as long as I would like but then no blade does eh!... however that being said I only buy blades that are re-sharpenable so the set in the machine and the spare set bought when I purchased the machine (spare) should last a fair amount of time...

Would I use the 12 1/2 less than I presently do if I wasnt having issues with the larger one? of course!... but I would still retain it for its ease of portablity... the big b**ch is a great machine and when its running reasonably nicely doesnt even give a slightest whimper when throwing some serious boards at it (today for example I threw 10 x 6in x 8in x 6ft lengths of Kapur at the thing and whilst it behaved it didnt sniff or snuffle at the wood... mind you it did take me all friggin day!! having to stop and unplug the damned machine every time I threw a board at the thing to bring the bloody rollers back up drove me knuts! ...but mines like that

Okay so to sum up?
1) the smaller machines are a good investment in my book. good for quick jobs and onsite work as well as some heavier work if required just dont expect it to do the same job as a bigger machine is all.
2) the higher grade re-sharpenable blades are worth every centablo
3) the larger machine is an excellent investment (if yours works and behaves itself that is)
4) either will go through Jarrah and other hardwoods without a problem (IF you stick to taking many small swipes rather than going for the big chomp)
5) Depending on how much timber your going to throw at it depends on which machine you should buy... if for example your going to be chucking some serious big assed planks of Jarrah at it in quantity on a daily basis then the 15in definantly but if your only going to be throwing a few at it on a weekly or monthly basis then perhaps the 12 will be a better option

My 12 is now 4 years old and still goes well its had 3 blade changes in that time... my 15 is 2 years old but only been used for the last one year and has only had the initial chuck out the "come with machine" blades and install new ubeaut blades done and still slices the hell outta anything I toss at it... And on occasion Ive been known to chuck some serious amounts and sized timbers through it... sigh... when its not chucking a sookielala that is mind you Ive not gotten to use it as seriously as I want to since all its done for me is be a big b***ch... I mean Ive got a shyteload of damned timber thats WAITING to be thicknessed here!!

Thing is with the small one you have to work the timber through... with the 15 you dont all you have to do is place the timber at the entrance choose fast or slow gear and touch it to the rollers and it does the rest no effort what so ever! different beasts mate different beasts

I believe that once the big b***ch is working properly (in a few short weeks HOPEFULLY... PLEASE!!!) that it will chew threw everything and anything without a snort or sniffle and the finished product will turn out near as good as the legendary Derek can do with his many hand planes... well okay not that good but good enough to set to with ease with a scraper to finish it off.

I remain optimistic

If price is not an issue then choose your weapon of choice... depenant upon your seeable usage... I am and will remain content that I made the right choice buying both machines... mind you with a gap of a couple of years between purchases!

Originally Posted by Wild Dingo

having to stop and unplug the damned machine every time I threw a board at the thing to bring the bloody rollers back up drove me knuts!

Ding. I take it your 15"er has the fixed cutter head and the table rises and falls?

I have the opposite designed 15"er. Would this be an issue for riph to consider?

rph,

If you are frequently dealing with widths wider than 12", you'll be doing a lot of hand planing I suspect, since most of the cheapies are 12" wide!

They really aren't designed to work flat chat in bigger widths for ever. You'll do it, but get something a bit better for starters and you won't be unhappy.

(I have a cheapy and I'm happy, but I only play with little sticks.)

P

Dingo's advice about putting tungsten blades in from the start has a lot of merit. While you're at it, download the article by Major Panic about tuning a thicknesser and run through that with your new machine (you'll need to get a dial gauge if you haven't got one). I've got a 15" monster and found that the mob I bought it from just assembled it and didn't set it up correctly. Trust me, you'll save a lot of headaches by doing this. Not only that, you'll get to know the machine on your terms and not when something goes wrong. Have a look at Major's brilliant article here:
http://www.majorpanic.com/images/woo...hicknesser.htm

Bitingmidge's advice about getting the best machine you can is also very wise. I don't put really big stuff through mine very often, but its nice to know that I can if I want to. My brother who's a builder has worn out two or three of the little 12" ones over the last few years but that's the price you pay for portability.

While you're at it, it would be good to know where you can get the blades sharpened. They cut like crap with blunt blades. Being able to quickly use the original blades in a pinch is worth thinking about.

Good luck. A thicknesser certainly adds a new dimension to your woodwork.

Cheers,
Keith

don't under any circumstances buy one of those portable machines, not even if you get one for a dollar, unless you plan on just running garden sticks though it...

i got a 15in carbatec model a while back (fixed motor inside the base), it is a true workhorse, i put timber posts through it 150mm square, and full 15in wide boards too, and it eats them up like nothing, i now of a guy that thicknessed huge 8x8 ironbark posts for his house, the machine did it with ease...

Sorry,

This link should work:

http://www.majorpanic.com/images/woo...hicknesser.htm

Cheers for all the advice. Most of you seem to echo what I thought - I'll be better served by the 15" than by a 12".

I've got some 260mm wide Jarrah that'll probably be the first job the machine will be put to, so it'll definitely be baptism by fire I think. I'd hate to be stuck with a 12" model that's not up to thing I try and do with it.

It seems also with a 12" model I'd be spending probably close to an extra $200 just getting an ideal setup (stand / bench space, dust extraction etc.), whereas the 15" will plug straight into my existing extraction and be good to go once it's setup.

Next step is to add some 15A power points to the workshop...

yeh i got the 15iamp done too, lucky my uncle is a sparky, so it cost me $0...

i had a 12in machine for one day, (then brought it back for a refund) i ran an 11in wide oregon board through it (softwood not hardwood like your using) and it nearly ????? itself, and the noise, well you thought those Harrier jets were loud...


...the noise from the 15in is quite acceptable for the sort of job it's doing, as long as the blades a perfectly sharp...

The current or last Aust. Wood Review did a comparo of thicknessers and the H&F came out well ... sorry, can't remember whether they were 12" or larger models.

Originally Posted by Tankstand

Ding. I take it your 15"er has the fixed cutter head and the table rises and falls?

I have the opposite designed 15"er. Would this be an issue for riph to consider?

Hey now I hadnt actually considered that this could be a major part of the problem you know... just didnt enter the old noggin but can see what your getting at...

This is the same one as mine (TBW-3801)



those rollers on the bed are controlled up and down by first screws on the side of the bed which you turn to raise and lower then a grub screw on the surface edge you tighten or loosen... you can just see the grub screw holes on the outside edge of the table... my thinking presently is to get some bolts of the same size as the damned grub screws and change them out I cant see how a bolt head would affect it in anyway as the holes are, and therefore the heads would be, outside of the actual table and dont touch anything.

The few times its worked without dramas one can see hear and feel the difference in the machine

This is the 12 that I still use when the one above plays up (mb-1931)



It does the job... thats it... it will struggle with bigger peices yes but will do them you will need to go slow with it if your doing them but so far in 4 years Ive had very few issues with mine.

I did go have a look at H&F before I bought them and Im sorry but the customer service at the West Aussie store lacked something... oh right it lacked... customer service! so I went elsewhere... with hindsight I should have stuck it out and seen what they had to offer better than I did but shoddy customer service drives me knuts in a rush... and I really with hindsight should have taken the extra time to travel the extra miles and seen Carbetec... but well tis done now but as a word of advice do go to EVERY store you can find and really compare the buggars!

Anyways get the one that best suits your needs... both practical and financial... you can always update at a later time... as I said the 15 is a totally different beast and you will notice the immense differences if you compare them.

Cheers

ooh and good luck with it!! Seriously I hope no one else has the issues I have had with mine.

All good advice above.

I have done some terrible things to my HF 12inch. I work with hardwoods and have pushed metres of wide myrtle boards through it plus jarrah. It does it but it is hard work for the machine and the operator.
Yes, it screams.
On smaller boards and anything soft it is very handy and leaves a good finish.
Plus it doesn't take up much space.

I convinced my brother to buy a 15 inch from Carbatec. I put tungsten blades in it.
It does the big boards well and it is much easier on the operator.
Two speeds are handy for taking the rough surface off.
It has wheels which make it easy to move around.

I have the same problem as Dingo. The grub screws that lock the bottom rollers in place continually vibrate loose. The rollers then drop below the table and make it difficult to push boards through.
You have to raise the cutters and reset the rollers.
It is a real pain.

It needs a lock nut or something similar to stop them vibrating loose.

For the few hundred dollars extra the 15 inch machine makes life much easier. It is the best choice if you are going to be working with any quantity of wide hardwood boards.

"It needs a lock nut or something similar to stop them vibrating loose."

Try Loctite. Repco etc. Comes in varying degrees of stick. ... The old Brit bike rider's friend ;-}

Originally Posted by rsser

"It needs a lock nut or something similar to stop them vibrating loose."

Try Loctite. Repco etc. Comes in varying degrees of stick. ... The old Brit bike rider's friend ;-}

Spot on Ern. I knew a guy with a Norton Commando who reckoned he used to spend every Saturday morning tightening up the nuts that'd come loose during the week.

Yeah, makes me laugh.

I used to have a BSA 500 that was near new but the design and manufacturing quality were decades old. Without Loctite I'd've never got home.

Still use it though for critical bolts on the Honda Fireblade ... like disc brake caliper bolts. Copes well with vibration. And on the saucepan handles whose screws otherwise keep loosening off.