Thread: Buying a new thicknesser

Hi Chook, Im on the verge of a thicknesser purchase also, so will watch for the forum input,i assume the carbatec price includes the 4 sided cutter squares for want of the proper term, as noise reduction is a big plus, does the non spiral version perform as well in this regard. Never thought I go down this route but the Ozito and Ryobi machines from bunnings seem good value, with3 year total replacement warranty on the ozito,they look identical to the jet machine, cheers Rossco

Originally Posted by woodsurfer

Hi Chook, Im on the verge of a thicknesser purchase also, so will watch for the forum input,i assume the carbatec price includes the 4 sided cutter squares for want of the proper term, as noise reduction is a big plus, does the non spiral version perform as well in this regard. Never thought I go down this route but the Ozito and Ryobi machines from bunnings seem good value, with3 year total replacement warranty on the ozito,they look identical to the jet machine, cheers Rossco

I think that the cutters are double sided and that the other two sides register the cutters into the head. But I will find out.

The cutters are two sided HSS not the four sided carbide cutters found on the true spiral heads.

G'Day Chook,
I have a replacement thicknesser on my bucket list and the one I have chosen is the Dewalt 735 with the aftermarket Byrd Spiral Cutter Head though it'll cost me twice the dollars of yours....The reviews on the Dewalt setup this way have been very good.
Cheers, crowie

Hello all, I dropped into Carba-Tec yesterday and picked up a CT330x thicknesser. I checked it for squareness/level and seems very good. I have only put one piece of pine through it for a test and it seems ok. there is a small amount of tear out on the right hand side, I turned the timber around and it did the same tear out so I'll have to check what's going on there. I'm not totally sure but it looks like it does have four sided blades? It's not to noisy, it planes a nice flat surface and the dust extraction works very well. This is my first thicknesser so I'm not to sure what to expect from it?

I just took the blade cover off and had a good look. they are indeed two sided blades. the marks I was seeing on the timber were just small dents from kick back mechanism. A small sanding will eliminate these.

Hi Asheddie, thanks for your review and good luck with your purchase . Ill get down to carbatec to check one out. Replacement blades from carbatec $6 , according to earlier threads on forum . How many rows and blades are there ? Rossco

Hi Rossco, I'll have a look at it in the morning and let you know how many blades. I had a bit more of a play with it tonight and Its cutting very well. There are two small issues though. First off there is oil/grease coming from the cutter head going all over the timber. it seems to be coming from inside it so I cant easily clean it off. From a search on this site it seems this is a common problem and sorts its self out pretty quickly. Secondly the lock for the adjustment wheel does absolutely nothing. I will need to pull it apart to see what's going on there. It seems to work perfectly without it so might not be a big problem. Cheers, Ash.

hi Rossco, sorry I've been flat out and haven't had a chance to get back into the shed this week. I'll have a look in the next few days. Cheers, Ash.

Originally Posted by woodsurfer

Hi Asheddie, thanks for your review and good luck with your purchase . Ill get down to carbatec to check one out. Replacement blades from carbatec $6 , according to earlier threads on forum . How many rows and blades are there ? Rossco

1/2" tips, 26 across the width, no overlap.

Hi Bonox, thanks for that,26x I/2 gives the 13 inch width of cut , but from the photo on the carbatec web they appear arranged in a spiral around the cutter head, right,? otherwise it would be in one line and unbalanced .Are you an owner? would appreciate any comments if so, cheers Rossco

they are arranged in two (three?) straight rows, staggered around the head, not in a spiral. Unlike a shelix head, each cutter tip strikes the timber straight on, rather than at an angle. The cutter block looks like it has some balancing mass left in it - it's not symmetric.

That's right, there are 26 blades set around a centre shaft. Not in a helix like pattern but flat across it, in a staggered way. I ripped some 50 year old jarrah yesterday and jointed it then tested out the thicknesser. It was fantastic. The grease has stopped shooting everywhere! it cut perfectly flat and the finish is great. I popped into CarbaTec and looked at another thicknesser the same and found that my head locking switch is faulty so that will need a looking into but it doesn't seem to matter. The motor had plenty of power, mind you it was only 90mm wide cut. So far, so good.

Asheddie, I have the 330CX too.

The first one was a dud as the feed rollers stopped after about 40 metres of pine. Carbatec sent me a new one immediately, I just couriered the old one back.

The new one is a charm. I absolutely love it. It cuts dead flat, it's very predictable and I've been making 12" wide pine boards that are 3mm thick for weeks on it.

I've run hundreds of metres through it. The only "issue" I found is it wants a good dusty. I run a 50mm into a dust deputy. It will fill that up quick smart.... Don't need to empty my shop vac for weeks.

The clamp lever it critical. You can only eliminate snipe with it at least partly engaged. Noise is acceptable (ie SWMBO doesn't complain) and blades are cheap. They are only 2 sided, but if you look at the design, this is very deliberate as the back of the tooth sits hard against a raised ridge. They set and sit dead flat every time, so there are no post-laning mystery grooves to fix by slightly rotating a tooth.

Had it 9 months and given it a pizzling and it's still awesome.

I toughly recommend it.