Woodworking is one of those areas that provides for both industrial and domestic production, respectively, and the equipment used here is diverse. Often, home craftsmen create products that surpass factory designs in quality and decorative properties, and all thanks to the talent of a joiner and, of course, well-chosen machines specifically designed for home workshops. Modern household woodworking machines are high-performance equipment with a number of advantages, such as:
- high accuracy and speed of work;
- fatigue of the master;
- decent quality products;
- multifunctionality;
- wide selection of equipment;
- safe use;
- low noise level;
- ease of operation.
This is not a complete list of the positive characteristics that household appliances possess, and then we will examine in detail the capabilities of the machines depending on their type and configuration. Below is a diagram of a universal machine that combines planing and circular mechanisms.
Classification
Depending on the functional purpose, woodworking equipment is usually divided into several types. In the market of carpentry tools, both narrowly targeted models and combined models of machine tools for the home are available that can cope with diverse tasks.
Appointment | Functionality | A type |
Cut | curvilinear, longitudinal and transverse sawing blanks | jigsaw circular, miter |
Pressing | manufacture of various wood materials | presses, including manual |
Planing | profile and plane processing of the part; the formation of a flat surface of the workpiece | Thicknesser jointing, planing |
Drilling | making holes | radial, vertical |
Milling | contour blank processing; profiling parts; art processing of wooden elements | milling copy milling, four sided woodworking |
Sharpening | product processing cylindrical shape | turning |
Grinding | giving blanks flat surfaces without burrs and other defects | grinding |
If necessary, the home master will choose for himself a universal woodworking machine, which will allow you to perform all the stages thanks to the presence of several different types of cutting elements. If you are engaged in the serial production of identical parts, then the purchase of a multifunctional household machine will be inappropriate, in addition, the accuracy of processing blanks in universal units is slightly lower than in narrowly targeted models.
Although a multi-operation machine for home use is cheaper than a professional one, buying it makes sense only when the user is at a high level engaged in woodworking and will regularly use the equipment. Otherwise, you can confine yourself to the purchase of a power tool of a similar functional purpose, ideal for one-time work.
Before buying a household machine, be sure to consider the maximum loads that will be assigned to it in order to choose a device of the appropriate power. If you neglect this rule, you may encounter a breakdown of the household machine due to overloads, which it simply can not cope with. Also, do not purchase units of greater power than necessary for your type and scope of work. The fact is that the price of a machine directly depends on its capacity, and there is no point in overpaying for unused opportunities. Below we have given approximate prices for woodworking machines of common types.
A type | Functional characteristics | Power, W | price, rub. |
Specialized | precise processing; performance of tasks at large plants; large width and depth of cut; availability of additional options. | 2500-12000 | from 20,000 |
Universal | used in private workshops and in small industries; able to perform work on cutting, milling, planing, drilling; combine the functions of highly specialized samples; have compact dimensions. | 450-3000 | from 16000 |
Household | specially designed for home use; differ in low price; demonstrate reliable and durable operation; equipped with an electric drive, which allows them to be connected to the mains; equipped with countertops; have a set of cutting elements of various types; easy to operate. | 1500-2000 | from 8000 |
The machines that are used in home workshops operate on a 220 V network, so we will further consider such equipment in detail on the example of combined options with wide functionality.
Household samples
Based on the design features, such machines are divided into desktop and stationary.
Stationary equipment
This equipment easily copes with professional tasks that are carried out on an impressive scale. The machines have large dimensions and weight, therefore they require a separate room with a sufficient area. Stationary machines are equipped with all the necessary components, thanks to which the master can perform various processes - from simple sawing to selecting grooves for joining several parts. Here, manufacturers care about safety and comfortable operation, for which they supply their products with all kinds of auxiliary devices such as stops, clamps, chip removal system and other equally useful options. The power of stationary household machines varies between 3-5 kW, while they are often equipped with two or three engines operating from various sources (electricity, gasoline, diesel). This type of machine is ideal for those who are professionally engaged in the processing of wood, even in domestic conditions.
Desktop machines
Table-type equipment, as a rule, is chosen by amateurs who resort to several types of processing blanks. Electric household units have a power of 0.9 to 3 kW, which is quite enough for a home carpentry workshop. As a rule, bench samples are designed for sawing and planing. Usually, the upper clamp is used as a thickness gauge, however, with frequent use of this function, it is better to purchase a design with a full thickness gauge.
Unit Features
Due to the fact that universal machines for woodworking provide for the replacement of a working tool, they perform the following functions:
- cut;
- planing;
- milling;
- grinding;
- drilling;
- selection of grooves, etc.
Thus, a home craftsman can plan a board, saw a beam or make holes of a certain diameter by installing a cutter of the desired type on the machine. Having a multi-functional unit in the farm, there is no need to purchase several different types of devices, which is very convenient, because it saves space for their installation and finances. It is also important that household machines are characterized by moderate electricity consumption, which helps to reduce operating costs.
Design
A detailed examination of industrial and household machines makes it clear that the universal devices of the second type have compact dimensions. This became possible due to the presence of one engine, which is placed under the countertop. The safety and convenience of the process is ensured by zoning the work surface. As a rule, a planer is installed on one side of the countertop, and a circular saw is mounted on the other side of the guide bar. On the side, on a separate surface area, parts can be fixed, and drills or mills can be installed on the chuck. The kit also includes clamps, thrust elements and a ruler or laser measuring device.
If you make furniture in the home workshop, it does not matter what material you use, whether it is chipboard, MDF or plywood, you will certainly appreciate the wide possibilities of universal machines that provide a fairly high quality of work. One of the main operating conditions for household stationary or desktop machines is the organization of a convenient approach to equipment nodes from each side.
The functions of the machine directly depend on the element installed on it, and this can be:
- milling cutter;
- planer or thicknesser shaft;
- drill;
- Circular Saw;
- grinding device, etc.
In addition to the main cutters, auxiliary devices are installed on the unit, significantly expanding the capabilities of the equipment. These are soft start and automatic workpiece feeding systems, anti-vibration elements, magnetic starters, revolutions controllers, thermal relays, protection against voltage drops in the network and other options specific to a particular model. As for the table top of the machine, for greater convenience in work, it is equipped with a height regulator, which allows you to change the depth of cut.
Experts advise for small industries to purchase machines with a welded bed, and if you need to process large parts, it is better to give preference to more expensive cast structures. When choosing a model, be sure to pay attention to the rigidity of the table: the stronger it is installed, the less vibration will occur during operation, respectively, the maximum processing accuracy will be observed. In this case, cast tables are the best option.
Criterias of choice
The more functions a universal machine tool is capable of performing, the higher its cost, therefore, in order not to overpay for unnecessary parts, it is better to decide on its configuration in advance, depending on production needs, before buying. It is also important to navigate in other indicators that significantly affect the operation of units:
- Power supply. Household samples are connected to a two-phase 220 V network, and industrial equipment requires a three-phase connection of 380 V.
- Power. For desktop units, it is 1500 watts, for stationary machines - from 2200 watts.
- Turnovers. Their frequency affects the quality and speed of processing. The minimum value is 2800 rpm, and the maximum may exceed 7500 rpm. For home masters, a machine with a cutting speed of 3600 rpm is suitable.
- Diameter of saw blade. This indicator is selected taking into account the required cut depth, while the maximum value can reach 260 mm.
- Depth of planing. In planing mode, the cutter is able to remove the chip layer in one pass up to 3 mm.
- Cutting angle. Sawing can be carried out at an angle from 0 to 45 °, however, in the conditions of a home carpentry workshop, this option can be saved, since it is rarely in demand.
- Weight and dimensions. It all depends on the equipment, but do not forget to take into account the area of the room in which it will be installed.
Advantages and disadvantages
Any equipment, and multifunctional household machines are no exception, has both advantages and some disadvantages, so we tried to highlight the most significant of them.
Benefits
The obvious advantages of universal woodworking machines include their ability to perform several operations. For example, on one machine you will be able to dissolve a log, then thickness plan a board or carry out a planing, while this will save time and effort. Also, the purchase of one multifunctional machine will cost less than the purchase of several different types of models. Given that some functions are rarely used, there is no point in wasting money on individual units. Another advantage of combined machines is compactness, which is very important at home.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to transform household samples to fit your own needs. Also, due to the combination of several functions, universal units are inferior to specialized analogues in the quality of work performed. Small desktop machines are not suitable for sawing large logs, and with this task you will have to contact the owners of the appropriate equipment.
Browse Popular Models
There is no shortage of woodworking equipment on the Russian market, which is widely represented by both domestic and foreign brands. Among our brands, Corvette, Interskol and Belmash machines proved to be quite good, and buyers include JET (Jet), DeWALT (Devolt), Makita (Makita), Caliber, Encore and WoodTec as import leaders. If we talk about machine models, then the UD-20-1, SDM-2000, SDM-2500 M, SDM-2200, SDMP-2200 and 2500E from Belmash, K5-320 and K5-400 from YAKORUDA, UDS hold the championship in sales -3 and UDS-5 from Caliber, JKM-300 and JKS-300 from Jet. The table below presents models of woodworking machines with a comparison of significant indicators.
Model | Power consumption kW | Rotational speed, vol. in minutes | Cutting depth, mm | Dimensions, cm | Weight, kg | price, rub. |
SDM-2500 | 2,5 | 2850 | 117 | 94,9×84,9×51,2 | 57,5 | 29990 |
Corvette 320 | 1,5 | 3500 | 70 | 96,4×21 | 123 | 39600 |
MDS-1-05 | 2,9 | 5000 | 70 | 950×570×460 | 48 | 15500 |
SDM-2200 | 2,2 | 7700 | 100 | 810×500×350 | 52 | 25990 |
SM-60/150 | 1,5 | 4200 | 60 | 260×125 | 46,5 | 36653 |
Wagon 2000 | 2 | 6000 | 97 | 73×49×36 | 39 | 20600 |