# Planer Recommendations



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

I am thinking about maybe getting a planer. I would be planing anything from soft maple to ash to oak and anything else I can get my hands on. So what are your recommendations? Helix vs straight blades? Planing glue and glue joints?

Thanks for any response in advance.


----------



## fire65 (Apr 27, 2013)

Welcome to the forum. I guess I missed your introduction.


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Need a little more to go on for a recommendation. Permanant or portable, what's your price range, what capacity were you wanting, were you anting extra feature like the ability to run moulding heads


----------



## Joeb41 (Jun 23, 2012)

As mentioned more info needed. If you are looking for a benchtop planer I think many will agree with me on the DeWalt 735. I have had mine since 2007 and have no problems or complaints.
To get the best info here you also must participate so lets hear about your needs.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

My grandpa owns a big circular saw sawmill and I can get my boards from him but he doesn't have a planer so all boards are rough sawed. I don't have a lot of room but don't want to have a small one that can't handle the job either. I will be taking any where from the bare minimum cut up to possibly an inch off the board. When I would get the planer there is a good chance that about 75 + percent of the boards will be planed coming of the sawmill. So I was wondering if I would be better off with the Dewalt or should I spend the extra and get a Grizzly or Jet or Powermatic (I know the local woodworking stores sell the latter 2)? Also am I better off spending the money and getting the spiral head with the planer or is the standard blades just fine?


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

fishinfiend said:


> I am thinking about maybe getting a planer. I would be planing anything from soft maple to ash to oak and anything else I can get my hands on. So what are your recommendations? Helix vs straight blades? Planing glue and glue joints?
> 
> Thanks for any response in advance.


Straight blades. NOT Chinese blades... Pony up extra for some Japanese steel and then send those off to be cryo treated after you use them a few times.

NEVER send these blades to a 'hackjob' sharpener when they 'need' sharpening.

Always measure blades with a good quality micrometer BEFORE and AFTER you send them out to be sharpened. They should NOT be taking off very much if there were no serious defects that needed being removed. (does not hurt to let said blade sharpener SEE you actually break out the micrometer and take notes when you give him said blades)

If machine comes with poor quality blades - Save those for crap wood planning. :yes:

I tend to mark any machine I do a blade change on with the date the blades were changed on and what blades were on it. (small piece of blue tape and a sharpie work well for me)

If your machine does NOT have Quality / and/or Japanese blades available for it - Keep shopping.


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

fishinfiend said:


> My grandpa owns a big circular saw sawmill and I can get my boards from him but he doesn't have a planer so all boards are rough sawed. I don't have a lot of room but don't want to have a small one that can't handle the job either. I will be taking any where from the bare minimum cut up to possibly an inch off the board. When I would get the planer there is a good chance that about 75 + percent of the boards will be planed coming of the sawmill. So I was wondering if I would be better off with the Dewalt or should I spend the extra and get a Grizzly or Jet or Powermatic (I know the local woodworking stores sell the latter 2)? Also am I better off spending the money and getting the spiral head with the planer or is the standard blades just fine?


The machine selection is pretty dictated by how wide you need surface, how much money you want to spend and how much shop space you can devote it. If portability is your gane, 12.5-13 inches is a pretty sure thing for width capacity. As far as the portable unis go, theres almost no difference between them, save for the dewalts 733 and 735, which are generally considered the cream of the crop. In my admittedly limited experience, the portble units are all just fine for home shop use, provided you dont regularly thickness stock greater than 12 inches. If you do regularly surface 12+ wide boards, run in a prefessional enviroment or need more power than a lunchbox can provide, go with the stationary units. I cant make any recommendations for stationary units, but like i said, the dewalt models are generally pretty well liked for the portable units


----------



## Joeb41 (Jun 23, 2012)

Sounds like you have a lot of rough lumber available so you might consider something more heavy duty than a portable. How are you going to flatten the boards? Do you have a jointer? A lot to think about.


----------



## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

fishinfiend said:


> My grandpa owns a big circular saw sawmill and I can get my boards from him but he doesn't have a planer so all boards are rough sawed. I don't have a lot of room but don't want to have a small one that can't handle the job either. I will be taking any where from the bare minimum cut up to possibly an inch off the board. When I would get the planer there is a good chance that about 75 + percent of the boards will be planed coming of the sawmill. So I was wondering if I would be better off with the Dewalt or should I spend the extra and get a Grizzly or Jet or Powermatic (I know the local woodworking stores sell the latter 2)? Also am I better off spending the money and getting the spiral head with the planer or is the standard blades just fine?


couple thing's planning green wood ? and taking off 1 inch off ? lot of waste their, any good planer will work for you , most board's should be air dried or kiln dried for best wood


----------



## Fastback (Sep 2, 2012)

I have both the 12 1/2-inch bench top and larger 15-inch stationary planner. If you plan on doing a lot of rough lumber than you really need a stationary machine. You will just beat the bench top to death.

As already indicated it is important to dry the wood properly. Also, if the wood is cupped or twisted you will need a jointer to flatten one side before planning.

I can't speak for all of the stationary planers, I have a Jet 15-inch with the double edge blades. So far I have nothing but praise for the machine. The only negative is the price all most double the cost of a Grizzly. I believe that mine was just about $1,900 at the time I purchased. 

Paul


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

Fastback said:


> I have both the 12 1/2-inch bench top and larger 15-inch stationary planner. If you plan on doing a lot of rough lumber than you really need a stationary machine. You will just beat the bench top to death.
> 
> As already indicated it is important to dry the wood properly. *Also, if the wood is cupped or twisted you will need a jointer to flatten one side before planning.*
> 
> ...


You can do that with the planer if you build the proper jig. It is VERY easy to 'true up' one side of a jacked up surface using only the planer and the jig is not that difficult or expensive to build.

:yes:


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

First, the reason I said plane off up to an inch is because some of the boards are sawed at 2 inches and I would probably want to work with only an inch thick board. 

Second, all of the boards are air dried. 

Third, I don't have a jointer but if memory serves me correctly the boards are all pretty straight no bows or twists.

Finally, why do you need to joint one side of a board before planing? I was planning on just taking either a table or skil saw to true up the sides after I had the sides flat.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

Is this what you meant by jointing a warped twisted board but using a planer with a jig?

http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/video/a-planer-sled-for-milling-lumber.aspx

Also, is that how the small portable planers run? Boy it sounds like it is way under powered.


----------



## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Really need to know more about your budget.....but if your looking around 500, the Dewalt 735X is the cream of the crop!!! I've had mine for years and have had NO reason to even consider upgrading. 

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735X...hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1410922659&sr=1-1&keywords=735


----------



## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

The reason for using a jointer is so you can get one face flat. When you then move to the planer, the flat face is down and the planer cuts the opposing face so it is parallel to the flat face. If you simply run the rough board through the planer and then flip it over to plane the opposing face, the faces will be flat, but they won't be parallel to each other.

The jig mentioned earlier will allow you to get both faces parallel to each other with just the planer.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

My budget I would say is 2000 including dust collection. I do have a shop vac, will that work for dust collection on dewalt and what about 15 in planer? My budget can be exceeded if there is a better one. Does the diameter of the cutterhead make a difference?


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

fishinfiend said:


> Is this what you meant by jointing a warped twisted board but using a planer with a jig?
> 
> http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/video/a-planer-sled-for-milling-lumber.aspx
> 
> Also, is that how the small portable planers run? Boy it sounds like it is way under powered.


Yes, That is how I do it (but not with the cool little 'adjustable' shims like that guy had in the video... THAT was cool.)

A member here WoodNThings built a much better jig for doing the same exact thing and posted about it. With the jig that WoodNThings built there is NO chance of the work piece slipping or moving around on the 'sled' or of a shim coming out of place during the milling. His jig holds / clamps the material from the sides instead of the bottom. This is a 'better' way *if* you have the planer capacity to cut the width you need + allow for the room taken up by the jig width.

In the video above they are supporting only from the bottom and you can milk every single bit of planer blade width out to it's full capacity as there is nothing extra on the sides of the material (holding it securely) eating up the width capacity of your blades.

Pros and cons to each method and it all depends on the material being milled and it's shape as to which method you would use.

The guy in the video DID crank down too hard on his second pass through the planer in MY opinion. The 'tool' is NOT being used correctly if the sound changes like it did in the video. That is the sound you usually hear right before the breaker trips... :yes:


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

fishinfiend said:


> I do have a shop vac, will that work for dust collection on dewalt and what about 15 in planer?


Speaking from experience that's a big fat nope. A shopvac generally won't move enough air to catch the shavings well, and the smaller diameter hoses clog extremely easily. I remember hearing that the dealt models actually have a decent blower system built into the dust hood, from what I've heard it does a good job of directing the sahpphavings into a bin. Again, this is secondhand information and its not true dust collection, but something to consider. With a bugpdget of two grand though, you could get a very nice planer and a very nice DC. Heck, play it right you could probably get a nice jointer too, for that budget


----------



## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

For long term reliability and durability, definitely go with a helical head. The carbide cutters are 4 sided and have exceptional longevity as long as you are mindful of your material. They are also self-indexing which eliminates time consuming setups.

I'd look for a used Jet or Powermatic. I have a very low opinion of grizzly and would not recommend anything made by them. The DeWalt 735 is also a very good machine and will serve you well. We have one for our back-up planer.

Dust collection is an absolute must, planers are one of the "dirtiest" machines in the shop. A shop vac will not keep up with a planer. I'd recommend at least a 1 1/2hp dust collector and a separator if you are planning to plane large amounts of material.

Planing glue joints is not a big problem, but I always scrape excess glue off before planing. We spend a little time inspecting material before putting it through the planer. We do a quick pass with a metal detector, wire brush it lightly if there is dirt or grit on it, and scrape excess glue from glue joints. That helps minimize knicks in the knives.


----------



## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

wericha said:


> For long term reliability and durability, definitely go with a helical head. The carbide cutters are 4 sided and have exceptional longevity as long as you are mindful of your material. They are also self-indexing which eliminates time consuming setups.
> 
> I'd look for a used Jet or Powermatic. I have a very low opinion of grizzly and would not recommend anything made by them. The DeWalt 735 is also a very good machine and will serve you well. We have one for our back-up planer.
> 
> ...


Just curious why your opinion of grizzly is low. I have a cabinet saw and jointer from them and I am very impressed. In fact I think the cabinet saw is a much better machine than my fathers unifence delta. Just curious because I am about to pull the trigger on a new planer and am wondering what concerns I should have with griz. My experience with them have been great but my saw is only a year old too so its not the old ones back when they were pretty low grade.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

I was thinking the same thing why not Grizzly? They look exactly the same as Shop Fox , Jet and Powermatic. 

About dust collection I had that feeling about a sop vac but had to ask.

Planing frozen wood any recommendations for setup? Reason j am asking is because when sawing lumber you have to use a different blade than in summer. 

Finally in a used machine what do you have to look for because I don't want to spend the money on a used planer and end up sticking a bunch of money in it just to get it so it works?


----------



## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

fishinfiend said:


> I was thinking the same thing why not Grizzly? They look exactly the same as Shop Fox , Jet and Powermatic.


I have a Grizzly 5850Z ( http://www.grizzly.com/products/20-Professional-Planer-w-5-HP-Single-Phase-Motor/G5850Z). I have had it for about three (3) years. I purchased it used off Craigslist. It works great. It weighs about 950 lbs and is mounted on a heavy duty cart with locking casters. It has a 20" cutting capacity. A 5hp motor drives the blades and a 2hp motor feeds the boards through. I have had no problems with it since I did an overhaul on it, when I first purchased it.



fishinfiend said:


> About dust collection I had that feeling about a sop vac but had to ask.


Sorry, but a shop vac won't cut it with my planer...... I use a 1.5 hp Jet with a 5" flexible hose.



fishinfiend said:


> Planing frozen wood any recommendations for setup? Reason j am asking is because when sawing lumber you have to use a different blade than in summer.


Interesting statement....I didn't know that....Wood must be dry and above freezing to plane it. Water and planers don't mix very well!



fishinfiend said:


> Finally in a used machine what do you have to look for because I don't want to spend the money on a used planer and end up sticking a bunch of money in it just to get it so it works?


Here are the items that I had to replace/repair on my used Grizzly G5850z planer:

1. Knife blades - the knife sets that came with it were definitely in need of sharpening. A new set from Grizzly was about $100.

2. Dust hood - This was gone. A new one from Grizzly was about $125.

3. Knife adjustment bolt - The previous owner had over-torqued all of the bolts. They all had to be replaced. I was able to re-thread the holes with a tap, but the bolts were ruined. These cost about $50 and a six (6) month wait.......

4. Cleaning, greasing and adjustment - The planer runs great now!

I am selling this planer and replacing it with the spiral head model. I love the planer, but the knives have trouble with figured maple. I have to plane my figured maple rough cut boards on my friends 18" spiral head planer to get them smooth. The knives work great on straight grain cherry, oak, myrtlewood, etc. (Unfortunately, the next pile of rough cut lumber is 600 bdft of figured maple drying under my deck.)


----------



## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

Some folks are happy with grizzly, but every grizzly machine I've been around has been sub-standard. I don't shop brand "just because", I look for quality, serviceability, and longevity. I can't afford to dink with equipment when it goes down, so I look for machines I know I can get support on. My equipment is from Powermatic, Jet, Delta (now looking to dump these in the near future), and several others.

Just because grizzly looks like other machines doesn't mean it is, or is as good. I don't like the fit and finish of griz, I've never seen anything from griz hold up in even a moderate shop environment, and I don't think it is prudent to waste money on cheap equipment.


----------



## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

*Planer question*

I have been building furniture and cabinets for the past 35+ years and I get all of my wood rough cut.

The first thing that I learned is that "Wood Moves" continuously even after dried in a Kiln so, I bought a wide long bed jointer and a heavy duty planer.
Get a copy of "Understanding Wood" by R. Bruce Hoadley which explains in detail why you need both machines.

I have a 12" wide Powermatic planer with a 3hp motor and switched the cutter head with straight knives to a Shelix spiral cutter head (which I highly recommend). I also have a 8" wide long bed Poitras Jointer with solid carbide knives. 

I installed a Oneida Air Systems V-System which collects all of the dust and wood chips.

Jack


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

wericha said:


> Some folks are happy with grizzly, but every grizzly machine I've been around has been sub-standard. I don't shop brand "just because", I look for quality, serviceability, and longevity. I can't afford to dink with equipment when it goes down, so I look for machines I know I can get support on. My equipment is from Powermatic, Jet, Delta (now looking to dump these in the near future), and several others.
> 
> Just because grizzly looks like other machines doesn't mean it is, or is as good. I don't like the fit and finish of griz, I've never seen anything from griz hold up in even a moderate shop environment, and I don't think it is prudent to waste money on cheap equipment.


Are not all of the manufacturers you cited building there machines in Taiwan???


----------



## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

*Buy used*



OnealWoodworking said:


> Are not all of the manufacturers you cited building there machines in Taiwan???


There are a lot of very good quality used American made planers for sale out there and they can be had for a very good price. The Tn. manufactured planers from Powermatic are rock solid and require very little rebuilding to get them in top shape.

Jack


----------



## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

OnealWoodworking said:


> Are not all of the manufacturers you cited building there machines in Taiwan???


Yes............your point?

Simply because they are built in the same country or perhaps even in the same facility, it is completely misguided to assume they are of the same quality. Those manufacturers build to company standards of fit, finish, and quality. It only takes a quick look see a huge difference between the different brands. Admittedly Jet/Powermatic are not the same today as they were when produced domestically, but they remain head and shoulders above anything grizzly cranks out.

In my experience, lower end tools may be attractive from a price point but can often lead to frustration due to the lack of precision. In the past I've bought what I thought was a decent tool only to find out later how much more I could do with a better tool. The tool does not make the craftsman, but a good tool makes the craft so much more enjoyable.


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

jacko9 said:


> There are a lot of very good quality used American made planers for sale out there and they can be had for a very good price. The Tn. manufactured planers from Powermatic are rock solid and require very little rebuilding to get them in top shape.
> 
> Jack


You are preaching to the choir here. I am NOT a big fan of the import tools for the most part.

Buy once - Cry once and all of that. :yes:

Unless the 'import' tools came from someplace like Germany or Italy or Japan... 

Import tools DO have their place though and not all are 100% pure junk. They will in general (in my experience) tend to require a bit more work when it comes to maintenance and upkeep.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

Ant thoughts on Steel City planers?


----------



## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Steel city has some great tools in my opinion.


----------



## EdS (Mar 21, 2013)

I have been a woodworker for 40 years. I wish I had back all the money I have spent over the years on cheap tools. At the time, it was a necessity I thought, to buy a bench top jointer for example, or a cheap miter saw, not to mention the 1.5 HP Delta TS I had for years. Don't get me wrong, I made these tools work for me and I was proud of my results in most cases, but I would have saved money if I had simply bought the quality tools the first time around rather than replacing the tool 5 or 10 years down the road. I would also have been much more efficient in the shop and gained more experience doing things right the first time, rather than learning how to fix my mistakes. 

I fully understand the need to pinch a penny when you need to, believe me. But take it from an older guy, buy quality the first time and save for the next tool. It will serve you well over the long run.


----------



## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

There's a difference between cheap tools (harbor freight) and quality imported tools (steel city). Don't let the import bashers keep you from buying a good quality new tool.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

Does the Jet 15 in. planer run a Byrd head? How many cutters foes it use? Is it the same head as a Powermatic? If not, how does the two compare and how many cutters does the Powermatic run because I see any were from 74 to 98 cutters.


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Im going to chime in another thing here based on the last few posts. Personally, id recomend against buying a tool based on brand. Good brands make crap tools, crap brands make good tools. Instead of thinking "grizzly tools all suck", why not think "this particular grizzly tool is a bad deal, but this other one is great". Import or no, base tools on their own merits. Check around, find reviews, and buy based on that


----------



## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

fishinfiend said:


> Does the Jet 15 in. planer run a Byrd head? How many cutters foes it use? Is it the same head as a Powermatic? If not, how does the two compare and how many cutters does the Powermatic run because I see any were from 74 to 98 cutters.


Yes, the Jet does run the Byrd head. I have the Powermatic 15HH and can't say enough good about it. The true cutter count for both machines is 74, and they are 4 sided. They are also self-indexing so there is no need for adjustments when rotating cutters. Replacement cutters are about $3.50 each, but under normal use each cutter will last quite a long time.

The advantages of a helical head are numerous. They are quieter, the cut is much finer, since they cut in a shearing fashion they do well with figured woods, and the carbide cutters are long lasting.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

Any thoughts on the Laguna 16 in. planer it looks like it is similar priced as the Jet but uses their own spiral head design and a 5 hp motor.


----------



## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

Don't know anything about Laguna except I like the looks of their cyclone dust collectors.

I'd be concerned about the design of the cutter head. The Byrd design is well proven and replacement cutters are readily available in both OEM and aftermarket. Does the Laguna use standard sized cutters? Whenever I look at equipment I try to consider the availability of replacement parts long term. One of the reasons I dislike grizzly is they don't support their own equipment. Try to find parts for a 10 year old grizzly and you're most likely out of luck. If the parts for a Laguna are interchangeable it might be a consideration, but consider that carefully.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

I have another question, what do you guys all run for planers? Also, how do you like them?


----------



## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I think alot of guys have answered that already...you seem to be jumping around alot. Rather than buy what works for us.....tell us what you need to plane, how often, your budget, and we'll make some suggestions that work for those needs. What works for one guy (cheap harbor freight planer), isn't going to work for another (production shop).


----------



## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

wericha said:


> Yes............your point?
> 
> Simply because they are built in the same country or perhaps even in the same facility, it is completely misguided to assume they are of the same quality. Those manufacturers build to company standards of fit, finish, and quality. It only takes a quick look see a huge difference between the different brands. Admittedly Jet/Powermatic are not the same today as they were when produced domestically, but they remain head and shoulders above anything grizzly cranks out.
> 
> In my experience, lower end tools may be attractive from a price point but can often lead to frustration due to the lack of precision. In the past I've bought what I thought was a decent tool only to find out later how much more I could do with a better tool. The tool does not make the craftsman, but a good tool makes the craft so much more enjoyable.


I agree. There is a joy in using good tools.

Al


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

I would be considered a hobbyist that would be planing oak, ash, soft maple, occasional hard maple and popular, and anything else I can get my hands on cheap. The second two we saw the boards on my grandpa's sawmill. I need it to be able to easily moved around and taken over by my grandpa's but that does not mean one person has to be able to lift it because we have a skidsteers to move it. Budget I would say 2 grand but I am willing to exceed that for a better machine. One thing that I think that it should have is a helical cutterhead so if the blade hits something hard I don't have to have all my blades resharpened. 

Also I noticed a Woodcraft is close by, what are your thoughts on there sales and service, good place to do business?


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

fishinfiend said:


> I would be considered a hobbyist that would be planing oak, ash, soft maple, occasional hard maple and popular, and anything else I can get my hands on cheap. The second two we saw the boards on my grandpa's sawmill. I need it to be able to easily moved around and taken over by my grandpa's but that does not mean one person has to be able to lift it because we have a skidsteers to move it. Budget I would say 2 grand but I am willing to exceed that for a better machine. *One thing that I think that it should have is a helical cutterhead so if the blade hits something hard I don't have to have all my blades resharpened. *
> 
> Also I noticed a Woodcraft is close by, what are your thoughts on there sales and service, good place to do business?


You don't have to have them 'all' sharpened for a single nick or doof in the blades.

Most times you can simply fudge the blades to the left and right alternately so the 'good' portions of the one blade covers over the parts of the blades with the missing blade material.

If you got a 4 blade cutterhead you would move 3 blades either left of right a slight bit so the bad spot was not 'lined up' and you would be good to go. There is generally plenty of room in side to side blade adjustment for stuff like this. Depends on machine of course...

Same thing applies with joiner blades.

This takes very little time as compared to sending ALL the blades off to be sharpened.

Good blades cost money and each time you send them out you want to make it worth while... You cant get back material that you had ground off of them.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

Have you seen the cover of the latest Shopnotes Magazine? Cause that looks like a pretty nice planer jig on the cover. Wish I could find the plans for free online but guess I will have to settle and find the magazine in stores. Here is a link to the cover.

http://www.shopnotes.com/


----------



## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

fishinfiend said:


> Have you seen the cover of the latest Shopnotes Magazine? Cause that looks like a pretty nice planer jig on the cover. Wish I could find the plans for free online but guess I will have to settle and find the magazine in stores. Here is a link to the cover.
> 
> http://www.shopnotes.com/


I can't think of a better mag for you to subscribe to. Go for it. 

Did you buy a planer yet?

Al


----------



## unclefester (Aug 23, 2013)

fishinfiend said:


> I would be considered a hobbyist that would be planing oak, ash, soft maple, occasional hard maple and popular, and anything else I can get my hands on cheap. The second two we saw the boards on my grandpa's sawmill. I need it to be able to easily moved around and taken over by my grandpa's but that does not mean one person has to be able to lift it because we have a skidsteers to move it. Budget I would say 2 grand but I am willing to exceed that for a better machine. One thing that I think that it should have is a helical cutterhead so if the blade hits something hard I don't have to have all my blades resharpened. Also I noticed a Woodcraft is close by, what are your thoughts on there sales and service, good place to do business?


I bought a Steel City table top planer with the helical head from Woodcraft and really like it for my use. Only does 12" wide but I can make due.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

No I did not make the purchase yet still trying to decide which one. 

Also, thanks for all of the responses so far.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

I have two new question

1 How heavy of a cut can you do on a bench vs standalone planer on oak or equivalent hardness of wood? 

2 Am I better off spending less on a planer and getting a surface sander instead


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

fishinfiend said:


> I have two new question
> 
> 1 How heavy of a cut can you do on a bench vs standalone planer on oak or equivalent hardness of wood?
> 
> 2 Am I better off spending less on a planer and getting a surface sander instead


For most portable planers ive seen the max depth of cut is 1/16 to maybe 1/8 for the more powerful models. Most stationary units ive seen state the maximum depth of cut as 1/8, but id imagine you could probably push them just a little deeper. Heres a question though, why would you want to? Surface quality is going to suffer once you start taking too deep of cuts, and youll like as not be pushing the machine too hard as well. Sure, shallower cuts may take a few more passes, but youll get better results. 

As far as a thickness sander vs planer goes, remember this: the stock that a thickness planer takes off is measured in fractions of an inch, a sander is measured in thousandths. Sure, you could take a rough cut 4/4 board down to a nice smooth 3/4 board with a sander, but its take forever. A thickness sander is meant for more finishing work, smoothing veneer, smoothing glued up panels in the like. Its a planers job to take rough lumber down to finished thickness


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

What I meant by how heavy of a cut, is how much can you take off before the machine starts chattering and/or stall?

Yes, I know a surface sander does not take much off in a pass (I.e. a heavy pass is 0.008 in. or approximately 1/128 in.). What I was asking was am I better off purchasing both a sander and benchtop planer over a standalone planer?


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

I think that really depends on what you do. Personally, im of the opinion that more machines is never a bad thing, and for most home hobbiests a portable planer is more than enough, but that answer changes situation by situation. If you deal with high volumes of wood through the planer, like you would in a production environment, run a mill, etc, a stationary model would be necessary, but overkill if you plane a few board feet a day. Like i said, personally, id go with a portable planer and a sander if i had the money, because having them both would cover a wider range of what ifs, e.g taking rough cut 8/4 stock down to 3/4 as well as smoothing homemade veneers, but im also a garage hackjob.

As far as how much a planer can take off without stalling, from my personal experience my planer will take a cut of what i estimate to be maybe 3/16 in an 8 inchish wide board and leave a pretty smooth cut, but you can hear the motor bogging down a lot. Admittedly, my planer is a decade old delta shopmaster, so my results probably arent the same as, say, a dewaly 735, but hey, my two cents and all that crap


----------



## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

fishinfiend said:


> I have two new question
> 
> 1 How heavy of a cut can you do on a bench vs standalone planer on oak or equivalent hardness of wood?
> 
> 2 Am I better off spending less on a planer and getting a surface sander instead


#1 Interesting question...heavy cuts tend to create a rougher finish than light cuts. If you are working with hardwoods, i.e. maple and/or oak, then you may find the wood chipping out rather than smooth cuts. Softwoods, i.e. Douglas fir, hemlock and/or poplar, may be planed with a heavy cut and have a smooth finish.

I have a Grizzly G5850Z 20" planer with four (4) knives. It has a 5hp cutter motor and a 2hp drive motor. It works great with softwoods and most hardwoods. I planed some of my figured maple with it and the finish came out very rough. Instead of hand planing the figured maple and then sanding it, I took it over to a friends wood shop. He has an 18" Woodmaster surface planer with a spiral head cutter. We ran the same pieces that I had planed on my planer on the Woodmaster. They came out very smooth. Very little sanding with a 220 grit paper was required.

So, I would be looking more for the smoothness of the finish rather than "how heavy of a cut". If you are using a spiral head cutter, you will not have to do as much sanding. You may be able to use a hand plane, card scraper or hand sanding block for the final smoothing.

I do a lot of re-sawing with my band saw. I try to get the thickness of the board within 1/4" of my final thickness. I can then remove up to 1/8" on one side of the board with my jointer and 1/8" from the opposite side with my planer. I usually do not take off more than 1/32" at a time. That calculates to about eight (8) passes total for both the jointer and planer. This creates a very smooth finish with minimal sanding. If I was to try to take off more than the 1/32" per pass, I would have to do a lot more sanding for the final smoothing.

If you are looking to save some money, you might want to check in your area for businesses that offer planing services. A few of the wood shops in Portland, Oregon offer planing services at reasonable rates. 

There are a couple of schools in my area that have planers that are available to students. You could try out different planers and see what works for you.

You could also find about a Woodworkers Guild in your area. Here is a link (http://www.guildoforegonwoodworkers.com/) to one in Oregon.

#2. I would spend more money on a better planer. Every wood shop has to have a method for final smoothing of the wood. I have a couple of sanders, but I prefer to have the wood smooth before I start with a sander. A good planer is going to do that for you. Final smoothing can be done with a good hand plane, scraper or just a piece of 220 grit sandpaper on a $5 rubber sanding block. If your planer leaves a rough surface, then you are probably going to spend more time and effort sanding the board to an acceptable smooth level with a powered sander.


----------



## fishinfiend (Sep 15, 2014)

Another question, what are your thoughts on a 12 in. jointer planer like the Jet jjp12, Hammer A3 31 or the Laguna 12 in. model?


----------

