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27th May 2019, 11:24 PM #1New Member
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Rexon Double-sided Planer, info and parts
Hi all,
I recently responded to a Gumtree ad for a 16" thicknesser, the price seemed right and it was a big jump up from the Jet lunchbox thicknesser I had. When I got out there it turned out to be a double-sided thicknesser, which I have never encountered before. It has a 3hp upper motor driving the feed and the upper knives, and a lower 2hp motor driving the (optional) lower knives. It seems to work well, except for a heavily perished outfeed roller. I still picked it up, since the tables can be set flush and the lower knives not used, rendering it a standard thicknesser.
I have some pictures here - https://imgur.com/a/9I7aaIa
My questions are -
1. What did I just buy? I mean, are there any benefits to a double-sided planer that go beyond the time saving of dressing both sides at once? I ask this mainly because it is a way more powerful machine than I was banking on buying, 5hp would almost trip a 15A circuit at full load so I'd like to know if there is extra benefit to running both sets of knives that would justify finally getting the bigger circuit installed in the shed. (I've been wanting to do it for ages, so this might be the push needed to get the sparkie on the phone.)
2. Why do they seem to not be common anymore? There are models that I've found from General and Woodtek that look similar, but they're both discontinued. I would have considered myself fairly well educated on woodworking tools but this is the first time I've ever encountered one.
3. How would I go about getting either a replacement outfeed roller, or getting this one refurbished? I'm not holding out much hope of getting a replacement part but I'll start contacting woodworking machinery companies soon to see if someone can steer me in the right direction.
4. What's the story with the Rexon brand? I used to have a 6" belt sander of the same brand. Were they an importer/reseller of generic machines? I'd like to figure out why "Carbatec" is scrawled on the manual since I rang them and the guy on the phone didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I asked about "double" planers.
Thanks for reading! If nothing else, I'd love to get a few leads on fixing the polyeurethane outfeed roller. That's the only mechanical flaw it has, everything else is just for the sake of my own curiosity.
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28th May 2019, 09:02 AM #2GOLD MEMBER
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I had the 'rubber' rollers on my thicknesser 're-rubbered' over 25 years ago with polyurethane by a company that specialised in this type of work for the printing and packaging industries. Have a look under 'Rollers, Wooden & Rubber' in the Yellow Pages or ask a local printing company where they have their rollers refurbished.
The companies that I used to deal with over 25 years ago all seem to have disappeared, probably something to do with the decline in manufacturing in Australia.
Ah, just found the company that did mine all those years ago - Queensland. Sales - Brissett Rollers Pty Ltd
That machine you have acquired is a bit unusual, it will be interesting to see how it performs once you get it up and running.
Hope this helps.
Alan...
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28th May 2019, 05:56 PM #3Taking a break
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Not really. The table extensions on this one make for a useful length to properly joint timber. I've seen larger over/under planers for industrial use (some with a pair of side heads at the outfeed end as well), never a "home" sized machine.
Aside from needing double power, you'll need double extraction so keep that in mind if you do plan to use both heads.
Rexon is a Taiwanese company, they still exist and make power tools (and fitness equipment...weird combo) but can't see any proper machinery on their site REXON Professional tools | Power Tools & Fitness, probably just another rebadge job like the rest of them. I'm guessing Carbatec was the importer back in the day, but long since forgotten.
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28th May 2019, 06:18 PM #4GOLD MEMBER
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One problem with over/unders or even four sided moulders is that if you plane with the grain on the top surface, you are automatically planing against the grain on the underside. And the over/under is good for machining both faces to be pretty close straight along the length (good enough for boards for a dining table), however it's not hard to send a bowed board in and receive a bowed board coming back out because the upper rollers have pressed the bow out of the board while it was being cut.
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28th May 2019, 09:40 PM #5New Member
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That's a huge help, thank you for that. I'll definitely be contacting them when I have a chance to get this thing apart. Amazing that they're still operating.
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28th May 2019, 09:50 PM #6New Member
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Your comment about double extraction made me realise that there is no extraction port for the lower knives. Then I realised that must be what that angled chute in the cabinet is for. The chip breaker for the lower knives throws the chips down that chute in the back of the cabinet and they must just collect on the ground. That must be it, because they can't just collect in the cabinet with the motor.
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28th May 2019, 09:52 PM #7New Member
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Yeah that makes sense. I was thinking that maybe since the lower table is split and the infeed table is height-adjustable, it would work a bit more like a jointer and do a better job of straightening than a typical thicknesser. But I suppose the upper rollers pressing down and flattening the board negate most of that possible benefit.
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