Thread: Advice on cheap thicknesser please

I've never owned a thicknesser, but putting nails through will undoubtedly put chips in its blades. Will you be using this for anything else after the decking?

I'm with JPA, the first nails that go through will ruin the blades, then you're up for a new set and so the saga will continue. For the $500 you want to spend on a thicknesser, how much new timber will you get?

Regards,

Rob

My first thought would be to hire a floor sander and edger, sand it down, punch down and fill any visible nails and then oil. Should be a whole heap easier and quicker than pulling it all up, thicknessing and then laying it again. Be cheaper too. I sanded interior floorboards for the entire house in the last place we lived, and those sanders don't mind doing nails at all.

Originally Posted by JPA

I've never owned a thicknesser, but putting nails through will undoubtedly put chips in its blades. Will you be using this for anything else after the decking?

Originally Posted by LGS

I'm with JPA, the first nails that go through will ruin the blades, then you're up for a new set and so the saga will continue. For the $500 you want to spend on a thicknesser, how much new timber will you get?

Regards,

Rob

He says he'll be pulling the deck up and relaying with screws, so you'd assume the nails have been removed, wouldn't you think.

Lots of timber yards won't touch secondhand timber due to nail risk but if he is vigilant with his nail removing, he should be able to do his whole deck without hitting a nail.

Seems like a whole lot of work to ruin a thicknesser
I like the floor sander idea as I tend to go for the easiest option.
Regards
John

Hellop buck naked,
Just an observation that might be helpful. I have found that the purchase of a metal detector (probably less than $50) is a very
wise investment. Remove them all and then check with the detector. It is amazing how easy it is to miss one or two. That way you can
be certain that they are nail free before you put them thru the planer. Drillit.

thanks for the replies
well yes, I would be taking great pains to make sure all my nails were removed. as I mentioned I've already pulled maybe 30% up just to install the spa.
also I mentioned they we laid ridge side up which means I would have to sand all of that out, probably not as much work as it sounds as those floor sanders take off quite a bit of surface. I was told by someone [tool dude from Bunning's] that people who hire the floor sanders are always back 30 minutes later buying more sand paper as they have torn them up with nails

it’s one of those jobs, both options seem like a similar amount of work in my mind, the floor sanders for a start require a certain amount of technique to not make a dogs breakfast of it, sanding hollows into it for example, only getting so close to the edges without then reverting to a belt sander as it is walled on 3 sides
also I would have to do the lot in a weekend whereas the thicknesser I could attack in stages

my main concern is that the $450 - $500 thicknessers would be man enough for the job, and in answer to the question, after this I probably won't thickness again in my lifetime
thanks for the replies
well yes, I would be taking great pains to make sure all my nails were removed. as I mentioned I've already pulled maybe 30% up just to install the spa.
also I mentioned they we laid ridge side up which means I would have to sand all of that out, probably not as much work as it sounds as those floor sanders take off quite a bit of surface. I was told by someone [tool dude from Bunning's] that people who hire the floor sanders are always back 30 minutes later buying more sand paper as they have torn them up with nails

it’s one of those jobs, both options seem like a similar amount of work in my mind, the floor sanders for a start require a certain amount of technique to not make a dogs breakfast of it, sanding hollows into it for example, only getting so close to the edges without then reverting to a belt sander as it is walled on 3 sides
also I would have to do the lot in a weekend whereas the thicknesser I could attack in stages

my main concern is that the $450 - $500 thicknessers would be man enough for the job, and in answer to the question, after this I probably won't thickness again in my lifetime

Well then,
I would suggest the "909" thicknesser option from Masters. It's really a GMC in "909" clothing, costs about $300 and will do what you want. You may even be able to recoup a hundred bucks or so at the end of the project! '

This is it. here!

Regards,

Rob

There is a similar thread regarding flooring on this site.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f213/flooring-top-160500/

Going to be used for a different purpose to what you are after but might be worth a read.

I think I'd be buying new decking

the grain in the old deck will be full of dirt which will blunt and ruin a set of blades nearly as fast as an errant nail or two

If the deck was laid the wrong way, with grooves up, they will be full of all sorts of rubbish that will blunt knives very quickly, so add in the time to wire brush out all the grooves (and you may still catch nasty stuff). Nothing has been mentioned of your final thickness. You need to consider the span between joists and the minimum allowable thickness of deck board for the span. And have you checked the boards for rot over the joists? And how will you keep track of the layout so you can put it back down the same way? And if you're not worried about that you'll have nail holes not lining up with joists and a lot of time spent fitting the jigsaw back together. And...

I think you'd be better buying a floor punch, punch the nails and sand it, if you're satisfied the final thickness is OK and the boards are sound...

Sounds to me he will be running the thicknesser over the flat (previously down) side. A couple of passes should do it, I have done something similar and it worked fine. Although I'd be more inclined to lift, relay, then sand with a flooring sander myself.

aarrgg what to do????
this weekend I’m going to pull some of the nails from the deck I have already lifted, being nasty little nail gun nails, I’m not sure how easily they will remove. That will put the thicknesser idea to rest if I have trouble removing them.
I will also do a proper measure and price to replace, approx area is 7m long x 10m wide
As for matching the nail holes it didn’t really bother me that much but it is something to think about, I'm sure when it’s all re-laid and oiled the holes will be annoying

Have you thought about buying a wide belt sanding machine? Rather like a thicknesser but with a sanding belt/ roller instead of blades.

When I used to make floor boards from reclaimed material, they were run through the sander rather than the thicknesser. Nails and ingrained dirt are less of an issue, but they are a bit slower.