ecom1 wroteI've always liked the European multi-purpose machines - if space and budget were no object, I would consider one for my shop.
I too have had a curiosity about them. The first one I ever saw was a LUREM at Dale Woodcrafter's in Dallas back in the 1980's.
It was a table saw, shaper, jointer, thickness planer combo.
They were so proud of their miter gauge and hold down mechanism, they offered a prize to anyone who could move a 6' long 2 x 4 from the 45 degree miter cut, as they moved it through the blade.
I took hold of it, and even though it weighed hundreds of pounds, I wound up moving the entire machine a inch on the floor, but the miter cut was spot on 45 degrees.
It didn't catch on due to price and folks had dedicated machines already in their production shops. Price took it out of all the home shop market. I think he said he eventually sent it back to France if I recall correctly.
It was impressive though. The European market did embrace these sorts of machines, and still do.
Everett
