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Post by gazza on Oct 16, 2007 23:33:09 GMT
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Post by Scrit on Oct 17, 2007 17:43:25 GMT
I'd say that a starting bid of £500 is a bit on the high side. The Startrite SD310 12 x 7in planer/thicknesser was actually a rebadged Robland machine made between the early/mid-1970s and the early 1990s when it was replaced by the SDX310 (which has lifting infeed AND outfeed tables). They are a fairly basic machine with little to go wrong, however they don't have the strongest feed mechanism in the world and earlier examples had a 2-cutter aluminium cutter block which was a PITA to set the cutters on as each blade has two slots for a pair of waisted set screws. This means that setting the cutters is slow and tedious and that no magnetic setting device which registers off the block (such as the Panhans pattern setting jigs) can be employed. If these adjusters get damaged (and they are slotted for a screwdriver so burring-out is inevitable) you'll need to get a local engineering firm to make up a set which will probably cost £30 or so plus the price of the special M10 x 1.0mm thread die which they require as Robland no longer supply spares at all. The only other problem is that the aluminium fence isn't the most rigid but despite that comment it is a darned sight more rigid than that on many DIY machines on the market. Overall at the right price (I'd say £300 to £400) an SD310 is a good, robust and easy to repair machine with a slow cutter change-over. If you get the chance go for a later one with full dust extraction hoods (which connect to a dust extractor - the example shown has a chip chute for thickness planing and no planing extraction at all) and the 3-cutter cutter block as these produce a much better finish. Th 2-cutter machine is definitely a joiners machine rather than a cabinetmakers one   As a point of interest this machine appears to be missing its' crown guard. Not difficult to make, but still an £80 to £100 job if you get one made by an engineering shop and thus worth bearing in mind Edit: On closer inspection the crown guard is there. Apologies for any confusion caused.Scrit |
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Post by gazza on Oct 17, 2007 20:48:02 GMT
Thanks Scrit, Your advise is very much appreciated  Cheers, Gazza |
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