Looking for a planer: Any opinions re: HF 13" Industrial Planer?

[pelligrini]

What sort of dust collection do you have? The 735 has a powered dust/chip port.

My first and only planer was the 735. I really like the height stops. You'd probably want to get the infeed and outfeed tables for it or build some shopmade ones if you go for it.

[cgallery]

I never had the heart to tell him that he had the planer blades installed backwards and that is why it wouldn't plane.

Yeah, you should keep that to yourself, I don't think I'd want to know had I been the one that installed the knives backwards..

[cgallery]

When I need to have a longer table then the one that is on the planer I insert an extension table. If I ever needed longer then a 4 ft table I would build the extensions in a torsen box design.

That is an excellent point. I imagine a three foot piece with cleats on either side (to grip the table) would function very nicely.

The biggest thing I would worry about with the HF planer would be the quality of the knives and the bearings. I have found that the HF tools do have inferior bearings due to the quality of the metal used in China, the bearings are standard bearings and i have replaced some of them with better bearings as in my DC, but i would wonder about the knives being able to hold an edge and could you get high quality knives.

But if Byrd made an insert-based replacement for the cutterhead, and if the planer went on sale and you could stack a 20% off coupon, well, you could end-up w/ a pretty nice unit for not too much moola.

Another question, though, is whether the unit has any allowance for a dust hood. I downloaded the manual and couldn't find anything (although I didn't spend a lot of time looking).

There is also the fact that dbhost has read negative reviews.

[mjernigan]

Ah, my ears perk up when you mention downloading a manual for a(n) HF machine. Off topic, but hey, I started the thread, anyway. Since I did pick up the jointer (6" industrial rabbeting jointer), I'd love to have the manual, and didn't see any with a cursory glance of the HF site.

How do you find them?

And, umm... er,.... no dust collection yet. I know, I know, I'm working on it. The HF DC (5 micron, of course) appeals on sale and with 20% off, if I can get away with it. And perhaps a Thien separator, too, as long as I'm dreaming.

2nd edit: Oh, crap! Nevermind... perhaps the green "Download Product Manual" button? <--embarrassed.

[tommyt654]

Mike where are you located?

[Photojosh]

Ah, my ears perk up when you mention downloading a manual for a(n) HF machine. Off topic, but hey, I started the thread, anyway. Since I did pick up the jointer (6" industrial rabbeting jointer), I'd love to have the manual, and didn't see any with a cursory glance of the HF site.

How do you find them?

And, umm... er,.... no dust collection yet. I know, I know, I'm working on it. The HF DC (5 micron, of course) appeals on sale and with 20% off, if I can get away with it. And perhaps a Thien separator, too, as long as I'm dreaming.

2nd edit: Oh, crap! Nevermind... perhaps the green "Download Product Manual" button? <--embarrassed.

That HF 5 micron collector may be even cheaper if you use the Wood mag coupon rather than the 20% off coupon.

[mjernigan]

Not familiar with the Wood magazine coupon of which you speak... actually, I'm not even familiar the magazine, but would like to give it a look.

And Tommy--at the risk of being snaked in my planer hunt (not by you, but by anyone else lurking)--I'm in Greensboro. The 735 I spoke of is near Charleston, West Virginia, though. Would love to have it, but it's a five-hour drive each way, and can't justify going THAT far for it.

[Norm in Fujino]

I have the Grizzly G1017, which got high marks back when I bought it 10 years ago, but it's not on sale anymore. Instead, they have the G0689 13" planer for $375. I haven't seen any reviews of it, tho.

In any event, unless the HF model has been evaluated as unusually good I would go with a brand that has a better quality control record.

[Al R.]

Greetings, all--

I'm hot and heavy in pursuit of a planer, and ever since the flurry surrounding the DW735 clearance a couple of months back I've been badgering any BORG within a day's drive to find one. They're all either out of stock or not budging off their $649 tag (on inventory that's not moving... ).

So, having just about given up on DeWalt, I'm headed out tomorrow to check out a CL-advertised DW 12-incher with 3 knives--sounds like a 734--that a fellow is selling not far away from me. That MIGHT be a good deal, but with a 20 percent off coupon, so might the bigger one at Harbor Freight. Check it out here.

Does anybody here have any experience with the HF planer, or know anything useful about it? I'll have to build a stand for either a DW or this one, and I do already have 220v plumbed to my garage/shop.

My intended use, initially at least, is cabinetry work: building replacement face frames and doors for the kitchen, and bookshelves and the like. But as this hobby is a slippery slope... well, you all know.

Mike

I looked myself once to the HF planner and finally decided to buy the Ryobi for S199 at Home Depot + some discount I had, then I did not pay over S200 with taxes. I would say as somebody posted that if you can get the Ridgid I heard it is better, but the Ryobi AP1301 has something good: it is easier when you need to change the knives, not complicated at all. The knives do not last long but you can reverse it and they have both sides to be used. It is like having two in one.

Also if you add a base to the planner, you can slide under it a kind of jig-extension tables which will help with the snipe, and graduate it as you like. I posted pictures of mine in the Forum “Ryobi AP1301 thickness planer”, http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...664#post430664

As much I heard others and read articles all of these portable planner snipe with no exceptions. That’s why I did the extension tables in a way that you can lift the sides up to even only 1/16 of an inch and so helping to prevent it. When you lift up a little bit over the planner table the snipes are not that much pronounced. You can add rollers as well, I just did the less expensive possible, but workable at the same time.

[jonmulzer]

As much I heard others and read articles all of these portable planner snipe with no exceptions.

I disagree with this statement. I have never had a single bit of snipe on my Ridgid TP1300. I have checked it with a micrometer. As long as I lock the cutterhead that is.

[Al R.]

I disagree with this statement. I have never had a single bit of snipe on my Ridgid TP1300. I have checked it with a micrometer. As long as I lock the cutterhead that is.

You are right, no exceptions for those that have no locks. The old Ryobi has a lock. Usually, they always have something that the other lacks. Anyway one way to avoid a snipe in your finish product is not to cut your stock to the final length until you have passed it through your planner first.

[LCHIEN]

i think all the DeWalts, the old 733 and the later 734 and 735 all were first class, full featured machines and had cutterhead locks on all models. All have gotten good reviews.
I considered them but got the Delta 22-580 (TP400 now) because it weighed quite a bit less and looked more manageable (at around 60#, a one man lift, and a middle-aged man at that).
the DW's were definately solid. IIRC they weighed in the 80's and the 735 might have been 90+.

[Al R.]

i think all the DeWalts, the old 733 and the later 734 and 735 all were first class, full featured machines and had cutterhead locks on all models. All have gotten good reviews.
I considered them but got the Delta 22-580 (TP400 now) because it weighed quite a bit less and looked more manageable (at around 60#, a one man lift, and a middle-aged man at that).
the DW's were definately solid. IIRC they weighed in the 80's and the 735 might have been 90+.

Thanks for the information. I will take it in account if I use it more in the future and decide to replace it. Which one of those you mentioned has the better (more quality and durable) knives?

[pelligrini]

I can't answer who has the more durable knives. The knives for my DW735 have held up well. The knives aren't really made to be sharpened. They are double sided so you kind of get two sets out of each replacement set. I've run a bunch of maple flooring through my 735 and the knives held up well, even on the aluminum oxide finish.

One of the things I like about the 735 is that I don't have to futz with any setting jigs or heights when changing the blades. It just takes undoing a bunch of allen bolts.

[natausch]

No complaints from me on the AP1300.

The main deciding factor for me was price, but since then I've played with a couple of the DeWalt 700 series. In general the cutterhead lock on the DW feels a little flimsy. The downside on the AP1300 is the plastic casing does mean you have to be a little delicate when moving it, but the tables are solid and the post frame is durable.