Any thougths on the 13″ Ridgid planer available at the “orange box”? I am looking to purchase a planer soon and this one seemed to get good remarks from Lon S. in the Tools and Shops issue. However, it seems as though practically all the planers mentioned got good remarks!
Thanks!
Rookie
Replies
I have a friend who has one and really likes it. He planes mostly quartersawn oak and it has performed quite well. Keep in mind though: The new Delta 13" 2-speed planer is just a little bit more $$, and if you see any figured wood in your future, that would be a better choice. [I think there's a reason the 2-speed isn't found at HD [grin].
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 5/17/2003 11:58:07 AM ET by forestgirl
Making things difficult now aren't you! :-)
How would two speeds help me with figured wood? And what would I be giving up by going with a single speed machine?
Thanks!
Hi, sorry, I was on the road until late last night! The 2-speed planer has a regular feed-speed, and a slower "finishing" feed speed. The slower one results in more cuts per inch, and when used I believe with a shallow cut, will finish highly figured wood such as curly maple with considerably less tear out. I've seen a few first-hand reports that were quite glowing.
I would check, as mentioned, on whether there's a zero-out feature. I seem to remember that Delta added some features to this one that aren't on the 12.5" planer, but couldn't swear to it.
You probably wouldn't be giving up all that much with a single speed though -- as you said, gotta make things diff......interesting!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Just a heads up but I read on another site (maybe this one cant remember) that rigid is getting out of the woodworking tool business. So you might want to check it out before you buy.
Darkworks: Its all 'bout da squilla
Gays and Gals,
Thanks for the responses (sorry for the delay in responding myself). As usual, I knew I could count on the pros here for some great input and insight.
RonT - I went to the Ridgid site and, just like you suspected, there is a thread over there stating the Ryobi may be purchasing Ridgid's woodworking division. Some interesting comments there on this.
JMartinsky - Read your review at Amazon.com. Thanks! Seems as though Amazon is no longer carrying the Makita.
forestgirl - I don't know much, but I knew I could count on you putting in your $0.02 worth. Thanks! I appreciate it greatly.
JohnW, GARY, Mike and Larry - I thank each of you for your input as well.
All - I wonder about the the return policy of the "orange box". It seems that they give the local management quite a bit of empowerment in making decisions on returns. Or at least it seems that way to me based on what I have read on the forum previously. It seems that some people have no problems what so ever, while others have to go through hell!. I just have to decide which group the people here fall into.
Thanks again to all for the help!
RR
I checked Amazon and they do carry the Makita 12" planer. It has a new model# 2012NB. It appears unchanged and the reveiws have carried over, so any changes are probably minor. You had a question about returns. I have had occasion to return items to Amazon, and the process couldn't be easier. Print out the "return item" slip from Amazon's website, tape it to the box that your item was shipped in, and for an additional charge (I think it was $5) UPS picked it up at my house. They promptly credited my card, no questions asked. Good Luck!
John
Thanks for encouraging me to look further. I tried several times to find it doing a search, to no avail. Finally, however, I found it and all the reviews (still don't know quite how I did it!).
I appreciate the help!
RR
I would be asking some one at rigid or Home depot or Ryobi about the return polcy and warrenty after you buy the tool and rigid gets bought by ryobi cuz things have a way of changing
Darkworks: Its all 'bout da squilla
RonT,
Excellent idea! Nothing better than to hear it straight from the horses a--... I mean mouth! :-)
Really, it is a good excuse to go to the box and look at tools!
Thanks!
RR
RR -- hmmmmm, I hadn't heard about some having problems returning stuff to HD. Easy as falling off a log over here, as long as the package is complete. Kinda surprising, really. Lowe's used to be like that, but tightened up not long after moving in, but at HD they don't even ask why!
Whichever planer you get, I'm sure you'll be happy. It's still like magic to me -- garbage in, beauty out!!!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl,
I have never had a problem returning anything to HD either. However, the majority of it has been little, small $ stuff and I have always had my reciept.
I think RonT brought up a valid point, however, in that if Ridgid sells out to Ryobi, who takes care of the warranty work? And, if Ridgid does go to Ryobi, how does that affect the way that HD pushes Ridgid tools?
All in all though, this is nothing that a quick trip to HD won't solve (as if there is such a thing as a quick trip to HD!).
Thanks!
RR
This is off of Ridgid's site & is what the company is saying not just a post on the forum.
Read down to the big blue letters to see what is said about bench top & stationary wood working tools.
Emerson Reports Increased Second-Quarter 2003 Sales; Earnings of $236 Million with Growth in Four of Five Segments
EPS Excluding Gains from Divestitures Up 12 Percent
Reported EPS Down 14 Percent Due to Impact of Divestitures
Restructuring Drives Margin Improvement
Cash Flow on Track with Targets
ST. LOUIS, May 6, 2003 – Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced that second-quarter fiscal 2003 earnings were $236 million, or $0.56 per share, compared with $275 million, or $0.65 per share in the second quarter of 2002. Reported pre-tax, net earnings, and earnings per share were down 14 percent due to the difference in divestiture gains between the two periods. Excluding the impact of gains from divestitures, earnings per share for the second quarter of 2003 increased 12 percent. The company reported no gains from divestitures during the second quarter of 2003 versus gains of $93 million, or $0.15 per share, in the second quarter of 2002.
Second quarter sales increased to $3.5 billion from $3.4 billion a year ago. Underlying sales, which are adjusted to remove the impact of exchange rates, divestitures, and acquisitions, were down slightly. Consolidated operating profit for the quarter increased 3 percent reflecting the benefits of Emerson's restructuring initiatives. Ongoing restructuring costs were $36 million, down from $55 million in the second quarter of 2002 but still slightly higher than historical levels.
Operating cash flow for the quarter was $374 million and free cash flow was $308 million. Year-to-date operating cash flow was $681 million, down 1 percent from $690 million, and free cash flow increased 6 percent to $550 million from $518 million reflecting lower capital spending.
Commenting on the quarterly results, David N. Farr, Emerson's chief executive officer, said, "I am pleased that despite lower underlying sales our restructuring efforts allowed us to achieve solid earnings growth in four of our five business segments, with total segment earnings increasing to $416 million from $392 million in the second quarter of 2002. Although persistent weakness remains in many of our end markets, we continue to strengthen our technology and leadership positions in major market segments around the world and drive capital efficiency improvements across our entire company. The progress we made toward these objectives during the quarter is shown in our margin improvement, new customer and project wins, and continued capital efficiency gains.
Financial Highlights
"We made excellent progress on our operating cash flow and free cash flow performance and are on track with our targets of approximately $1.7 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively, for the fiscal year. Free cash flow for the quarter again exceeded earnings and we continued to improve our working capital efficiency, with trade working capital as a percent to sales improving to 21.6 percent in the second quarter of 2003 from 23.8 percent in the same period of the prior year.
"The ratio of net debt to net capital declined to 39.3 percent from 43.0 percent, as the result of more than $700 million in net debt reduction during the past year. The interest coverage ratio was 6.4 times for the first half of fiscal 2003. Since October 2001, we have issued $1.5 billion of long-term debt, taking advantage of the low interest rate environment and further strengthening liquidity.
"Our strong balance sheet, earnings quality and cash flow performance provide us the flexibility to simultaneously invest in our businesses, pursue acquisitions, and provide direct returns to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock repurchases.
"The sluggish economic environment and uncertainty continues to dampen business investment and capital spending in many of the industries we serve. Our focus remains on delivering solid cash flow performance and margin improvement, while further strengthening our lead against our competition in key markets around the world."
Operating Highlights
Sales in the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning business increased 8 percent to $693 million; driven by continued penetration gains, market growth and a 3 percent favorable currency impact. The sales increase reflected strong growth in Asia, solid growth in the European commercial market and modest growth in the United States. Earnings increased 9 percent to $104 million, a margin increase of 20 basis points, driven primarily by higher sales.
During the quarter, Lennox Industries, Inc. announced the selection of Emerson Climate Technologies UltraTech™ products for its new line of premium residential air-conditioning systems. Emerson's Copeland Scroll UltraTech™ two-stage compressors and its new Comfort Alert™ Diagnostics technology will enable the new Lennox system to be the most quiet, energy-efficient central air conditioner on the market.
Sales in industrial automation were $646 million, up nearly 8 percent from the second quarter of 2002, the result of an 8 percentage point favorable impact from currency. Underlying sales were flat with a moderate decline in industrial activity in the United States offset by an increase in international sales led by strength in Asia. Earnings for the segment were up 19 percent, a margin increase of 1.2 percentage points, demonstrating the benefits of the restructuring activities despite a flat underlying sales environment.
Quarterly sales in process control declined 2 percent to $819 million reflecting a 5 percent increase from currency less a 3 percent impact from divestitures. Underlying sales were down 4 percent. U.S. sales were down 9 percent, while investments for new projects in Asia and Eastern Europe showed strength. Customer maintenance and repairs orders were down, continuing to put pressure on margins across the business. The uncertainty experienced before and during the war led some customers to put long-cycle projects on hold during the quarter.
Emerson Process Management continued to win a number of strategic projects in the oil and gas, refining, power, biopharmaceutical, and petrochemical markets around the world. Substantial growth opportunities exist in Eastern Europe and Asia. In Hungary, Emerson Process Management was awarded a $7 million contract to modernize a power plant for AES, the third-largest power producer in Hungary. Emerson's PlantWeb¯ (www.EmersonProcess.com/PlantWeb) digital plant architecture will anchor automation and predictive maintenance techniques designed to improve the power plant's efficiency, reliability and overall performance.
In China, Emerson was awarded a $30 million automation project for one of the world's most highly optimized petrochemical facilities being built by SECCO, a joint venture of BP, Sinopec, and the Shanghai Petrochemical Corporation (SPC). The new 10-plant facility will be the world's largest installation of Fieldbus Digital Technology, with more than 23,000 FOUNDATION fieldbus devices and 10 DeltaV™ digital automation systems within the PlantWeb architecture. Emerson will support this effort from its Pudong facility located near the project site, just outside of Shanghai.
Appliance and tools segment sales increased 3 percent to $870 million, with a modest decline in underlying sales, favorable currency adding 2 percentage points, and the impact from acquisitions adding 1 percentage point. The tools and storage businesses were flat to slightly up driven by continued strong performance at ClosetMaid. Motors and appliance solutions sales were down slightly. Earnings for the segment increased 5 percent to $121 million, a 30 basis point margin improvement, driven by higher sales and restructuring.
Emerson has made the strategic business decision to discontinue the manufacture of bench top and stationary woodworking power tools and to work with The Home Depot on options to secure supply for Home Depot. Emerson has developed a program to license the RIDGID brand to top manufacturers to fulfill Home Depot's future requirements. Emerson remains fully committed to its RIDGID brand. RIDGID's reputation for quality and the distribution of RIDGID woodworking power tools through Home Depot is important to both Home Depot and Emerson. Emerson will continue supporting the full RIDGID line and will remain a significant manufacturer of RIDGID wet/dry vacuums, hand tools, and other products for Home Depot.
Emerson values its ongoing relationship with Home Depot, and this agreement will help ensure that the RIDGID brand continues to play a strong role in Home Depot's success. Emerson also expects the full RIDGID program to continue to make significant contributions to the company's revenues. This decision has no effect on Ridge professional contactor and plumbing tools, which is a separate Emerson business.
In the electronics and telecommunications business, sales decreased 6 percent to $554 million for the quarter, including a 3 percentage point favorable impact from currency. Most major geographic markets experienced significant declines, except for Asia, which declined only modestly. The traditional environmental and power systems businesses were flat to slightly down, and the OEM power electronics business experienced a decline in sales versus the prior year.
The company is evaluating strategies to maximize the value of its Emerson Telecommunication Products (Jordan) business, which is part of the electronics and telecommunications segment. The Board of Directors has approved a plan to divest a portion of this business. Due to current challenging market conditions, a loss is reasonably possible on the sale of Dura-Line, the company's fiber-optic conduit unit, and an appraisal is being completed to determine possible impairment of the remaining business. The Company expects to realize tax benefits in excess of any loss resulting from the sale and impairment review as the tax basis significantly exceeds the carrying value of this business.
Upcoming Investor Events
On Wednesday May 7, 2003 at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (6:30 a.m. Central) Emerson senior management will discuss the quarterly results during an investor conference call. All interested parties may listen to the live conference call via the Internet by going to the Investor Relations area of Emerson's Web site at http://www.gotoemerson.com/financial and completing a brief registration form. A replay of the conference call will be available for the next three months at the same location on the Web site. Details of upcoming events will be posted as they occur in the Investor Relations Calendar of Events on the corporate Web site.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
Statements in this release that are not strictly historical may be "forward-looking" statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. These include economic and currency conditions, market demand, pricing, and competitive and technological factors, among others, as set forth in the company's SEC filings.
(tables attached)
Additional Information
Q2 FY03 Financial Tables
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Copyright © 2001, Emerson Electric Co. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions of Use
Bart,
Thanks for the info! I appreciate your taking the time to post it for us.
RR
Rookie:
Couldn't find that thread linking Emerson to Ryobi - would appreciate the url for the link - hard to believe Emerson would dump the woodworking line after all the start-up costs, unless of course they are contracting with Ryobi to produce the Ridgid brand. Another possibility would the consolidation of repair centers - there is considerable duplication in many metro areas and I'm surprised someone hasn't put together a service company that contracts with all the brands nationally (not the little tool repair shops found in many locales) to provide "factory" service.
Thanks!
Ed Gregg
Ed,
I could not cut and paste the link, so here are the directions to the thread.
Go to http://www.ridgid.com
Select RIDGID Forums under Customer Club
Select General Woodworking Discussion
Thread topic is "Warranty".
Hope you can get there with these directions.
RR
well i guess they will still honor the warranty then. the great for all the folks who own rigid tools.
Darkworks: Its all 'bout da squilla
Rookie,
I've worked with both machines and much prefer the Ridgid, mainly for the "feel" of the controls. The Delta seems very loose and soft in both the height adjustment and head lock lever. I'd suggest you try out the controls on the floor models of both machines. You wouldn't have to turn them on to get a sense of what I'm talking about.
All of the other controls and blade changing on the Ridgid are also very well designed. The indicator for the depth of cut on the Ridgid is a useful feature that the Delta lacks. I found the "blade zero" feature on the Delta didn't work well enough to be useful and after a while it stopped functioning.
I've noticed almost no difference in the quality of the cut between the fast and slow settings on the Delta planer. In fact, compared to the speed range on a larger industrial machine, there is not that much difference in the feed rate between the two settings. The machine would need a much lower slow speed to make a significant difference in the cut on difficult woods. I think the two speed feature is more of a gimmick than a significant improvement.
The dust pickup on the Delta is nicely designed and mounts much better than the rather flimsy hoods on most planers, but its throat is so narrow that it has trouble clearing the chips away when taking even a moderate cut. The recirculating chips, caught between the blades and the wood, ding up the freshly planed surface of the stock.
John
After burning up two Delta single speed planers, I went for the Rigid. Ran material through it, no real improvement over the Delta, but it did seem more substantial. It tended to shatter very thin pieces, so I figured that the blades needed changing. Opened the machine up and the second bolt (allan?) stripped almost immediately. I put the machine back together, got my money back, walked to the "tool coral" and purchased the then new 12 1/2" Delta planer. Less than a year later, I am back at HD without my receipt and a cooked planer, they said no receipt, no deal. Even if they had given me my money back, I was done with HD and Delta planers. I purchased a Makita 12 1/2" planer two years ago from Amazon.com and haven't looked back. You can read my review there. I have had numerous problems with tools bought from HD. IMHO, spend your money elsewhere.
Good Luck!
John
Edited 5/17/2003 10:39:29 PM ET by JMartinsky
Edited 5/17/2003 10:40:54 PM ET by JMartinsky
I to found myself with the same decision 2 years ago, and after much research/
deliberation I settled on the rigid planer.
I am very happy with my purchase!
The blades are a snap to change, the planer has 13" capacity, the motor low noise
compared to the ohter models on the market , the moter has good tork, I fed a piece
of 16/4 cherry through without a problem 1/8 cut, as well as birdseye maple with light cuts
to aviod tearout. Theygave a lot more for the money mine came with a stand, dust
collection,and extra blades, life time gaurantee on the motor and if your not
satisfied with perfomance home depot is good for returns without a hassle.
Good luck in your search, hope this helped.
I'm glad that your experience was better than mine. Experience has taught me that , yes, HD is good about taking things back, it has also taught me that there is a reason for that. I work with wood for a living and have always bought the best tools that I could afford. Saving 5, 10, or 50 dollars on a particular tool is of no value to me, if that tool fails to perform the function for which I purchased it. The ONLY times that I have had to return tools is when they were purchased from HD. Although they will take them back, I simply don't have time for that. I have made multiple purchases from Tool Crib, even before they were bought by Amazon, and guess what? No problems! Same with Woodworkers Warehouse and Coastal Tool in Hartford,CT. That is what I expect. I am more than willing to pay for PC, Makita, Hilti, Hitachi, etc., but I expect them to do what they are supposed to do. That simply has not been my experience with tools supplied by HD. If it works for, you, I am glad for you, but as for me, I will spend my money elsewhere and the time that I save by not having to return tools, with my family. Good Luck!
John
Rook....
I've had a Ridgid for several years and made my choice after reading review after review that rated it very highly compared to the competition. I would probably not got it because of the brand, but there simply isn't a review out there in a magazine that says anything bas about it.
Regarding the two speed issue.......its a gimmick. Believe me these lunchbox planers all cut amazingly well and w/o scallops. Go for it.
Mike
Hi Rookie,
I currently own a Rigid 13" planer and the Dewalt 13" planer. Hands down, the Ridid is the better machine...more solid, better planing, more power, etc.
The one thing that I've found is that you have to keep those darn rollers clean....run smooth maple or dense wood through it w/dirty rollers..and it just doesn't work.
I will say that very early on, I did burn up the power feed/roller motor...planing some 8/4 quartersawn White Oak.
I'm surprised (and pleased) to report that they fixed it at no charge...and my planer was originally a reconditioned model I bought at the big, evil, orange box.
For a lunchbox planer, it's a good one.
Anyone want to buy a DeWalt? I'm selling cheap!!
Larry Pile
I have the Rigid, I've had it for two years. I am happy with mine. Easy to change blades, comes with two sets of double edge blades. I also got the stand but I built a cart to take up less space.
I agree with the others, for the money it does a good job.
I purchased the Ridgid Planner about two months ago and I am very pleased not only with the performance of it but the ease of set up and the instruction book that came with it. Lots of little accessories built in and at hand without having to stick them in a tool box or drawer someplace and try to remember where you put them. The Delta is more money and doesn't come with a stand or extra blades as far as I can remember. I have used mine on OAK, KOA, MAPLE, and PINE and it did a great job on all of them. I put a stand infront of the infeed table and on the outfeed side also. I haven't had any snipe at all by doing this and remembering to lock the cutter head.
Eddy,
Thanks for the reply and feedback. I have narrow my decision down to the Ridgid and the Makita and I am leaning towards believing that the Ridgid may be a better value for me.
Thanks again!
RR
Hi Rookie,
My Pleasure. I may have gotten the good one but from all the other feedback I guess it really is a good planner. I think the value is excellent for the options you get. By the way, the ndust collector that comes with it works very well. About all I have to do after planning quite a bit of lumber is a quick vac of the infeed table where a little kicks back. I almost believe some of that is coming from the breeze that blows through my shop where I live. Good luck and have fun.
Eddy
Eddy,
Thanks again! I appreciate your feedback.
RR
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