Thread: Hafco T-380A Thicknesser unsatisfactory finish

It is easy enough to take the top cover off and do an inspection of the blades. The last machine I bought from H&F was not up to the expected standard and though I fixed it myself I will be twice shy with anything I buy from them again.
That said, I bought my T-380A about 15 years ago and it has worked well. I do put a lot of rubbish through and am always picking up nails and stones and so bought a second set of blades and a surface grinder to sharpen them myself. I tend to use a rough side and a finish side to avoid lines. I have been looking covetously at those spiral cutters one sees advertised. I could almost sell the grinder to cover the cost of the cutter. I wonder if anyone has converted their T-380A and can give a report?

Quote
"I have just bought a brand new Hafco T-380A 15" thicknesser and after breaking it in with the very first small length of soft pine, the finished product has numerous lines consistent with what I imagine would be the case if one had fed a length of timber with several small nails etc and put small notches in the blades."

I'm no expert and don't own that machine. Mine is a 15" Carbatec but the finish is very smooth when the blades are sharp. Besides the obvious option of contacting Hafco under the warranty it may be that the blades had a few burrs after the sharpening process and the soft wood did not remove them. It's a long shot but put a piece of hardwood through and see how it finishes.

I don't know how the feed roller on your machine grips the timber but mine leaves lines across the 'finished' timber if I only take about .5 mm or less off as I feed it through the machine.

John

Ive always got my best results from my thicknesser after honing and putting a back bevel on the blades.............

Well worth the effort!

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f154/b...-knives-20490/

Regards Lou

I have a Hafco T381 and its fantastic. I bought mine second hand on ebay for $800 but it was brand new. When I got it home I went right over it, which you should do with any new machine (set you roller heights, check the blades are tight etc, I couldn't find any saw dust in it anywhere.
As stated above, remove the top cover and have a look at the blades, I don't let mine get too blunt, as soon as they start to tear the wood at all or leave the smallest of grooves I slip them out and give them a little hone with a diamond stone. I have a spare set as I use this machine to make my living so I don't want it off line for very long. I open the top, out with the dull in with the sharp and off again. I leave the dull ones on the bench untill I have a spare minuet and then spend 5 - 10 min on them, oil them and put them away for next time. If you flog them to death you woulf then need to have them reground. My Hafco leaves the timber silky smooth (but you must feed with the grain running the right direction). Check under the hood, maybe some idiots put the blades in upside down or something stupid. 2 photos of the project I am doing at the moment, the desk top is straight out of the Hafco and trimmed to length ready for glue up. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies guys, yeh I think the first course of action will be to remove the top cover and visually confirm the condition of the blades and take it from there. Was just feeling a little deflated as my old man's little $300 Ryobi AP13 puts a better finish on the product.

Cheers.

I.m pretty sure with a little TLC you hafco will eat your fathers ryobi, the finish on my boards is perfect when the blades are sharp. I have put 300 x 50 recycled hardwood 4m long through the hafco with the same great results. If you are using recycled timber I would recomend a metal detector, I have a carbatec $60 one that works realy well. I have only ever hit one nail but that was on a side I missed because I have visitors at my workshop and while talking I missed checking one side.

If you looked at the pics you will have seen my own little reminder for nails written on the front of the thicknesser.

I've owned two different JET jointers/thicknessers, and both have exhibited the problem you describe from new (i.e. with the factory-fitted blades). In both cases, subsequent use with locally re-sharpened blades showed no ridges at all. So.......this issue isn't unique to H&F.

Of course, the problem is easily fixed by moving just one blade a fraction sideways (there is usually enough slop in the clamping arrangement to do this), then reset that blade to the same height as the others. Movng the blade sideways even 0.25mm is enough to eliminate the very fine ridges from minor blade chipping. Mind you, if you take a huge ding out of the blade with a nail that is a different proposition altogether....

As an aside, I'm just about to send a set of blades off for sharpening, and that back-bevel idea looks interesting. Much easier to get it done at Leuco sharpening than stuff around myself. Has anyone actually tried this, and if so any comments? I'd make the back-bevel width as small as possible so the blades are recoverable if it doesn't work out. That article by David Marks suggests a back-bevel at 20 degrees and about 0.75mm wide?

I always BAckbevel my blades as suggested by MArksey with excellent results! I used to get this done at the local sharpening service after which Id give the blades a hone before firing up again..............

This gave my Thicknesser and Jointer a consistantly better cut than factory set blades

REgards Lou

Thanks Lou - I'll give it a go I think. I'll draw a little picture for the sharpening people so they know what I want.

Cheers

Originally Posted by burraboy

It is easy enough to take the top cover off and do an inspection of the blades. The last machine I bought from H&F was not up to the expected standard and though I fixed it myself I will be twice shy with anything I buy from them again.
That said, I bought my T-380A about 15 years ago and it has worked well. I do put a lot of rubbish through and am always picking up nails and stones and so bought a second set of blades and a surface grinder to sharpen them myself. I tend to use a rough side and a finish side to avoid lines. I have been looking covetously at those spiral cutters one sees advertised. I could almost sell the grinder to cover the cost of the cutter. I wonder if anyone has converted their T-380A and can give a report?

hi ya burraboy im in the process of doing my ledacraft ct 508 have sourced a site CTS machinery in china they have many sizes will keep you posted as it unfolds cheers havic
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Good-oh Havic, I'll look forward to it!