Should I buy a planer?

[greencat]

I am on the fence about buying a planer. I'm a little on the cheap side so these large purchases are tough to swallow.

I have always adjusted my projects so I didn't need a planer. There were many times when ¾ was too thick but I didn't have an option.

I now have a project where I could really use it. I have an old dining table and plan on replacing the table top with some reclaimed lumber. The wood came from an old beam and was cut down to 1.5 inches using a bandsaw.

When I first got the lumber I thought I could leave the lumber rough so it looked its age of 120+ years. The problem is it looks like Doug Fir cut with a bandsaw. Now I wonder if I should bite the bullet and get a planer.

The question is how often do you use your planer?

Do you save a lot of money buying rough lumber – if so where do you get it from?

I was looking at the DeWalt DW735. Is it worth it compared to the 734 or other less expensive units?

Thanks

[capncarl]

Everyone needs a planer. Shop around for the best you can afford, preferably a 3 bladed unit with multi/variable speed feed, and possibly one that the cutter head can be updated to carbide. Or get a cheaper unit and a good sander with lots of sand paper to sand out all the ripples. Cost is about the same.

[leehljp]

I rarely use my thickness planer, but when I do, there is nothing that will take its place.

In your case, I would imagine your self admitted "on the cheap side" will reap benefits as you see the potential of other woods, cast offs from wood junk piles and from different places as well as old skids/pallets. For some people, planer will help create more usable wood with little to no cost as opposed to purchasing.

Then there are those who are always on the look out for rough lumber for little or no cost. The planer "can" pay for itself if you are like this.

I am constantly looking for lumber sticking out of dumpsters or in piles everywhere I go. Unfortunately for me, I am rarely in my pickup, and spot useable lumber too far away to make it profitable to return for a few boards. Sometimes it is worth it though!

[durango dude]

I use my number 4 more than I use the power variety.

[victorm385]

Planer

I bought the Woodriver 13" Portable Planer last month. It has 28 helical blades about 1" wide. I replaced a delta 12 1/2" Shopmaster planer.

The Woodriver is much quieter than the Delta. I have planed some oak, aspen and alder and the finish is very smooth and there is no snipe at all.

Most helical planers are very expensive, but the Woodriver is priced at $399.00 at Woodcraft.

I would highly recommend this planer

[BadeMillsap]

Regarding tools ... ANY question that starts "... should I buy a..." is by definition answered with a resounding YES!!

In the case of a planer ... IMHO ... unless you are more of a "traditionalist" and prefer hand planing ("...and there is nothing wrong with that!" ) ... and you ever buy rough sawn material ... I don't see how you can get by without one. Jointer, planer, table saw ... I use them all on virtually every project, I've also become enamored with my 16/32 thickness sander but I built a lot of stuff before breaking down on that purchase.

[atgcpaul]

I have had a Ridgid lunchbox planer for 10+ years now. Works well enough.

I cannot imagine working on any project requiring real wood without a planer. I only buy rough lumber so unless I'm going to pay someone else by the hour to make these S2S or get out my handplane, there's no other way for me to work with it.

Aside from a tree I had milled, I buy lumber off Craiglist or a lumberyard that used to be close to me. The CL lumber and lumber from the yard are all in the rough. I know the yard will make it S2S for a price--I think it's $60/hr--but it's just more convenient to have the ability to do it at home.

Before I bought a planer, I did buy S4S red oak from Home Depot--once. Yes, it was nice, but it also cost me 3x more than buying it in the rough. At least around here, I can only find red oak, maple, and poplar as S2S or better. If you're going to use something else (walnut, cherry, etc), then you're going to pay a premium to buy it as S2S and I think you'll find you would have broken even a long time ago buying the planer.

Paul

[poolhound]

Lots of good comments (that I agree with) already but here is my 2 cents.

As you don't own a planer how do you currently square and true stock prior to a project? If you are a hand planer and have a few good quality planes you can certainly avoid owning a planer. Flattening large boards with a hand plane is tough duty while a planner will do the same thing in seconds.

A couple of other thoughts. There was no mention of a jointer and jointers & Planers go hand in hand like Bread and Butter! Then there is the issue of DC. Do you have a DC or at least a large shop vac as Planers are beasts and kick out a huge amount of chips and dust.

All that said personally I would say YES. As Hank says when you need one you really need one. If you do most of your work based on s4s it wont take that long for you to benefit from using rough lumber. You can also start to look out on CL for deals that you could not previously have take advantage of. And, speaking of CL there are typically quite a few listed that can be had for a good price rather than going for new and most dont have many miles on them unless you buy from a production shop.

[mpc]

I have a DW735 recon bought through Amazon. It works quite well and I use it at the start of most projects. While I like hand planes for small stuff, using a hand plane to thickness material takes too long for me and often the results aren't spectacular either. I've heard folks complain the blades on the 735 wear out quickly... I still have the original set in my unit. No idea how many board feet I've fed through the unit over the years. Not much compared to a cabinetmaking shop but a reasonable amount for a hobbyist I'd say.

I also have a Jet 16/32 drum sander which is wonderful. Using that to thickness stuff though takes a long time. Depending on the wood, I have to take fairly thin bites of material, otherwise the heat buildup causes pitch buildup on the sandpaper which then "cures" to a rock-hard mess ruining the rather pricey sandpaper. If you have a solid bandsaw it can do a lot of the thicknessing work with the drum sander doing the final clean-up instead of using a planer. Drum sanders typically expect flat material - my Jet can't handle anything thicker than 3 inches. So making thick blocks/posts is out of the question for it... the DW735 can handle stuff up to around a foot tall.

Also, what type of dust & chip collection system do you have? Thickness planers make a BIG mess quickly. A buddy aimed his new Delta planer into the driveway when he first bought it and ran a board through a few times playing with his new toy. After a few minutes he had "an inch of brown snow covering the driveway... then the wind came up and blew it everywhere" as he put it. The DW735 has its own chip ejector fan that is quite effective; ducting it to a trash can with a lid and air vent will work well. Dewalt actually cautions against connecting a plain shop vac to the DW735 as many shop vacs would actually restrict the flow! My 735 has no trouble inflating the bag on my dust collector by itself (a Delta 1.5 HP unit) though I run the dust collector anyway. It's CFMs are twice the 735's so it helps rather than hinders. Drum sanders pretty much REQUIRE decent dust collection; the manual for my Jet 16/32 flat-out says one must be used.

mpc

[phrog]

Other than my table saw, I probably use my thickness planer more than any other tool. No matter which one you buy, be sure to get one with a cutter head lock. Also, on those few occasions when I have forgotten to hook up my vacuum to the cutter head, the chips produced tend to cause problems with the wood not going thru correctly. So you will need some sort of vacuum or dc system, even a cheap one. Make sure the planer can connect to this system. A board weighing 5 pounds will produce approx. 20 pounds of chips. Never have figured out how that happens.

PS Love that dog photo.

[lrr]

I have a DW735 recon bought through Amazon. It works quite well and I use it at the start of most projects. While I like hand planes for small stuff, using a hand plane to thickness material takes too long for me and often the results aren't spectacular either. I've heard folks complain the blades on the 735 wear out quickly... I still have the original set in my unit. No idea how many board feet I've fed through the unit over the years. Not much compared to a cabinetmaking shop but a reasonable amount for a hobbyist I'd say.

My story is similar, although my DW735 was purchased new. I, too, still have the original blades. I tend to take off very little material during each pass, and this has certainly helped with the longevity of the blades. I am also really impressed with the quality of cuts with the HSS blades, so much so that I'm not sure I'd go to a carbide cutter. Since I swear by carbide blades in table saws, I am kind of at a loss as to why they work so well in the planer. Again, though, it is likely the way I use the planer.

Like most of my tools, I was surprised I ever lived without it after the purchase! In the case of a planer, it really does open up the possibilities of lumber at your disposal for projects. I came across a lot of rough sawn walnut at an indoor flea market booth, and bought maybe 75 board feet or more. I may not have covered the cost of the planer with the purchase of the walnut, but at today's prices for walnut I sure put a serious dent in the net cost of the planer.

[Carpenter96]

I had a Delta portable planer for many years and ran thousands of board feet through it. I upgraded to the DW 735 two years ago and am very pleased with the machine. I almost exclusively plane hardwoods like maple, walnut and many exotics. The planer has saved me a lot of money and given me the freedom to use any thickness of wood for projects. I had the delta from 1983 until 2013. If the DW 735 lasts as long I will not need another one.

Regards Bob

[jussi]

A planer will save time and money. Your options expand tremendously when you're able to work with rough lumber. I have probably gotten hundreds of bf of lumber for pennies on the dollar from Craigslist. And even if you buy only at the lumber yard you get a lot more yield by buying it rough. Not to mention that it's cheaper than s4s.

If you don't mind taking a little more time you can skip the jointer and just make a sled for the planer to joint the stock.

[JimD]

I have a Ryobi AP-10. It was the first lunch box planner and is only 10 inches wide. That is normally enough. I paid $100 for it several years ago. The previous owner said the power cord was bad but it hasn't given me any trouble. It would barely plane when I got it but the blades were very dull - probably original. I ordered a set and tried sharpening the while I waited for delivery. I am still using the sharpened originals. There is a little snipe but with infeed and outfeed rollers it isn't bad. Very worthwhile tool to have.

[dbhost]

I have the Ryobi AP1301 planer. Not as full featured as the more expensive cousins, but these things can be had for a pittance on Craigslist these days. If I were to buy a new planer though, I would make sure I got one with a cutterhead lock, and a 4" collection port.