Every timber shop needs to flatten and dimension stock, and the planer thicknesser is usually the second machine a joinery business buys after a saw.
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Yes. Planers and thicknessers are funded as hard assets on hire purchase or lease, and they are among the simplest woodworking purchases to get approved. Combination over-and-under machines from SCM, Felder and Sedgwick place easily, as do older British cast-iron surface planers that have been rebuilt. Age is not the obstacle it is elsewhere. What does matter is ticket size: a small combination machine may fall below the minimum a funder will write an agreement for, so it is normally better bought alongside a saw or moulder on one invoice than pursued as a standalone finance application.
Used kit: Yes, including older British cast-iron machines that have been rebuilt
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
This is straightforward, low-risk asset lending on kit that barely depreciates. Cast-iron planers hold value stubbornly and there is a constant trade in used Sedgwick, Wadkin and SCM machines, so funders do not agonise over the security. Most cases run through the fast-decision market on a credit search and a director guarantee rather than accounts. The practical constraint is that small tickets are uneconomic for some funders, which pushes very low-value purchases towards unsecured business lending instead. Declines come from trading history and credit rather than the machine. Where a spiral cutterblock upgrade is being fitted, put it on the purchase invoice so it forms part of the asset rather than a later service charge.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| SCM FS 41 Elite | Combined planer thicknesser for joinery shops |
| SCM S 630 | Heavy thicknesser for wide boards |
| Felder AD 941 | Combination machine with fast table changeover |
| Felder AD 741 | Compact planer thicknesser for small shops |
| Format-4 plan 51 | Precision combination planer for fine work |
| Hammer A3 41 | Entry combination machine for start up joiners |
| Minimax FS 30 | Small footprint planer thicknesser |
| Sedgwick PT 255 | British built planer thicknesser for workshops |
| Sedgwick MB | Robust surface planer for joinery work |
| Wadkin BAO | Classic heavy planer for timber shops |
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Bench joiners, cabinet makers, furniture makers and staircase shops working in solid timber. The trigger is usually buying rough sawn stock for the first time, because the price gap against planed all round timber is what justifies the machine. Shops also replace worn machines when snipe and ripple start appearing on visible work, or when a spiral block upgrade is needed for figured hardwood.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Sometimes on its own, yes. Many funders have a minimum agreement size that a modest combination machine falls under, which makes a standalone application awkward. The answer is almost always to buy it on the same invoice as a saw, a moulder or an extractor so the package clears the threshold and the whole lot goes on one agreement.
As part of the machine purchase, yes. A Tersa or helical block fitted by the dealer before delivery is part of the asset and sits on the invoice without difficulty. Retrofitting a block to a machine you already own is treated as a repair or improvement, which funders will not write an agreement against on its own.
Yes. British industrial planers are still worked hard and still sell, so funders take them seriously. They will want a proper invoice, confirmation the seller owns it clear of any agreement, and normally photographs including the serial plate. A machine rebuilt with new bearings and a compliant guard is a much easier case than one bought unseen at auction.
Hire purchase for anything you intend to keep, which is most cast-iron machinery. It is yours at the end and the capital allowances follow. A finance lease spreads the VAT rather than demanding it up front, which can suit a shop that is tight on cash at the point of purchase. Your accountant is the right person to confirm the treatment.
It is possible at these ticket sizes. A director with a clean credit file and homeowner status carries a lot of weight on smaller agreements, and some funders write new-start business specifically. Expect a personal guarantee and possibly a deposit. Once you have a full set of filed accounts the options widen considerably.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
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