Replies

1. 
   frenchy | Oct 28, 2007 03:03am | #1

   David,

    I can put snipe in my 20 inch planner just as easy as I could my 12 1/2 inch portable..  the trick in my case is to use wood that is at least 6 inches longer than I need and don't worry about it.. But then my wood is cheap.. if I paid retail price for wood I'd learn how to plane wood without snipe..

    Actaully if I spend the effort I eliminate snipe completely  but wood is so cheap that I don't bother, I just cut it off.

      (it helps that I buy wood that is 8'6"  rather than just 8 ft long) 

1. 
   davidbrum | Oct 28, 2007 04:34am | #2

   I want to sign up for your cheap wood program, Frenchy.  What really bugs me about snipe is when I have to cup a warped board in half before jointing and planing.  Then I'm losing 12", or say 20% of a 5' board.  That's a lot of wood to throw away.

   What I was really wondering about is how big the benefits of a stationary planer are.  For instance, I upgraded to a cabinet saw and immediately saw a huge improvement in performance and ease of use.  Does that logic work for planers as well? 

   Thanks,

   David

1. 
   frenchy | Oct 28, 2007 05:05am | #3

   david, 

    I wish I could share your enthusaim for a cabinet saw.. I bought a 12 inch 5 hp one and yes it was better than the contractors saw I had, but with patience and effort I could have done a similar job with the contractors saw.. I've seen amazing jobs done on little table tops..

    what my big 20 inch stationary planer allows is faster..

    I can handle bigger timbers, hog off more faster, run longer..

     That helps as I plow thru the 50,000 bd.ft I've purchased.. but as a hobbiest on a modest budget I could have gotten by..

      If I stand at one end and shove boards into the planer without regard to the outfeed I get a fair amount of snipe.. To eliminate it I need to set up my outfeed rollers (10 feet long) carefully and then snipe pretty much disappears.

    but that means adjusting the rollers with every pass I make.   I can do so because I use shingles (tappered wooden shingles)  to slightly elevate the rollers with each pass. 

    however even my 20 inch isn't always wide enough.. I have some planks that are over 2 feet wide,  for those I use my open eneded drum sander..  now I'm limited to 36 inches..  but the time involved is more than 10 times, heck maybe 20 times.  if I had more than a few dozen boards that wide it would probably be worth my time to get a wider planner 

     

2. 
   frenchy | Oct 28, 2007 05:24am | #4

   david,

    cheap woods?  find a small to medium sized sawmill and make friends..

    Places that buy wood for pallets are a good source for finding cheap wood and anyplace that sells railroad ties is the litmus test.

       railroad ties (before they are treated)  are a hardwood with no loose knots or rot, no checks serious wane or other defects.  they are 9 feet long, by 9inches by 7 inches..    They sell for between $20 & $22.00 each that's 47 bd.ft. or 46cents a bd.ft.

    Oak, Ash, black walnut, maple, cherry, etc.. all are made into railroad ties..

     The wood that is cut off is sold at market prices.   For example white oak sells around 8o cents per bd.ft. Now that includes some quater sawn, FAS stuff as well as lower grades, another words it's what's called mill run, as it comes of the log before grading.. (grading costs a dime a bd.ft. ) 

     The real deal is in wood ordered but not picked up.. I buy such wood for what pallet mills pay for it around 10 to 15 cents a bd.ft.. it may have discolored and you definately don't ever want to buy maple this way but on everything else it's been a wonderful deal..

    The final great insanely great deal is in thins..

       Mother nature doesn't make all trees the right size.. so to make the boards come out even  and leave the right size heart the first cut  is something other than an inch..

       Well first they slab off the round stuff and then make a cut to have it come out the right size..

    Those thins I can buy a pickup truck load for $20.00  that may be 1000 sq.ft. of a variety of thickness.  I run them thru my planer to say 3/4 inch thick for one application, and 1/2 inch thick for another.  stuff under that I pretty much use for firewood..

    

    

1. 
   davidbrum | Oct 28, 2007 08:02am | #6

   Thanks for the reply Frenchy.  Great to get ideas for affordable hardwoods.  I live in the Pacific NW where softwoods are almost free but hardwood is kinda expensive.  Will definitely check out some local sawmills.  We do have a lot of those.

   Wondering why you tilt your planer's rollers on each successive pass?  Doesn't the bottom of the board remain the same?  I have much to learn!

   David

1. 
   frenchy | Oct 28, 2007 04:42pm | #8

   david,

    Out feed rollers are raised with each pass because the bottom of the planer raise with each pass while the head remains stationary. On all planersthere is a small outfeedtable or roller etc.. but as the board slides past the infeed roller it's tipped up which is what produces the snipe. 

     You might contact woodmiser for a list of owners of their equipment.. some local tree trimming services have such equipment and thus have access to trees not normally grown  in your area..

    Look around orchards as well,  some great wood can come from older fruit trees.  Orchards often grub out standard size trees to plant dwarf spieces.  Too often I've seen those wonderful old standard trees simply burned rather than harvested for their boles. 

     Where softwoods are common hardwood trees aren't harvested because of a lack of commercial markets.. but there is some fine wood in those..

3. 
   flairwoodworks | Oct 28, 2007 05:51am | #5

   David,

   I think that whether you go for a new benchtop planer and an assumed used stationary planer depends on a few factors.  Obviously, a 15" planer can handle a 15" wide board, whereas a portable planer can only handle 12-1/2" - 13".  Most 15" planers run on 220V, so if you only have 110V, your choice is obvious.  I used an industrial 20" planer for a couple years and now own the DeWalt 13" DW735 in my home shop.  Neither, with proper outfeed support produced snipe.  You're absolutely right about the extended operating times, but it's not often that I spend hours feeding stock through my planer.  One job I had, I spent eight hours a day feeding boards through a planer while another guy received the boards... but that's another story.

   I would base my choice on the following:

   1.  Condition (and brand reputation) of the 15" planer

   2.  Amount of work you have for the planer

   3.  Amount of space

   Chris @ flairwoodworks

1. 
   davidbrum | Oct 28, 2007 08:13am | #7

   Thanks also for the reply Chris.

   Since I will not likely be doing hours of planing, I'm starting to think that a stationary might become a real albatross if I don't really need the capacity.  Heck, since I'm just doing this for fun, I can always go into the house and have a cup of coffee while the benchtop is cooling down.  My space is rather tight as well. I think I'll maybe hold off on the stationary until I get more space or more time to devote to woodworking.

   Thanks again,

   David

    

4. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Oct 28, 2007 05:38pm | #9

   Morning David...

   I have a 20" planer that I love... but I have the space and I have the need. I got by very well for many years with a Delta 13 1/2" portable as it did a great job with smooth. I mounted it on a very heavy wooden sled and there was no vibration. I had to provide proper support on longer stock that I use often as the length of extensions are the main draw-back to a portable IMO.

   I will point out that unless you fine tune either to the max, there will always be a chance of snipe on the end as no magic equation can overcome the slight variance of mechanics and feed on every individual pass. So... as Frenchy I took a tip from Richard Jones years ago and pre-cut my stock 4"-6" longer than plan specs before planing and eliminate that problem if it were to occur.

   The advantage I feel I gained with the larger planer is bed length for longer stock which I work with often and running wider stock or panels through after glue-up instead of before. But again I will point out that if you don't have the space, budget or the real need from demand a portable will get the job done with a little crafty ad-lib on your part.

   Sarge.. 

1. 
   davidbrum | Oct 28, 2007 09:14pm | #11

   Thanks Sarge.  I frankly have neither the space nor the need.  Really I wanted to bypass an interim purchase in favor of something that will last forever and that I can grow into.  I'm always happy to buy a used cast iron tool instead of a new plastic one.  Just seems less wasteful.

   David

5. 
   mike4244 | Oct 28, 2007 06:34pm | #10

   I've used both ,a Dewalt that had almost no snipe.Loud as heck, but did a very good job for over a year. The motor burned out and bought a Jet 13" planer molder. The Jet has an induction motor,much quieter,you still need ear plugs though. Only snipe once in a while,usually with long boards.If I were to do it again I would buy a 15" 3hp planer. Takes too long to surface a board with either of the planers I had. Have to take cuts no more then 1/32", less on wide boards.I'm used to big commercial planers that easily take off 1/16 " to 3/32" in a pass.

   From your post, I would say stick with a lunchbox.When they are set up correctly most will do a very good job. My Dewalt burned out from many hours of use. Because of the universal motor,repair unless under warranty was not feasible.I should have bought a planer with an induction motor to begin with.With the type of use you will give a planer,the lunchbox should last a long time.

   mike

1. 
   davidbrum | Oct 28, 2007 09:23pm | #12

   You illustrate it perfectly Mike.  I just hate buying something, only to wish I'd bought a beefier model instead.