Thread: Thicknesser

Have you looked at the carbatec with the spiral head?

Well out of my price range I think

Ahhhh, yes it is about $250 more then last time I checked

The Jet is the better brand however every inch counts

If I had to pick one of those three it would be the Jet based on their reputation for producing quality machines. My experience with H&F gear is rather low but what I have seen of them they can be improved with tuning. Ryobi? I have had many Ryobi tools and in my opinion the only reason to buy their products is because you can't afford anything better but consider yourself too good for Ozito.

What you will find with all of these machines is a propensity for snipe and a scalloped surface finish. The Jet will probably be able to have the snipe eliminated with careful tuning but the scalloping will need hand planing or sanding to remove it.

I have just upgraded from my old GMC thicknesser to a Carbatec CT-330X and the difference is astounding. I have reduced the snipe to a negligible level and the finish just needs a light sanding. It's twice the price of the ones you are looking at however. The H&F 15A SS is the upgraded model to the one you are looking at and has the the same spiral head as the CT and has had very good reviews; I think it's the cheapest spiral head available.

Most of the time the Hafco and Carbatec stuff are on par for quality

G'day Greg,
While I'd really encourage you down the spiral cutter head path they do cost....
I have a Dewalt 735 which has 3 blades, but I do have a Byrd Cutter head to install when I eventually kill the current blades...I'm only a toymaker and use mostly recycled timbers....Cheers, crowie

Also have you looked in the forum market place as there is a Ryobi for sale...

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f275/ryobi-thicknesser-199113

Thanks everyone for your comments. I was thinking that I wouldn't get the constant use out of the machine to warrant spending an extra $400 or nearly double the price of a Carbatec spiral head. Although I can see the advantages it all comes down to economics and noise. My shed is close to the neighbours so I have lined it with Rockwool sound and heat insulation with form ply over that. I did the same with the DC, putting it in a small separate lined shed which reduced the noise to far less than a vacuum cleaner at a distance - barely a muffle. That avoids any complaints from the neighbours. So I might have to abandon the economics in favour of happy neighbours and get a quieter spiral head machine.

H&F offer a spiral head cutter (Model T-13S) for $759 which is $100 cheaper than the Carbatec model CT-330X. Which would be the best out of the Carbatec and the Hafco. It will not be getting a huge amount of use and will suffer only pine as I will be using it for toys and models.

Just be aware that a spiral head is not the same as a helical head, so don't expect the same outcomes. You may as well just go for a quality straight blade machine, or make the larger jump to a helical head.

Originally Posted by Ghallahad

Just be aware that a spiral head is not the same as a helical head, so don't expect the same outcomes. You may as well just go for a quality straight blade machine, or make the larger jump to a helical head.

I don't disagree that they are not the same beast you do get the extra life, quieter operation and the ability still to rotate individual bits with the spiral head so there is that.

I've done a bit of a comparison between the standard thicknessers and the spiral heads and attached it below. I couldn't get all of the information from the company websites. Importantly, as stated, the spiral/helical are quieter machines and that is what I need.

However, I have a couple of questions.

First, the straight 2 knife blades in the cheaper machines have a quoted maximum depth of cut as 3mm (Carbatec) and 2.5mm (Hafco) whereas the Spiral blade on the Carbatec CT-330X shows maximum depth of cut as 0.5mm; Hafco don't show the figure. If this is the most that can be cut in a single run then its going to take a lot longer to do each piece of timber provided I am understanding it correctly.

Secondly, the cutter knifes for the Carbatec and Hafco are stated at 26 inserts. The replacement knifes in either HSS or Tungsten only come in packs of 10 and are roughly $65 and $105, respectively. Do you change only damaged knives or do you need to change all 26 in one go which would mean buying 3 packs?

Finally for now, the Carbatec is sold as a segmented spiral 2 head while the Hafco is sold as a Helical cutter head. I noticed in one of the posts that the Helical is supposed to be the better of the two. Is the Hafco a true helical and is it easier to change knives with this head.

Thanks for any information

greg

Thicknesser.docx

Hi Greg

The best option I have found for getting the best price thickie with the best possible spiral shear cut head is to buy your thickie with the std. Blades and then get a spiral from RDG

The H&F and the Carbatec both use the exact same spiral head with the exact same 26 HSS cutters. SJE Tools sells a complete set of tungsten inserts for $99 dollars. The inserts have two cutting edges so when they wear or are damaged they can be rotated to the second edge, plus if you only use the middle six inches or so of the machine you can swap the inner and outer cutters to even out the wear. The 0.5mm stated depth of cut is incorrect, it will do up to a 3.2mm cut depending on the width and hardness of the timber. These two machines are very close together in their performance, the CT is about ten kilos heavier though which is why I chose it; more mass equals less vibration. SJE Tools is a forum member and has the H&F machine, he has at least one u-tube video showing it in use with the inserts he sells. As well as myself, Evanism also owns the CT. Lastly, the previous edition of Australian Woodworking Review did a shootout of both of those machines plus the DeWalt machine Crowie owns, overall the DeWalt gave the best finish but the reviewer preferred the CT in the end.

I bought a Scheppach Combo Thicknesser Planer. Works real well, beds are cast iron, not ally. Slightly better price than Carbatec.


http://www.scheppach.com.au/

Originally Posted by plantagenon

First, the straight 2 knife blades in the cheaper machines have a quoted maximum depth of cut as 3mm (Carbatec) and 2.5mm (Hafco) whereas the Spiral blade on the Carbatec CT-330X shows maximum depth of cut as 0.5mm; Hafco don't show the figure. If this is the most that can be cut in a single run then its going to take a lot longer to do each piece of timber provided I am understanding it correctly.

Correct. More passes. Personally I don't find that too much of a burden.

Secondly, the cutter knifes for the Carbatec and Hafco are stated at 26 inserts. The replacement knifes in either HSS or Tungsten only come in packs of 10 and are roughly $65 and $105, respectively. Do you change only damaged knives or do you need to change all 26 in one go which would mean buying 3 packs?

The carbide lasts 10 time longer than HSS so you really need to do a LOT of work to wear out the carbide. Typically you keep a pack of cutters to swap out any that have chipped. When professional woodworkers talk about their carbide heads they typically talk of rotating the cutters to a fresh edge about once a year. I suspect for hobbits it will be every few years. I have a second hand machine and the cutters are the originals and are as good as new. I had to rotate one due to a chip but that is it.
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