Replies

1. 
   hackmeister | Jun 19, 2013 09:10pm | #1

   I have the Grizzly 15" without the spiral head, just straight knives, and it works great.  I have run several thousand feet of wood through it without any problems.  It does need to be set up correctly, but you will need to do this with any planer, as the type/size of the wood, its roughness, your desired finish, etc, will affect how the machine needs to be adjusted.

   Even with the stock blades (kept well sharpened) the finish is good with little snipe (that will depend on adjustment though and if your wood is smooth enough to keep the bottom rollers low).

   The basic design of the Griz is pretty standard for planers that size, I think it originated with Delta in the '70s, maybe on an Invicta.  Different sellers (Delta, Grizzly, Jet, PM) may put different cranks and tables on, but the guts should be mostly the same.  Don't worry about a few inches of table length.  It won't matter.

   I would be surprised if the PM at twice the price works twice as good.  I would consider it though if I had a commercial shop that ran the planer all day.  In that instance, warrenty and local service would make the difference.

1. 
   river_fish | Jun 19, 2013 11:05pm | #2

   That is sound advice hackmeister. Thank you for your input. That puts me one step closer towards the Grizzly planer.

1. 
   hackmeister | Jun 19, 2013 11:25pm | #3

   Dust collection needs

   I should note that having a dust collector that can keep up with the planer is essential, otherwise the chips will get caught in the dust hood & feed rollers, and jamb up the cutter head.  It is a total pain to clean the compacted chips out, especially resinus pine ones.  That will be true of any planer in this class, though.  My 1 HP Jet could just barely keep up on a 12" wide white pine board.  It is a breeze with the 3 HP Oneida cyclone, though.

   It wouldn't be responsible to say that the top and dust hood can be removed to avoid this, but I will say it makes a big mess of chips if you do.

2. 
   joema | Jun 23, 2013 09:10pm | #4

   I belive they (15") are all the same

   I do not have a grizzly or powernatic I have a jet 15 planer. I have used parts from a reliant 15 planer and parts from a delta all fit. There are differences with seals and gaskets on the gear box but almost every thing else is the same. Just paint color and possibly a better finish on powermatics bed. Any way...I installed a byrd head on my jet and the upgrade is worth it! Especially on figured woods without regard to grain direction.

        Additionally. I was getting inprints from the serated infeed roller on lite cuts, no matter how I adjusted the pressure on the roller. So.....I installed the rubber outfeed rollers from a delta 15 planer into the jet 15 planer at both the infeed and the outfeed. What a difference! They grab and feed the lumber regardless of cutting depth and leave no imprints on the planed surface of the boards. I'm surprised they are not made as an option on all planers.  I belive the Delta part number is 1349339

   Joe

1. 
   hackmeister | Jun 25, 2013 06:35pm | #5

   Serrated rollers

   Hi,

   You have to take a good 1/32 or so off the last pass with serrated rollers or you do get imprints of the rollers.  Having a dial caliper or digital readout on the planer helps immensely.  I think the point of the serrated rollers is to grab rough wood better, not a problem though if you don't run into it.

3. 
   IdahoDon | Jun 26, 2013 12:41pm | #6

   If grizzly products had as good a long-term reputation for durability and reliability as the powermatic they would be selling for powermatic prices.  Period.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any grizzly products - I think there is more bang for the buck with their products for most people, but if I had a cabinet shop where tools are run into the ground and only the most durable would make long-term sense then the Powermatic isn't more expensive, but actually cheaper in the end.  

1. 
   hackmeister | Jun 29, 2013 02:55pm | #7

   Not exactly

   Unfortunately it isn't that simple.  Grizzly and Powermatic have very different business models which influence their pricing.

   Grizzly is mail/internet order, only 3 showrooms in the country, one year warrenty, and high volume.  Powermatic has local distributers, local reps, 5 year warrenty, and is lower volume.  When you buy Powermatic, you buy that local support, when you buy Grizzly, you get good support, but it is by phone and FedEx.  For some people and businesses, that local support is very important, for others it is not.  

   Both companies have a reputation for durabity and reliabity (Grizzly in their higher end products, not the entry level junk-but that is bad for all companies).   Are Powermatics better machines, generally yes, but the extra cost is not all for better product.

   If I had a high production shop and I needed, say, one shaper, I would get a Powermatic, because I could not afford to have it down for any length of time.  If I needed 3 shapers, I would get Grizzlys for all 3, because the cost savings would be significant, and I could get by having one machine down while parts were shipped in.

   It all depends on what value (cost, local support, whether the machine needs extra set up, etc) is most important to the buyer.