Thicknessers

A thicknesser (also called a thickness planer) planes the top face of a board parallel to its bottom face, producing a board of even, consistent thickness from end to end. You first flatten one face on a surface planer (jointer), then run the board through the thicknesser to bring it to your target thickness. Thicknessers are an essential machine for anyone milling rough-sawn timber into ready-to-use furniture components.

Hammer Roo stocks thicknessers from Woodfast (TH410A through TH630A, covering 400mm to 630mm capacity), Oltre (510mm), SCM Minimax Elite (S41ES and S52ES models), and Toughcut (Ilmenite 530H and 630D). Machines suited to both professional production workshops and serious hobbyists. All models are available as Special Order.

The width specification of a thicknesser refers to the maximum board width it can plane in a single pass. A 400mm (16 inch) machine is a practical all-rounder for furniture making and small-volume production. If you regularly work with wide boards or tabletops wider than 400mm, stepping up to a 510mm or 630mm machine gives you the capacity to handle those pieces without needing to rip them into narrower strips first. Hammer Roo can help you work out the right machine for your workflow.

Always feed timber into a thicknesser in the direction of the grain to avoid tear-out, and never attempt to plane end grain through the machine. Take light cuts, typically 1 to 2mm per pass, rather than trying to remove a lot of material in one go, as heavy cuts increase the risk of snipe at the end of the board and put unnecessary strain on the machine. Keep your hands well clear of the feed rollers and never reach into the machine while it is running.

A thicknesser removes material quickly with rotating knives or carbide inserts and is designed to flatten and size timber at production pace. A drum sander uses a rotating abrasive drum to bring a board to a precise thickness by removing very small amounts of material per pass, and produces a finer surface than knives. Drum sanders are better for very delicate or highly figured timbers prone to tear-out, while thicknessers are faster and better suited to the bulk milling stage.