Time for a new planer, but which one?
- Thread starter Oilers
- Start date
derekcohen
Member
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 922
Hammer is made in Austria. I have three of them.
No European machine is made in North America (is anything
)
Regards from Perth
Derek
No European machine is made in North America (is anything
)Regards from Perth
Derek
Reviving this thread as I once again returned to the issue of purchasing a new planer.
I wound up, after much agonizing, purchasing the Minimax 41c jointer/planer.
I wasn’t thinking about it at all, I swear. Then I got an email that SCM was having a summer clearance in Canada. The retail on the machine is $11k. The sale price was $8,690. After getting quotes on the Hammer A3 41D (planer only) that were close to that number, and another more recent quote for the A3 41 j/p that was over 9k without all the accessories the SCM comes with, I chose the SCM.
It seems now that the unit is only sold with the Xylent (carbide segmented) cutter head. No more tersa for this machine (I asked).
Also, I got to try a copy of this machine with the tersa head. Boy, it’s a real step up from my current equipment. I’ll be quite interested in exactly how much quieter this machine runs after the absolute howl my DJ380 makes. Should make the wonderful missus much happier as it’s in the basement.
I also chose the SCM as my local ww shop supports it.
Now it’s time to sell my planer. Maybe even my DJ20 jointer, but I may hold onto that in the short term. We will see. I fantasize about keeping it to take first rough passes, but that’s a wild luxury, no?
I’ll provide commentary on the MINIMAX 41C after I receive it, but it’s a relief to not be thinking about what to buy anymore. Now I get to be excited about my new tool. To quote a YouTuber - I have my midlife Italian sports jointer/planer now. [big grin]
I wound up, after much agonizing, purchasing the Minimax 41c jointer/planer.
I wasn’t thinking about it at all, I swear. Then I got an email that SCM was having a summer clearance in Canada. The retail on the machine is $11k. The sale price was $8,690. After getting quotes on the Hammer A3 41D (planer only) that were close to that number, and another more recent quote for the A3 41 j/p that was over 9k without all the accessories the SCM comes with, I chose the SCM.
It seems now that the unit is only sold with the Xylent (carbide segmented) cutter head. No more tersa for this machine (I asked).
Also, I got to try a copy of this machine with the tersa head. Boy, it’s a real step up from my current equipment. I’ll be quite interested in exactly how much quieter this machine runs after the absolute howl my DJ380 makes. Should make the wonderful missus much happier as it’s in the basement.
I also chose the SCM as my local ww shop supports it.
Now it’s time to sell my planer. Maybe even my DJ20 jointer, but I may hold onto that in the short term. We will see. I fantasize about keeping it to take first rough passes, but that’s a wild luxury, no?
I’ll provide commentary on the MINIMAX 41C after I receive it, but it’s a relief to not be thinking about what to buy anymore. Now I get to be excited about my new tool. To quote a YouTuber - I have my midlife Italian sports jointer/planer now. [big grin]
MikeGE
Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2019
- Messages
- 669
Oilers said:
Congratulations on your purchase! I hope you have many years of enjoyment with the 41c.
Oilers said:
This must be a marketing decision for the North America base. The Tersa cutters are still the standard configuration for machines in Europe.
Oilers said:
I don't think you'll regret holding on to your current jointer. I have an Inca planer/thicknesser acquired a couple years ago. I had every intention of selling my vintage 6" Craftsman jointer, but have found that I use it frequently for edging when the Inca is set up for thickness planing.
I have taken delivery of the SCM 41C with the Xylent head.
The story of delivery is long, and fraught with frustration and failure.
However, I was able to use it today for the first time.
I knew it was going to be good, it’s not. It’s great. I ran some poplar, cherry and figured maple across the machine. Wow. I could hit any of the boards with 220 sandpaper and go right to finish.
Plus, it is QUIET. My dust collector is louder including during cutting. I’m flabbergasted.
In time might I come to regret moving from smaller/less capable separates to this after I have to raise and lower the planer table because I’m a scatterbrain? Maybe. But the quality and ease of cuts, delightful dust collection, and low noise are real winners. I’ll remember all of that when I’m annoyed with the changeover.
After all the hassle, the machine’s early returns are excellent.
The story of delivery is long, and fraught with frustration and failure.
However, I was able to use it today for the first time.
I knew it was going to be good, it’s not. It’s great. I ran some poplar, cherry and figured maple across the machine. Wow. I could hit any of the boards with 220 sandpaper and go right to finish.
Plus, it is QUIET. My dust collector is louder including during cutting. I’m flabbergasted.
In time might I come to regret moving from smaller/less capable separates to this after I have to raise and lower the planer table because I’m a scatterbrain? Maybe. But the quality and ease of cuts, delightful dust collection, and low noise are real winners. I’ll remember all of that when I’m annoyed with the changeover.
After all the hassle, the machine’s early returns are excellent.
I went from a 6" RIDGID and 13" Dewalt planer to a FS41, no regrets at all. The switchover isn't instant but it is pretty quick. I've at times entertained creating a drill powered contraption (and have seen videos of some), but have decided that it is not worth the risk of losing attention and overdriving it up or down.
I needed to pass on my old tools, because the biggest motivator for me was squeezing more function into a similar footprint. I only have about 550 sf, which can sound like a lot but every bit of it is precious. It's easy to buy another machine, it's not so easy to increase the size of your basement by 20%.
I have a Tersa head instead of a segmented head, which is loud but does leave a beautiful finish. The motor itself is much quieter than the universal motor on the Dewalt planer.
I needed to pass on my old tools, because the biggest motivator for me was squeezing more function into a similar footprint. I only have about 550 sf, which can sound like a lot but every bit of it is precious. It's easy to buy another machine, it's not so easy to increase the size of your basement by 20%.
I have a Tersa head instead of a segmented head, which is loud but does leave a beautiful finish. The motor itself is much quieter than the universal motor on the Dewalt planer.
SCM 41C delivery and setup
Delivery was a challenge. Despite a lot of effort on my part to preplan and vet delivery, I had to remove the wings to get the machine into the basement. I give a lot of credit to my local dealer, who removed the wings in their shop after an aborted delivery.
I carried each wing into the basement. When I did, I weighed them. One wing weighed 100 lbs. the other weighed 124.3 lbs.
My local dealer came over and helped reinstall the wings. It was a relatively quick process, it certainly a 2 man job with benefit from a 3rd set of hands. It was done in a half hour or less. They did a good job removing and replacing shims in the space they came from.
Here I’m quite glad I have the SCM over the Felder. The videos of the mechanism for the wing on the Felder don’t look like the same process would have been as smooth, but I can’t speak from first hand experience. See YouTube for more details.
First cuts
Even without levelling the tables, the jointing cuts were sweet. Clean and quiet with a really smooth finish, no picked-out grain. Good dust collection.
Table Adjustment
If you’ve read the rest of this thread, you’re aware that I didn’t want to have to set/ adjust/reinstall anything. As stated above, with removing the tables, adjustment was necessary. Given the experience I have had with my delta machinery, I was quite concerned with how complex adjustment of the SCM 41C tables would be.
The co-planar adjustment process was surprisingly reasonable, especially in comparison to my past experiences. With a quality straight edge, feeler gauges, and a few extra wrenches (in addition to the Allen and standard wrenches that came with), I was able to do all the work myself in an evening and get down to a deviance of .001 or less from infeed to outfeed across the whole outfeed table.
I’m quite pleased. The process with my delta planar was much more frustrating, harder, and took -lace over multiple weekends. The outcome was good, but the work was harder.
Tuned Up jointing and Planing
With the whole kit sorted, the machine is now providing lovely results. My concerns over wing renewal are behind me. I’m really looking forward to the quality of cut that I will have going forward, ease of use, speed of jointing (which is significantly advance over my 8” straight knife jointer, and really smooth planer with an easy to read manual gauge (more on this later). Plus. Even with only a 4” dust hose as opposed to 5”/120mm that is recommended, I’m doing okay so far (plus, chips are much smaller).
Squaring the fence
Adjusting the fence was very easy. My 8” jointer is much more time consuming to properly adjust, although I still prefer the cast iron fence to the aluminum one on my SCM, but there are always tradeoffs.
Dial Indicator
The machine was advertised with a dial indicator for height adjustment of the planer bed. That indicator did not arrive. I will follow up with comment on that when it arrives.
Delivery was a challenge. Despite a lot of effort on my part to preplan and vet delivery, I had to remove the wings to get the machine into the basement. I give a lot of credit to my local dealer, who removed the wings in their shop after an aborted delivery.
I carried each wing into the basement. When I did, I weighed them. One wing weighed 100 lbs. the other weighed 124.3 lbs.
My local dealer came over and helped reinstall the wings. It was a relatively quick process, it certainly a 2 man job with benefit from a 3rd set of hands. It was done in a half hour or less. They did a good job removing and replacing shims in the space they came from.
Here I’m quite glad I have the SCM over the Felder. The videos of the mechanism for the wing on the Felder don’t look like the same process would have been as smooth, but I can’t speak from first hand experience. See YouTube for more details.
First cuts
Even without levelling the tables, the jointing cuts were sweet. Clean and quiet with a really smooth finish, no picked-out grain. Good dust collection.
Table Adjustment
If you’ve read the rest of this thread, you’re aware that I didn’t want to have to set/ adjust/reinstall anything. As stated above, with removing the tables, adjustment was necessary. Given the experience I have had with my delta machinery, I was quite concerned with how complex adjustment of the SCM 41C tables would be.
The co-planar adjustment process was surprisingly reasonable, especially in comparison to my past experiences. With a quality straight edge, feeler gauges, and a few extra wrenches (in addition to the Allen and standard wrenches that came with), I was able to do all the work myself in an evening and get down to a deviance of .001 or less from infeed to outfeed across the whole outfeed table.
I’m quite pleased. The process with my delta planar was much more frustrating, harder, and took -lace over multiple weekends. The outcome was good, but the work was harder.
Tuned Up jointing and Planing
With the whole kit sorted, the machine is now providing lovely results. My concerns over wing renewal are behind me. I’m really looking forward to the quality of cut that I will have going forward, ease of use, speed of jointing (which is significantly advance over my 8” straight knife jointer, and really smooth planer with an easy to read manual gauge (more on this later). Plus. Even with only a 4” dust hose as opposed to 5”/120mm that is recommended, I’m doing okay so far (plus, chips are much smaller).
Squaring the fence
Adjusting the fence was very easy. My 8” jointer is much more time consuming to properly adjust, although I still prefer the cast iron fence to the aluminum one on my SCM, but there are always tradeoffs.
Dial Indicator
The machine was advertised with a dial indicator for height adjustment of the planer bed. That indicator did not arrive. I will follow up with comment on that when it arrives.
