When you are more and more engaged in woodworking, there comes a certain moment when you want to plane your wood yourself.
You have to admit, what could be more fun to be able to process a piece of rough wood yourself into a smooth and beautiful-looking board.

If you search for the right machine to plane wood, you will be overwhelmed by the different brands and options. 
Do you choose a planer, a thicknesser, or a combination?
What price do you want to pay for it? Is woodworking just a hobby, and should it remain affordable?

I chose the Belmash SDR2200 planer thicknesser and in this blog I explain why.

Unboxing & review video​

Before we dive into the blog you can watch the unboxing and review video first.
In that video, I will show you what you get when you buy this Belmash SDR2200 planer thicknesser.

In the blog post underneath the video, I will compare this tool against other brands and give you my honest opinion about this Belmash SDR2200.

Before you switch on the Belmash SDR2200​

The Belmash SDR2200 is a fairly quiet machine, but you still have to protect yourself against noise, dust, and rotating sharp parts.
Safety is always your own responsibility!

Safety first!

To protect myself while working I always use:

• Ear protection
• Dusk mask for woodworkers
• Safety glasses
• Work gloves
• safety boots
• Blaklader work pant
• Blaklader foam kneepads grey

Basic parameters​

To describe the Belmash SDR2200 I will give you a few important parameters.

Delivery set​

To describe the Belmash SDR2200 I will give you a few important parameters.

• Fence
• Casing for chips removal when planing/thicknessing
• Cutter block guard
• Template
• Push stick
• Spring box
• Hexagon wrench
• Set of attach hardware

Belmash SDR2200 assembling​

Planer

To prepare the Belmash DSR2200 for wood planing you must assemble the fence and casing for chip removal as indicated in the manual. A job that shows itself.

Just make sure that the casing for chip removal is mounted correctly. if not, the machine will not start.

As an extra safety you must also mount the protective cover over the knife. Thanks to the easy-to-mount bracket, you can adjust the protective cover depending on the width of the wood to be planed.

Because the bracket is rotatable, the protective cover can be turned away from the machine very quickly.

Thicknesser

This machine can be easily converted from planer to thicknesser within a few minutes.

To start, remove the fence and the casing for chip removal.

The planing tables click out of the machine very quickly at the push of a button.

After the planing tables have been removed, you can mount the casing for chip removal above the blades.

Just set the thickness and you can plan your wood to the correct thickness.

Due to the automatic feed, this machine works quickly and at a constant speed.

Pros and cons​

To help you make a choice before buying a planer thicknesser, I will give you the pros and cons that I have noticed about this machine.

Pros of the Belmash SDR2200

The biggest advantage of this machine is that it is compact. This makes it easy to set up this machine in a small workshop.

If this machine has to be transported, this can easily be done through the 4 handles that are mounted on this Belmash SDR2200.

This machine is a sturdy machine, made in 3mm thick steel with a powerful but low-noise motor mounted on it. That motor drives the blades and the feed rollers via belts.
Most machines I found only had 2 planer blades, the belmash SDR2200 has 3 planer blades. Which is in my opinoin much better.

The dimensions of the wood that can be processed are quite large. You can plane up to 270mm wide and the wood thicknesser can handle up to 120mm.

Cons of the Belmash SDR2200

The only drawback I experienced with this Belmash SDR2200 was the fence.

When mounting it turned out that it was not perpendicular.

However, by slightly updating the brackets on which this fence is mounted by folding it over, the fence could now be mounted at right angles.

Actually a very easy problem to solve.

Comparing with other brands

I think this will be the most important part of the blog because if you are looking for a machine you want to buy the best one that is tailored to your needs.

You must first ask yourself, what am I going to use the machine for?

If you only want to plane wood, I do not recommend this Belmash SDR2200. A jointer will be a better and cheaper solution.

The same goes for if you just want a thickness planer.

However, if you need both machines, this Belmash DSR2200 is definitely recommended because of its compactness and price.

To make a good comparison, I list the equivalent options below. 
By clicking on the link, you can quickly check the price and see what benefits you the most.

If you’re looking for a jointer, check out these options and their price.

If you’re looking for a thicknesser, check out these options and their price.

If you’re looking for a planer thicknesser, check out these options and their price.

Conclusion​

If you need a combination of planer and thicknesser, you don’t have to doubt. The Belmash SDR2200 can handle up to 270mm wide pieces and the purchase price is lower than if you would buy the 2 machines separately.

If you have a small workshop as I have, this compact 2 in 1 machine is really something for you.

I am very satisfied that I chose this machine and I am convinced that you too will be satisfied.