Hi All,
My Rigid Planer is about to die….I don’t have space for what I really want..a 3hp+ wide planer…have the DeWalt, the Delta 2-speed and the Jet…anyone that can chime in on choices here, please do.
I plane mostly white oak and maple…and use it a lot!!!
I’d like power, ease of blade changes and decent chip collection.
Any advice would be appreciated…
lp
Replies
Will you mind telling us what happened to your Ridgid planer? I have heard good comments about it.
Thanks
Hi,
I bought this almost 2 years ago as a reconditioned tool..for around $200 bucks..and have planed mostly White Oak and Maple...quite a bit of it, in fact. The feed roller quit working and was repaired under warranty...I had the warranty guy replace the knives at the time...worked really, really well.
Recently, the roller feed just isn't feeding..particularly long boards....this a.m. I was planing 10' long hard maple boards and had to push/pull them through...
I suspect that, with all the planing I've done, I've worn this fairly light-duty machine out.
What I really want is a 3-horse 15" jet...just because it's a beefier, more industrial-quality machine.
I would reccomend the rigid for light-duty use.
lp
Larry,
You do need something bigger. Have you considered the Yorkcraft that Wilke Machine sells. Popular Woodworking gave it their editor's choice award. In fact, I believe it's on sale right now, and they may even have a floor model for less.
Jeff
"Recently, the roller feed just isn't feeding..particularly long boards....this a.m. I was planing 10' long hard maple boards and had to push/pull them through..."
With my delta portable, this is a sure sign of it being time to replace the disposable blades.
I have the delta 2-speed-wonderful machine . I have used it with walnut, qsawn oak and cherry with no problems. Dust collection is great, however I have not changed blades as of yet.
Have fun-Rocky
<snip>
have the DeWalt, the Delta 2-speed and the Jet...
</snip>
If you have these, why are you interested in another? I included some links below to reviews...
Tom
http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Tools-Benchtop-Planers_12i-Rigid-Ridgid_13_Thickness_Planer/display_~reviews
Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Ridgid 13" Thickness Planer TP1300 at Epinions.com
http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/content/tools/2001/August/Planers/default.asp
Tools of the Trade Online: Tool Test: Framing Nailers
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/living/home/home_improvement/3916958.htm
Popular Mechanics | 08/13/2002 | Planer shootout
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/ezine/archive/2002/3.08/wspop3.html
Web Surfers' Review
http://www.wwforum.com/faqs_articles/TP1300_2.html
Ridgid TP1300 Planer
http://popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/furniture/2002/8/planer_shootout/
Comparison Test: 7 Portable Benchtop Thickness Planers
http://www.wwforum.com/faqs_articles/deltavsdewalt.html
Delta vs Dewalt 12-inch planers
http://www.wwforum.com/faqs_articles/dewaltplaner.html
Dewalt Portable Planer Review
My apologies for the confusion...I'm considering Delta, DeWalt, Makita, Hitachi, Jet, etc.
Want feedback from owners of portable planers...
Thansk for the URLs.
I'll post when I buy and use!
lp
Larry -
I have the DeWalt 13" machine. I'm *not* a professional woodworker and don't use it continually so it fills my needs pretty well. There is a significant problem with snipe at both infeed and outfeed ends which I deal with by using a sled with scrap material at both ends of the work piece for the feed rollers to bear on. This seems to be the most effective way of dealing with that problem.
Other than that, it's an OK machine for what little use I have for a planer.
On the construction project where I've been working they have the Delta 13" (15" ...?) two speed planer that all the finish guys rave about. It has the same problem of snipe at both ends, though.
The knives on my DeWalt are sharpenable - the Delta are two sided, I think, and disposable.
Thanks for initiating this topic. If I ever get to the point where I'm doing more flat work than I do I might consider buying a bigger machine so I'm following the responses closely.
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Dennis,
One of the long reviews of the DeWalt in the last link posted (in the post with the long list of links) described the DeWalt as free of snipe due to the design of the head locking device. Does your machine have a locking head?
R
I have a 12 1/2 " delta and have used the rigid and the dewalt .I think the rigid and dewalt are both a bit heavier duty but as for snipe as long as the planer is firmly mounted snipe is easily controlled with good stock support wether its yuor hands or a bed type fixture.I wont be upgrading until I can afford a 15" piece of cast iron.
I've had two of the Delta 12 1/2 inchers One I sold and the other is waiting to be sold.
I bought a Grizzly 20 inch planer and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with it without sounding like an ad for them...
Rich says -
One of the long reviews of the DeWalt in the last link posted (in the post with the long list of links) described the DeWalt as free of snipe due to the design of the head locking device.
...............................
Please don't tell such hilariously funny stories just as I'm taking a big swig on a hot cup of coffee, pal!!
...........
Does your machine have a locking head?
...........
Yeah, it sure does.
Now you're going to ask if that doesn't make a difference.
No it doesn't.
Understand that I firmly believe that bad-mouthing a product, machine or company more or less behind their back without giving them an opportunity to respond first to my complaints is bad form. I'm not doing any of that. I understand fully that the DeWalt planer is a consumer grade piece of equipment; consumer being the guy/gal that has little experience in such things as milling wood products (me at the time I bought it) and is shopping price (me at the time I bought it). I appreciate I got what I paid for. It puts a very good surface on a piece of wood. Perhaps a limited max. depth of cut but hey, I'm not interested in hogging of wood in 1/4" passes.
I've even run chechen through it without buring the material or bogging down the machine. Made a mess out of the knives in short order but that's to be expected with such hard material.
If anyone is planning on purchasing this machine (mine is three years old, by the way, if DeWalt has made design improvements in this piece then I'm certainly off base with my comments. I doubt that that's very likely, though) I would want them to be aware of its capabilities and drawbacks, at least to the extent that I've discovered.
Now having said that, I'll describe one thing that completely baffles me.
At the outset, I thought running a piece through the planer several times would effectively reduce or eliminate the snipe.
Wrong.
Each successive pass up to about three passes only makes it worse. That's at the same thickness/height setting.
I've been advised that holding UP on the work piece at the beginning of the cut, and I mean up as in up off the infeed table and doing likewise as the workpiece exits the machine would minimize the sniping.
That doesn't seem to help much either.
With the head locked.
It's just not a heavy duty machine is all, Rick. I understand that and live with it. The price was all I was willing to pay without knowing enough about this kind of machine to understand what I would be getting for more money. Longevity isn't the deciding factor since I don't put any of my machines into production stress type work mode. The DeWalt will last me my entire woodworking career if I don't decide to get a bigger "better" one. I just use a trick here and there to overcome its drawbacks.
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Dennis,
I was just curious. I don't have any experience with the Dewalt machine.
Reading the review of the Dewalt, it sounds like they may have addressed the snipe problem since the manufacture of your model.
Sorry about the coffee. Can I buy you a fresh cup?
R
......
Can I buy you a fresh cup?
......
Anything but Charbucks.
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Hi Dennis,
It's a curious world we live in. I too have a DeWalt Planer, and it's about three years old also. I am also an amateur, and a consumer grade planer meets my needs. Unlike yours, however, mine has no snipe with the head locked. I recently ran a 2X10X8 through it and got a tiny bit of snipe. I wasn't holding the end up, just supporting it on roller stands.
I just ran 120 small pieces of mahogany through it, planed to 1/4" thick. The only problem was that the rollers eventually got pretty dirty and things started to slip. A little alcohol and a rag and all's well again.
If I had it to do over again, I might look seriously at the two speed Delta.
Regards,
Bob
Hi Bob;
I'm thinking quite possibly I haven't spent enough (read "any") time trying to tune this machine. I got an email from another party explaining one approach to adjusting the in/outfeed tables with respect to the bed that, in his case, virtually eliminated the snipe problem. I'll be looking into this tomorrow to be sure.
The problem I have is that in milling some of the pieces for particular segmented glue-ups I've run them through the planer two or three times (at the same thickness) and surprisingly I'll get an ever-so-slight shaving each time. Which leads me to believe that there's something perhaps deflectin in either my sled/carriage setup or the feed rollers are compressing, the work piece is being contorted .... Dunno yet. But intend to find out. There have been too many people comment that they've been able to use this machine without snipe that I need to take a closer look at my set-up.
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Dennis,
After reading your 03/20 post, I recalled that I had spent exactly the same amount of time tuning my DeWalt planer as you, meaning zero. Since your conclusion that adjustment of the in/outfeed tables in relation to the bed might be the cure to your snipe problems, I decided to check my own. Since I don't have a snipe problem, it must be that my tables are flush and level with the bed, right? Not so.
The infeed table is 1/8" lower than the bed where it meets the bed, and is level with the bed at the side of the infeed table away from the bed. The outfeed table is 3/16 " lower than the bed where it meets the bed and a whisker higher than the bed on the side away from the bed. It shouldn't work, should it?
As to your getting shavings even after running the same piece through at the same setting, I recalled something interesting about my current project. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had run a lot of mahogany through recently. These pieces are 2" and 3" wide for the most part. I discovered that if I ran a piece through the left side of the planer, removing a fair amount of material in the process, and then ran the same piece through the right side at the same setting, I would remove some more material. If I run it through the left side a second time, no material is removed.
The knives are set correctly. Must be the bed isn't parallel with the knives or, as you mentioned, there is some compression of the rollers going on.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Regards,
Bob
> .....The infeed table is 1/8" lower than the bed where it meets the bed, and is level with the bed at the side of the infeed table away from the bed. The outfeed table is 3/16 " lower than the bed where it meets the bed and a whisker higher than the bed on the side away from the bed. It shouldn't work, should it?
............
Oddly enough this is how the user guide says the tables and bed are supposed to be adjusted. Like you, I though the fold down tables should be straight across, tried it that way, and the problem was worse. According to the directions, the extreme outside ends of the fold down table thingies are supposed to be level with the main table or bed, the part that's actually under the cutter.
The manual *does* say that over a period of use, this might change and describes how to adjust the tables back by simply adjusting the little jamb-nut screws under the hinge ends of the tables. I'm goin' out to the shop directly and crank up the cutter head to try a straightedge across the whole thing and see just where I am.
Interesting observation with respect to using one end of the cutter vs. the other and getting more material removal on a second pass. Wonder if there's any way to adust the cutter head for parallel with respect to the bed of the machine??
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Dennis,
I've always wondered about those infeed/outfeed table settings myself. Why shouldn't they be parallel to the bed rather than above or below it? It would be different if the rollers or head were mounted in the bed rather than above it. I'll try changing mine one of these days and see what it does.
Jeff
Check for sawdust under the floating bed (chrome plated flat metal piece).
You don't have to take it out.... just roll the cutter head up high and blow under it w/ your air hose. I don't really understand the floating design. But this can allow sawdust to build up under one side or the other creating a small difference (64th or less) from side to side.
This problem doesn't happen very often.
Rich -
Since you asked the initial question regarding the head lock and snipe on the DeWalt planer, I'll pass on what I saw at our WW show today.
The DeWalt people had a big spread at the show. The had the identical machine to mine with the exception theirs had the chip collection shroud. No, for $30 bux I'll sweep the floor.
Snipe? you bet. The young fellow doing the product demos wasn't the sharpest tack in the box, to say the least. None the less. I asked him to run something through the machine. He passed about a 2" thick piece of rough sawn oak through it taking off about 1/16". The piece was pretty badly cupped. His first pass he ran the piece with the concave side of the cup on the top. Snipe big time. No effort to guide the piece up on the infeed or outfeed as I have been advised by some local contemporaries. The second cut was concave side down taking off even less. Still discernable snipe - more than I would tolerate if attempting to join two such planed faces together.
Presumably this machine would have been tuned to the optimum for display and demonstration. Presumably we'd have someone who knew how to get the optimum results from it for a major product show like this.
Not to be.
Sleds are the answer for guaranteed snipe-free planing with this machine as far as I'm concerned. It has the power, the accuracy and everything else I need in a planer. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, function wise, to anyone looking for such a machine in that price range. But I would temper that by advising them to use a full lenght sub bed faced with plastic laminate or melamine and to use a carrying fixture with at least 4" of waste material ahead of and behind the actual work piece. Absolutely no snipe/perfect (for my use) results.
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Thanks
Rich, virtually all of the 12.5" - 13" planers these days have head locks I think. (Noticeable exception is the Grizzly.) They minimize snipe, but don't reliably eliminate it. My little Delta produces very liitle and sometimes no snipe.
Larry, blade changes on the Delta are snap. The 2-speed Delta is especially useful on figured woods, such as curly maple. I'm wondering, though, if the Makita might be a sturdier somewhat more powerful unit. There was a review not too long ago in one of the mags, which included the Makita. Maybe someone remembers it.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
larry,
I've just dropped off my delta 22-540 (12 1/2") at the factory service center. A week ago they sent me new pully, belt, cap, nut and key. For some reason the belt broke and caused the cap to melt. On Thrusday, a week after replacing the parts it happened again. It still under warrenty also..2 year warrenty.
So what if it didn't break down. What if the heat generated just ignited a few chips and they smoldered while I went to bed. I was planning some 6" wide ash..about 8 passes to each 360 rotation of the handle (ie. very light cuts).
A $336 machine should last more than 2 years...and be safe in its design. I don't know if the other machines are any better...
I'm gonna look for bigger and older....something that can prove it won't burn your house down...
go to amazon.com log on to tools, planer, etc, etc,.... you can buy a dewalt for $349 and get a $50 rebate which would bring it under $300. this is with no shipping cost and no tax. read the reviews on dewalt and other machines while you are there.
I bought a 12" Delta about 4 years ago and have run a fair amount of red oak. pine, ash, and cypress through it. I'm a hobbyist and it has served me well however it doesn't do overlooked nails too well so I have quit running used boards through without checking them out real good. The best thing I did for my snipe problem was I made an 8' X 2' X 6" box out of 3/4" plywood and 2" X 6" fir. I cut a hole in the middle built a platform to raise my planner bed level with my box top. This gives over 3 feet of support on each end and pretty well eleminated my snipe problem. I set the whole thing on a couple of sawhorses. I got an extra set of blades with it and have resharpened them a few times with my diamond hones. Delta still makes this same machine I see it in the catalogs for less than $300.00. I've considered buying carbon blades for it but they will cost about $200.00. Got to think about that a little If I had paid $1500 for the machine I wouldn't have a problem paying the price but the ratio to cost of whole machine just don't seem right.
Whatever you buy someone will tell you shouda orta did so and so. Good luck have fun.
Count Your Blessings and Your Fingers often
les
thanks for the links, bc - question for you or anyone else - the reviews talk about - 'only four fixed positions between 1/4 and 3/4' - and similar for different machines - does this mean that the thickness is not infinately adjustable within this range? -
thanks, DOUD
No, it only means that the stops are set at four predetermined thicknesses. The cutterhead moves up and down on some kind of rack and pinion device, and it can be set at any thickness. The stops are like the stops on a plunge router where a fixed pin on the cutterhead moves with the cutterhead and prevents the cutterhead from moving down farther than one of the stops (if the stop is engaged).
I'm doing a bad job of explaining, just go to HD or something and look at those. Some planers let you fully adjust the depth stop within any range. Others have set stops that you can just calibrate. I think the stops on the DW are fixed, and the pin on the cutterhead is adjustable by about 1/8" (?)
Tom
Larry -
My old Parks 12" has been hoggin everything I've thrown at it for the last 30 years. And, I've thrown some pretty mean stuff at it. It only has a 1.5 hp motor. But, that 1.5 hp is probably equivalent to today's 3 hp in terms of torque. Da thang weighs a ton!
I have a low opinion of direct drive planers. I have been brain washed, I guess, into believing that they are not made to last 40 or 50 years like the belt drive, cast iron, ones.
The thing I really like about my Parks is that all bearings (motor included) have grease zerts, and the bearings can be changed fairly easily. And, the original bearings, as well as being good ol' USA made, can be washed and cleaned and are standard available sizes. I have cleaned the main bearings once, but have never replaced any.
FWIW
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
PlaneWood
Dear Planewood,
Just reading your post about your Parks 12" planer. I've got a 1965 era Powermatic 12" which is very similar to your machine. What kind of grease do you use for the grease zerts? When I asked about the type specified in the manual the guy behind the counter looked at me coss-eyed. I bought a grease gun and some grease of unknown type. I think I got the right nipple but I'm not sure the grease is getting to where it should be.
Chiptam -
Lithium grease? Don't really know! It's black!
You may have a grease zert that's plugged up. Take all them out and go to the nearest auto parts store and see if they have that same size. If that doesn't help the grease flow in, then the grease inside probably has caked. About the only thing to do in that case is to pull out the bearing, and clean out the cavity. Soak the bearings in solvent till they are clean (I use acetone). Dry well, replace, and re-grease.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_KatyPlaneWood
"Black" grease derives its color from graphite. Good for the front ends of cars; bad for machine bearings. (Graphite builds up on bearing surfaces causing friction and heat.) Stick with the white stuff.
Jeff
I'm curious about something. My old planer has a splined steel infeed roller and a smooth steel outfeed roller. Are there any on the market now days that are like that? Seems like all I've seen are rubber rollers lately.
I've never ever done anything to my rollers other than grease the bearings. Seems to me like rubber rollers would tear up pretty quick. (quick for me is measured in 10's of years +)
I've seen some pretty mean stuff cut on circular saw mills. Ridges in the boards that could double as stair steps. Wouldn't that kind of rough hardwood eat through rubber rollers pretty quick?
I just ran some IPE boards through my planer. I think 5 IPE boards = 1 new set of knives! That stuff is like trying to plane concrete blocks!
PlaneWood by Mike_in_KatyPlaneWood
PlaneWood and Jeff K,
Thanks for the feedback on my question. Hope I don't have to replace those grease zerts. I've never planed IPE but a bunch of Wenge did that to my knives recently. At the same time, the corrugated infeed roller seemed to get out of ajustement (shifted too high so that the roller was not grabing the wood). I re-set everything (a real pain, as you all know) but lately I've found that the infeed roller seems to be getting out of adjustment again even when planing softer stuff. Will have to figure out what's going on.
I've had a makita for about 12 years and I've run a lot of lumber through it, mostly red oak, cherry, ash, and maple. All the maintenance required so far is making sure the blades are sharp. Blade changes are straightforward and easy. Art
I agree with Bob Powers on the issue of the infeed and outfeed rollers. I've found that after 50 or 60 feet of material run through the planer, if I clean the rollers (and knives) with a little mineral spirits, the rollers perform much better. Most wood will leave some sap on the rollers during the planing process. It cost nothing to try this before you invest in a new piece of equipment. Good Luck.
Len (Len's Custom Woodworking)
Larry, i have been having this same problem with my Makita for the last couple decades. I fix it by waxing the beds (hard paste wax). I've planed tens of thousands of board feet with it, but i did the push-pull routine until a smarter person showed this to me.
Before anyone says it will inhibit a finish on the wood...it just ain't so.
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