Talk me out of a Robland X31

[Steve Mathews]

I have an opportunity to purchase a Robland X31 combination woodworking machine and thought it might be a good idea to replace my Jet cabinet saw, Delta 6" jointer and Jet shaper with it. Ordinarily I don't like combination machines but this one seems very well built and would give the improvements of a sliding table saw, larger jointer and more robust shaper. Pros and cons anyone?

[Jim Becker]

The cons are very limited, IMHO, with a nice combination machine as long as you are ready and willing to learn some new things and embrace what it does and how it does it! I have no regrets in moving to this style of machinery...including a Jet cabinet saw and smaller capacity thicknessing/flattening tools.

[Rick Potter]

Only downside to replacing your cabinet saw, that I see, is the fence system, which I believe does not extend all the way across the machine because of the jointer planer setup. I would keep the old saw a while till you decide you like the new style of working. It is really neat to have a second saw available for dados, box joint jigs, etc.

[Steve Mathews]

Only downside to replacing your cabinet saw, that I see, is the fence system, which I believe does not extend all the way across the machine because of the jointer planer setup. I would keep the old saw a while till you decide you like the new style of working. It is really neat to have a second saw available for dados, box joint jigs, etc.

Good points. The combo saw would give me the sliding table saw, a larger jointer and the rarely used shaper. The later 2 features in stationary machines could be eliminated giving me a net increase in floor space or maybe about the same. I just added a Bridgeport mill to my workshop and soon to add another metal lathe so space is getting crowded.

[Erik Christensen]

I have just the robland saw with sliding table so can't comment on other tools. As a table saw it is OK - I did not end up using the sliding table as much as I thought and the saw has some issues vs a typical cabinet saw:
1. height control is very rough - no handwheel to bump blade up or down a few thousands - can change blade height fast as all getout, but getting to a specific depth for a dado is a PITA.
2. speaking of dado - trying to get multiple blades, chippers, shims on the bolt and feed it though the stack inside the cast iron blade guard is such a pain I cut all dado's with a router
3. will take a 10" blade but so much larger than a metric equivalent it was built for that the splitter is REALLY finicky to adjust
4. only one miter slot so a table saw sled is not an option & miter slot is unique so instead of a 10$ miter bar from anywhere it was >$100 from belguim so I never user the miter slot

that said it has good features
good dust collection that can be enhanced with a 4" hole in cabinet & hook to shop DC
shark guard sells a kit for the saw so my dust collection is excellent
with good blades it cuts anything I can muscle through it including 8/4 purpleheart

[Steve Mathews]

I have just the robland saw with sliding table so can't comment on other tools. As a table saw it is OK - I did not end up using the sliding table as much as I thought and the saw has some issues vs a typical cabinet saw:
1. height control is very rough - no handwheel to bump blade up or down a few thousands - can change blade height fast as all getout, but getting to a specific depth for a dado is a PITA.
2. speaking of dado - trying to get multiple blades, chippers, shims on the bolt and feed it though the stack inside the cast iron blade guard is such a pain I cut all dado's with a router
3. will take a 10" blade but so much larger than a metric equivalent it was built for that the splitter is REALLY finicky to adjust
4. only one miter slot so a table saw sled is not an option & miter slot is unique so instead of a 10$ miter bar from anywhere it was >$100 from belguim so I never user the miter slot

that said it has good features
good dust collection that can be enhanced with a 4" hole in cabinet & hook to shop DC
shark guard sells a kit for the saw so my dust collection is excellent
with good blades it cuts anything I can muscle through it including 8/4 purpleheart

Thanks for the input! The consensus seems that as a table saw it is only marginal so keeping the cabinet saw around would be a good idea. But what about the jointer and shaper features? Would those be an improvement over a 6" jointer and lightweight Jet shaper?

[Travis Porter]

Here are my items of concern of having a combo. I don't have the Robland, but I do have a shaper/slider combo.

My saw will not accept a dado and I truly missed that ability.
Having to switch from shaper to saw isn't hard, but I miss being able to jump to another machine and leave my saw set up as it was and vice versa with the shaper.
Very few of my jigs/accessories from my cabinet saw work with the slider.
I had to get all of my saw blades bored to fit.
It is a challenge getting used to working around the slider to get to the fence.
I miss having a 52" rip.
The slider takes a lot of space
Parts are more difficult to get.
Manuals are pretty poor
You will have to build more of your accessories. Very few off the shelf jigs and accessories.

It is still a nice machine/set up.

[Steve Mathews]

My interest seems to be waning.

[Travis Porter]

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of benefits.

a sliding crosscut, straight line rip are big advantages. It is a big transition.

i can not speak for the Robland, but the level of accuracy and adjustability I have with my unit is unbelievable. It is an adjustment from US style cabinet saws, but there is so much more you can do.

you have to decide if it is worth the switch. For me, I think I would do it again.

As an FYI, my prior saw was a PM66 that I bought new, and it too was a fine machine.

[David Kumm]

My experience is anecdotal and from one friend with one so it is worth what you are paying for it. For a combo machine to be an improvement in life, it must change functions quickly and return to it's settings, fences, tables, etc. I've never heard of the Robland being in the same class as a Felder 7 or 700 series or Minimax. That isn't to say you shouldn't look at a deal if cheap enough, but you really want to verify that the slider references uniformly to the fixed table, particularly in front of the shaper, The fences return to 90, including the crosscut and jointer fences, and the jointer tables stay parallel to the head and co planar with each other. Dave

[Rick Potter]

If it is a bargain, you can get it, try it, and if you don't like it, probably break even.

I had a Felder KF 700 for 10 years, and never did adapt to the slider mentality. Old and set in my ways, so I sold it and went back to a cabinet saw. 5 years later, I found myself missing the sliding table saw, but not the shaper. A couple years later, I bought a Grizzly 623 slider, and again kept the cabinet saw. Cannot report on how I like it yet, since I am still putting it in service, just got it a while back.

Any way, to repeat my point...This sounds like an opportunity for you to find out if it is the answer for you without much financial risk.

You know you want it.

[Pat McCormick]

I have an opportunity to purchase a Robland X31 combination woodworking machine and thought it might be a good idea to replace my Jet cabinet saw, Delta 6" jointer and Jet shaper with it. Ordinarily I don't like combination machines but this one seems very well built and would give the improvements of a sliding table saw, larger jointer and more robust shaper. Pros and cons anyone?

I’ve had one for about 6 months. I’ve added a feeder (comatic 4-wheel) and am waiting for a Shelix head to be delivered.

This can be a daunting machine. It seems as if, wherever the language barrier prevented a good manual, the Belgians apologized by adding metal. It’s built like a tank. There’s adjustments for everything you can imagine.

The key is to have the time to understand what they intended and then get it properly adjusted. Once there, it outperforms everything. The key to setup is to start with the jointer. Get the head and outfeed table perfect. Move on to the infeed table. Use the longest straight edge you have. I also love a Oneway gauge for this. Once the jointer is dead on, the next step is the table saw iron. Get that table coplanar with the jointer outfeed table. The table sits on 4 generous adjustment fittings. Be patient and be fussy. It’s worth it.

After that, the sliding table will give you fits. It needs to be coplanar with the main table, but ride a couple of microns higher. The coolest woodworkers are able to almost close the gap between the table & the slider. You also need to get the travel perfectly square with the miter slot. I didn’t bother with that because my machine came with an extra outfeed chunk that blocks the end of the slot. I use the slider all the time & just need it to travel perfectly against the side of the saw blade. The entire blade carriage & motor can be loosened & pivoted relative to the table top, which makes this possible.

The shaper just works as it’s already perpendicular to the top. Also, Robland has already adjusted the jointer head, feed rollers and planer bed. I don’t even know if there are adjustments for those parts but I’m confident that they’re somewhere.

I’ve had to completely rethink my process in the shop. Switching between functions will initially be frustrating but you will begin to get really efficient with practice. I can say that I am at least as fast as I was on separate machines because the precision of this one has saved a ton of sanding and finishing work. I am absolutely thrilled with it.

The comatic feeder has optional split wheels which I have used to straddle the table saw. Canted slightly towards the fence, it provides an astounding finished piece and your hands never get close to the blade. There is no kickback.

The shaper on this beast has been a revelation, the guard & fence are outstanding. It caused me to blow a fortune on cutters. I’ve been able to machine perfect tongue & groove into 8mm material. You’ll be giddy about what is possible when the machine is solid and strong.

The thing weighs so much that I can pull my Latina 14/12 bandsaw close enough to rotate the feeder for veneer work. I’ve resawn 8 inch wide (tall) Jatoba into 1/16” veneers that only need a touch of final sanding.

Woodworking is like planning a ballet. The more organized your movements, the more efficiently you can work. Although the combination machine introduces more required movements during changeovers, it’s repeatability and predictability mean closer to final results with everything I do.

I’ve build a rolling cabinet that stores the myriad of parts - fences, guards, cutters, the Mortimer, etc. I built it with strong full-extension drawers and put it on big casters. It’s tall enough (about 4-1/2 feet) to hand the jointer/saw fence on the side. I also keep all the particular tools this thing needs. A really good set of metric hex keys is essential.

Learning metric is another important thing. European machines have startling differences than domestic stuff. After using this thing, our domestic stuff just seems a lot more crude to me. I still think in SAE but am becoming more and more used to thinking, marking & measuring in metric. Just getting rid of fractions has saved me a ton of time.

I’m 56 and don’t depend on woodworking for my income. But if I did, I would still buy a combo machine. I still have a bandsaw and a good miter saw. The Robland X31 does everything else. I haven’t even used my routers since discovering what the shaper can do on this thing.

I bought mine used for $3,000. I’ve spent $1200 on the feeder and at least $1500 on shaper cutters. The other essentials my shop has are a Domino, Festool random orbit, Delta Cruzer 10” and, as mentioned before, Latina 14” bandsaw. I have a 1-1/2 hp dust collector which I broke apart so I could hang the blower from an I-beam, add an Oneida Dust Deputy that dumps into a 50 gallon can on a cart. I built a monster workbench and have a large hand tool collection.

The only thing I think I still need is a good, battery powered hand router dedicated to removing sharp edges. Until I find the right one, a Radi-Plane & sanding has been working well enough.

Let us know what you finally decided to do. Unless your needs are particularly specific, I would think the X31 will delight you. It has made me a profoundly better woodworker.

[Jim Andrew]

I have both a Hammer K3 winner, and a unisaw. Find the unisaw getting less and less use, even though I have had the Hammer for some time, and had a little trouble getting used to it. Biggest pain is having to change blades often on the Hammer, changing from ripping to crosscut.

[Dave Sabo]

I'm a little tardy, but I have one of these in a small studio space. 12 x 15 and it has other machines around the perimeter - so it's tight. And that's where these can be an advantage.

If you're tight on space I don't think you can get a 12" jointer/planer , saw and shaper in less space. Slot mortiser is just a bonus. Something not really mentioned is that it really REQUIRES a dust collector. Your shop vac won't cut it. You could use the saw with out any, but it'd be less than ideal. The rest, forget it.

As mentioned - ask yourself about your machining needs/preferences. This IS NOT a tablesaw/cabinetsaw upgrade. If you like putting dados in 48"x96" panels of ply or mdf , this IS NOT the tool for you. Dados on this machine aren't practical or easy - on purpose. It wasn't designed for it. Same with the miter slot. It's not for aux. sleds, jigs, ect....

If you can/will use it as designed it can be a great tool, especially if you pick one up cheap. The later grey/basalt colored ones are more desirable because their rip and jointer fences are much better. Principally allowing for easy rips between 10" - 25" and quicker adjustment / removal / install.


Pat: you should take a look at Bosch's 12v battery powered router. Might just be perfect for you.