Buying a woodworking combination machine

[samthedog]

Cheers Dave. The way I see it, buying the separate machines allows me to pick and choose the best deal per machine with the features I want. Having a 4 blade cutter head is a very nice feature which will be appreciated when planing wood with gnarly grain or just hard wood like oak. Now all I need is a spindle moulder...

Paul.

 

[samthedog]

Well I am back to considering a combination machine. I have been struggling for space and really need to make some hard decisions. I managed to find another combi machine - a Stenbergs 310, the same as what I was looking at previously. It has the same planer, thicknesser, table saw, spindle moulder and also mortiser.

Photos below:



The machine is 1.8 meters long so it will free up significant space on this wall:



It will replace the separate machines I currently have. I know the machine is a compromise but it is driving me nuts having the tool and cutter grinder in the middle of the workshop. I desperately want to move it and this will be possible if I have the combi machine. I have a potential buyer for the separate machines so I won't be out of pocket. Here is a demonstration of the 310's bigger brother so I think the 310 should be a comparable experience, just smaller:

[video=youtube;S_SfnCvFsYU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_SfnCvFsYU[/video]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread. I just thought others may be interested in my musings on this topic.

Paul.

 

[samthedog]

I spoke to the seller of the combination machine and he has sent more photos. He is holding the machine for me and so far I have sold my seperate spindle moulder and jointer/thicknesser. The machine will come to about $2400 USD which means that I break even as I am selling my seperate machines at a profit. This will make space for the combi. Anyway, you might enjoy looking at these pics as the machine is quite unique outside of Sweden:

 

[Dave Smith]

congratulations Paul on the good and well-built combo unit for your shop---it is worth it to get your shop handy and the get the nice tools to use----Dave

 

[xalky]

Hey Sam. Nice machine. Years ago I was looking at buying a similar machine, it was made by a company called Robland, which was out of Scandinavia too. Yours looks like a heavy, well built machine. Good luck with it. The thing about the combi machines made from there is that very little had to be done to change it over to a different function.

 

[samthedog]

There is something to be said about the space savings of these machines Xalky. I have it safe and sound in the garage and need to re+organize in order to utilize it. I have to sell my table saw and a bandsaw as I have a few too many woodworking bandsaws at the moment.

Thanks for the congratulations Dave. I am really happy with the machine and can cross it off my wish list ) This machine is a tank at 480 kg and it really is an industrial quality tool. I will be extending my garage by 2 metres and will have the front room set aside just for woodworking so I can have the back room free of dust for metal working machines.

Once I get things organized I'll update with pictures.

Paul.