Replies

1. 
   9619 | Aug 20, 2006 02:44am | #1

   Bonka,
   a few years back, I got the Delta 580. It isn't perfect but it works for me. It has two speeds but I can't see any difference between the two.
   Mel

   Measure your output in smiles per board foot. 

2. 
   ctsjr | Aug 20, 2006 03:16am | #2

   I believe that FWW rated the Makita and Ridgid planers very good.  The review is easy to find online.  I have the Ridgid, and have been very happy with it so far.  It came with the knives set parallel to the table; it uses disposable knives and changing them is very straighforward and simple.  If you use a longer infeed and outfeed table, snipe is nonexistant.  It is a 13" model and will run less than $400, plus it comes with a metal leg stand. 

   "Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
3. 
   cadiddlehopper | Aug 20, 2006 04:01am | #3

   Look in the classifieds. There is a Delta 22-580 for sale. I believe that FWW rated it tops a while back.

   Cadiddlehopper

1. 
   RodWolfy | Aug 20, 2006 09:20am | #4

   The last review I saw put the DeWalt at the top. However, you have to buy into all of the parts to make the whole (the tables and dust hook-up cost extra!).

   I'm often left wondering why people don't just go out and buy a $700 Grizzly or the like and then they have an industrial quality motor, instead of the universal motor (which usually goes when the brushes are gone if they're not replacible. You'd probably get 10+ years of service out of the bigger machine and a much wider cut to boot.

   Rod

1. 
   cadiddlehopper | Aug 20, 2006 08:08pm | #8

   The choice may depend on amateur or professional status as well as a requirement for portability. A Delta 22-565 serves me well.Cadiddlehopper

4. 
   Knotscott | Aug 20, 2006 02:07pm | #5

   Makita, Delta 22-580, DW734 & DW735, and Ridgid are all solid performers.

5. 
   JMartinsky | Aug 20, 2006 02:22pm | #6

   Dear Bonka,
   I am a contractor and we use these things all of the time. I used to burn out about one Delta per year. I tried the Ridgid and was disappointed, finally I bought a Makita. That was over five years ago and the darn thing just keeps going. I have run a lot of hard stuff through it such as Brazilian Cherry, Ipe, Oak, Maple and whatnot as well as less conventional applications such as stripping painted materials and sizing plywood. I am not afraid to push equipment beyond what they were designed to do, as for me time is $, so there are times when I will risk a $400 tool to keep $2000.00 worth of labor going. The only strike is that you have to buy the DC adapter separate...... big deal. Reliable, well built, and relatively light weight it is a winner.

   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOO/sr=8-4/qid=1156072552/ref=pd_bbs_4/102-5173550-0629733?ie=UTF8

   Good Luck!

   John

   
   

   ---

   Edited 8/20/2006 12:36 pm ET by Jmartinsky

6. 
   bww_maryland | Aug 20, 2006 03:13pm | #7

   Bonka,

   I have the DeWalt DW735 (amazon link).  I bought because it was consistanly rated the best bench planer in many magazine reviews (subjective statement as I didn't go back and look at each review).

   It comes w/ the DC adaptor, but does not come w/ in feed / out feed tables.  I use w/o and have had limited problem w/ snipe.  I'm very happy w/ it's performance.

   I'm basically a home hobbyist(sp?), so i can't speak to longevity of life.

   Brad

7. 
   GotAll10 | Aug 20, 2006 08:27pm | #9

   I have the Rigid, (from shhhhh, Home Depot).   Have put about 500bf thru it, no significant problems.  Rarely have any snipe, only on long boards when I don't hold it up well as it comes thru. 

8. 
   art | Aug 20, 2006 10:23pm | #10

   I've had a Makita for a little over 15 years and used it heavily, mostly on hardwoods. Changing the disposable blades is the only maintenance required so far. I will buy another if this one ever fails. Art

9. 
   K1500 | Aug 21, 2006 10:18pm | #11

   Another Makita user here.  Mine has been great and leaves a very nice finish on the board (nicer than the 20" Grizzly I have access to).  It is quiet for a planer, evacuates the chips with authority, and has lots of power.  I looked at the 13" DeWalt but was scared off by stories of fragile, expensive knives and the expense of buying infeed and outfeed tables.

10. 
    JMartinsky | Aug 22, 2006 12:48am | #12

    Dear Bonka,
    I forgot to mention the finish. As "K1500" said, very clean. I have a 15" Delta that I use now to "hog" off material and the Makita to finish. Just a beautiful finish. Blades are easy to replace as well.

    Best,

    John

11. 
    jc21 | Aug 22, 2006 03:24am | #13

    Another vote for the Makita 2012NB. Minimal snipe, leaves a nice finish, quieter than most, and more portable than the Delta 22-580 or DW 735.

12. 
    lamadriver | Aug 22, 2006 09:34am | #14

    Some don't like the Rigid but my reason for the Rigid over the Delta was a little pride in American made. The Rigid line [lifetime warranty] are the last tools made with American motors. Everything else unless my research has failed me are either Taiwan or something else. The heavier Deltas are better than the less inexpensive box store Deltas but my rigid has had a lot of stuff shoved through it over the last 4 years and I like the bigger knives, higher RPM and considerable heavier weight compared to Delta. At around $400 with a free stand and some shop built infeed - outfeed tables for the longer stuff there is no snipe. The 13.5 width is really a plus sometimes. For the home woodworker its good quality and reasonable pricing. Mine has paid for itself many times over. Good Luck

1. 
   Knotscott | Aug 23, 2006 02:11am | #15

   I think when gray went orange, most of the "made in America" went too. Emerson is no longer manufacturing the Ridgid line....TTI, Ryobi's parent company, handles most of the manufacturing.

1. 
   lamadriver | Aug 24, 2006 06:05am | #16

   Sorry to hear that, I just hate to see us lose anything else overseas. We're becoming a service nation and losing pride in making anything. I guess that's why I enjoy woodworking. I can at least grab a piece of wood, cut it with my Ryobi, sand it with my Porter Cable, finish it with bug stuff from India (shellac). At least I made it. My latest "made in America" are the bowls I'm turning from the Birch tree I had to cut down in the back yard!! 

   "if there ain't no woodworking in heaven, I ain't going"

    

13. 
    brownman | Aug 24, 2006 08:18am | #17

    Bonka,
    If you go on Amazon.com and read the various reviews written by those who have purchased and used these portable planers you'll discover that the Makita's are performing the best and holding up the longest. I personally have an older Ryobi Ap-12, that has performed well for many years, albeit I'm a serious hobbyist and haven't used it every day or even every month for that matter. The problem I have now is getting blades for it as this model is no longer manufactured and so the blades are expensive , making it wiser for me to purchase new. I bought the latest Dewalt portable planer and I'm not sure about it yet. I have heard and read that others are having problems with their blades dulling to easily.I dulled my blades badly enough on the first knot I hit that I had to rotate them. I had only planed a few board feet so I'm not to encouraged. Hope my 2 cents helps.

1. 
   K1500 | Aug 24, 2006 06:27pm | #18

   For what it's worth, I recently planed a fair bit of white oak (probably around 150 bf from 13/16 down to 3/4 or 1/2) with my Makita, including several large knots, and have not had to turn my blades.  I know this isn't a ton of use, but the DeWalt blade thing scared me away from them, and it seems to be a justified fear.  Perhaps there are replacement knives form an outside source that fit the DeWalt?

1. 
   brownman | Aug 24, 2006 08:05pm | #19

   Another solution would be to put it up on e-bay for auction and purchase the Makita or a larger 3HP planer. Smart woodworkers will continue to purchase the tools that not only perform exceptionally well, but last the longest. Having said this I must have not been to smart , buying this new machine so fresh on the market. It's better to let others test the tool in the real working world before we decide if it's a top tool. You obviously were smarter than me.

1. 
   K1500 | Aug 24, 2006 08:39pm | #20

   "You obviously were smarter than me"

   I wouldn't say that and I hope that's not how my post came across.  We've all bought tools that are sub par (not that a DeWalt planer is).  If you haven't bought a tool you were dissatisfied with, you haven't bought enough tools yet!

   On a side note, I had thought about buying a bigger planer (Griz 15 or 20 inch) but decided against it and am glad I did.  I have access to a 20" Grizzly at my fathers (about a 100 mile one-way trip) so if I need to hog off a lot of wood on a large amount of lumber, I can go that route.  What has worked even better for me if to have the mill surface for me. 

   I buy direct from the mill and can get lumber S2S for an addiitonal fee.  I get 100 BF of lumber to 13/16" for a measly $10.  I couldn't do it that cheap even with a large planer, and I would have to stand there and work for several hours to get it done (not to mention sharpen knives, adjust and store the machine, etc.

   I guess the point is, for me a 12" lunchbox planer can smooth and thickness all the lumber I need it to, and leave a better finish than a big one does.  Of course all this works because I 'sub' my surfacing out at a reasonable rate.  If that wasn't an option, I would have bought a big planer.

    

1. 
   brownman | Aug 24, 2006 09:12pm | #21

   K1500, I have bought other sub-par tools, but I think overall I've done pretty well. I've grown a little wiser with age and experience and I try to do more research now before I buy a new tool. I used to get excited about new tools that I thought I needed or wanted and impulse buy. I now try to distinguish between my wants and needs and then do some research before I by. I like to go the Amazon.com site and read the reviews of those have already bought the tool I have initially decided to buy and see how it has held up over time and how it performs under real working conditions. That's where the real truth about the quality and value of a tool can be discovered. To be honest, I haven't really used my planer much of late, since I purchased my wide belt sander at the 2005 IWF wood show last year. I try and purchase wood that I don't have to dimension to much,as you have stated, it's just a lot of work. We would rather be building something than dimensioning lumber. The wide belt sander works wonderfully well and does all the dimensioning and sanding I need in one operation without any snipe. But then I did pay a good chunk of money too. It was worth it though!

2. 
   tkb | Aug 24, 2006 10:16pm | #22

   Just an idea for AP12 owners out there . . . Your local HD may have some replacement blades for the AP13 at ~$20. If you compare the AP13 & AP12 blades, you will see that the blades look identical in every way except that the AP13 is 13" long while the AP12 is 12 5/16" long. I bought an AP13 pair & trimmed off the excess with my Fordham tool. Haven't tried it yet, but seems like it should work.-Toby

1. 
   brownman | Aug 25, 2006 06:36am | #23

   Thanks for the idea. Let me know if it works.