Thread: Sherwood 13 inch Segmented Spiral-Head Thicknesser

The marketing blurb is borderline false advertising if you ask me...

From the website:
"The knives are arranged in a straight pattern not a helical spiral head found in larger machines, and are designed to shear cut the work piece"

This is 100% bulls*** If the knives are in a straight pattern, then cannot shear cut by definition.

Spot on Elan. Similar head to the Hafco and Carbatec "spiral" units

IMG_0270.JPG

So what does that mean to a beginner like me? Is it good value? Does it create a nice finish?
I couldn't afford $2,000 for a dedicated thicknesser.

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I have the Carbatec version; whilst these segmented cutter heads are not proper spirals nor anything like a helical, they are a huge improvement over the old straight-knifed heads in performance and noise.

I spotted that the cutters are considerably longer than the CT and HF models; this might mean replacement cutters are more difficult to come by. Their website says they're 27mm wide as opposed to the "standard" 14mm; I don't think SJE Tools sells this size. They do claim that they're tungsten knives though so they should last a long time. I noticed as well that they have 26 cutters; same as the CT & HF models so I expect there will be considerable more overlap in the cutting action with the commensurate improvement in finish.

The one improvement which really stands out for me is the granite plattern; in theory much better than the thin polished steel sheet on the CT and HF.

Pity about the chip collection port though; that 2" will likely choke when using near full width but if you're only thicknessing timber under 6" wide or so it should cope and regardless will be a huge improvement on the old machine.

Thanks for sharing Stewie; maybe you'll give us an update once you've identified the highs and lows of the unit which may assist someone else's purchasing decision. It was another forum members report on the CT330X that helped me make that particular choice.

The one improvement which really stands out for me is the granite plattern; in theory much better than the thin polished steel sheet on the CT and HF.

It is the in- and outfeed tables that always require beefing up. I see the granite making minimal difference. Movement in the tables causes sniping. I have posted before about the table supports I made when I had a machine like this. This mod worked very well - eliminated any snipe.







Regards from Perth

Derek

1. A solid granite base instead of a stainless sheet over an alloy base. This improves the weight in the base of the machine, absorbing vibration and making it more stable in use as well as maintaining consistent flatness for the lifetime of the machine regardless of external influences (such as damage, scratching etc.).
2. A built-in depth-of-cut stop - set the depth of cut to the common 3.2mm, 6.4mm, 12.7mm, 19.0mm, 25.4mm and 31.8mm thicknesses so that when making the final pass on a number of work pieces they maintain a consistent thickness.
3. Bigger infeed and outfeed tables to support the work piece more effectively.

• Cutterhead parallelism maintained by four precision ground steel posts
• In-built dust chute and dust port with unique three sizes built into one outlet
• Easy-to-acces and change brushes
• Built-in depth-of-cut gauge to ensure you're taking off the correct amount in each pass

Stewie, none of that matters if the in-and outfeed tables flex at all.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek; apart from you, has anyone suggested that the infeed and outfeed tables on this newly designed machine flex under load .

Stewie, no need to be so defensive. My observation (and recommendation) is precautionary. You can either take it or not. I'm trying to be helpful. The information is for others, not just yourself.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek; then do so without making ridiculous assertions about my intentions.

I asked you a basic question; Derek; apart from you, has anyone suggested that the infeed and outfeed tables on this newly designed machine flex under load .

and this was your response; Stewie, no need to be so defensive. My observation (and recommendation) is precautionary. You can either take it or not. I'm trying to be helpful. The information is for others, not just yourself.

I wish they would put more thought into the design to eliminate snipe on the feed tables once and for all, instead of us having to fiddle with them and add things to make them work well. I have the older Sherwood thicknesser with the digital readout, I wrote a review in the Australian Woodworker many years ago. Although I thought the digital readout was a bit of a gimmick at first I've now come to rely on it in most of the work I do each week. I was really hoping they would make a new version with the digital read out and a proper spiral head!

Originally Posted by planemaker

Derek; then do so without making ridiculous assertions about my intentions.

I asked you a basic question; Derek; apart from you, has anyone suggested that the infeed and outfeed tables on this newly designed machine flex under load .

and this was your response; Stewie, no need to be so defensive. My observation (and recommendation) is precautionary. You can either take it or not. I'm trying to be helpful. The information is for others, not just yourself.

Stewie, just do a search on this forum, and you will find many comments about snipe on lunchbox machines.

Andrew, above, has just confirmed this. Feel free to do whatever you please - I leave a solution for others who do want a solution to snipe.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Would it be possible for you two to at least pretend you are grown ups?

Otherwise you may be spending time in the "time out room"

Fred, I don't give a flying fig about Stewie. You, we, he know this. My advice is to others that read this thread. My advice is correct, and if Stewie want's to have a knee jerk reaction to anything I post, that is his problem, as long as he does not undermine my advice with immature comments, because then it affects others as well.

Regards from Perth

Derek