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Planing/Thicknessing Options

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    #32
    BackInTown
    Registered Users Posts: 49 ✭BackInTown


    Calahonda52 wrote: »
    So the machine won't run without the extraction hood in place?

    Yes exactly. The black plastic hood/manifold needs to push down on the metal piece indicated in image to release the safety. In planer mode it engages the same switch from the underside.


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    #33
    iamtony
    Registered Users Posts: 3,801 ✭✭✭iamtony


    BackInTown wrote: »
    It’s bloody noisy. Again I assume that’s normal. But not sure how the neighbours will feel about it.
    Soundsike my cheep tablesaw. I would dream of using it without ear protection and I'd say the neighbours think I rebuild jet engines for a living.


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    #34
    Calahonda52
    Registered Users Posts: 12,223 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    BackInTown wrote: »
    Yes exactly. The black plastic hood/manifold needs to push down on the metal piece indicated in image to release the safety. In planer mode it engages the same switch from the underside.

    Thanks, is there much work involved in setting it up?

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



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    #35
    BackInTown
    Registered Users Posts: 49 ✭BackInTown


    No, not much to it really, just put on the, guard, the feet and the fence.
    Pretty straightforward.


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    #36
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,065 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    BackInTown wrote: »
    I’ve had two runs with it now. On the first run with the planer I had to work quite hard to convince the extraction hood to engage the safety catch. A bit of a trim of mould flashing required but it’s working now. Thicknesser is really easy to use.

    I reduced some steamed beech pieces from 19 to 13mm pretty quickly and cleanly. Light hand plane needed though I assume that’s normal.

    Need to read some more about using these machines well. Also any opinions on stock blades and if one would achieve better results with different blades would be interesting to hear.

    It’s bloody noisy. Again I assume that’s normal. But not sure how the neighbours will feel about it.


    Something not right here if you need to lightly hand plane the material after


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    #37
    BackInTown
    Registered Users Posts: 49 ✭BackInTown


    kadman wrote: »
    Something not right here if you need to lightly hand plane the material after

    Thanks for this - so would you expect a handplane like finish from a machined piece? I find I still clean up PAO bought in but this was a little worse than that. Any suggestions? I’ve been googling sharpening planer blades...


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    #38
    Calahonda52
    Registered Users Posts: 12,223 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    BackInTown wrote: »
    Thanks for this - so would you expect a handplane like finish from a machined piece? I find I still clean up PAO bought in but this was a little worse than that. Any suggestions? I’ve been googling sharpening planer blades...
    what exactly is the problem with the finish?

    Have you tried reversing the direction of putting the piece into the thicknesses as it may be a grain issue.
    Are the rollers marking it?

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



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    #39
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,065 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    BackInTown wrote: »
    Thanks for this - so would you expect a handplane like finish from a machined piece? I find I still clean up PAO bought in but this was a little worse than that. Any suggestions? I’ve been googling sharpening planer blades...

    I would expect an excellent finish from a new machine, new.blades, sharpened properly.

    Whether its hardwood, or softwood.

    With consideration to the following. Proper feed speed, as Cal has pointed out, proper grain direction, and minimal takeoff on the final cut.

    With the smaller type thicknessers, its a case of more passes through the machine, as opposed to depth of cut. Less cut, more passes.

    And on a decent piece of red deal you should have a slightly silky feel to the finish, and a slight sheen on the surface. This is what you are aiming for.

    Post a few pics with light reflection on your timber surface to show the finish..

    It should be ready for sanding from a thicknesser. Or do you finish from the plane and no sanding at all??


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    #40
    BackInTown
    Registered Users Posts: 49 ✭BackInTown


    Thanks fellas. I’m going to have a go at sharpening and then dimensioning some softwood today. I’ll take some pictures along the way and report back.


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    #41
    Calahonda52
    Registered Users Posts: 12,223 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    Sharpening, unless you are really careful, may result in one blade doing more of the work.
    You may need to se-set the blades?
    What length are the pieces.
    Are they well supported on the outfield

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



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    #42
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,065 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Now is the opportunity to check the blade setting, before removal from the machine


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    #43
    BackInTown
    Registered Users Posts: 49 ✭BackInTown


    Hello all.

    Thanks for all the advice and comments so far. Much better results achieved yesterday.

    I think my issue was poor extraction / chip build up pock marking the surface of the beech I used on the first pass, possibly combined with taking too large a cut.

    Today the finish was pretty clean bar a bit of snipe on the in-feed end. So happy now with the machine bar the noise. . It's so loud that I'm rushing through using it so as to not be upsetting the neighbours - not ideal for a suburban shed. I'll definitely be considering soundproofing if I ever get around to building a better shed.

    Oak - images are supposed to be embedded but not working so including links
    oZTANvV

    Pine (pallet)
    2DvDYTH

    I didn't sharpen or set blades. I'd imagine that would further improve things if done well.

    Thanks all


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    #44
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,065 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Good stuff.

    Keep a light lift of the material on the outfeed, at the end of the run,

    this will eliminate 95% of any snipe.

    If you are still getting snipe after this, if its minimal its not worth worrying about.

    If its still there, its down to blade or feed roller setting. You may or may not be able to improve this on a small diy machine


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    #45
    mobfromcork
    Registered Users Posts: 379 ✭✭mobfromcork


    I tried mine out the other day as well. Did some short lengths of maple and oak on the thicknesser and then used the planer to flatten the edges. They are unused floorboards so was removing the grooves at the bottom.
    Similar to BackinTown the only issue I ran into seemed to be chips building up as I didn't have a vacuum hooked up. The finish was ok on mine overall - made a little chopping board for a friend by laminating strips of the maple together
    I tried a bit of pine as well and it few through far more easily. I have a DIY sawdust cyclone set up (badly) that I need to make an adapter for to fit the thicknesser. It produces a fair bit of waste.
    I've never owned one before so nothing to compare it to but seems to be ok for DIY use. It does make a fairly heavy racket when thicknessing.


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    #46
    Calahonda52
    Registered Users Posts: 12,223 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    kadman wrote: »
    Good stuff.

    Keep a light lift of the material on the outfeed, at the end of the run,

    this will eliminate 95% of any snipe.

    If you are still getting snipe after this, if its minimal its not worth worrying about.

    If its still there, its down to blade or feed roller setting. You may or may not be able to improve this on a small diy machine


    The other way of dealing with snipe is just allow for it in the measurements, especially if cheapish timber

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



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    #47
    kadman
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,065 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    My own DeWalt DW 733 thicknesser has very very negligible snipe even if left unattended,

    and virtually no snipe if the material is slightly braised at the end of the cut on the ourfeed.

    Position of the blades in the cutter block have more to do with snipe than sharpness of the blades.Imho.

    Blades set too high in the block give more snipe. Blades on a new machine should be properly set,

    but check them with a setting jig supplied with the machine.


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