Will the Ozito or 909 thicknesser handle hardwood?

I've been reading a lot of information on the forums here about routers, planers, jointers and thicknessers but I do have a specific question and thought it was about time I joined the forum and contributed too.


From what I've read here the thicknesser that I would like is the Carba-Tec 13" spiral head thicknesser … however my chances of being able to justify $800 on that are slim (I'm trying to convince my wife to let me sell my bass guitar)


So realistically I can only afford the Ozito or 909. I had a look at the Ozito today as they actually had put one on display (maybe prompted by me getting the price on one) and it seems sturdy enough though I didn't have a large plank or crowbar to test vertical movement of the head as I read elsewhere on the forum … but really, all I want to know is:


Will these straight blade HSS thicknessers handle hardwood such as spotted gum, blackbutt etc (that I'm using for outdoor furniture etc) or do you really need a spiral head for that? I don't care if it's slow or doesn't leave a good finish … I just want to know if it will get the job done or just simply choke on these species?


Thanks

I have a Ryobi version. It handles large recycled HW no problem. It is an older model and possibly slightly better constructed than the current crop but I would give it a go.

You would be better to save your money and buy something of better quality, even a used item would most likely be a
wiser option

I have a Ryobi bench top.. Our local men's shed has a Rockwell, pretty much identical. We put a lot of old pallets through both machines. It really is about planning the most minimum amount per pass. This is a bit boring as it is slow, but it works. PAUL.

Yeah, get the Ryobi!

Really? The Ryobi? But it seems many people would rate Ozito over Ryobi for value for money … that Ryobi generally is as cheap and nasty as Ozito but more expensive. But if you think that there is an exception here for the thicknesser then I'll take your advice.

I don't know if the Ozito and 909 are 4-post machines; I'll double check that.

UPDATE: Yes, both the latter are 4-post.

I'm using a second hand 909 on Jarrah beams I'm recycling.

Firstly the blades are probably dull, but it won't actually feed unless I advance the depth 1/8 of a turn each time - that makes it 0.25mm per pass and even then it grumbles. Given the plastic shroud I'd say it is impossible to do more than a 1mm cut anyway. Certainly not 3mm.

If I make a slightly deeper cut 1/4 turn / 0.5mm it grumbles even more, needs a push to get the timber through, and unwinds the winder on its own!! I have to keep one hand on the winder and use the other to push the timber through.

I also get snipe and burning near each end. I've levelled the folding trays, waxed the feed floor, and have work supports set up with a spirit level - but it still does it.

My next option is to turn the blades around and/or hone the worn edges (not sure if it's still on the original edges).

So yes, it handles hardwood but with limitations. It certainly produces a better result than hand or power planing. I now use a power plane to pre-dress the timber, then glue and wedge the timber to an MDF sled for the thicknesser, and finish off the plank edges with a power planer and finally a hand-plane.