Went to town yesterday to buy a Delta TP305 12.5″ planer for $219.00- I know it’s the least expensive of their planers, and I wasn’t expecting bells & whistles- But- I got the expert out from behind the customer service/tool repair counter and talked to him about that planer- He said he gets them in for repairs regularly, had four of them sitting on the bench at the moment- I asked if I’d be using the 24 month warranty more than once?, and he said he thought so-
Anyone had experience with this planer? Any thing in your or friends’ experience to suggest this planer holds up/performs this poorly? I’d be most grateful for any feedback- Thank you-
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got the expert out from behind the customer service/tool repair counter and talked to him about that planer- He said he gets them in for repairs regularly, had four of them sitting on the bench at the moment-
That could just mean that there are alot of them in the field (and thus, a greater number that need to be serviced).
Could be- Could mean anything- That's why I was asking for personal or second person experience- Have any? Thanks-
I had a 12" Delta, not the 12 1/2".
I ran a lot of stuff through that planer, but still, the bearings went south quicker than I thought they should. Service guy said that for the cost to replace them, I might as well buy another planer, which I did.
BTW, I bought the Delta 13", and while it is a fine machine, I don't use the bells and whistles, and it weighs a ton -- which is a real PIA for me the times I have had to drag it to a job site.
Moreover, it doesn't cut any better than the old 12", and of course it is much more expensive.
Whenever somebody brings the issue of what planer to buy around here, I always counsel that they bypass the other Delta machines and pick up the 12". Even though the bearings wore out on me, I still figure I got my monies' worth.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Bearings go out all the time- Got a few in my knees and lower back getting pretty squeaky- But as long as you feel you got your money's worth, you feel like I want to feel-
The repair guy led me, whether by accident or design, to think I was going to have a lot of problems with the model 305 12.5"- I haven't been able to find a review or other source of info re how it holds up/performs-
Thanks for your thoughts- I'm much obliged-
I wish I could replace the "bearings" in one of my knees too..................<G>Generally, I pay a lot of heed to what I hear from the service guys. Reviews are just the viewpoint of a single individual, and they rarely speak to the reliability or longevity of a machine. But the service people see these machines everyday, and I think they're in a better position to give you the real scoop.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Well, there you have it- But the guy's telling me the $219 job is junk, and that his advice would be to buy the $547 model Dewalt- Fact is, I can't even guess at how much wood I'd feed through a planer- I build the occasional somethingorother for family & friends- I need $550 worth of planer about as bad as I need new track shoes- Maybe I should just buy the cheapie and hope it was adequately constructed for what would be, essentially, hobby use? Would that be a reasonable hope, in your experience?
Is this a regular repair guy in a regular service center?Sounds like he is trying to sell you more machine than you need.Have you checked out the reviews for the various Delta planers on Amazon?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Yeah, he's the guy in charge of the repair shop, which is part & parcel of Coeur d'Alene Power Tool- And yes, he may well be trying to sell me too much machine- On the other hand he may be telling me the truth as he knows it- Which is why I've been trying to find someone like yourself with experience with lower end, 12 & 12.5" planers-
And yes, I've looked at the reviews on Amazon- For this particular model, the major complaint seemed to be with snipe, a reality I'm neither surprised nor discouraged by (don't cut it to fit before planing?)- But once again, these reviews relate to how people feel about their new planers, not their year old planers- The first couple weeks may be a little early for buyer's remorse based on durability-
What do your think yourself? Do you think a Delta (any one of them) is gunna have trouble performing for now & then guy like me?
I guess if I were looking for a planer for "sometime" or job site use I wouldn't hesitate to buy this one. I really can't think of any that would be provably better in this price range. From what I have experienced myself, and what I read around Knots, one of the problems these days is the hit or miss nature of the machines coming off the production line. This one will be ok, and the next one will fall apart.Snipe is a problem with this machine; you can minimize (but not totally eliminate) it by supporting the board with your hand as you feed it in, and then support it on the outfeed side by supporting it with your hand, and giving the board just a very slight amount of upward pressure.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Yup, the hit or miss deal is hard to dodge- Ya pays yer bucks & takes yer chances- Reckon I'll just go buy it- Thanks for the conversation & the insight- Maybe I can be of help some time- Yogi
Yogi,
I'm a hoobyist and I have a 12" Delta cheapo. I've had mine for about 15 years. I've used it to run white oak and recycled lumber. The only real complaint I have is that the blades are a pain in the a** to change and adjust.
Jack
Jack- Thanks for the thought- I imagine there're a lot of 'em out there doing just fine-This repair guy kind of threw me off for a minute- Thanks again-
I agree with the blade changing with the supplied jig, But since I've gotten the planer buddies the job is a snap. (those little horse shoe shaped guys with magnets in them)Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I've had a Delta 12-1/2" planer for a few years and like it fine. It isn't used too often, but does a good job when it's used. I solved the snipe problem by "helping" the board with a slight lift during the last few inches of the cut.
Dave: It appears your experience is the more common one- Thanks for sharing it with me-
I wonder if anyone out there knows whether there are any significant differences between that planer and the old 12.5" (before "Shopmaster" was introduced). I have the older model, zillions of people have the older model. It does it job as well as I could ever ask. It wouldn't stand up to production work, probably, but it doesn't sound like you need it to....? As someone above said, the fact that there are several in for repair could be for a variety of reasons, including the number of planers out there and how abusive some people can be ("Geeeeee, wonder if it'll take 1/4" off this 12" wide board 3 times in a row, quickly?")
If I were in your shoes, I'd get it, treat it kindly, and be happy. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have to Old 12" Delta and can't kill it, The knives are large enough to resharpen, which I do. The 12 1/2" planer has the whimpy indexed disposable blades which you may hone a few times but thats about all. My dream is to get a 15" Jet for roughing and hogging and a DW 735 for finish workWork Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
These things are all light duty by definition. Trying to find the best of the bunch in $275 planers is like trying to identify which haemorrhoid hurts the least.
What's your personal experience with them? Thanks-
Actually I had a Delta lunchbox planer about six years ago. It ran for about two years and died. I thought I got more than my money's worth out of it.
Buying one of these things is like buying new underwear. You just do it. Nothing to get terribly excited about. You'll get about as much wear from Hanes as you will Fruit of the Loom.
If you were looking at a 20" planer now there's a decision that should give you pause as it is likely to last the rest of your working life and service and parts way down the road (hint: they're worth fixing!) become part of the equation.
>>> "Actually I had a Delta lunchbox planer about six years ago. It ran for about two years and died. I thought I got more than my money's worth out of it." <<<
Were you using it a lot? Every day, once a week, few pieces now and again.....?
>>> "Buying one of these things is like buying new underwear. You just do it. Nothing to get terribly excited about." <<<
I'm not excited, but I'd like to avoid making the kind of mistake that comes of failing to look before I leap- YOU "just do it"- I'll do my homework, as best I can-
Thanks-
I think the point being made is that you can't really make a mistake. They are all about the same quality and durability (that's true). They are made for light duty use, meaning a guy building furniture for his own home ought to get his $300 dollars worth easily.
You could plane the wood necessary to fill up your home with furniture before it dies. That should be on the order of tens of thousands of dollars worth of furniture (if you are even reasonably ambitious) and the unit costs a few hundred.
Relax, buy a planer, and get busy woodworking.
There is no homework to be done. Any recognizable brand of lunchbox planer is going to be about like the rest. They are all made in Taiwan, most of them in the same factory. FW did an article on this some time ago and it was interesting to see the different brands rolling simultaneously down the assembly lines.
If you agonize over disposable tool purchases you are losing sight of the forest for the trees.
You're going to get a few hard years' worth of usage out of one and then the bearings will go or perhaps the motor. Accept this and move on. As somebody else pointed out, you should be able to build many, many projects and the $300 will seem utterly insignificant, which it truly is.
Edited 11/28/2006 11:05 am ET by VeriestTyro
Awright awready yet! I'm outa here to buy a lunchbox planer- And thanks to all for the advice and experience!
It would thrill me to death to be able to report to you that there was one brand in this price range that stood head and shoulders above the rest. There isn't.
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