Thread: Should I buy 10” Artisan Home Joiner Combination?

I’m considering buying this machine which seems to be in good condition and recent use, partly because by combining what are presently my separate machines it will free up floorspace in my workshop; partly because the jointer and thicknesser are probably noticeably less noisy than my modern screamers when they’re not even cutting; and partly because I’m having a bit of a love affair with old machines after being surprised by and delighted with a couple of recent acquisitions.


I’ve searched the threads on this forum about Artisan combos of various sizes and combinations and they seem to be well regarded by people who have had them for many years, although some of those posts are going back to the early 2000s when the machines were a bit younger.


The one I’m looking at has a 1 ½ HP single phase motor; 10” saw; 6” jointer above a power fed 6” x 6” thicknesser; mortising table and disc sander, with wheels at one end and wheelbarrow handles at the other so I should be able to move it around my shed if necessary. Everything about it suits my needs, on paper anyway.


I accept that new original Artisan spare parts won’t be available.


I've looked at manuals for other Artisan combos but haven’t found a manual for this specific model, so the things I’m uncertain about are:

1. Is everything running at the same time off a central drive shaft, so that the cutter head is probably creating more noise than the saw blade at no load when I just want to use the saw? Or are there removeable belts or other controls to run each function separately and, if so, how difficult are they to isolate and switch between functions?
2. Are the jointer / thicknesser blades a standard size or able to be made by a saw doctor or sharpening service?
3. Are bearings likely to be available from a bearing specialist?
4. Is there anything unusual about this machine that could make it difficult to get what is necessary for it to work properly for the foreseeable future, such as some weird size saw arbor that is no longer made?
5. Any other traps for young players?


Thanks for any answers to these questions, and especially any comments from those with experience with this or related Artisan machines.