Hi,
my first post here ! My question is a pretty simple one, which 12 / 13 ” planer would people recommend. I’d pretty much decided on a Makita, but I was looking at Rigid today at Home Depot, $100 cheaper and most reviews seem to be good.
Confusingly I can no longer see the Makita in the FWW list in the tool guide.
All comments and suggestions gratefully received.
Simon
Replies
"...I was looking at Rigid today at Home Depot..."
Just so you're aware, there are two models of Ridgid planers; the R4330 (the newer one) and the TP1300LS. The R4330 has some advantages over the TP1300LS, most notably a three-knife cutterhead and a four-post lead screw system that eliminates the need to lock the depth adjustment. I think the R4330 is intended to replace the TP1300LS, but there are apparently still a lot of the TP's out in the wild.
I have the TP1300LS, and I'm generally happy with it. About the only thing I don't like is that the cutterhead depth lock isn't as secure as it could be.
-Steve
I too had seen all of the favorable reviews of the Ridgid planer so I bought one. And there my troubles started.
I had a series of 2 of the older model Ridgid planers. The reason I had 2 and now none is that I could not get the head to stay in position. The head would slip and the cut would change as a board was feeding through. The cuts were 1/16" to 1/32" or so and you could watch the depth adjustment handle rotate and move the head up as the cut was made. I talked to Ridgid service and their only advise was to ship it to a repair center for repair, no user adjustments. I ended up taking it back to Home Depot and was given an exchange for another new planer in a sealed box. After setting it up and running boards through it I had the same problem. I played with that for several days trying different depth of cuts and so on, it still slipped. With a 1/32" cut set it would back up enough that at the back end of an 8' board the cutters were not cutting at all.
This one also went back to HD and they were not thrilled that I wanted a refund and not still another planer. After a discussion with the store manager he agreed to take it back and give me a store credit, gift card, for the original price but not a refund. I ended up buying a Ridgid drill press with the gift card and have been happy with that tool. As for a planer I bought a York 15" planer with a Byrd Shellix cutterhead and I could not be happier. Cost a heck of a lot more but it is a real guiet and smooth machine.
Hopefully they have corrected this on the newer version of the planer.
The Ridgid, and other tabletop planers are extremely loud, earmuffs and I still couldn't think, and the York is quiet enough to talk whil making a 1/16" cut. Wow! The York is not available anymore, they are out of the machine sales business, but is identical to many other of the import planers.
Edited 11/14/2007 10:46 am ET by Wingdoctor
"...I could not get the head to stay in position."
I've been able to resolve that by (1) setting the depth of cut about 1/32" or 1/64" shy of where I really want it, (2) engaging the lock, and (3) rotating the handle to where I really want it, against the force of the lock. I'm undoubtedly weakening the lock mechanism over time by doing this, but so far it seems to hold the position. I also rarely take off more than 1/32" at a time, which helps.
I think there must be some backlash in the mechanism that allows the depth to "wander," and the above process seems to ensure that all of the backlash is taken up in the right direction. One of these days I may disassemble it and see if I can understand what's really going on.
-Steve
saschefer:
While there are some who are satisfied with their "benchtop" planers, I would not purchase one. The main reason is that they are all powered with universal motors. This is why these planers are so noisy. There are other disadvantages as well.
There are many good planers on the market powered with induction motors. They cost more, but this is a much better chioce."Heaven is North of the Bridge"
Some have said that they never use the slow speed on their two speed planer. Well, until Friday I hadn't either. I was getting a little tear out on a piece of ash with a changing grain direction. After I slowed down the speed on my DW735 the problem went away leaving a very smooth surface. Wow, am I glad I bought the DW735!!!
Greetings Everton,
There have been some recent threads RE: the Makita planer. If you scroll down to the bottom left of the screen to search and enter "makita planer" you will get some good stuff.
IMHO the Makita is a very nice machine for the $$.
Simon
I've also got the older Ridgid, and have been satisfied with it so far. Blade change is easy and for the money it's meets my needs just fine. The newer model sounds nice and I would weigh the cost difference against the new features. Tom
I am fairly new to woodworking, so I do not have much to compare and contrast my machinery with other models I have had (most everything is still my first machines), but I have the TP1300LS, and I think it is very good. My wife and I did some research and found that this model was very well rated. I also have a neighbor that has the same model, and he likes it as well.
One factor that seems to be overlooked in the replies above is what type of woods you might be using down the road. If you expect to be milling some figured wood, you might consider getting a 2-speed planer such as the DeWalt 735. The slower feed rate available will give you less problems with figured or otherwise difficult lumber.
I have the Dewalt 735 and do not hesitate to sing it's praise, The extra money invested in the upgrade is WELL worth it.
Dear Simon,
I am a contractor here in the States and have been in the house construction field for over twenty years. To me, it's all about the bottom line, if it doesn't perform, I have little patience for it. Beginning approximately twelve or thirteen years ago, I used to burn out one Delta planer a year. After a few years, a few more manufacturers came on line and I decided to try the Ridgid. It did an OK job, but it did tend to shatter very thin material. The first time I tried to change the blades, one of the bolts stripped. I (calmly) picked up the planer, returned it to HD and then after losing a half day's production, ordered a new Makita planer. That was about eight years ago and the d#@*n thing is still going. Now, I want to point out that this how I earn my living. That planer has been on jobsites and in my shop. It has been left alone for four or five months and then I might run it for seven hours a day for a few days, hot or cold, it just does its thing. I have run miles of Ipe, teak, maple, oak, Brazilian cherry, and walnut without a hiccup. Blade changes are simple and quick. I highly recommend it for accuracy, durability and just one fine tool.
Best,
John
Another vote for the Makita 2012NB. Leaves a nice finish, minimal snipe, by most accounts (including mine) dead nuts reliable, and quieter and more portable than most.
thanks to everyone for your input.
I stopped by HD again today to look at the Ridgid. It seems even jerkier than the Jet that I have at the moment when you raise and lower it. In the end, I've decided to stick with the Makita, now I just need to shop around for the best price !
Simon
Quote: It seems even jerkier than the Jet that I have at the moment when you raise and lower it.
If you want stable movement when you raise and lower the planer check out the DW 735. It's the best in that area. I really like mine. It does a super job.
All comments and suggestions gratefully received.
I sure hope so.. No fighter here!
I have a old planner but after I use it I finish off with my Bench top sander.. All the difference in the world.. Just a 'kiss' of sanding...
I have the 735 and love it. No snipe... no chatter...Drew
Funnily enough, when I perused the web site, I found that next month's FWW is to have a review of bench top planers and that it can already be read online. Here's the link for anyone interested :
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=29822
After reading the article and taking into account my own prejudices against Craftsman powertools, I've decided to change my mind once again and go with the DeWalt DW 735.
OK so my next question, does anyone have any good or bad experiences with DeWalt factory recons ? I've found a bunch for sale on EBay for $360 and $50 shipping, which equates to a saving of just shy of $180 on the price offered in my local Lowes when you take sales tax into account.
Do the eBay items come with a warranty?? Be sure and check online (Google search, for instance) for other factory recons that come from regular retailers rather than an auction. It'll give you a basis for what's a reasonable bid.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
does too, it has a 1 year factory warranty, I suppose I'd have to send it back to DeWalt.
I think this may be the route I take then ....
Thanks to all who chipped in.
Simon
There should be a new DW735 in my shop when I get home today. My brother got his this morning. Both ordered from a place advertising on eBay. New in the box with extension tables, extra set of knives and a Dewalt D26453K 5" variable speed random orbit sander. $554 on the doorstep. Seemed like a pretty good deal to me.
Those of you that own the Dewalt 735, do you have the fold down infeed/outfeed tables? Are they worth the extra $50?
Tony
Yes I do and I would not do with out them (they were a "free" gift with purchase when I got the planer. Still be careful. I knocked one out of alignment and did not catch it until I made a mess (snipe) of a board.
Also if you use the DC port the outfeed will not flip up unless you raise the cutter head all the way (it will not clear the DC port)
Doug
Tony,
No. You're probably going to mount it on a roll-around stand. If so, build your own. Simple, cheap, easy, and effective. I made mine 30" long for each end, laminated them with plastic laminate. Take them off and store them in the stand when not needed. Worry more about where to put all those chips. That fan really blows!
SteveThere are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Everton,
Don't know about De Walt factory recons, but I've bought a bunch of Bosch recon tools at http://www.cpotools.com and have been very satisfied. I'd say DeWalt operates the same way. By the way. good choice. I love my 735. Couldn't do without it.
SteveThere are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Sometime during the mid 90's I purchased a 12 in Delta for the school shop where I was teaching. We used it as a finish planer in conjunction with a 16 in.Powermatic. We ran the he-- out of it and it was still going when I retired in '99 so I bought one for myself and have used it a lot since. A lot of new models have come on the market since then and I keep hoping, to no avail, that the darn thing will quit so I can justify a Ridgid 13 inch. It's like the Energizer bunny. I just keeps on running. My advice would be to buy a model that has been on the market for a couple of years. By this time they should have any bugs worked out.
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