Axminster Trade AT260SPT Spiral Planer Thicknesser - Calibration 2

[@Mikael1948]

Very useful information. I got my machine to day so now I am ready to calibrate, thanks to you!

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Very nice, Lots of coffee, lots of patience and lots of time. It will be worth it, let me know if you have any questions. Andy

[@binks4385]

New machine in place and fully calibrated. Amazing piece of kit. Took a couple of hours to set the three blades correctly using the block of wood method which worked a treat thanks. Fortunately both beds were coplanar. Axminster sent me a pdf of their method of realigning the beds.....just ask their tech dept. Thanks for all your advice and keep the vids coming Andy.

[@TheWoodgrafter]

+Binks Hi, glad you like it. Yes Axminster customer service is excellent. Also pleased that you didn’t have to re-align the beds - so only a blade set up. I will ask them for the PDF as Inwould be interested in that. Cheers Andy

[@markoddo9414]

Thanks Andy - great video. I have a Rikon spiral cut unit and took similar steps to setting it up. I completely agree with you on the need to dial in all of the machines in your shop in order to get good results. If not, and you are using multiple pieces of machinery that are not properly calibrated, then you will compound your mistakes across your work.

[@TheWoodgrafter]

+Mark Oddo 100% agree, if every step of your work is as good as you can make it, then the end product just comes together. Any (and all) errors will compound and get you in the end. It’s much more work to fix after the event, than get it right as you go. And that includes the calibration of the machines. Cheers Andy

[@johnsammut8540]

Hi Andy, I just got a secondhand 310SPT. It was WAY out of whack. No amount of adjusting would get the outfeed table properly aligned. The problem was that the table appeared too low at the rear and I couldn’t get it high enough. Fortunately, there is an adjustment for the farside corner of the table next to the cutting head. If you remove the cover that the fence support is resting on there is a threaded up and down adjustment. What a nightmare job though. Anyway, now it’s don it’s fabulous!

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Yes they are pain in the rear to set up, but when it’s done it works a treat. Glad you have it working. Cheers Andy

[@johnsammut8540]

Your videos were really helpful btw. Your systematic approach to the setup was an invaluable lesson

[@TheWoodgrafter]

John Sammut I have to do mine again, dragging it round by the infeed table doesn’t help the setup. So making a mobile base, then another half day re-calibrating it. Such fun. Andy

[@IvanWizard-Karl]

I dont see a video on calibrating the outfeed table to avoid snipe using the thicknesser, did you do one by any chance. great help otherwise thanks very much

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Hi Ivan, I though it was part of this video - I went into quite a lot of detail. I’ll check and see. Andy

[@IvanWizard-Karl]

@@TheWoodgrafter I'll rewatch it. Half had it on while doing other bits. Brain is melted these days cheers

[@kevinwood9993]

I would have used a feeler gauge, thanks for sharing .

[@TheWoodgrafter]

+Kevin Wood Hi Kevin, Yes you could, but I don’t think you need that level of accuracy. the light under a quality straight edge will get you close enough. I think I would go insane trying to adjust to thousandth’s of mm with those course bolts. Cheers Andy

[@jarradsharp5120]

Hello bud it looks like my tables either side of the cutter block do you know how you can align them? As you look along the two tables. Both tables are calibrated to each other.

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Hi, Each table can adjust independently of each other. The two big silver knobs at the back. Set the outfeed first to be just slightly lower than the top of the cutter blade (that is the wood moving 5mm trick). The infeed table is designed to be adjusted during normal operation, I tend to run it around 2mm under the outfeed. Then around 1mm for a fine cut. Cheers Andy

[@jarradsharp5120]

@@TheWoodgrafter Hi Andy yeah Iv got that set right but if you cast your eye along to see along both tables they aren’t in line. It’s bugging the hell out of me because like yourself I like everything in line and straight. I don’t think I can send you a picture on here.

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Hi, I’ll have a look at mine tomorrow, see if I can see what you are indicating. Cheers Andy

[@jarradsharp5120]

@@TheWoodgrafter hi Andy did you get a chance to have a look?

[@kimdalzell3316]

The unit seems to me to be very hard to calibrate and then to get it precise looks to nearly be impossible but then again I have never tried this and would expect most units would have their own issues, is this unit a top of the range unit or about middle level. It would be great to do a comparison to see how they go. Good video again Andy very interesting. regards Kim

[@TheWoodgrafter]

+Kim Dalzell Hi Kim, Not hard, just time consuming. It’s pretty bang on now - but took some time. This is a trade rated device so upper mid range. Ideal for a mid sized workshop. Cheers Andy

[@RogerSchoeni]

thank you very much for your video. i'm currently trying to get my at260spt calibrated, and it is really a pain in the ass. a very bad design in my opinion to make it so difficult to get that machine precise.

[@TheWoodgrafter]

I hear you, it’s a pain in the arse. It is a pretty standard design so you have similar issues with most models. The spiral cutter is easier than the straight blade, so things could be worse :-) The sad news is that I have discovered the setup drifts a little as well - so I am about to go through the pain again. Thanks for commenting. Cheers Andy.

[@binks4385]

Hi Andy, excellent timing as my AT260PT arrives on Friday! Did you find the 5mm movement in the wood was sufficient for the purpose of aligning the outfield table? Presumably I can use the same method for setting up the outfield table even though I have the three blade knife unit? Excellent presentation - thank you (subscribed!)

[@TheWoodgrafter]

+Binks Hi Binks, welcome on board and great to have you. Also thank you for taking the time to get in touch. Yes the 5mm worked out perfectly, zero snipe and lined up perfectly. I have been thinking about the straight knife version and I think you may have an additional consideration.. For both the thickneser and jointer to work effectively you need to ensure that the outfeed table and the thinknesser bed are co-planner. On the straight cut version, you line up (adjust) the knives with the outfeed, rather than the outfeed to the cutter as I did in the calibration videos. So if you adjust your outfeed to the knives then you could well be out on the thickneser. (If that makes sense). So I would try this approach. Get hold over a digital level Check that the outfeed and thicknesser are coplanner (remember you don’t need level you need flat and co-planner) Adjust the outfeed table to bring them into true - using the adjustments I used Then set the infeed to the outfeed table Then using some sort of caliper set the blades to parallel to your tables Finally set the 5mm That way you will have a machine that has zero snipe, parallel surfaces and will be a pleasure to use. Let me know how you get on. Cheers Andy

[@binks4385]

@@TheWoodgrafter Hi Andy, thank you for your reply. Why do you think that on the straight knife version the outfeed table and the thicknesser table have to be coplanar and not with the spiral cut version? Binks

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Binks Hi Binks, it’s just a theory. On the spiral block the blades are set into the block with no adjustment. And the ick is set parralel to the thickness bed. So lining up the outfeed table with the block automatically ensure everything is in alignment. On the straight blades, you can adjust each individual blade so it is possible to for example to.have the right hand side of the bad higher than the left hand side in relation to the block. So even when you set up the outfeed to be parrelel to the blade, the blade will not be parralel to the thicknesser bed. So the joiner will work perfectly, but you will get out of true performance when you then thickness the stock. As it's the same blade and block doing the work. So all to do with the adjustability of the blade in relation to the block. The slir cutter has not variance it is set, the straight cutters can be varies by the user. Make sense ? Cheers Andy

[@robcheetham4370]

Could I please ask that once this is setup right, does it actually stay right. Out of your experience how many times since having the machine have you had to do this pain in the ass adjusting lol. I had a go and gave up as it was winding me up big style. Im gonna have another crack at it soon this time with alot of patience and tea (dont drink coffee lol), and also probably alot of cursing. If I still fail Im calling axminster for a engineer visit. They sent me a pdf to how the engineer would callibrate it so will follow this and that both together. Anway if you could just let me know how well this holds in place when callibrated that would be great. Thank you

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Hi Rob, Yes took me the best part of a day. And yes it is a pain. I check it each month and fine tune, I couldn’t face the big calibration again. Good luck, keep at it. It will be worth it in the end. Andy

[@jonathanm8016]

Hi Andy, , Thank you for making this video series on the planer thicknesser!I'm in the market for a planer thicknesser and i'm convinced this is a pretty decent machine for the money. What's kind of holding me back from comitting to the purchase is the infeed table.Seeing what a faff adjusting the tables is and how seemingly sensitive/unstable they are, im wondering if the infeed table goes out of alignment if you adjust the planing thickness up and down a few times? (because the adjustment only happens on the right side of the infeed table) Does the infeed table remain co-planar to the cutter block when adjusting planing depth or not?Kind regards

[@jorgfellinger8004]

You are right. Its a little bit fiddly to setup the planer. And I have problems to restet it in the right height after changing to thicknessing. Maybe the fixation knob(?) in the middle is not setup exactly. So I will spend another day😠🥴 But I‘m not a professionell worker. So I think it will work well after the setup-mess. That same mess By the way I had with my tablesaw At315TS, where the sawblade was not align with the table. Aftersetting it up correctly its awsome.