Carba-Tec Jointer

[DarrylF]

Hello all - more questions

The latest Wood Review has a Carbatec ad that includes their 6" deluxe jointer on special - $629 instead of $749. Seems like a bargain - closed cabinet, dust extraction port, 116cm table, all cast top & fence. They have it online at http://svc010.bne011i.server-web.com....html?cache=no - apparently listed at the normal price (why do people do this??).

Does anyone out there have this unit? How's the performance? Is the capacity & table length enough for reasonably serious home/hobby use?

Any tips/clues on jointers anyone wants to offer? How useful are they? I'm just buying my first thicknesser - should I hang back on a jointer?

I'm rapidly running out of space in the workshop (2 car garage), but I can always shoehorn another tool in if it's useful

[Red neck]

Darryl,

I’m using a Delta 6” jointer – had it a few years now. Don’t own a thicknesser.

The unit has a lower power motor and a smaller cutter compared to a thicknesser and therefore is probably best used for shaving cuts. I imagine a good thicknesser would take more off the face of a board in one pass than the jointer.

Takes a little setting up when blades are replaced but apart from that is almost maintenance free. Blades can be dressed (whetted) in-situ provided you are careful to hone each blade the same number of strokes.

I consider it an essential item of equipment and have it located along side my table saw. I joint any board that heads for the saw and run the jointed edge down the fence. The ripped edge is then jointed afterwards. Most cuts are set for about a millimetre. Very useful for flattening the face of boards that may be slightly cupped. Need to take care in the application of pressure to boards as it is possible to create a taper, mind you sometimes this may be the desired outcome.

Also used it for bevelling the edge of ply panels so they sit flush against a rebated stile. It is an advantage to be able to run your boards on edge at any angle (can’t do that with a thicknesser) and it cuts reasonable rebates.

The machine generates a lot of chip so I run it into a dust extractor. Noise level is relatively low.

I have seen the Carba-tec machine and thought it looked pretty solid – certainly has a better dust extraction system than the Delta. I think a six inch machine is more than adequate for home use. Now keep it clean fellars!

Redneck

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

A thicknesser and a jointer are 2 machines that have different purposes.

Note: I am talking about a board that is already cut by saw from the mill, Bunnies or wherever.

A jointer is the first machine to use to obtain a flat face and and edge at right angles.

A thicknesser is generally used next to get the edges and faces parallel with each other.

A thickenesser will NOT straighten twisted or warped boards unless you really want a challenge.

A jointer unless in the hands of a real good machinist will not get boards parallel on all 4 sides and generally the finish off a jointer is noas good as a thicknesser.

------------------
Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[DarrylF]

Thanks - I understand the basics reasonably well, I guess I'm just at the point most of us get to with most machines at one point or another

As usual, I want every new toy in sight (you should see my home office ) - but can I justify it? How much use will I get out of it? Is the Carbatec the right choice? Should I wait for a while after buying the thicknesser?

And, most importantly of all, how do I make Her Indoors happy with the purchase? Any ideas out there on a good project that requires a jointer?

[DarrylF]

Redneck: thanks for the input. The machine does look (from the photos anyway) like a solid unit. It's 105kg, so it's definitely no lightweight.

I've seen a couple of machines of similar size - all no-name Taiwanese units, and the finish sucks. Cheapest of these I've seen was $495 - and I wouldn't hestitate paying the extra, as the Carbatec unit looks to be finished much better.

I like Delta gear - got a chisel mortiser, band saw & dado set of theirs. Seems Carbatec have stopped selling the Delta jointers though.

How expensive are blades for these units? How often do they need replacing? Should I be buying a second set with the machine?

[Red neck]

Darryl,

A set of three six inch jointer blades retail at $36. The set I replaced had been in use for several years but had slight damage. They should return to service after grinding.

As for the six inch Delta jointer I note a new model on their US web site - http://www.deltawoodworking.com/cata...odel_no=37-195

Looks very much like a re-badged Carba-tec!!

Redneck

[DarrylF]

Thanks Redneck - at that price it's definitely worth having a spare set. Nothing worse than killing a blade with no spare and a job to finish.

The two machines look damn close to identical - apart from the position of the switch. Seems Carbatec are buying from the same factory

[Darryn]

Originally posted by DarrylF:
I've seen a couple of machines of similar size - all no-name Taiwanese units, and the finish sucks. Cheapest of these I've seen was $495 - and I wouldn't hestitate paying the extra, as the Carbatec unit looks to be finished much better.
[/B]

If you are only looking at a 6" wide buzzer then why not look at a secondhand old Woodfast, Paulcall or even Durden made them I think. Over in Perth I regularly see them for less than $500 in the Quokka (like the trading post).
I used a 6" Paulcall of my dads for quite while but needed a wider machine for bigger material.

On the ranting side we are in Australia so why don't we all call planers = thicknessers and jointers = planers or buzzers like they used to be called. That way no-one will get confused and go off half cocked

Darryn

[DarrylF]

Darryn: I've actually been keeping an eye on the local papers and the trading post for the last few weeks. I've only rarely seen machinery around the size I want - plenty of pro style equipment - and most of that seems to go very quickly.

I'm sure if I try hard enough I could find a good deal - but I'll either save a couple hundred on a similar machine (would rather have a warranty), or buy a bigger machine for a similar price. The problem with a larger machine is the old one - space. I've got a 2 car garage as a workshop, so I'm not too cramped, but I can't go nuts

I'll keep my eyes open, and if I find something used in the next couple weeks I'll look at it, if not I'll go for new.

Anyone know of a good used machinery dealer (lower end/home use) in/around Sydney?