As a novice woodworker and remodeler, I am in a quandary as to invest in either a drum sander or a planer to handle the surfacing of rough lumber to make into cabinets, window casings, etc. The primary tool would be roughly one of the 12″ – 13″ capability, setup on a bench top or mobile stand, and use to finish lumber to a specific thickness. I have seen both in action and since I can “have only one” at this time, I would appreciate any feedback as to what would be the more opportune investment, what make and model, personal experiences of use of either tool, recommendations, and any helpful hints.
Thank you
Replies
If you want to thickness rough lumber, a planer is the only way to go.
A sander is way too slow to take any quantity of wood off. It's just for finish work.
I have the Delta 560 planer. It's been fine, but I'd probably get the DeWalt with the 3 knives if I was buying now.
That DeWalt I just got came with a rebate for a 5" Random orbit sander FREE...but really, the surface is soooooo good, I can use a hand block ( heres a tip) and hand sand in a straight line good enough for stain..the tip is use a 2'' thick x 3''wide x 4-5" long pc of Foam insulation and a 5'' dia. sticky disc as a sanding block.
Rotate the disc as needed.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
That's a good idea-thanks!
As others have said go for the planer.
A sander is used primarily for finish sanding for cabintets/furniture. In the few cases where I need to use a sander say for face frames doors / drawers etc most cab shops I know will rent theirs out for something like 25 bucks got a half hour.
A complete kitchen f/f etc should only take about 10-15 minutes so Its not cost effective for me to own one of those machines.
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Using a sander to get rough lumber to specific thickness ... you would go broke buying the belts. Get a planer.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I'm just here to agree with the others.
You need a planer.
The drum sander is really a tool best left to cabinetmakers. And even then, you can go very deep into that craft without needing one.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Gary
Welcome to BT.
I'd opt for the planer over the drum sander. Maybe thats because I have a planer and never had the drum sander so.......
If your looking at one of the bench top planers then I'd take a look at the Delta, Rigid or DeWalt. I've heard good and bad about all three, your not going to get a consenses about anything on here!
I have the Delta and its done a good job for me but I've never used any of the others so I cant give any advice on them.
You can also ask this over at Knots, thats the FWW side of Taunton, you'll get more opinions on the subject to really confuse yourself!
To get to Knots just go to the top of page where it says "other discussions" and click on Knots. Your already signed up for it.
Doug
Like Doug said, any of the three he mentioned seem to get high marks from their respective users. Makita does well too.
Personally, I have always owned Delta, and currently have the 13" model. However, it is heavy as all get out, and unless you have the strength of a gorilla, it's not easy to carry around.
If that's important to you, I would suggest you look at one of the other two Delta models. I owned the 12 1/2" and it did as well as the fancier 13" model, but is cheaper and considerably easier to carry.
If weight doesn't matter much to you, I think you could pick from the four, based on price and the specific features that tickle your fancy.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Definitely go with the planer.
As a new plane user it's hard to go wrong with one that has easy to replace knives and is pretty basic. Delta's 12-1/2" planer has double sided, disposible knives that are essentially preset as far as depth goes. Simply unscrew the old ones, poke in the new, and away you go.
Unfortunately, the snipe on my buddy's new 12-1/2' planer is terrible compared with mine that's 3 years old.
With any planer keep the knives sharp for best results. I use the far left only for finish cuts so the blade stays sharpest there and the far right for taking down rough spots.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Thickness planer and get a joiner too. Ridgid makes a good planer, and DW does too. These are the more portable models. If you're talking about a full time woodshop planer, then you're getting into some serious bucks and besides you can't move it around, the big boys stay put.
If I had a fully equipped woodshop, I don't think I would even have a drum sander. You could dimension rough lumber faster with a sharp set of good hand planes than with a drum sander.
Well if you want the Coup de grâce this one will do both.
http://www.woodmastertools.com/s/planers.cfm
I'm not sure of current pricing, but when I looked at getting one back in the mid 90's it was about 2 GRAND.
Back to my reality, I usually buy rough sawn , cause I'm too cheap to buy nice surfaced wood.
I use my Dewalt planer, & really like the results when my knives are new.
I was thinking of a drum sander, but I would want one that is really wide for boards that are too big for my planer. Too big of an investment for the little use I would get out of one.
“When the San Francisco Democrats treat foreign affairs as an afterthought... they [behave] less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich—convinced it would shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand... When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn’t blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States. But then, they always blame America first. When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don’t blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then, they always blame America first. The American people know better.†—former UN ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick
The Woodmaster is a good machine, and always seems to get high marks from its users. If the OP has any plans to make casings or other moldings for his remodeling project, the added costs of such a machine could be quickly recouped by making, rather than buying that type of stuff. And he will still have a regular planer, although one that is not very portable. Good that you brought this up. ********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Definatly not very portable or cheap either, but it sure can do a lot of different stuff.
Gang rip, moulding cutter, planer, drum sander.
Portable I guess is more opinion than fact, like my DW708--- they say portable, but that thing is a big PIA to move around, I picked up a bosch 10" scms just so I could have one to move around. My Dewalt when not being borrowed by my neighbor, is bolted to one of my tables.“When the San Francisco Democrats treat foreign affairs as an afterthought... they [behave] less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich—convinced it would shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand... When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn’t blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States. But then, they always blame America first. When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don’t blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago. But then, they always blame America first. The American people know better.†—former UN ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick