What a combination machine is
Makers use several names — combination machine, combined or universal machine, 5-in-1 — for machines that put the main stationary woodworking operations on one frame. Felder describes its HAMMER C3 31 as planing, sawing, moulding and mortising on 1.5 m² of floor; SCM calls its minimax CU 300C a universal combined machine, with a sliding-table saw, spindle moulder and jointer-planer and a pre-setting for a mortiser. Not every combination machine has five functions, and the names are the makers' own.
A machine that only joints and thicknesses is a two-function jointer/planer. It is a different, smaller class, explained in the jointer planer guide and compared in jointer planer vs planer.
Two machines by their makers' figures
| Figure | Felder HAMMER C3 31 | SCM minimax CU 300C |
|---|---|---|
| Functions | Planing, sawing, moulding, mortising (mortiser optional) | Sliding-table saw, spindle moulder, jointer-planer; mortise pre-setting |
| Motors and supply | One motor, 4.0 HP (3.0 kW); 230 V, 60 Hz | Three motors, 4.8 HP (3.6 kW); 230 V, 60 Hz single-phase, 20 A |
| Planing width | 12 in (310 mm) | 300 mm (11.75 in) |
| Thicknessing height | 4–225 mm | 3–230 mm |
| Saw blade, cutting height | 250–315 mm blade; 103 mm maximum | 315 mm blade; 90 mm at 90° |
| Sliding table | 800, 2,000 or 2,500 mm by version | 1,600 mm |
| Spindle | 30 mm; 3,000 to 10,000 rpm | 1-1/4 in; 4,200, 8,400, 12,000 rpm |
| Extraction outlets | 120 mm on the spindle fence | 120 mm on frame, spindle hood and jointer-planer; 60 mm on the saw guard |
| Weight as listed | 1,190 to 1,720 lb by version | 1,522 lb packaged |
Each figure is the maker's own, from its product page; units are as each maker gives them. Felder's page lists the spindle fence tooling diameter both as 220 mm and as 7-1/8 in. Not a comparison for purchase.
Changing over
Sharing one frame means changing the machine from one operation to the next. Both makers describe the move from jointing to thicknessing differently: Felder's HAMMER planer tables lift together and tilt away from the operator's area, locking at 0°; SCM's minimax surfacing tables open towards the inside of the machine at 90°. Other changeovers — moving fences, switching guards and dust hoods, setting the sliding table or the spindle — are machine-specific, and neither maker's operating manual was available to set them out.
Safety— Reconfigure completely for each operation
A combination machine set up for one operation must be fully reconfigured for the next, with the guards, fences and extraction that operation needs, exactly as its manual sets out. Never leave a guard off between operations for convenience, and do not assume the machine will stop you: whether it has interlocks, and what they do, is in its own manual.
What one asks of a shop
- Floor. One footprint replaces several, but the stock still needs room: the sliding table travels its full length, and boards need infeed and outfeed for jointing and thicknessing. Planning stock paths is covered in the workshop setup guide.
- Power. Both machines here run on 230 V single-phase; SCM states a 20 A supply. Plan the supply with a qualified electrician, as for any machine.
- Dust. SCM states 1,425 m³/h (827 CFM) of extraction airflow and lists several outlets of two sizes; what such figures mean is in the dust collector guide.
- Weight. At well over 1,000 lb, the floor must carry the machine and the work.
| Gains | Costs |
|---|---|
| Several operations on one footprint | Only one operation at a time; changeover between them |
| One supply and one set of outlets to plan | A large, heavy machine to place and move |
| Shared tables and fences | A job needing two operations in turn means changing back and forth |
General trade-offs of the class, not of either machine.
Before planning for a combination machine
- Which operations you need, and whether a two-function jointer/planer would do
- Floor for the machine, its sliding table and the stock in every mode
- Supply as the maker states it, planned with an electrician
- Extraction for every outlet the maker lists
- The operating manual's changeover procedure, read before buying
Sources
Figures are each maker's for its own machine, from its product page; neither maker's operating manual was publicly available, so no changeover procedure is given step by step and no interlock behaviour is described. Felder's page gives two different spindle fence tooling diameters; both are shown. Machines are not ranked or compared for purchase. Two-function jointer/planers are covered in the jointer planer guide.
- 1.
Combination Machine C3 31 (HAMMER), product and technical data page. Felder Group.
Used for: The HAMMER C3 31: planing, sawing, moulding and mortising on 1.5 m²; one 230 V, 60 Hz motor of 4.0 HP (3.0 kW, S6/40%); 12 in (310 mm) planing width and up to 4 mm depth of cut; 4–225 mm thicknessing height; 250–315 mm saw blades and 103 mm maximum cutting height; a 30 mm spindle at 3,000 to 10,000 rpm; sliding tables of 800, 2,000 or 2,500 mm by version; an optional horizontal mortiser on the planer side; dual-lifting planer tables that tilt away from the operator's area; a 120 mm fence extraction connection; a spindle fence tooling diameter given as 220 mm in the text and 7-1/8 in in the table; weights of 1,190 to 1,720 lb by version.
- 2.
minimax cu 300c Universal combined machine, product and technical data page. SCM Group.
Used for: The minimax CU 300C: a sliding table 1,600 mm long; a 300 mm jointer-planer with 1,510 mm of surfacing tables and 3–230 mm thicknessing; a 315 mm blade with 90 mm cutting height at 90°; a 1-1/4 in spindle at 4,200, 8,400 and 12,000 rpm; three motors totalling 4.8 HP (3.6 kW) on 230 V, 60 Hz single-phase, 20 A; 1,425 m³/h (827 CFM) extraction airflow, 120 mm outlets on frame, spindle hood and jointer-planer and a 60 mm outlet on the saw guard; surfacing tables that open towards the inside of the machine at 90° to change to thicknessing; packaged dimensions 82 × 58 × 46 in and 1,522 lb.
- 3.
Model G0633/G0634 Jointer/Planer Combination Machine owner's manual (revised February 2018). Grizzly Industrial, 2018.
Used for: A two-function jointer/planer whose minimum working clearances differ between jointing and planing.
About this guide
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