Planer / Thicknesser for DIY Use

[imroberts]

I'm looking to buy a planer / thicknesser.

I'm a DIY user so can't justify the cost of a professional model but am considering one of the following:
- Scheppach HMS860
- Zipper HB204

Does anyone have any thoughts on either of the above, or any alternative suggestions?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I can't really speak for planers tbh as I don't have one, I do have a Scheppach mitre saw though and have to say I'm not overly impressed with the build quality or the standard of cut you get sometimes. It's absolutely fine for 95% of what I need it for as I'm no cabinet maker or master craftsman but it's certainly got some flaws. I have a Titan table saw which I like and a few other Titan bits which all seem fine so I'd consider the Titan one.

Anyway the regulars will be along soon to tell you you need a Makita or a Dewalt.

 

[robinbanks]

I can only second FMT's take on the Scheppach, as I have one of their sliding compound mitre saws; it's clearly a Chinese name with a German sounding name to give the illusion of quality. It does for what I want, and it was something like 85 quid brand new, for a 305mm bladed single bevel - in essence I paid very little and got relatively little, so it's good value for money though I probably should have spent a good chunk more money and got a welcome uptick in amount of saw

 

[foxhole]

That style of machine are poorly built, have the Clarke version , all the knobs work loose due to vibration , blade protection is basic .
You need a very firm base to sit these on .
Got a second hand Dewalt (£300)and it’s much better but still a bit clunky .

 

[Rebeccagree]

Yeah, I've heard similar things about Scheppach. It's fine for occasional use but the build quality really shows over time.

 

[opps]

I have a Zipper bandsaw. Overall, I am happy(ish) with it, but the table is awful. On reflection, I wished I had purchased the Record BS250 but that weighs an extra 6kg and cost an extra £50.

Others to consider are ones made under the Axminster Power Tools or Rutlands brands. They both have good reputations in the carpentry/cabinet making world and out source their own machines to someone in China but they seldom massively compromise on quality at their chosen price points.

eg https://www.rutlands.com/products/planer-thicknesser?variant=45338312081715

 

[Rebeccagree]

Yeah, I've heard similar things about Scheppach. It's fine for occasional use but the build quality really shows over time.

I would skip cheap planers like those. A second hand Dewalt is a far better buy. If you maintain it yourself, sourcing replacement planer blades is easy from a site like planer blades, which I use for my own machine. They have good quality sets for common models.

 

[mrrusty]

I have this https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb579pln-204mm-electric-planer-thicknesser-230v/15774 and as a thicknesser I've put loads and loads of stuff through it. The engineering is a bit agricultural and as a planer fairly rubbish as the tables are not robust enough and the fence likewise. The Rutlands machine linked to above looks incredibly similar (as do the scheppach and zipper machines) but is a lot more expensive, but looking at the images of the bearing side I suspect even if there are some detail differences the rutland one is identical inside.

I have adapted the thicknesser plate with a long piece of plywood to better support the timber, and also done away with the plastic guard (and associated safety microswitch) and replaced it with a plywood guard. It produces so many chips I don't have a vac powerful enough, so I mask up (and ear protection - it's F loud), let the chips fly and pick them up afterwards.

Keep the chain and plain bronze bushes lubricated

Mine is good for a tolerance of about 0.1 - 0.2mm across the board being thicknessed. Although it says up to 2mm off per pass, in reality it's more like 1mm or 1.5 at most. Better to take smaller passes.

The erbauer and titan blades are identical, and take a load of faffing to change and level up, but are secure.

Drive belts are available. I have spares but have never used them https://solenttools.co.uk/product/t...e-belts-compatible-with-titan-ttb579pln-both/

 

[opps]

I have this https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb579pln-204mm-electric-planer-thicknesser-230v/15774 and as a thicknesser I've put loads and loads of stuff through it. The engineering is a bit agricultural and as a planer fairly rubbish as the tables are not robust enough and the fence likewise. The Rutlands machine linked to above looks incredibly similar (as do the scheppach and zipper machines) but is a lot more expensive, but looking at the images of the bearing side I suspect even if there are some detail differences the rutland one is identical inside.

I have adapted the thicknesser plate with a long piece of plywood to better support the timber, and also done away with the plastic guard (and associated safety microswitch) and replaced it with a plywood guard. It produces so many chips I don't have a vac powerful enough, so I mask up (and ear protection - it's F loud), let the chips fly and pick them up afterwards.

Keep the chain and plain bronze bushes lubricated

Mine is good for a tolerance of about 0.1 - 0.2mm across the board being thicknessed. Although it says up to 2mm off per pass, in reality it's more like 1mm or 1.5 at most. Better to take smaller passes.

The erbauer and titan blades are identical, and take a load of faffing to change and level up, but are secure.

Drive belts are available. I have spares but have never used them https://solenttools.co.uk/product/t...e-belts-compatible-with-titan-ttb579pln-both/

They do look similar but the bed on the Rutlands seems to be superior.

The Rutlands model is far more expensive (£350). I get the impression that, like Axminster, the bulk of their customers are trade/pros. I would be surprised if they could fob off a Titan clone at a £170 premium.

 

[mrrusty]

You might think so but this construction view of the Rutland showing the bracket for the fence, position of construction screws and the plain bearing bushes on the end of the cutter shafts is so virtually identical to my Titan it's difficult to imagine they didn't come out the same (chinese) factory....

I agree the fence looks nicer on the Rutland and perhaps the bed is too, but I suspect the innards may be identical.