Thread: New machinery advice

Hi guys, I'm just after a little advice on some machinery.

I am a budding woodworker, with a few basic machines put together over the years (belt & orbital sander, lathe, drills, biscuit jointer, router and various hand tools). I have been able to cope with some basic woodwork projects to date and I am also a budding renovator.

After indulging in some 2 wheeled recreation for some time, I am now moving on and looking to get more seriously set up for some bigger woodwork projects. I have done some small projects with recycled hardwood, and with ready access to supply, it is my material of preference for working with at this stage. I therefore believe that whatever I invest in must lean more to the heavy duty side of things.

I am focused on purchasing a 12" SCMS, electric plane and had my eyes on the CTJ-381 thicknesser. All machinery would be purchased for long term use and quality is the focus.

My question is whether the thicknesser would be a good purchase at this stage? I have about 60lm of vic ash to clean up for which the thicknesser would be used. However I have had a though that maybe I could shelve the thicknesser idea for a couple of years and invest in some other machinery to the equivalent value while having my ash thicknessed by some local shop. Would it be a good idea to shelve the thicknesser and buy some other machinery given the materials I want to work with, or should I get the thicknesser now and buy other machinery as time goes on?

(PS sorry if this seems a bit long winded)