thicknesser

[Gags_17]

Hey guys
just wondering whether you guys use your thicknessors much? im thinking of getting one because i allways think dam if only i had a thicknessor but then i dont no whether it will be used very often? and because space is such an issue at the new joint it would have to be a pretty small one any recomendations?
thanks

[Wood Butcher]

I don't use mine much but when I need it, it is great to have on hand. I have a 12" GMC thicknesser and while not a brilliant machine it does what I need it to.

[Gags_17]

do you thinks it would be a worth while buy? are the blades easy to replace or sharpen? do they go blunt easily?

[Wood Butcher]

If it is just for the occcasional use then yes it is worth it. The blades are not that hard to replace as the unit came with a blade setting jig and fairly decent instructions (and the fact that I used to set up industrial thicknessers for a living helped;))

The blades are double sided, but I'm sure that if you wanted better quality blades you could purchase some from a suitable supplier. I think a pair of blades from Bunnies is about $40-$50 at the moment.

Spend a bit of time doing a search for either GMC thicknesser or Ryobi AP-13 (they are the same machine). There are a lot of members that have them and a lot of different opinions too.

[Glenn_M]

Agree with WB also. Got myself a GMC unit and use it now and again. Not the most used piece of kit in the workshop but very handy indeed. Teamed with a jointer, I now view available timber in a different light.

I bought the GMC coz it was cheap. If I had to pay up near the $1K mark then I probably wouldn't have one.

I also have a small shop but mine is mounted on a stand with wheels and sits tucked away in the corner.

Very happy I have it when it's needed!

Cheers,

[m2c1Iw]

Hi Gags, 2nd WB and Glenn I've got the Ryobi similiar price to GMC but comes with a couple of extras recon its pretty handy and does a good job for the money. Have a read of this (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=25930) post for a great mod.
Cheers Mike

[Harry72]

Use a thicknesser yep every day Im working with wood.

[Gags_17]

thanks for the quick replie guys! whats the difference in price between the ryobi and the gmc? which one would you recoomend! I saw the little warrior one at mitre 10 what do ya think of this unit? yer i think it would be pretty handy! and it would be great when timber shopping! what do you guys think of the gmc band saw the biggest one in there range is it good? the reason i like the gmc stuff is cus theres a tool shop called cbf and they sell gmc tools cheap as!:)

[Waldo]

G'day Gags,

Regarding blades and their sharpening, there's a bloke on Coolstore Rd, Croydon, his prices are cheap as, which is a shame really because his work is top rate and i feel like I'm the one ripping him off. I'll edit this post tomorrow with his business name etc.

[Waldo]

G'day Gags,

Regarding blades and their sharpening, there's a bloke on Coolstore Rd, Croydon, his prices are cheap as, which is a shame really because his work is top rate and i feel like I'm the one ripping him off. I'll edit this post tomorrow with his business name etc.

[Batpig]

Dear Gags,

Regarding the GMC unit that most of the lads are talking about, to my knowledge it has been discontinued by GMC. From what I was able to gather when it was still around, though, it was not just similar to the Ryobi, but rather the exact very same machine in a different colour, give or take the rear dust-extraction hood (you get that with Chinese gear...) And for that matter, the GMC and the Ryobi were not alone in their "sameness", because the orange Warrior unit that you speak of is also the same, as is this particular Carba-Tec model:
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=180_410_2610
and this one from Timbecon:
http://www.timbecon.com.au/details/12-1-2in-thicknesser-8689.aspx
as well as this Hafco unit:
http://www.hareandforbes.com.au/sample_2/home.php

I saw the unit you speak of in Ryobi livery in action at the Brisbane wood show and the finish was excellent, except for the slight "Snipe", about 6 inches in from the ends of the timber, that other Forumites have stated the unit in it's various guises to produce. This brilliant post:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=25930&highlight=gmc+thicknesser)
by a forensically-minded Forumite named "apricotripper" put the problem down to vertical rocking in the spring-loaded Feed Rollers due to the lack of a locking mechanism on the unit's Cutter Head (which a lot of dearer units come with).

If "Snipe" is going to worry you, be wary of tracking one of these units down and undertaking apricotripper's brilliant anti-Snipe fix, because another very on-the-ball Forumite named "routermaniac" noted that the bushes that apricotripper drilled through to mount the grub screws for his fix were probably made of cast-alloy, and might be prone to break if they were weakened by drilling, and then pushed outwards by the force of the grub screws.

I don't have a thicknesser, but I can tell you from what I've seen that they would be a damned good thing to have - especially if you have a lot of old timber lying around. If you make a "transport" to carry long bent pieces of timber through the machine, and you think about what you are doing, you could straighten just about anything.

Your best bet will be to wait until GMC bring out the new unit (the PT330 - don't know when it will be released), and see whether it has got a Locking Lever for the Cutting Head, and a Dust Chute as standard for that matter. If it looks good and the price is acceptable, you can then start to think about such matters as blade replacement. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if Aldi eventually sell the old GMC (as a PowerCraft or something) sooner or later, because they do that with a lot of formerly-GMC tools. Just sit tight for a while. Rome wasn't conquered in a day...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

[Gags_17]

how muchh does it cost to get them resharpened? and how many times can ya get em sharpened before there no good? will getting them shapened have effect on the depth setting scales?

[Waldo]

G'day Gags_17,

Okay, the place to go is Specialty Saws, 3 Coolstore Rd, Croydon, VIC 3136. ph: 9725 8068.

They're on the right heading towards the railway crossing from the Mt, Dande Rd end, they're pretty much directly across the road from Midas.

Cost? To get the blades for my jointer sharpened - $3 each, so maybe use that as a guide. (reminds me, I should take in the other set to get sharpened, that and some hand saws)

(no afiliation with - the usual stuff. Just a very satisfied customer :2tsup: )

[specialist]

I've got to say that I bought the chinese hafco, the finish of the machine isn't great, but, it is one of the better things that I've bought. Use it most weekends.

If your not doing a huge amount, then just buy a cheap one, they do the job. A friend of mine has a gmc and he sized all the hardwood bearers in a building with it. They just had to let it cool down when the thermal overload tripped, which was fairly regular with that kind of work.

hope this helps

Robert

[Gags_17]

Dear Gags,

Regarding the GMC unit that most of the lads are talking about, to my knowledge it has been discontinued by GMC. From what I was able to gather when it was still around, though, it was not just similar to the Ryobi, but rather the exact very same machine in a different colour, give or take the rear dust-extraction hood (you get that with Chinese gear...) And for that matter, the GMC and the Ryobi were not alone in their "sameness", because the orange Warrior unit that you speak of is also the same, as is this particular Carba-Tec model:
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=180_410_2610
and this one from Timbecon:
http://www.timbecon.com.au/details/12-1-2in-thicknesser-8689.aspx
as well as this Hafco unit:
http://www.hareandforbes.com.au/sample_2/home.php

I saw the unit you speak of in Ryobi livery in action at the Brisbane wood show and the finish was excellent, except for the slight "Snipe", about 6 inches in from the ends of the timber, that other Forumites have stated the unit in it's various guises to produce. This brilliant post:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=25930&highlight=gmc+thicknesser)
by a forensically-minded Forumite named "apricotripper" put the problem down to vertical rocking in the spring-loaded Feed Rollers due to the lack of a locking mechanism on the unit's Cutter Head (which a lot of dearer units come with).

If "Snipe" is going to worry you, be wary of tracking one of these units down and undertaking apricotripper's brilliant anti-Snipe fix, because another very on-the-ball Forumite named "routermaniac" noted that the bushes that apricotripper drilled through to mount the grub screws for his fix were probably made of cast-alloy, and might be prone to break if they were weakened by drilling, and then pushed outwards by the force of the grub screws.

I don't have a thicknesser, but I can tell you from what I've seen that they would be a damned good thing to have - especially if you have a lot of old timber lying around. If you make a "transport" to carry long bent pieces of timber through the machine, and you think about what you are doing, you could straighten just about anything.

Your best bet will be to wait until GMC bring out the new unit (the PT330 - don't know when it will be released), and see whether it has got a Locking Lever for the Cutting Head, and a Dust Chute as standard for that matter. If it looks good and the price is acceptable, you can then start to think about such matters as blade replacement. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if Aldi eventually sell the old GMC (as a PowerCraft or something) sooner or later, because they do that with a lot of formerly-GMC tools. Just sit tight for a while. Rome wasn't conquered in a day...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

great info mate thanks!
yer i will wat for the new gmc model im in no hurry to get one cuz im still setting up my new work shop and its one a single garage my old one was a 4 car garage so ive had to do alot of down sizing! do yo no a rough price for the new gmc unit?

[MurrayD99]

I buy rough sawn timber from sawmills, dry it in my rack and and dress it myself. I'm not sure I'd use the thicknesser a lot if I didn't work this way.

[Batpig]

Dear Gags,

Regarding the price of the upcoming GMC unit, I have no idea unfortunately. If it has a Locking Cutter-Head, expect it to be somewhat dearer than the $349 or so that the old one was being sold for before Bunnings started clearing them out for $199.

Of the Big Three (Carba-Tec, Timbecon, Hare & Forbes), the cheapest unit with a Locking Head that I can see is this one from Timbecon for $649:
http://www.timbecon.com.au/details/13-deluxe-thicknesser-14335.aspx

Interestingly, it is a recent addition to Timbecon's line-up, and also has 330mm wide blades (such as the GMC PT330 will obviously have)... Given that Timbecon used to sell an orange version of the previous GMC Thicknesser, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the above unit turned up in blue paint as the new GMC. If so, I would hazard a guess that they would be no dearer than the psychologically-important "breakthrough" price of $599, or possibly even $499...

This sounds expensive for a GMC, but those new double-bevel Sliding Compound Mitre Saws that they now sell are something like $399 or $499 (someone help me here...). If Bunnings can shift the SCMS's at that price, they would then keep the price of the Thicknessers up also, but would nonetheless keep them below the price of the lower-spec of the two Triton Thicknessers (the price of which I think you'll be able to sniff out on this Forum if you do a little searching.)

Regards,
Batpig.

[Gags_17]

is bunnings still getting rid of the gmc's for 199? yer looks like illl have to save my pennies that way i wont regret buying the crappy one! thanks for all the advice given guys it much apreciated! i have one of the scms and it is pretty good allthough there is quite alot of movement side to side if your not really gentle! allthough it could just be my blade

[Batpig]

is bunnings still getting rid of the gmc's for 199?
No, I think they're all gone Gags. Don't feel too bad about it, though, because you would have still had to buy the Dust Hood for the thing from Hafco (another $29) and you still wouldn't have had a Locking Cutter-Head to prevent Snipe (and if you did apricotripper's Mod, even if the drilled-through bushes didn't break, but the motor burnt out on it, you might still have problems with a warranty claim in spite of the fact that it had nothing to do with the Mod...) Think twice before you leap into Mods... Jigs are one thing - Mods are another... Is almost always worth a few more bucks to buy the next model up with the desired feature already built-in. (Mind you, the cost difference between the previously mentioned lowest priced Locking Cutter-Head Unit (Timbecon - $649), and the $199 price of the cleared-out GMC unit at Bunnings really does seem to push it convincingly into the realm of Modworthiness...
Apricotripper therefore Rocks... (but just wait and see what price GMC/Bunnings put on the new one, though, Gags.)

Regards,
Batpig.

[Stuart]

The new GMC is $299 - saw it in Bunnings this evening. 13", so it is different to the 12.5" model which comes from a different factory.

[Gags_17]

oh 299 thats not bad i think i can live with that:) do you know if there is any reviews for them? i dont think i would use it alot but theres all ways time that i wish i had one so i couldnt justify spending $600 on one, well not just yet anyway

[Burnsy]

Just checked the GMC website and they have no thicknesser listed at the moment. Must be waiting on the web site to be updated with the new model specs. I too am keen to see any reviews, specs or pictures at that price.

[Stuart]

That's what I thought a fair few year's ago when I bought the 12.5" for $360.

Was happy with the price then, so no complaints. It's still going and going and going (oops - wrong product ;) )

Only thing I've read somewhere ?on these forums? is the blades sound very soft. I have no firsthand experience of this one to make any other comment.

Oh - one spec that I did see - 2000W.

[Batpig]

The new GMC is $299 - saw it in Bunnings this evening. 13", so it is different to the 12.5" model which comes from a different factory.

Dear Stuart,

Would be asking for a lot at that price, but I don't suppose you happened to notice whether the new unit had a Locking Cutter-Head or not?

Regards,
Batpig.

[Wood Butcher]

Thought it might be worth mentioning about the difference between the earlier GMC and the Ryobi AP-13. The GMC was not only missing the dust extraction chute but also the anti-kickback devices from under the power head.

I can't see what the big deal is about a locking cutter head with the new ones as when you are changing the knives the direction of the forces required to undo the nuts (sideways across the head) are not going to cause the head to rotate like in changing a saw blade.

[Phil Spencer]

I use mine all the time, it lets me buy rough sawn stock and take it down to he dimension I want not only has given me more flexibility rough sawn wood is cheaper also

Phil

[scooter]

I can't see what the big deal is about a locking cutter head with the new ones as when you are changing the knives the direction of the forces required to undo the nuts (sideways across the head) are not going to cause the head to rotate like in changing a saw blade.

Rowan, I thought the locking cutter head was not for changing blades, but prevented it moving on the columns when the end of the timber passes through, reducing/eliminating snipe. :?:?


Cheers..................Sean

[Wood Butcher]

So the lock is on the support columns for the power head not the spindle of the cutter. Sorry got confused.

[Gags_17]

had a look in bunnies today (north croydon) and they didnt have the new gmc thicknessor the only thicknessor they had was the ryobi one and 399 i reckon thats a bit steep for ryobi i mean cmon lol

[bpj1968]

I got eth GMC and happy with it. Didn;t realise taht painted timber blunts te blades in no time. I had dressed a heap of old hardwood with no problems (except for one nail). Only after dressing a few painted boards did the blades show any signs.

GMC blades are about 35, Ryobi blades are about 45 at the local bunnings. Side by side they are identical, inlcuding the markings. I have removed mine a few times and given them a light run across a stone to basiclally clean them and remove any little nicks, without a problem.

Gags did you find CBF?

[Waldo]

G'day Gags_17,

Last time I was in Bunnies at Bayswater, which was last week, they had a pallette of the GMC thicknessers.

[Gags_17]

nah i rang here old factory number hoping that it would redirect me but it didnt!so im not sure yet he used to advertise in the local newspaper so hopefully he does it again with he new joint. just wondeing he you sharped the blades does it affect the depth of cut compare to the scales? like if its set for 1mm to be taken off but youve shaprpened your blade will it only take off 0.8mm? is the finish once thicknessed good enough to use or does it need a bit of a sand?

[Gags_17]

G'day Gags_17,

Last time I was in Bunnies at Bayswater, which was last week, they had a pallette of the GMC thicknessers.
oh dam i was at that bunnings yesterday to i should of had a look! lol i went to 2 different bunnings yesterday dont ya hate it when ya got to get stuff but the you forget something lol i do it alot

[Waldo]

lol i do it alot

:yes:

[tomg]

I am a weekend warrior and am thinking about buying a small thicknesser.
I see that carbatec has a CT1317 12.5 inch one for $299.
Is this unit any good for the price or should I go to the next level in price

[Batpig]

Dear tomg,

You are obviously talking about the CT-317. As I stated earlier in this thread, it and the GMC being discussed at the start of the thread are the same machine but in different livery. Have a read of the whole thread in order to get some guidance on the pros and cons of it. At some stage during the thread, the topic sort of switches over to the replacement GMC Thicknesser (the PT330) which is also $299 at Bunnings. It's not on the website but I have seen it in a Bunnings catalogue.

Amongst other things, you will notice that the thread discusses the advantages of having a "Cutter-Head Locking Lever" in order to eliminate the problem of "snipe". The CT-317 does not have the said Lock. From what I can see (and also going by the price), I'd be very surprised if the new GMC unit had one either. Having said that, you can definitely live with Snipe. On that unit (the CT-317) the Snipe only affects the last two inches or so at each end of your pieces of timber. The rest ends up looking pretty good. Maybe you can chop off the Snipe-affected bits, or conceal them somehow...

This unit,
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=180_410_19328
is the next cheapest Thicknesser at Carbatec, and is currently on sale, but I have no idea whether it has a Head-Lock, or whether Snipe is somehow just not an issue on it and it therefore doesn't need one. Earlier in the thread I posted a link to the cheapest Locking-Head unit from Timbecon. Have a look at it. Check out Hare & Forbes too, if there's one within cooee of you...

If you did decide that the price hike up to the next level is too much, it would probably come down to either the CT-317 or the new GMC PT330. I would go for whichever one had a rear dust chute as standard (which is available as an aftermarket part for the CT-317 at Hare & Forbes). Try and wait, though, for any feedback on the new GMC from some of the more intrepid of the Forumites who know about Snipe and stuff (mind you, they'll all now be waiting to hear back from you too, wont they...:cool:)

Read thread. Is Good.
Batpig.

[Wood Butcher]

I had a look at the new GMC thicknesser on the weekend at Bunnies and I can't see anything that resembles a lock on the columns. The price was $299 and apparently it even takes the same blades as the previous GMC thicknessers, although I haven't substantiated this yet.