15" Planer Experiences

[Larry Frank]

I have been considering buying a 15” – 3 HP planer. I have a DW735 which works well but struggles when working with wider boards of ash and oak. I am just putting too much through it and would like to use it as a finish planer and use a 15" planer for the hard work. I have looked at several of these larger planers including -

Jet JWP-15DX

Delta 22-790X

Grizzly G0453

The Jet is the most expensive followed closely by the Delta. The Grizzly is the least expensive by several hundred dollars.

Can anyone who has one of these give me some guidance on their experiences with the machines? Good, Band or Ugly ?

[george wilson]

I know that if you try to take too much off the 4 column type,the table will slip downwards. It is a design limitation.

When I was the toolmaker in Williamsburg,the maintenance shop nearby had a 15" Jet. It kept slipping,and I was asked to find out why.

The columns are hollow cast iron,and they will "cave in" a little bit,and slip downwards when too much pressure is put on them: I.E.,they slip even if the clamps are tightened because their hollow columns can squeeze a small amount.

I have a 15" Bridgewood 4 column. It planes very smoothly. I just don't take off too much. In fact,mine has a steel part that is clamped onto the overhead casting. It PREVENTS you from taking off too much.

I wouldn't waste money on the Jet. It's the same Chinese machine as all the rest. I haven't owned a Delta,or a Grizzly. Most guys here seem to be well satisfied with their Grizzly machines,and customer service.

[Bruce Wrenn]

15" planers come in two camps. First, the cutter head and motor travel up and down. Bed stays the same height. Motor has to be swung out of the way to change knives. But how often do you expect to change out a set of knives? My Delta fits into that catagory. Second, the table moves up and down. This means that the height of the bed is constantly changing, be it ever so small. As for one brand over another, I think most are made in the same industrial complex. If I were buying new right now, Grizzly would be my choice. I don't care to spend extra money to have a certain color of paint on a machine. Buy the machine, not the paint job.

[george wilson]

By the way,my motor is in the base,not on the head. There USED to be a model whose motor was in the way of knife changing,though it was years ago,and I don't know if any motor on top models of today get in the way.

I think having the motor away from the cutterhead makes for smoother,less vibration planing.

[Chip Lindley]

Planers with the overhead motor do not impede knife changing to any great extent. Moving the motor out of the way on it's mount is just another step. The REAL issue is that long boards are inadvertently slid back across the motor's top for another pass, scratching the paint. Base-mounted motors allow rollers on top of the machine for easier re-feeding.

The original (4-post) Rockwell RC33 planer has top-mounted motor. A big selling point was enabling fixed-height feed tables, since the cutterhead/motor moved and the table remained stationary. I have never used in- or outfeed tables, so this has always been a moot point. For convenience sake, I would rather enjoy the top mounted rollers for easier stock re-feed.

Otherwise, 15" planers are very similar, except for paint color.

[Van Huskey]

Jet JWP-15DX

Delta 22-790X

Grizzly G0453



If it were me and my budget would cover $1600 I would get the Griz with the helical head and call it a day. Not sure where you are looking but the Jet w/ plain knives can be had for $1369 shipped with liftgate so the price is not that much more and the Jet does have a 5 year warranty. I often think the final price difference between Jet and Grizzly is often claimed as more because Grizzly's price is easy to get, and often people just quote the Jet MAPP price bacause it supports their opinion and does take a little more work to find the low price.

[Paul Ryan]

Larry,


I just did the same thing you are taling about doing. I sold a nice 13" ridgid machine when I got a 15" powermatic. The machine I have is the same as the jet you are talking about. It is the right choice. Planing with the lunch box machines works but on large boards they really struggle. I like having a machine that will talk off 1/8" with out batting an eye. The machine I have has the straight knives but leaves an equally nice finish on the hardwoods I have run through it. So I really felt no need to keep the small machine.

This machine is also identical to the grizzly machines. The parts schematics are even the same, but some parts are not interchangeable. Bang for your buck I say go with the grizzly. You will be very happy, and it is the same machine powermatic has been selling for years. I suggest spending the extra $$ for the helical head.

[Ray Newman]

A few years ago, I bought the Sunhill 15" planer, CT-382A.

http://www.sunhillmachinery.com/en/home-shop.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=161&category_id=49

Tel: 1-800-929-4321

The only alteration that I did to it was to remove the built in casters and install a Rockler all terrain heavy duty mobile base.

It has performed flawlessly and I haven’t had any mechanic or other problems with it. For approx. US $750.00 + shipping, it is a sleeper on the tool market.

IMO, Sunhill power tools are under-rated and under-appreciated.
For ‘zample, if I was in the market for a 8” jointer, I would look very closely at the Sunhill 8” jointer with its 4 knife cutter head (US $595.00) -- other cutter heads are options. At the time when I was shopping for an 8” jointer, I purchased a JET. Now that I have examined the Sunhill line, I think the Sunhill is a better deal.

But no matter what brand you buy, confirm the shipping costs! Sometimes shipping can be a deal breaker....

[Cary Falk]

I don't have any of these planers, so maybe I shoudn't post, but...... I am currently in the market for one and I have decided on the Grizzly G0453Z. I have lost my taste for Delta over the years. Base on my experience of the past few years, I have found Grizzly to be on par or slightly better quality wise to the other two. I can get the spiral head on the Grizzly for almost as much as the straight knife Jet. There are a lot of satisfied customers of the G0453Z. Email the Grizzly E-bay team to put one on Ebay and you can save an extra 8% using Bing cashback. Unless I find a screaming deal on the Jet, that is my plan.

[Cody Colston]

I have the Grizzly GO453. I haven't even gotten 20 hours on it yet but I think it's a great planer and a greater bargain. The bed moves vs the cutterhead but I haven't found that to be a problem. The elevation crank is effortless to turn, has a knob to lock in the depth-of-cut and the gauge was accurate on mine right out of the crate.

The planer will take a healthy slice off a board although I don't push it to it's limits except when I first put it through it's paces. However, thicknessing rough sawn-lumber takes about half the time that it formerly took with the DW 733 that it replaced because it can handle more stock removal per pass.

When taking larger bites, it will leave "tracks" on the board from the infeed roller but on light passes, they are not obvious. It's still a thicknesser, however and doesn't leave a finish-ready surface. Sanding or scraping are still required although I haven't noticed tearout being a problem. I've thicknessed probably 80 bf of 5/4 Aromatic Cedar and 50 BF of 8/4 Osage Orange along with small amounts of Red Oak, Mesquite, Maple, etc. It handled them all well, even the OO.

One day I might even replace the knives with shelix cutters but for now, I'm very satisfied with it's performance and I work strictly with rough-sawn lumber.

The built-in roller base is great, too, and although the machine is very heavy, it can be moved around with one hand on my concrete shop floor. It does require a bit more maintenance than the lunchbox-type planers as the two-speed gearbox is oil-filled and it must be checked regularly. At 20 hours, I have to change the gear oil and I'm not really looking forward to it because the filler hole is difficult to access. But, that's about the only complaint I have with it so far.

[Rod Sheridan]

One of my friends has a 15" GI planer that I've changed knives on a few times for him.

It has the motor on top of the head, which isn't an issue, it pivots out of the way for knife changes.

The planer has a two speed gearbox for the feed, and bed rollers which I set below the bed because he doesn't plane material that hasn't been jointed.

He's been very pleased with it over the years, it took me a couple of years to convince him to replace his portable planer, now he wishes that he had done it sooner.

In my opinion, any planer needs a good inspection and adjustment before being placed into service, many don't come from the factory properly adjusted. The planer manual should outline all the specifications and procedures.

I'm on my second planer and once again opted for straight knives, although my planer does have the quick change knives. I must admit that I'm spoiled now that I have a machine that only takes 5 minutes to change all the knives.:D

I threw out the original knives in my friends planer after they became dull, and replaced them with two sets of 18% tungsten knives. They hold an edge better than the cheaper knives that came with the planer.

I use the cobalt knives in my planer and find that they stay sharp for a very long time.

Have a look at the planers, check out the fit, finish and details and then make your decision.

Regards, Rod.

P.S. Don't forget dust collection, the planer won't work properly without it.

[Wayne A Hall]

Wow, at $749 I would have to investigate the Sunhill one. Looks just like the Delta to me. Having dealt with Delta parts recently, I wouldn't give you two cents for Delta machinery anymore.

[mike caruso]

Check out woodtek 15" at woodworkers supply paid less than 700.00 some times they have free shipping on there machines.

[Ray Newman]

"When taking larger bites, it will leave 'tracks' on the board from the infeed roller but on light passes, they are not obvious."
--Cody Colston

Cody can you elaborate on these "tracks" and what they look like?

[Rod Sheridan]

"When taking larger bites, it will leave 'tracks' on the board from the infeed roller but on light passes, they are not obvious."
--Cody Colston

Cody can you elaborate on these "tracks" and what they look like?

I think that might be reversed.

When taking very light cuts, the serrated in feed rollers can leave marks because the indentations are deeper than the cut.

That can happen to a varying degree depending upon wood hardness and cut depth.

I don't find it a problem because I normally take no more than 2 passes, and the last pass the planer is set to the correct depth and I always take a reasonably large cut.

regards, Rod.

[Paul Johnstone]

I have the 20" version of the Jet. It's great. I got it at Tools Plus. They sell below MAP for Jet, you just have to add the item to your shopping cart.

I ordered it during Jet's sale. With the 6.50 shipping (I think that promotion goes on all the time), it was actually less than the comparable Grizz (after I added shipping cost to the Griz)

One thing worth noting on the Jet is that if you upgrade to a spiral head, you also get cast iron infeed/outfeed tables instead of rollers. That makes a more compelling argument to spend the extra money for the spiral head, at least IMO.

[Van Huskey]

I have the 20" version of the Jet. It's great. I got it at Tools Plus. They sell below MAP for Jet, you just have to add the item to your shopping cart.

I ordered it during Jet's sale. With the 6.50 shipping (I think that promotion goes on all the time), it was actually less than the comparable Grizz (after I added shipping cost to the Griz)

One thing worth noting on the Jet is that if you upgrade to a spiral head, you also get cast iron infeed/outfeed tables instead of rollers. That makes a more compelling argument to spend the extra money for the spiral head, at least IMO.

The difference shipped for the Jet 15 HH to the Griz 453z is about $350 for the $350 the biggest thing you get is the 5 year warranty and a different head (have no idea which head is better) the price up to the PM 15HH is about $600 there you get the warranty, slightly larger tables and the Byrd head (which I do like better) but it is a much harder sell even to me, and I have a huge thing for mustard. Planers are the place that PM has one of the smallest advantages.

[Joe Von Kaenel]

Did you ever give any thought to the Woodmaster 718 Planer? Built like a tank great customer service. MADE IN THE USA!! in Kansas City. I can also use mine as a molder and drum sander (works very well). Just a thought

Joe

http://www.woodmastertools.com/s/planers.cfm

[Glen Butler]

"When taking larger bites, it will leave 'tracks' on the board from the infeed roller but on light passes, they are not obvious."
--Cody Colston

Cody can you elaborate on these "tracks" and what they look like?


I think that might be reversed.

When taking very light cuts, the serrated in feed rollers can leave marks because the indentations are deeper than the cut.

That can happen to a varying degree depending upon wood hardness and cut depth.

I don't find it a problem because I normally take no more than 2 passes, and the last pass the planer is set to the correct depth and I always take a reasonably large cut.

regards, Rod.
Neither of these statements make sense to me. Once the wood passes the infeed roller it is planed off thus no marks. If you are getting marks on light passes you may need to adjust the infeed roller. When my jet arrived the roller was .044 below the cutterhead. .004 is recommended. I fixed it and that has made all the difference. It takes the wood more smoothly and cuts cleaner because the teeth were creating tiny ridges that chipped out.

[Marshall Border]

Larry : I have the Grizzly 15" older model 2HP 220 volt and I can tell you that it all that I have ever wanted in planing the hard woods . I brought a small portable Delta 12" planer and decided real fast that it was going to be burned up if I keep putting the hard wood to it . I myself have since brought a Grizzly drill press , 2HP Dust collector , and now am planing on buying a Grizzly 6" Jointer just in a couple of weeks . Not downing the other brands but I believe in the Grizzly brand , I'm also a Dewalt man such as the 20" Dewalt scrollsaw and Porter Cable guy . I also have several Delta woodworking large tools such as the Una-saw and 14" band saw , hope this helps some .........Marshall :)

[Paul Ryan]

Neither of these statements make sense to me. Once the wood passes the infeed roller it is planed off thus no marks. If you are getting marks on light passes you may need to adjust the infeed roller. When my jet arrived the roller was .044 below the cutterhead. .004 is recommended. I fixed it and that has made all the difference. It takes the wood more smoothly and cuts cleaner because the teeth were creating tiny ridges that chipped out.

The specs in the manuel for my powermatic 15 is .040 below the cutter head. But the new machines from jet and powermatic with either the spiral or straight knives have a spec of .020 below the cutter head. Before I checked the new specs I set it for .040 and I had some pretty good marks from the infeed roller. I then changed it to .30 and still had some marks. Currently I have it set at the latest specs of .020. If you take lite cuts you still get some small marks that will sand out easy though. So I think I may change it again to .015. It is easy to do and I will keep fine tuning it to the point where it still grabs good but doesn't leave marks on really shallow cuts. The infeed on the larger machines is much better than the bench top models but can cause marks.

[Dan Lawson]

Larry : I have the Grizzly 15" older model 2HP 220 volt and I can tell you that it all that I have ever wanted in planing the hard woods . I brought a small portable Delta 12" planer and decided real fast that it was going to be burned up if I keep putting the hard wood to it . I myself have since brought a Grizzly drill press , 2HP Dust collector , and now am planing on buying a Grizzly 6" Jointer just in a couple of weeks . Not downing the other brands but I believe in the Grizzly brand , I'm also a Dewalt man such as the 20" Dewalt scrollsaw and Porter Cable guy . I also have several Delta woodworking large tools such as the Una-saw and 14" band saw , hope this helps some .........Marshall :)

Marshall: Are you referring to the G1021? I have that version and find that the head unit seems to slip downward during cuts. Have you experienced that? The manual states that dull blades might induce movement, but just checking on your experiences. Guess I can't complain as I only paid $225 for it (not gloating as the I would have to post a pic:D). Thanks.

Dan

[Greg Portland]

Woodmaster 718 PlanerI have one of these and it is great. It's less expensive than a 15" planer + cheap drum sander. A large dust collector is essential with any of these larger planers.

[Paul Johnstone]

The difference shipped for the Jet 15 HH to the Griz 453z is about $350 for the $350 the biggest thing you get is the 5 year warranty and a different head (have no idea which head is better) the price up to the PM 15HH is about $600 there you get the warranty, slightly larger tables and the Byrd head (which I do like better) but it is a much harder sell even to me, and I have a huge thing for mustard. Planers are the place that PM has one of the smallest advantages.

Ok, I see.. it looks like both prices changed since the Jet sale.

But you know, if you are going to get a spiral head, there's no reason to keep your benchtop around as a finishing planer. I just can't imagine you using a benchtop planer after you use the 15" one (whichever one you chose).