Thread: Thickness Planer

A couple that quickly come to mind are Carba-Tec in Swan St Ricmond and Woodworkers Warehouse 11 Citrus St Braeside I was at both today and they both have a pretty good selection, you could also try WMS or any of the dozens of other woodworking machinery outlets simply by letting your fingers do the walking.

By the way Carba-Tec was mobbed with buyers when I was there around 2.30pm and say they have been that way for weeks. Must be something tho do with a pre GST buying splurge.

Good luck with the hunt Barry.
Cheers
Neil

GST buying frenzy? Most of the things I've seen suggest that tools should decrease in price as they are currently subject to 22% wholesale sales tax. I am hoping thats the case anyway!! One retailer confirmed this for me. Does anyone else have any ideas?

On planers:
Both the Delta (from Carba Tec) and Dewalt (don't know who routinely stocks it) models get very good reviews. The US forum rec.woodworking is a haven for tool buying info. There are regularly threads running about "which planer to buy" etc. Check it out.

Have you got Carba Tecs catalogue? Good reading for tool enthusiast.

yeah prices SHOULD fall on tools etc. But anyone with a tax excemption number will be getting in now. Bit hard to explain. There really is a lot of confussion about what will happen to prices after GST comes in. But my suggestion to anyone looking at buying something, do your homework it may be cheaper now or it may infact be cheaper in 5-6weeks.
cheers
Shane..

P.S. some tool suppliers have hinted at a price increase before GST as well, so again do your homework...

I recently purchased a "Rexon" GPT-317A thickneser and am quite happy with it.
The only problem with all (mostly all) small thicknessers available now is that the cutting edges cannot be re-sharpened on a grinder etc. They are a double sided throw-away item.
This is not to say,however that the blades cannot be lightly honed to keep a sharp edge for a longer life. Street price for this machine out in the bush is around $900 but should be less in the city.
Look for a machine with long in-feed and out-feed tables for a better finish.

I just picked up the Makita 1900B from the trading post. It came with 2 sets of blades. Both are dull. I tripped down to hardwarehouse to get the planer attachment for my triton. I was asking how much the blades are and they told me $110. Ouch ! But luckily the guy said that they have a sharpening service. $7.50 a blade professionally sharpened. $30 for 4 sharp blades. Cool. The only problem is it will take two weeks to get em back.
Any suggestions?

------------------
Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter

[This message has been edited by barrysumpter (edited 26 May 2000).]

[This message has been edited by barrysumpter (edited 27 May 2000).]

Barry,

Let your fingers do some walking and check out the yellow pages. I get a guy that comes to me to sharpen all my blades. He has a mobile service and it is done while you wait. He is very popular with the locals for that reason. And his prices are very reasonable. I can't remember his pricing.

But anyway might be worth while checking that out. It will cetainly be quicker than 2weeks..

The other way is to check out your local Lawn Mower service centre. Sometimes they have the facilities to sharpen blades. You may have to leave them overnight though depending on how busy they are and you will have to take the blades to them.

HTH
Shane

Shane. You stole my thunder.

Living in Welshmans Reef is like living in the middle of nowhere when it comes to services. However we also have a mobile sharpening man who comes around the area sharpening on site. This guy covers an area of approx. 80Km in all directions from Bendigo. His prices are great. I think the last pair of blades I had done cost around $12.

Surely there must de someone in your area that does the same.

You might also find that there is a universal blade that fits your machine. I believe they are as cheap as $35 a pair and are HSS. If you find a mobile sharpening person ask him about them.

Cheers
Neil

Many thanks for the continued responses. I keep forgetting how great the members are here. I did look thru the www.yellowpages.com.au and got about a hundred matches for the Melbourne area. Today I rang someone closer and they wanted $18.50 a pair. Receive Monday and deliver Friday. I would certainly appreciate any info on a professional in the Glen Iris Area who has a mobile service or can do it over night or two nights.

Thanks again everyone,
baz

People
The wholesale tax may be coming off the price of tools but look at the way the Aussie dollar is falling. After the GST is added the price could still be a lot higher and not through profiteering.
DonN

How does this effect Ausie made tools?

------------------
Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter

G'day Barry

In theory the GST will remove the 22% tax of now and replace it with 10% this should have the effect of reducing prices.

HOWEVER!!

The A$ is at its lowest rate for yonks and this will impact on pretty-well everything that we import and of course the imports will also incur a 10% tax even the ones that weren't taxed before. Much of the tool steel used in Aussie tools is imported and will be effected as will bearings and lots of other stuff.

I would say that in some instences there could even be massive price break outs. Not nessecerily because of the GST but other financial problems.

Our polishes for instance are set to rise for the first time in 5 years. We have recently had a 20% rise in the price of shellac and almost a 75% rise in carnauba wax. There is another rise of 30% or more coming in a month or so on shellac prices, because of crop failure. On top of this tax will now have to be paid on ethanol & turps, etc. We will be removing 22% tax and replacing it with 10% but I'll be blowed if I can afford to carry the cost of all the other rises we have incurred and will soon incur, along with the extra hours of bookwork that will be required to keep the tax man from throwing you in gaol or levying hefty fines when you muck up. Which I'll bet will inevitably happen.

Unfortunately I think that bad timing will probably see the GST unjustly labeled as, a business destroying, job destroying, soul destroying tax, that will be blamed for everything from compulsive gambling to global warming.

There are probably lots more, even worse tales, of what is to come. But don't blame price rises on the GST alone, as I bet many will. There are a lot of factors out there that will inevitably push prices up rather than down.

Please forgive the rantings. I hope this at least partly answers your question.

No cheers.
Neil

Just another 3 years (says Nostradomus). If we can survive another 3. World peace for another 100 years. Although he didn't say anything about getting taxed to death.

I totally agree with you about the GST. It totally sucs.

We'll need to be careful regarding passing on the GST tax and NOT the expence of sorting out the GST. I'm not a small business man but I beleive that there are going to be tax deductions (or whatever they're called) for sorting out the GST so the government is warning not to pass on the cost of sorting out the GST to customers. Just the tax of GST.

I'll stop talking about things I don't know, now.

baz

------------------
Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter

Hi Barry. I bought an EMCO - Rex B30 12" combo buzzer thicknesser. Its lightweight but high quality machine made in Austria. Since bought out by Metabo apparently. Good for a part time small shop like mine. Even though I sold a couple of Aussie made 50's cast iron machines and replaced them with the Emco I am very pleased. See ya. Rod

Hi all
I know this is not the right forum but as a follow on to the GST issues I would like to make one more point. If you are selling your work to shops or galleries you need to get an ABN. Many part time woodies have happily stayed outside the tax system until now but you won't get your work on the shelves unless you have that ABN, unless you are happy to have 48.5% witheld. If you are carrying on a part time business and as yet have done nothing then please seek advice and do it now. Otherwise, you may have some lean times ahead.
Regards
Shaun