Robland X31 Comments Please

[Brian Gumpper]

I am thinking about buy the X31 because I have no space and they are not as much $$ as the Mini-Max, Felder or others. I'm sure there are compromises and that is my question.

Is anyone familiar enough with the X31 to give comments good or bad.

Thanks

[martyphee]

Try reading through the X31 yahoo group. Might give you some insite. I was looking at all of the combo's a while ago. Ended up getting a Hammer JP instead of a full combo.

[Karl Laustrup]

I have the X-31. Got it this past January, but really haven't been able to run it through it's paces yet.

The switch over from jointing to planning is pretty quick. Takes about a minute including raising the planer table and putting on the fence. The saw works great and it's really nice having a slider as well as a riving knife. :) I haven't gotten around to using the mortiser or the shaper part yet, but I fully intend to do so in the near future.

I have opted to replace the standard jointer/planer head with a Byrd Shelix head. As there is no real help in the manual it is a real ________[insert nasty word here] to figure out how to remove the j/p head. :mad: Laguna Tools was of no real help so it's just been trying to figure out what has to come out to get the head out. :( :mad: The fun part is just beginning though, as now I've got to get it back together. :(

Over all I'd give the unit a 7 on a scale of 1-10 for how it operates. Using the same scale for ease of maintenance and how various parts of the unit work and the manual I can only give it a 4. Someday maybe, the manufacturers will put a little more effort into their manuals and overall design for ease of maintenance, especially on units with price tags that don't allow a throw away mentality.

Off my soapbox now and that's my $1.398 worth of whatever. Would I get one again? Probably, unless my shop were to magically grow to twice it's size. Then I'd have individual machines.

Karl

[Brian Gumpper]

Thanks Karl. Being I sell the Byrd heads I will put one on someday and may call on your experience.

My main concern is availability of parts especially with Laguna's notorious lack of support.

Have you had any problems jointing with the short beds?

[Alister Orme]

I bought a used x31 6 years ago and think for what I paid it was a bargain considering what you get.
Mine had esta knives in the jointer/ planer when I got it and I added the aftermarket height adjuster.
Switching back and forth hadn't been a problem until recently when the shaper/shapers came into play more in my work.,and now I'm looking at separating the functions and going back to separates except for a jointer planer combo .
The jointer tables are ok for the majority of stuff and when I have a larger run of stuff I set up some infeed and outfeed carts that I made up to help.
I don't like the fence on the table saw...but it works.
Good luck...I've enjoyed owning mine!

Alister.

[Brian Gumpper]

The one problem I see with the jointer is you can't set it up and leave it. So lets say you machine all your lumber for 20 cabinet doors. You then get the cope & stick cutters all set up on the shaper. What happens if you accidentally mess up a door? Do you have to tear down the shaper to cut more lumber? Setting up those cutters again would be a PITA from what I can tell.

I know there are compromises with the combo's and space being limited I can see the main benefit.

Thanks all for the comments.

[Chris Barton]

I have an X31 and have been using it for about 2 years now. There are several posts that can be pulled up including a review using the advanced search feature and the term "x31" or "robland".

[Karl Laustrup]

Thanks Karl. Being I sell the Byrd heads I will put one on someday and may call on your experience.

My main concern is availability of parts especially with Laguna's notorious lack of support.

Have you had any problems jointing with the short beds?

I have jointed and planed several long boards [6'-8'] and have had minimal, if any, snipe without using infeed or outfeed tables. That being said these have been a few boards at a time. If I were doing the wood for a big project I would use tables.

I don't know about parts, but I would hope that this being a quality machine, parts wouldn't be a concern.

One thing it will do is make you work smarter. I'm still learning that from the old days of separte machines.

Karl

[Chris Barton]

Looking back at this post I would add a few things. First, don't buy a Robland based upon price. While I believe it's the best deal, dollar for dollar, in the woodworking marketplace I wouldn't buy it because it costs less than something else. That's a perscription for buyers remorse. Second, go look at one first hand before you make your decission. I don't know your whereabouts but, you are welcome to see and use mine as a test drive. Lastly, you will find much "factionalization" regarding combos vs individual machines and MM/SCMI/Felder/Knapp vs "the evil Laguna folks" ( who have been great by me). So, be sure what you want and take opinions with a grain of salt, even mine!:p

[Michael Palyszeski]

I have an older x31 that has had problems with the 10 position selector switch. I have replaced it twice and fear that I have reconnected the shaper wiring incorrectly. Can't seem to get much info from local distributor (Martin Machinery). They have tried to help but they don't seem to have access to the correct schematics. I have everything working but the shaper and suspect I have rewired it incorrectly to the new switch. Any photos or direction would be appreciated.

[brian cammarata]

I have an older x31 that has had problems with the 10 position selector switch. I have replaced it twice and fear that I have reconnected the shaper wiring incorrectly. Can't seem to get much info from local distributor (Martin Machinery). They have tried to help but they don't seem to have access to the correct schematics. I have everything working but the shaper and suspect I have rewired it incorrectly to the new switch. Any photos or direction would be appreciated.

not sure if you have searched;

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/AlternateMainMenu.html

Also good bit of dedicated folks at

https://groups.io/g/roblandx31