Replies

1. 
   RW | Mar 24, 2006 06:00am | #1

   stationary planers, you're going to start with the cheap versions that most folks can probably afford, the 12 and 13" models like Delta and Dewalt. I don't think any of them are over $400, some, maybe at a sale price, get under $300.

   Once you start looking at a 15, you're usually getting into the territory where it has weight that makes it very stationary (no lugging it to a job, if that's your thing), a stand, and a hefty cost. Now theres all kinds of places on line but if you're in any kind of city theres probably a tool trader within a drive. You can likely find an old, but good shape and very functional Delta / Rockwell for maybe $750. If you have to clean the thing up yourself, you still might break your $500 limit.

   What the cheaper ones dont have tends to be durability. They work fine out of the box, but if you really use one much, I haven't seen any make that lasts very long. Just examples, a Delta that went into literally full time use made it about 6 months. It got used every day. And my first Dewalt (shame on me) with only intermittent use only a couple of years before the lift mechanism was shot, the feed rollers didnt, etc. I guess what I'm arguing is if you're going to spend the money, don't throw away $400, spend the $750 and have it for twenty years.

   "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton

1. 
   10450 | Mar 25, 2006 07:39pm | #5

   RW,I have the DeWalt 734 (735?) 13" benchtop. From everything I've read, it's the best in its class. All my wood though is rough sawn and has come from logs and trees I've aquired and had milled. Are you saying that my DeWalt isn't going to last long running a bunch of rough-sawn hardwood through it? I'm already on the second side of my second set of blades in less than a year. I thought I had made a good choice for my home garage shop but it sounds like maybe it's just a matter of time until I'll need to upgrade. Which DeWalt did you have? Was it this same one and what other details do you have from your experience with it? Anyone else have any thoughts on this subject?Thanks for the wake-up.Kurt

1. 
   frenchy | Mar 25, 2006 07:49pm | #7

   10450.

        I bought two 12 1/2 inch delta's and they were worn out within about 6 months..

    but to  be fair I really ran a lot of wood thru them.  I'll bet they saw well over 5000 bd.ft. in those 6 months.  That plus I had a real hassle with them when they arrived without the parts like the handles.. I lost nearly a month while delta diddled.. In the end I went over the customers service persons head to her boss earning a stern lecture/ sermon in the process..  The disposable blades were too expensive to use as I did.

       Threats of taking the issue to Home Depot finally solved the impass..

     The 20 inch Grizzly I wound up with is sooo superior that  I bought lots of other equipment from them..

    

2. 
   jeff100 | Mar 24, 2006 07:23am | #2

   I recently bought a used JET 16" planer (2 speed/ 3 HP) from a tool reseller.  I checked it over pretty closely before I bought it for $650.00.  It looked like it had NOT had much use, the seller told me he thought it was a 'trade show' machine.  After using it some on some maple and oak, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.  I believe it will serve me well for a long time to come...It's a 220 volt machine, and so far I haven't heard any lugging of the motor what so ever.  It seems to have PLENTY of power...$650 seems to be about the going price for a machine of this size on the used market.  I got a new mobile base with it as well...

   I looked at all the bench top models and was going to buy in initially, didn't want to spend the money for a larger machine.  But my researched showed that the benchtop machines won't hold up to heavy/long term use, so I went with the larger machine.  I hate buying machines twice.  That's been my experience.

   Jeff

3. 
   frenchy | Mar 25, 2006 03:25pm | #3

   kozmo,

     Careful!!!!!!  This may lead to an addiction like mine!

         The joy of running a rough board thru the planner and have some wonderful figure appear like magic is totally addicting.. (woodaholics meets here once a month to discuss recent acquisitions and prices paid)  

          I started with a little Delta that I borrowed!
                 then I bought my own (what a headache, don't get me started on bitching about delta)   and finally broke down and bought a stationary 20inch Grizzly..  That puppy has planned over 30,000 bd .ft so far and the only maintenance was one $5.00 drive belt I got from my local auto parts store.  

     I've actually worn out a couple of sets of blades on it so far..

     I suggest you  look in your heart. are you the addictive type?  Used to paying high dollar for wood and once you own your own planner will wind up buying too much wood because it's soooo cheap? 

          I bought 3000 bd.ft of a nice fiddleback maple because it was only ten cents a bd. ft.   YEP! a dime!

           Sure it had turned black from storage outside but the first pass thru the planner cured that.   Now I use it for everything (including my bathroom walls)... Heck it's cheaper than sheetrock!

    

   
   

   ---

   Edited 3/25/2006 8:26 am ET by frenchy

1. 
   kozmo686 | Mar 25, 2006 06:09pm | #4

   Yes, I am the addictive type...to wood!

   My favorite lumberyard always seems to put out some small piece of exotic wood that I see and have to buy.  An expensive habit.  I might follow your advice and go for the Grizzly instead of a benchtop.  Thanks

1. 
   frenchy | Mar 25, 2006 07:42pm | #6

   kozmo686

     Well let me warn you,,

    <G>  don't visit lumberyards anymore.. 

     Mainline..<G>  go direct to the source..  By the time lumber gets to the lumberyard the price is soooo insane that I could never have built this place..

            Every person who handles wood adds their markup,  you're lucky if it's only 10%  someplaces add 25% or more. and there's a minimum of 7 hands before you get the wood!

    

     Here's examples.. I buy rough and green white oak from my local sawmill for 80cents a bd.ft.  That's mill run.  If I stand at the end of the sawmill I can pick out the boards that are quartersawn and FAS (furniture and select)   for that same 80 cents..

     They normally don't let people do that but when you are as severly addicted as I am they know they need to really mainline you or you'll go elsewhere..  I've so far bought well over 40,000 bd.ft, from them..

      The real bargins are on wood that was ordered but never picked up..  That's how I got my black walnut for 17 cents, my fiddleback maple for 10 cents, and my 5/4 black ash for only 15 cents..   They also give me thins.. for $20 dollars a pickup load. 

     Now thins are a real blessing..  you see mother nature never grows trees that are exactly the right size. There is usually a little extra piece that isn't 4/4 but it's too nice to discard into the slab wood pile.  Usually at least a full 5/8 inch thick.. Stocking and selling wood like that would be nearly impossible when they saw over 2 million bd.ft. per year.  so they toss them aside and the next time I visit they fill my pickup untill I say whoa.. usually the headlites are looking for squirrels while the rear bumber creates sparkes.. right around a thousand bd. ft. for $20.00

     Doesn't matter, black walnut, white hard maple, cherry , oak whatever they are sawing I get the thins.

       They dry quickly, usually 6 months or less, I only sticker hard maple becuase the rest seems to dry fast enough that it doesn't mold..  I run it thru the planner and over the shaper and I then have paneling for less than the price of sheetrock..  The only problem with this is the amount of shavings I generate!

    

    

       

1. 
   jeff100 | Mar 25, 2006 07:57pm | #8

   Great note there Squirrel Hunter...;-)

   Question for you though.  I have also fallin deep in love with my planer and have been buying wood like a maniac just so I can plane it.  I don't even have any specific project in mind ha ha.  Anyway, just what DO YOU DO with all those chips????  Also, how much wood do you have to buy for the sawmills to do business with you?

   Jeff

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Mar 26, 2006 04:36am | #9

   Our chickens & horses make good use of all the shavings/sawdust I generate in my small shop and also makes great garden mulch.  We live in a rural area so disposing of them is no problem.

   The fresh eggs aren't too tough to handle and I can take a ride on the horses when contemplating the next woodworking project!

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   Kidderville, NH

    

    

   Use whatever tool needed to Git 'r Done!

   Edited 3/25/2006 9:38 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres

2. 
   frenchy | Mar 26, 2006 08:41pm | #10

   Jeff,

    the chips!

    well depending on what wood you have they can be a blessing or a curse..

          Horses love most shavings..(so do dog kenals)  as do gardeners.  They can usually come and pick up . As for me, I simply toss it out with the trash..  My garabage man knows that one full can will be dedicated to sawdust,  any space lft in the other can will have sawdust as well.  I don't bag it or mess with it.

     dump in compress, dump more in compress, dump compress, well you should get my drift..

    throw out any black walnut.. bad for dogs and horses and gardens.

         It depends on the sawmill.

     I go to a mediaum size sawmill and they will sell me one board or a thousand.. but most of that is because I have this long term relationship with them..

     This sounds crazy but you need to court a sawmill.

       They don't want a hassle and selling a few boards isn't what they want to do..

    Get together with a few wood working buddies and (family friends etc. who ever uses wood)   and decide to buy a bunker of wood..

     Now a bunker is about 1000 bd.ft.

    I'm sure that you proably won't need a thousand bd.ft. of any one species of wood in your lifetime..

     but if you and three other friends buy it  you'll wind up with 250 bd.ft.  each

      your cost will be $200.00

     Now how to divide it up..

     You'll pay a real premium to have wood that's graded. Besides when they grade, the really spectacular wood is always sorted out.  Mill run is about 40% FAS, 20% #1 15% #2 and 5% fine figured or wood with real character and about 5% junk..

     If non graded wood is $800.00 than graded wood sells for about $1200.00 (the cost of grading it plus the premium charged for higher grades)

     Have the guy who buys and uses his pickup to get it get the first pick and the rest get to pick in the order they paid their money.

    Or,  alternate boards,   the luck of chance should equal everything out..

     Still have too much?

     use your white oak to trade for some cherry or black walnut etc..

       about 2bd.ft. of white oak will trade for 1 bd.ft. of cherry or black walnut.. (around here) 

    Some of the smaller sawmills will sell whatever they have to whoever wants wood..  They keep a list of potential cusomers and you need to be on that list..

    Woodmizer is a good source for the smaller sawmills..

     The really big volume sawmills won't do business with hobbists.

    Here in Minnesota there are over 1200 sawmills listed and probably just as many more who do it as a side line, farmers with an old sawmill created from a Ford Model A or chainsaw mills etc..

    Now the monthly meeting of woodaholics will be having it's meeting at..........<G>

    

    

    

     

    

3. 
   jeff100 | Mar 26, 2006 11:16pm | #11

   Many thanks for the reply.  I've been looking hard for small sawmills.  I live in W. Washington state, there's lots of mills, but most deal with softwood, or at least that's my assumption.  I've found one guy, two man operation with couple of woodmizers and I've gotten pretty decent prices out of him.  Awesome prices compared to any store prices around here, but not anything close to < $1 bf.  Maple is cheapest at $2 bf. from him.  I'll keep looking.  Thing is, and what I tell these mill operators if they give me a discount, is that I don't really save any money, I JUST BUY MORE WOOD.  I don't mind stockpiling it to use down the road to save money....

   Jeff