I have decided to go out in the morning and buy a planer. I looked in Home Depot they have a Rigid portable planer. It looks nice and Rigid makes good plumbing tools, but I have never heard anything about their woodworking tools. Lowe’s has a Delta 12″ portable for $199.
I will go to the Metro tool shop in Charleston, SC. I don’t know what brands/models they stock. I would like to stay in the $200 price range, but I want quality, so I am flexible.
Can I get any recommendations, or stay away froms?
Thanks,
John
Replies
I bought the Rigid about 4 yrs ago to replace the original Ryobi 10". After about a year I had a problem with it (the Rigid) and took it back to HD, they wouldn't refund my money but did do a swap, which is what I wanted. It has worked well, good machine for the money.
Do it right, or do it twice.
well, it blows the 200 out the window, but the delta 13" two speed is real nice. I've only used it a few times at as it is someone else's, but it works well in my limited experience.
Toolcrib was offering some other free tool with it a little while ago.
other then that the 12" dewalt model 7XX something we have at the shop at work has been good as well.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals built the Titanic.
They sent you over here from Knots, didn't they?
I know didn't. Slainte.<p href="http://r-gjones.laof.home.att.net/" Website
:-)
I know I don't try to send any your way, lol.
Ha, ha. :-) Slainte.<p href="http://r-gjones.laof.home.att.net/" Website
Wanna swap a Cag for a Forest girl?
I know, no deal, but tell Splintie she is missed, if you think of it.
Our "Little Forest Girl" is gettin hitched!! See her post over in Knots in the "Woodshed" ..She sure is a Gem...
ToolDoc
Nah, I'm used to Forest Girl, Qtrmeg. I'll let you guys hang on to CAG, ha, ha. Slainte.<p href="http://r-gjones.laof.home.att.net/" Website
There won't be any swapping around here. (Wasn't that in the Seventies...lol)
Besides were all out of luck she's getting married.
Len
No, they didn't send me. I did post this on Knots, but it was my first time over there. I am usually quietly here on breaktime, although I do have over 100 posts. Maybe I need a more distinctive handle. I was thinking of changing my log in name to Omahney. John is a little common.
John
I have heard that Lowes is discounting the DeWalt planer. I have one but have not taken it out of the box. I did considerable study before I bought it and it seemed like the most for the buck. Their knives can be sharpened and the Delta and some other are throw aways (even though they are two edged, ie reversible). They do not have the mass of the DeWalt.
Ridgid has made some great woodworking tools but Emerson has stopped making them and is going to license the line to the people that make Ryobi. They have a great website if you are interested. http://www.ridgid.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi.
I have the Ridgid Ts 3612 table saw and love it. The warranty was lifetime but the new stuff will be three years. Home Depot will be the only outlet.
I have had the Ridgid for a few months now and think it is a good planner for the money. Think I paid just under $300 and it came with a stand. Have only run a few hundred feet of material through it but have been very impressed. Accurate, easy, and smooth. Talked to several people before the purchase and Ridgid got the best reviews. I'd go for it.
I would highly reccommend staying away from the Ryobi - don't care for any of their woodworking tools. Must say that I have a four cycle weed wacker of theirs with blower/vac and tiller attachments that I have been happy with - but stay away from the woodworking tools.
Best of luck,
Shoe
reccommend staying away from the Ryobi I agree, although when I bought my Ryobi several years ago, I think it was the first and only portable planer available.Do it right, or do it twice.
I just purchased and test drove my new Makita 12" planer. I can't get over how easy and smoothly it works. I did a few pieces of hard maple and walnut. They are as smooth as a baby's bottom. I definitely knew enough to stay away from Ryobe. I was also surprised at the quality or lack of quality in the Delta 12" planer ... small tin infeed and outfeed tables. Their 12-1/2" and 13" planers look professional.
The Makita even handles small pieces ... greater then 5-1/8" long. I tried some 6" pieces of 3/4" x 3/4" and they came out perfectly ... no snipe. Time to get back to work.
John (Omahney)
I bought a 12" dewalt two years ago. It was a great deal. It cost less than the Delta and you got a choice of four different "free" tools. My only problem so far is that the feed rollers don't always pull the stock through (you have to help by pulling or pushing). I think that I may be expecting too much from the planer since this only happens when I feed long boards (5/4 birch 14' long) through it.
I've had a Dewalt for about two years as well; great planer, much better than the Gri**ly it replaced. It is also smoother in adjustment and less "snipy" than a two-speed Delta I had borrowed for a while when the bear died. The Delta was about a year old, and sniped the ends no matter how it was adjusted (including "properly" per their tech support--an improvement over my no-manual fiddling, but the clipped ends were always there anyway).
/jvs
I think I read somewhere the Rigid is the same company as craftsman, does any one know if that is true? I was looking into a new planer about 5 years ago. I was going to purchase the Jet 12" planer/molder for about $800 bucks when in walks a guy that was returning one. I asked him what was wrong with it and he said nothing, he just thought it was too complicated to switch the knives and it was a bit more machine than he needed. The sales guy wouldn't take it back because he had had it 6 months. Well to make a long story short, I scored it for $400 bucks! My point is, you may want to check around for used planers if you want quality at an affordable price.
The Jet planer I got looked brand new, and I've never had a problem with it. Also with the Jet I can have custom profile knives cut for it to do mouldings and such. I know it's nice to have a shiny new power tool in the shop, but I don't think a lot of folks realize there are a ton of good quality used tools out there for sale. My Jet isn't portable but I've been very pleased with it. I finished my house with custom mouldings I cut on it, and I've done 10" wide mahogany and quartered white oak on it with no problems. I really don't know what the guy meant when he said it was to complicated to set up. I can go from planing to shaping in about ten minutes. (He was about 70, so that may have had something to do with it!) I highly recommend this planer, and you may be able to find a used one at a good price!
I don't understand! I cut it twice and it's still too short!
Edited 7/21/2003 2:56:35 PM ET by Manroot
Edited 7/21/2003 2:58:00 PM ET by Manroot
Ridgid is part of Emerson who made many tools for Sears over the years. They made many of the radial arm saws and table saws that are the ones that are handed down for generations. The two companies parted with several lawsuits over patents and tooling I have been told. The Sears supplier of late has been the maker of Ryobi which is now going to build the Ridgid line under license. The warranty will not be "lifetime" but three years.
I love my TS 3612 table saw and several other small products. Their Shop Talk website/forum is pretty darn good.
Thanks for the info!I don't understand! I cut it twice and it's still too short!
seems like the dewalt is pretty good:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=12886.1
I've been very happy with my Dewalt portable planer.
Just got a tool crib catalog http://www.amazon.com/toolcrib
They're selling the planer for $299 with a dusthood and extra set of knives. I bought this exact deal from Sears a couple years ago. Great planer. Think S+H is $9.95.
May be an option for you, but it's more then your $200's. Of course, how much will the Delta cost if you also buy a dust hood and extra knife set?
Just walked in with todays mail -- September issue of Fine Homebuilding cover story: "Power Planers: We Pick the Best". Check it out.
Yes. I saw that review. They only reviewed the hand held planers. I have the Makita hand held portable and like it very much. I was glad to see that it got a favorable review.
I have several Makita tools and like them all, so that is probably why I went out Saturday and purchased the 12" Makita portable thickness planer. I can't imagine any planer being better then it. My $200 budget was only a dream. I ended up spending $475. after sales tax.
I did look for the Dewalt locally, but it was not available, and I had work to do. Lowes had gotten rid of all of their's.
John (Mahney)
My only recomendation is to not forget about the infamous PITA of changing the blades. Doesn't necessarily matter on how it works if the blade changing process has little to be desired. I don't have any recent experience on the new table top models, but when I bought my floor model, the makita brand was time consumming and the Hitachi took about 10 minutes. There planning ablities were about the same, but the deciding factor came to blade changing. Of course now, they all have come out with insert knives(right?)
I bought the Rigid about a year ago. I think it was $399 with the leg kit. For the money, it's a good machine. Not too loud for a universal type motor. I have occasionally experienced slippage of the feed rollers. Tech support says clean the rubber on the rollers with mineral spirits to remove pitch from the wood. That seemed to take care of it but occasionally, I have to "help" the wood through (not recommended in the owner's manual of course).
From the many reviews and comparisons on the web, I think your best bet is either the Rigid or the new Delta 2-speed (as another poster pointed out). They're similar in price. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably opt for a stationary model like the Jet planer/moulder. Those types are quieter (capacitor-type motor), more powerful, and are less resistance to slipping of the feed rollers. The Jet runs about $800. If you do a lot of shop-based cabinetry, I'd definitely look at something like that. Sorry all my recommendations are at least twice your target price range. Good luck.