First Planer- Help me narrow down to one!

[Gator95]

Will be buying a planer sometime soon. Will probably see 3 hours of planer use a month most likely at the start of a project to dimension lumber from my local yard. What I get is usually fairly smooth, but dimensions can vary slightly- usually around 13/16. Have been dealing with so far by sanding with ROS.

Limited space in garage, a planer I could lift and put away somewhere would be a plus- next option would be mobile stand, but would prefer something I can actually put on shelf out of the way, and mount to my workmate when I'm going to use it. This is what I do with my mitersaw. If anything light enough for me to lift sucks, would be willing to put on mobile stand and find a place for it. Just would be a less perfect solution, would have to move other stuff around.

Originally was going to just wait for fall/christmas sale from HD and get the Ridgid 4330, hopefully somewhere in the $325ish range. However, with the Microsoft Live 30% discount/rebate on e-bay am looking hard at some others.

With the live discount, I can get a reconditioned Dewalt 734 for $234 delivered, or recon Dewalt 735 for $306, or New Delta 22-580 for $329 delivered. Also an option, of course, is wait for the Ridgid to go on sale.

Questions:

Am I nuts thinking the Ridgid 4330 can be lifted and put away in a low cabinet after use?

Is the DW734 roughly equivelent to the Ridgid 4330 in terms of size and weight?

For a weekend woodworker, is the DW735 worth $70 more than the DW734? Is the Delta 22-540 really any better than either Dewalt?

Are the lower priced 12.5" planers, like Griz 0505, Craftsman, Delta, Ryobi snipemaster 12.5" units much lighter than the Ridgid or DW734? Might be willing to live with end snipe (just cut off ends of surfaced lumber) if tool can be much easier to put away. Much easier means ~30-40lbs vs 70-80lbs to me.

TIA.
(note: also posted on woodnet- like to get opinions from folks here too)

[Stan]

The additional $70 would be well spent (IMO) to get the DW735 (I bought one about a year ago). I started with a smaller 'no-name-brand' 12.5" lunchbox planer and the DW735 is in a completely different league.

[sweensdv]

Please take this as constructive criticism because that is the spirit in which it's being offered in but I think you're basing your buying decision on the wrong criteria. The ease in which you can lift and store a tool should be at the bottom of your list of importance not at the top.

The DeWalt 735, DeWalt 734, Delta 22-580 and the Ridgid are all fine planers and I doubt if you'd be unhappy with any of them. The DeWalt 735 is the best performer of the bunch but also the heaviest at around 90lbs. Building a mobile cabinet for the planer to sit on might be the best way to go.

[dbhost]

I agree to a point about the planers. My Ryobi AP1301 is virtually snipe free since the addition of infeed / outfeed support. But for the $$ spent on the planer, and the support, I think I would have been better off with the Ridgid. Everyone that I have heard from that owns the Ridgid loves it...

I also agree, being able pick the planer up and stash it away isn't your best alternative. Most planers are simply heavy and ackward...

[JimD]

The Ryobi fared well in a recent test. I think it was labeled "best buy". It snipes but if you add some extensions it would be a bunch better - but that would mean a stand or a lot of setup each time you want to use it. You could test the weight if a HD is nearby.

Jim

[LCHIEN]

i would consider the dewalts and the delta 22-580 at the top of my list for good planiong performance. Any planer w/o cutterhead locks would be off the list.

I think you have a very good concern about the weight.

Go to the manufacturer's websites and look at the weights. Some are around 60# and the DW735 runs about 90 lbs. All things being equal I can lift 60 lbs but 90 lbs to me is just too much to be able to lift and store it - at that weight it would have to have a dedicated stand. There are some machines with a one-man lift around 60 lbs that are good machines. I agree that the weight is a key issue for space limited shops once you establish there are liftable machines out there that work well.

[cork58]

I was able to purchase a Preformax 16-32 surface sander a while back. It was used but very little till the owner died. I gave $400.00 for it. After finding the previous owners problem with the sander and making all the adjustments correctly, I started using it. Haven't got my planer out since. Every board I run through it comes out perfect with no snip. I can finish to 220 if needed but usually stop at 150 now in order to apply the finish.

Just another option.

[JackAZ]

First Planer

I'll echo Stans point...The 735 with infeed/outfeed wings Is an excellent planer, with little or no snipe. It needs a dedicated cart; I've used the dewalt cart designed for that planer, (which can be had for a reasonable sum with a little shopping, or is easily duplicated) for some time now. It still has the original knives after milling dozens board feet of 2" african mahogany to between 1 " and 1.8" thick even though I have a spare set.

I don't believe any liftable planer would have the necessary stability for anything other than very light lumber milling.

[Uncle Cracker]

Regardless of which planer you ultimately choose, it will benefit greatly from a mobile cart with fold-down in/out tables (such as the one offered by Rousseau). You will be able to fold it up and roll it out of the way when not in use, and the extra shelving underneath will see that the space is used wisely. In addition, you will be better able to handle long workpieces, with much better anti-snipe performance. Worth considering...

[scmhogg]

I have the Delta 22-580, and I have no complaints over several years of hard work. Their is little or no snipe. When I get it, it is usually my technique.

I knew my planer was pretty heavy. I moved it around a lot when I first got it. Now it is "semi-permanently" mounted on my B&D helpmate. I was shocked when I just looked up the weight...97 pounds.

Steve

[ragswl4]

Don't buy the bottom end Grizzly planer, snipe, snipe, snipe. I had one and could not stop the 2" of snipe on both ends of a board. Surface was nice and smooth but wasting 4" of wood can get expensive in the long run. I have the Delta 733 and love it. Never any snipe. Cutter head lock is essential.

[Stan]

I'll second all the references to the need of a dedicated cart for just about any of the planers mentioned. I hefted mine around when it was to be used for quite a while -- doable, but not fun.

I had a spare BT3X00 base with a Herculift that I set up for the DW735, works like a champ.

[dkerfoot]

The Ryobi AP1301 is very shelf-able. I store mine on the lower shelf of my workbench. I have a very bad back, but I have no problem lifting it when needed. At $200, it was a great bargain.

Snipe is an issue as referenced by others.

[dbhost]

The Ryobi fared well in a recent test. I think it was labeled "best buy". It snipes but if you add some extensions it would be a bunch better - but that would mean a stand or a lot of setup each time you want to use it. You could test the weight if a HD is nearby.

Jim

I put mine on a stand, and plan on putting that on plywood with casters, or even a true mobile base setup. The infeed outfeed supports I built for mine DRAMATICALLY reduced (virtually eliminated) snipe. It's not completely eliminated, but using a sacrificial piece to follow the actual work piece through does the trick nicely...

The AP1301 is definately shelf able, and the support tables can be made as I initially did, as just pieces that drop in place then you are ready to work... No appreciable setup time difference...

I definately agree, that the AP1301 is the best buy in any planer near it's price...

[Uncle Cracker]

I definately agree, that the AP1301 is the best buy in any planer near it's price...

No cutterhead lock, though. Not always a problem, but often is... Ryobi really cheapened things up when they moved from the AP1300 to the AP1301.