3-1/4″ Power Planer – Useful?
flairwoodworks
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
The local tool store has a Bosch 3-1/4″ power planer (model 1594K) on sale for $140. It seems like a good price and it has me tempted. However, I’ve never needed one. What are they good for?
Replies
Home Depot now has them for $129. I don't know how useful they are for fine woodworking, but they are great for trim carpentry and other construction related tasks. I have heard of people using them to flatten slabs for table tops.
hey chris,
you gonna be hanging doors anytime soon? very nice tools for fitting entry doors and the like.
eef
Chris,
I don't have one yet
Chris,
I don't have one yet but have used one. They are noisy, chip spitting little demons that can remove a lot of material fast if you don't have or feel like using a hand plane for "hogging off" material. Great for getting wider stock surfaced for the planer.
Don
Chris,
As noted, they are very useful for rough planing one side of wider stock to prep it for final smoothing and thicknessing with a planer. This is faster than doing the same thing with hand planes and the power planer will handle wild grain and knots that would be tough to impossible to work with a hand plane.
They are also just about the only way to square up sheet goods which are almost always not quite square.
Bought a couple from Princess Auto (Canada's version of harbour Freight, etc.) on sale for about $30.00. Makes short work of roughing out canoe paddle blades! Also worked great installing new windows in an old farmhouse, boarded in with rough boards of different thickness, to provide a flat nailing surface.
I've had the Bosch for about
I've had the Bosch for about 6 years Chris. I use it sparingly for door trimming as noted and to re-flatten work-benches. It will get planing done in a hurry. BTW.. the sole on mine has a groove from front to rear in the middle. If you want a super quick chamfer... look no farther as you can remove thin to thick super quick on long pieces.
Why a couple?
Hello Chris,
Rob Millard uses a Makita power plane for flattening stock. In fact he has a great set of video demonstrations on his web; americanfederalperiod.com. These videos can also be found on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK0DB63Tg3U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwaZlapWMls&feature=related
Bob,
I will watch those videos when I get a moment.
All,
It sounds like just the tool I need to get large slabs relatively flat before proceeding with hand planes. I will investigate further different brands and models.
Chris:
Fine Homebuilding Magazine did a review of what they called hand-held planers a couple months or so ago. They picked the model you are looking at as the "Best Value". Here is a link to their reviews. http://www.finehomebuilding.com/Tool-Guide/Product-Finder/Handheld-Power-Planers/65624.aspx?channel=1
gdblake
Chris, My nephew has one of those, and I don't think much of it. I have had several other brands in this size, and quite frankly none of them impress me other than for rough hogging.
However, I have had one of the Makita 6+" http://www.northwestpowertools.com/planer/1806b.htm
ones for over 25 years, and would not go a week without one if this one quits. You appear to be at a point in your life where you should make that move, rather than be tempted by those lesser tools. There is a world of difference.
Chris,
Home Depot is clearancing these planers, bought one today, $75, hard to beat.
i have a freud power planer, very useful for rough jointing, rough planing, chewing big bumps off large lumber pieces, also for quick checking rough lumber for grain etc etc
i have rough planed a couple of tabletops flat too
certainly not a finishing tool!!
Electric planer
I am using dewalt dw735 planer. it's not bad. you can get details here: http://besttopreviewsonline.com/blog/10-best-planers/
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