Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Feb 18, 2010 12:24am | #1

   The two 13" planers I'm

   The two 13" planers I'm familiar with -- the DeWalt and the Delta -- both have 2 feed speeds and the DeWalt has 3 knives instead of 2.  the 3 knives give you more cuts per inch, and the slower speed further increases the cuts/inch, an option that can work better with figured woods.  The DeWalt 13" seems to be a more substantial beast than it's predecessor, and it has fan-assisted chip ejection.  Don't know about the Delta.

1. 
   denmar1 | Feb 18, 2010 12:27am | #2

   Thanks for the reply Forestgirl, I know what your saying but I still do not know what usage or operational difference their is between the 12 1/2 " vs. the 13" planer. It's only half an inch, what capabilities am I losing?

2. 
   johnhenry | Feb 18, 2010 12:35am | #3

   I used a friends 12 1/2 Delta for a while and when I got mine, I choose a Rigid 13". The extra width does give peace of mind, plus it had a working cutter-head lock to prevent snipe more effectively. It also had a much better hood for dust control. The most recent version, however, is made more cheaply now, lighter, possilbly to the detriment of durability. It also moved the location of the tools for it from the side to ?????

   Even the newest Delta suffers this problem now. I wouldn't have realized it, except a friend was clearing out his father-in-laws old tools and asked my if I wanted a Delta for $100. I said No, and I saw the newer version were only $250 and I saw how cheaply made they were now (much lighter, poor grab handles, no extra blades). I thought about it some more, and asked to see it. It was still new in the box from fives years earlier, complete with a House Of  Tools receipt.

   It is a nice planer, not as quiet or neat but still very worth owning.

   I see my train of thought wandered. Get one or the other but go with quality as your first choice. The extra 1/2" has saved me from difficult work-arounds but that doesn't happen very often. The little extra things like dust hoods, spare knifes and a tool kit are very welcome.

3. 
   Don01 | Feb 18, 2010 11:18am | #4

   Yes if you have a stack of 13" material to plane. If you have a stack of 12" stock to plane, obviously it wouldn't matter.

   In theory, the 13" machine will work harder if consistently fed 13" wide material so the components should be more robust, but I doubt that is the case.

   There are other criteria you should be considering such as portability,  cost of replacement knives, speed adjustments, 

   Some FWW resources to help you:

    https://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=29822

   https://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuideAllAbout.aspx?id=2990

   Don