The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Wood thickness planer

I could be redoing my bed, so this is Truck related...

Considering either the Dewalt or the Grizzly 12 -inch, 3-blade bench top thickness planers. Anyone have any thoughts? I already have several Grizzly tools and I have the set of Dewalt 20-volt cordless, so I am impressed by both brands. I'm leaning toward the Grizzly, though ....

??

I have seen the OP's bed...
I am calling Foul!
Moderator, move this off topic thread to its proper forum. Might I suggest the IT Short Bus, or The Passing Lane. Teach him a lesson.
(Insert the dude-sipping-coffee emoji here.)

Thanks Carl ....

Here ya go:

John, I have a Dewalt thickness planer that is on semi-permanent loan to me. It has worked well for what I have needed it to do. That being said, I would think the Grissly would be a superior machine. If I was in the market, I think I would lean that way too.

I have been running the dewalt for about 10 years and been really happy with it. That said, I have been looking at the Grizzly and trying to convince myself to buy one because it appears to be a superior setup.

You probably can't go wrong with either one.

For the average home hobbyist the Dewalt would probably last forever. For a serious hobbyist or a Professional the Grizzly would be the choice. I’ve been running Dewalt tools, corded and battery, for 30+ years without a single failure.

I have a neighbour with a thickness planer. I had my bed boards planed there. Rarely used tool doesn't take up any space in my shop at all...

Nothing these days is made with the quality it once was 80 years ago. When I seek out wood/cabinetry tools, I try to find something that wasn't built any later than the 60's or 70's. Having said that, I do have a DeWalt circular saw that I bought because it has a flat plate I can rest against a straight edge and get an extremely precise cut. The only thing that cuts straighter is my Rockwell Unisaw. We also have a few Grizzly machines around the shop. Still offshore, but, most Grizzly machines can be adjusted in to a precise cutting machine.

After looking at both of these units, I would probably look for an older machine in the local classifieds. I just wouldn't pull the trigger. But, I'm funny like that. For a truck bed, probably fine. For my wife's kitchen cabinets, maybe not. Sad thing is, I had a chance at a free 60's Delta machine and I forgot all about it.

Back when high schools and technical schools were actually teaching kids to work for a living, they bought very high quality equipment for training. Check out your local school system surplus sales and see if there's a Powermatic, Atlas, or some other professional-grade planer available. They can usually be bought for pennies on the dollar. Ditto for federal equipment surplus auctions. Even 3 phase equipment can be adapted with a simple motor change.
Jerry

I have a Dewalt. If I take a light cut on the last pass at the slower speed it usually doesn't require any finish sanding.

I have a full cabinet shop. I can start with a 48" log and make molding. I have several large grizzly tools and some medium size as well. For the money I feel Grizzly is a good buy. I have never used a bench top plainer but if you don't over work it they will be fine. I would highly recommend an insert type spiral cutting head. They make all the difference. If you don't plan to stay in the woodworking game I would just take it someone. A small woodworking shop would probably do it for $50 or less. A few years back I completely milled the whole bed for a guy from rough lumber for $200 and may have over charged him. He supplied the lumber from his mothers oak tree.

Thanks for the input everyone!

You are very welcome. Always glad to help.

Can I borrow it when you are done?

I re-did a bed a while back and the cabinet man I used when building houses said he'd do it for me. I don't know what kind of machine he used, or even noticed, but it was a smooth nice job and he didn't even charge me. You could hardly tell he took any off the thickness.
Good Idea to use a cabinet shop or a vocational school with a wood shop.....if you can find one.

Alvin -- Yeah, I didn't have this problem when my neighbor was a Mennonite furniture maker ... I hear you, but you forget for a moment that I am a proud Native New England Yankee. We generally don't like to ask anyone for anything ever -- it means talking to someone and submitting yourself to their schedule or rules or needs or whatever. Now that I am putting a wood shop back on line at the new place, Miss Peggy has already developed a wish list. I have a stack of cut, dry oak, some cypress (for a boat seat) and some other pine, etc. When I get going, I just want to walk out to the shed, flick the lights on, get to work and be left ALONE. The last thing I want to do is stop, put stuff in the van, drive somewhere just to be told, "Sure -- come back in an hour" or "it needs to be sharpened first" or "while you're at it, can you run these off for me, too?" Or, worst of all, someone being gabby while I am immersed in a project.

Back on topic ...

The DeWalt makes a point that its knives are replaceable (i.e., no sharpening, just toss 'em and put in a new set. No adjustments. The knives on the Grizzly are to be sharpened as required and then adjusted. Just how hard is that to do? How does one generally sharpen planer knives?

Planer blades are generally sent out for sharpening, you could do it yourself but probably not worth the effort to invest for the 3-4 blades a year, generally have 2 sets so you can swap out and send the dull set out. Setting knives isn't that difficult just takes a little quiet time. The disposable blades are handy but seem to dull sooner. Carbide insert heads are quieter (a lot) and the inserts are rotated when dull so you get 4 edges before replacement. The spiral and helical heads do better on highly figured grain (helix better than spiral). Drawback is that you can't take as heavy a cut as you can with a straight knife planer.
Hope this helps
Chuck

Thanks Chuck!

Always helpful to brush off any dirt or debris from the wood before planing. If air dried for a few years typical yard dust blows on the wood including abrasive dust clouds from the driveway and crud from rodents etc. Brushing / dusting the boards beforehand will help keep the blades sharper longer, or delay wear . I use a stiff wire brush, compressed air or sometimes vacuum the wood before I do a run.

Not exactly what you asked but the DeWalt knives take about 5 min to change. They are also sharpened on both sides so are reversible. They are not so expensive that I don't bother to sharpen.

There is a magnetic fixture available that holds the knives in position while they're bolted onto the drum. That assures the cut is even all the way across the width of the board you're planing.
Jerry

Apparently, they're both made in China. I thought Grizzly was made in US?

Anyone know of a planer maker who is still made in USA (or Canada) and has a product for hobby use (not a $6k shop unit for production ... )

Not political -- Moral/ethical. I would prefer to trade with free capitalists, not slave masters.

All I know of is Woodmaster, they have a planer/moulder for $3k. I guess it's considered a light production unit though

Nothing made in the USA that I'm aware of. That's why I buy old and refurbish. Makes it take longer to get any project done, but I'm dumb like that. Thick skulled?

$150, plus another $100 to powder coat the cabinet. Not quite Delta gray, but close.

Here's a used planer near you John. Powermaster is supposed to be US made.

Link

I, for one, cannot wait to see the new 9 foot bed wood on Charlie. You going with something exotic like IPE?
Side note: Are you entertaining offers for your tired looking original bed wood. Feel free to PM me, as we don't want to violate Site rules pertaining to buying/selling/trading here.

For Canada - check out General. Machinery sold by Jet, Grizzly, Delta, Fox, and Powermatic you name it are all made In China. In most cases, the same foundry - casting the same parts᠁ only difference are the tolerances, fit, finish or - some patent or copyright design tweak by the brand or company to avoid infringement issues.

Back in the early 80’s Grizzly and Jet were crap. Since that time - each has stepped up to be much better quality.

I would not be surprised if General (almost certain) has also moved their castings and parts offshore and I don’t recall them offering portable planers. But, I have owned a couple General machines over the years - and was pleased with quality.

I would say John, that finding an American cast and assembled machine will be a challenge unless you go to an industrial machinery seller, CL or similar, or eBay and find the old Rockwell, Powermatic, Parks, or Delta brands prior to the late 70’s. ᠁ but not portable᠁these table top planers are relatively new. The lighter, more mobile planers came on to the market, back in the late 70's and the rest of the manufacturers followed this design offered originally by Rockwell (some other Industrial American made machines would be Parks Machine Co. that lasted almost 100 years folding in 1989, Yates American that produced probably one of the finest planers for its time in the 20's through early 30's but dissolved, and Oliver that fell into bankruptcy in the late 80's or early 90's).

During the 70’s the woodworking hobby accelerated as these machines became more affordable and available. Demand was increasing and profit margins could be increased by moving offshore and wanting more of a market share in the the growing and increasingly competitive home woodworking markets (think about the burgeoning TV programs such as This Old House, and the New Yankee Workshop as making popular and perpetuating the idea of DIY projects and home woodshops at that same time) .

It was during this time that Rockwell and Delta merged (eventually becoming Delta) and others started manufacturing and foundry work in China when US labor and labor laws demanded better benefits, higher wages, controlled working hours and employment rights, working condition standards, and living standards increased. Raw material extraction was cheaper in other lands, and oil prices increased or supplies became limited, and environmental controls were tightening in North America...(now please let's keep a lid on this can... LOL!). It became too expensive to produce the same machine in North America vs the same machine and shipping it back from China, India and other economies wanting to become established when there was the growing awareness of globalization and linked economies.

We are a hungry society and reckoning with the realization that 'we cant have it both ways..' in spite of our protestations. I would say there may be a return to American/North American shores in some sectors - but those will be pendulum swings both short and longer term. Demand, availability of resources and supplies, price of labor, environmental clean air and water costs (or not) and access will drive where manufacturing will occur.

Holding true to buying American may be changing to buying a foundry workers' labor from country A so he can make rent, buying the labor and raw materials from yet different country B to pay for his children's shoes, shipping from Port W to Port A and funding a longshoreman's family groceries, paying a truck drivers wage for trucking the machine to our garage doors to make loan payments on a RV, or save up to remodel the kitchen; and funding corporate offices and a cocktail party in a city far from where the original company was founded in country Z.

This path was no different than automobile, appliance, agriculture implements, truck parts, luxury and entertainment goods and any high volume high demand manufacturing need.

The North American standards back in the 60-70’s were Rockwell, Delta, Powermatic, and General. Not to mention Dewalt Radial Arm saws in the 40’s and 50's but they were sold off to AMF and eventually Black and Decker and soon lost quality᠁as some manufacturers strategy was to employ a high volume production, pay low production costs and pricing that traded quality for a disappointing reputation (and RAS’s became obsolete for the most part). (It didn’t help that a live Tv commercial - a marketing strategy in the late 50’s, introduced the Dewalt Radial Arm saws to the general homeowner market and the fella promptly cut off his fingers᠁on live TV...viewing fun for the whole family!)

Note - I could share the long and interesting story about the Sears Craftsman line starting in the 30's to today - but for the most part the reference to the standard companies above were producing machinery for the massively increasing DIY market and higher end or more discerning hobbyist/craftsman/ DIY'er that became more sophisticated.

What with TV programming, better standards of living, lower production costs for tools and available machines, and recently the internet, this sophistication demanded improved tolerances and accuracy while demand for industrial machinery peaked or stalled in comparison after the post-WWII building boom started to fall off. These companies merely adapted to the changing market in order to survive (and some companies did not adapt and lost the competitive edge, yet produced some of the finest machines ever but were swallowed up, folded or dissolved).

Whoa -- thanks for the education, Tom -- that was interesting. So I might as well go with the usual suspects, then?

Kevin -- Thanks. But I don't have 3-phase service

Carl -- you have 1st dibs on Charlie's bed wood when I remove it. Don't hold your ... no, go ahead and hold your breath. It won't be long ...

I have a pretty good head start on you, so I don't expect to outlive you, waiting for that magical, yet fateful day...
You shall remain in my prayers regardless.

My plainer is 24" single phase 220 5 hp. It was built in the 50's. I bought it for $850 in "working" condition. I then replaced all the bearings and bushings and bought a spiral cut insert head for it. My total investment is about $2200. It weighs about 1200 lbs. It will easily take a 1/8" cut on a 24" oak board and leave a smooth finish with no chatter or snipe. The drive wheels are steel instead of rubber or whatever the new ones are. The carbide inserts have 4 sides each and are sharper than a scalpel. If you do damage a side of one it takes about 2 minutes to spin it a quarter turn. It's more machine than most people need but I thought I would just throw it out there. FYI I would stay away from Cedar, it's full of fine dirt and will eat your blades. The drum sander is a better choice for Cedar.

cedar has natural occurring silica in the wood structure. Similar to using silica carbide sand paper. Sanding it is best ᠁ or use a thickness drum sander. Wear a mask.