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Thicknesser

ataylor

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Andy
I don't have room for a planner/thicknesser in the shed, so would a thicknesser similar to the picture do me a good job of leaving a finish as good as thou it had been planed?

View attachment 38
 

wm460

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I have a thicknesser similar to the one in you post.
The problem with them is if the timber is curved it will plane the wood and it will still be curved.
The planer or Jointer as the Seppo's call them, make the board flat. I bought a 6" planer as well but the table is too small for long board.
 

Jim

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Who is Seppo Mark??? Are they Australian based ... Can't seem to find them with google? :thinks:
 

Walter

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Antipodean rhyming slang, seppo = "septic tank" = Yank.

You can plane curved stock flat on a thicknesser if you screw it down to a reference surface like 1/2" plywood, wedge any gaps, then plane the top surface. Once that is flat you can turn it over and thickness it. Just make sure you use shortish screws and don't plane through to them or you will bugger your blades. I wrote an article about thicknessers in the March issue of Woodworking Plans and Projects.
 

Jim

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Antipodean rhyming slang, seppo = "septic tank" = Yank.

Thanks for that Walter, i don't have space for such a machine .. Probably use it once or twice a year if i had one, but i wouldn't mind having one sat in a corner somewhere for that once or twice. :ciggrin:
 

Jimjam66

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Tony, if at all possible you should go for a combo planer/thicknesser like the Metabo HC260, which I can highly recommend as I have one! As mentioned earlier, unless you can plane one side flat the thicknesser will not make it so. I've had mine for a few years, I use it occasionally and am very grateful for it.

Whichever you go for, bear in mind that a rotary mechanical planer WILL tear out some grain, the amount being dependent on the wood and the operator. David from Timberbits thicknesses his stuff with a thickness SANDER rather than a thickness PLANER for exactly that reason. You could probably build a thickness sander out of odds and ends for very little money, there are a number of plans available on the interwebby thingy.
 

ataylor

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Thanks very much for the David, thou the funds do not allow me anything at the moment. :down: Added the link to my favourites for when the fund pot is up. :thumbs:
 

wm460

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Joined
Mar 16, 2013
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23,095
Location
Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia.
First Name
Mark
Antipodean rhyming slang, seppo = "septic tank" = Yank.

You can plane curved stock flat on a thicknesser if you screw it down to a reference surface like 1/2" plywood, wedge any gaps, then plane the top surface. Once that is flat you can turn it over and thickness it. Just make sure you use shortish screws and don't plane through to them or you will bugger your blades. I wrote an article about thicknessers in the March issue of Woodworking Plans and Projects.

Spot on Walter.
 
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