I’m interested in buying a Planer. On some forum there was a talk about the new Sears 13″ planer with dust collection. The person said that he had seen an article and review on planers and the new Sears 13″ planer had gotten great reviews because of how good it worked and the built in dust collection.
Can anyone give me the ins and out on this item?
Lou
Replies
Some of the ins and outs involve service down the road from Sears. Personally, I stay away from all of their motor-driven tools, and stick with their best hand tools such as wrenches.
The reasons? If I need help with a planer, or saw, or whatever, either the day after I buy it or 5 years down the road, and I call Sears, I am not (not) going to get a techie who knows how to use the tool, and can help me troubleshoot the problem. And, if it's more than a few years after purchase, getting parts might be either difficult or very expensive.
Who was it, BG? Someone here had a nasty belt-eating problem with a Delta planer, long after the warrantee was up. She got excellent technical help from Delta if I recall correctly. After acquiring my used and ancient Jet contractor's saw several years ago, the Jet service people spent a great deal of time on the phone with me helping me get it re-invigorated with the many small parts it needed and a brand new motor for way below their price -- they referred me to a nearby retailer who special ordered it for me and charged hardly any mark-up.
You'll not get this kind of service from Sears, IMO.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Lou,
Don't have it right here so I don't know the issue number, but I know FWW reviewed it in the issue immediately following the Shop Issue. If I remember correctly, the review wasn't "great", but it was a good machine and the dust collection worked very well.
I'd have to agree with Forest Girl re. Sears machinery. Little to no support and down the road parts can be difficult to obtain.
I would go with Delta, DeWalt, or Ridge. They're all proven machines.
(I've never found dust collection to be a problem with mine, and I use my shop vac since emptying the bags on the DC is a royal pain and the shop vac empties very easily.)
Jeff
"Ridge" = Rigid = Home Depot :-) Yes, a good machine. 2-speed Delta can be had for a bit more.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
My first table saw was a Rockwell Delta. I needed to replace a worm gear and it wasn't available. Had to make one from Grainger fit it. My fathers tablesaw is a 54' King Seely Craftsman. I took him to their web site, brought up the schematic of the saw and he ordered the parts. Parts are a hit and miss with all these companys. I've also heard some unflattering stories about Rigid and they haven't even been around long. For Sears, tt seems to be a store to store thing, but I use Sears alot because if anything happens to anything, I can take it back and it will be replaced then and there. I've never sent anything in and waited for it to get fixed. I've had some new DeWalt cordless drills in the past that spent more time in the shop then they did on the job. Its never happened with a Craftsman for me, but I got to believe the horror stories I hear that others have gone through. (my dewalt experience was over 5 years ago)
That said, I don't remember the review being great either. Seemed like the writer was just surprised that Craftsman had in his opinion a competitive product. I've also seen that dust collection system. When I get to planning, I'd just take it off. It would be easier to sweep up when I was done, then it would be to constantly be changing that bag. It is small, and planers create a lot of chips. Honestly, the only portable that I've seen that consistantly gets high marks is the Makita. I've never even seen one out of a store. They are expensive.
It's an odd thing about reviewers. I've never read a review of the 2 speed Delta where the reviewer had much good to say about the speed option, yet I have never heard an owner say it wasn't a blessing. Go figure. Makes me wonder what reviews are really about.
Don
There was a time when Craftsman (Sears) electrical tools were good. I have several that work great. I stopped buying them in 1976 when their best 7 1/4" circular saw broke. I took it to their repair store, which shipped it to their Texas electrical tool repair location. I did not get my saw back. I got one that was dull, scratched, and it was apparent it had been abused. I told the store manager that I would not accept it. He apologized and he said he would try to get one as nice as I had originaly given him. I received a cleaner, somewhat nicer saw back, though it stopped working with the first use. I took it back, received a nice "sorry," and that he would send it back. He said I would need to pay the $39.95 regardless, again, for it to be repaired, even though it didn't make it through one cut. That's when I stopped buying their electrical tools. They do make some good hand tools, that have the Craftsman Lifetime Warranty which is nice. None of their electrical tools now have that warranty to my knowledge.
I have an old Ryobi 12 1/2" planer which has rarely produced any snipe, unless I force the feed rate. Getting the rollers level with the machine bed table was the key to eliminating snipe from this machine. For current planners, I would search the WW magazines for current reviews, and find one that excites you. I have nothing against Sears or Craftsman, though I do not buy their electrical tools. Fellow woodworkers that I've met locally hold similar opinions. Best of luck! I would be excited to hear what you decide upon to obtain.
I appreciate all of your comments. I will start looking over all of the other brands.
Again thanks...Lou
Take a look at the Makita. Love it.
Alan -- Planesaw
Lou,
I bought the Dewalt DW733(?) 12 1/2" at the January woodworking show in Baltimore. It was a toss up between this one and the Delta. I love it, nice tool, beats my old Foley/Belsaw to shame. Dust hood works great except I need to convert my DC to 2 stage Soon! :o) I saw the Rigid at HD the other day, nice but I think you can beat that price, I did.
Warning: I did have to take vacation on a couple of Friday's. I spend $280+ on myself right after Christmas the wife better see some projects Quick!. Whew, the heats off.
Enjoy, Roy
See the second issue of the Fine Woodworking "Tools and Shops" http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/fw_toc_160.asp
which had a review of Planers and Joiners. Very good artcle and review.
Didn't that article strike you as a bit strange? Makita had the most snipe of any model tested and was quite expensive, but the reviewer still made it his first choice based on the light weight of the machine.
Jeff
Edited 3/10/2003 3:51:41 PM ET by Jeff K
Lou,
I just have to add to what Forest Girl and others are saying about Sears: the motor bracket of my table saw broke the other day, so I called them to get a replacement. The lady at the other end wanted to sell me almost the entire motor saying that it probably has had as much tear as the broken part. She wouldn't budge from her opinion even after I told her the cast iron broken part was hit by a truck and had cracked, the rest of the parts were fine. Grudgingly she took the order of only the part I needed. She was not a tech. I did get the part fairly quickly though.
Marcello
Marcello,
For future reference should you need parts again, you can order them on line from a schematic of the machine. I don't doubt your experience at all with the person on the other end of the phone. These people are not techs. Had to order some John Deere snow blower parts and a throttle ####'mbly from Briggs and Straton, and neither co. had techs taking the order. Even if I had ordered the parts from the local dealer, I would have dealt with the people at the counter who would have had me locate the parts I needed from the parts manual. They don't know snow blowers from tractors.---That's an exaggeration!
You know, now that I think of it, the one time I called Delta about my bandsaw, the person on the phone turned me over to a tech because she just took orders over the phone, and couldn't tell me what size some of the set screws were.
BTW--wanted to add that calling Delta was great. Only company I have called in one heck of a long time the didn't have one of those "push the buttons for" menus. Call the service number, and you go right through to service.
Don
Edited 3/10/2003 5:25:40 PM ET by Don C.
FWIW I used to work in the same building as most of the phone techs in question. This was at least 4 or 5 years ago. At that time they were mostly minimum wage jobs with folks straight outa highschool filling them. They look at parts lists and exploded diagrams and that's really all the knowledge most of them have of the parts in question. They're the same diagrams, BTW, that come with the owners manual.
Don,
It wasn't a bad experience at all, it was almost comical. They did get the part that I need. Although I will use the online service next time, thanks. The point was that they are not techs. I am not sure if Sears has a technical department, :-0 !!!
Marcello
I would guess probably not. I know all of their appliance repairs are outsourced, so I assume the same with everything else.
Don
You know, it's funny about Sears.
I have a 30 + year old saw that I can't kill.
Everytime I call Sears for a part, they have it. Don't ask me how
or why I've been so lucky.
Looking at the new Power tools, I really would think twice.
Jeff
I just want to add my comments about how terrible Sears is (compared to how great they once were) If you walk into a Sears store you will see a sign by the door that says satisfaction guaranteed.
what they don't explian is who's satisfaction.. Sears will be satisfied when they take your money ... other than that, all bets are off..
I can sit here and give you a litney of horror stories, but they are all the same,,.... less than satifactory service after the sale..
Sears lost the vision decades ago about how to be successful. they diversified into credit cards and insurance seeking quick bucks and found out that the johnny come lately always suxs hind ####.. thus they let others capture their market and now the only thing holding them afloat is momentum.. They are just a Montgomery Wards waiting to happen..
as for portable planners..
what is really important is how well will it make a board smooth.. the rest is just not terribly relavent.
Dust collection for example.
Planners make piles of shavings and some dust.. think of a hand plane, it makes shavings. well a powered planner does the same thing only faster (and easier) so most of what you need to deal with is shavings. With sharp blades dust is at a minimum..
Snipe..
If you start with rough sawn boards, they are always a little long. thus if you get a little snipe you simply cut it off.. (you'd cut it off anyway because very seldom are the ends of rough sawn boards totally free from checks or splits, and they are never cut square)
Service and parts.
Portable planners are very close to disposable.. While some manufactures are better than others about stocking parts most hobbiests won't use their planner enough to wear it out. and if it does become badly worn it's debateable that it is wise to repair it rather than replace it.. The price of most repair parts is many times it's cost of manufacture.. In addition add the cost a a skilled technition and suddenly you can spend very close to the cost of a new machine to rebuild an old machine without any of the advantages technology provides for free on the new machine..
Obviously a simple belt replacement or something would be the exception to above but a worn out portable is not really worth a lot..
Frenchy,
You're right, planers produce significant amounts of shavings and very little dust. Still, dust collection is necessary to clear this debris away. If it remains on the board as it passes through the outfeed rollers, these chips are pressed into the surface of the board marring its surface. (I've always failed to understand how, but the same effect is also caused by chips trapped under the cutting head.) In the case of soft woods, these "dimples" are very noticeable and result in the need to sand and sand and sand and.....
Jeff
I tried to use a dust collector to clear away the shavings. too much volume! far simpler to just sweep it clear and at the end of the day shovel it out. Perhaps if I had a 30 hp collector and a giant bin to collect it all in I would have felt differant. The average dust collection system is overwhelmed by the planner.
I got the Delta 2-speed through Amazon - it's expensive no matter where you buy it. I saw the DeWalt at the WW show being sold by a local WoodCraft for under $300 (that was net of a $50 rebate) - that seems like a great deal, and would probably be better than the Delta 12.5". So if you have a WW show coming near you, do your homework and then if you're interested check out the DeWalt.
If I remember correctly, the original rebate period for the Dewalt DW733 expires 3/15/03, postmarked by 4/15/03, at least thats what my early January slip said. Who knows, if they keep selling and the stock is good they may extend the rebate period. I don't remember the name of the dealer (at the ww show) I bought from, some Baltimore or Philly store. I sent the rebate to Dewalt but the check was issued by Black and Decker, go figure,
Enjoy, Roy
Roy,
DeWalt has been owned by Black and Decker for some time now. (At first I was a bit shocked and hesitant to buy their products, but as long as it's a good machine I really don't care if it's made by Burger King. Hold the pickle please.) I too have the DW733 and love it.
Jeff
Jeff,
I didn't know that, thanks for the intell. The planer is my first DeWalt tool. I've always liked B&D, I have the 14V Firestorm cordless drill (need to get a second battery pack), a 18 yr old 8" contractor skill saw and stationary base flex drive hobby dremil.
An old college friend has worked for B&D for over 20 years. First in Hamstead MD then the Eastern shore of MD. He's gone from machinist to master tool and die designer/maker. But, soon to be layed off because the plant is closing. Bummer. I suggest we all keep an eye on the future quality of the shopped out overseas worker.
Enjoy, Roy
Perhaps if I had a 30 hp collector and a giant bin to collect it all in I would have felt different.
Sorry Frenchy. I know you mean well, but my cardiologist has warned me against such things - too much excitement. Then again, 30 hp.... hhhmmm....
Jeff
Heck, maybe I could hook up a chevy V8 and really get with the collection.
Nah! My heart wouldn't stand the excitement either ;-)
V8, as in a 454 with a 4 barrel? Sweet. I really like the way you think Frenchie.
I'm sure Frenchy would only drive a '69' Chevy!
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