15" or 20" Planer

[Mark Blatter]

I have decided to buy a new planer. I am going with Grizzly and had pretty much decided on the 15" with a helix head. Then as I was doing more browsing, it hit me that I could get a 20" with straight knives for $100 more.

Now do I go with the 20" straight knives or 15" helix head. I have used Grizzly's planers and jointers, both with helix heads, and was really impressed. The cuts were so smooth it was just unbelieveable. I could always buy a helix head for the 20" down the road, then I have spare cutting head for it. But will I really use or need the extra wideth? Mostly I build furniture for my family, though getting back to building cabinets is not out of the question.

Thoughts?

[Tony Bilello]

Go for the bigger planer if you are building furniture. Even the narrowest of table tops such as sofa tables are usually 16" minimum. Also, when I buy my hardwoods, they run 7 1/2 to 8 1/2" wide. Gluing only 2 boards will not fit through a 15" planer. The 15" planers are good for planing single boards.
I currently own a 20" planer and it is still not quite large enough. I need at least a 24" planer for furniture building. Beyond 24" gets too costly for me.

[Russell Smallwood]

Hey Mark,

Just got my 453px dialed in a few weeks ago. Will NEVER go back to a standard head. For me, oddly enough, it is the noise.

I have a Tormek, so I can sharpen my blades whenever I want and I'm pretty competent with hand tools so quality of cut is not as important to me but the prospect of spending a day milling stock with my old lunch box 2-knife planer would make me dread getting into the shop and, well, we just can't have that now can we?

The only thing I'm not completely sure on are the applications where the extra 5" means a lot. For me, it just means that I have to occasionally smooth a panel by hand that I could have done with the planer but that was rare, even with my 12" lunch box. That being said, there must be some commercial applications where it is common to plane something that is 20" repeatedly and where a 15" planer would be kind of useless.

The other factor, at least for me, is that I have a terrible track record of following through on those "I can XXXXXX later" promises due to the fact that there never seems to be a point in time where there isn't something that I need to buy just to get done what needs to be done with the tools I have.

So, short answer: Buy the 20" with HH :)

[Rod Sheridan]

It all depends upon your work methods.

How wide is your jointer?

For me, having a planer wider than my jointer makes no sense, as I don't plane glued up panels.

I have a 12" jointer/planer which is a perfect match for me as I get a 12" jointer, with a matching planer.

Your use may be different.................Regards, Rod.

[Matt Day]

I only have a lunchbox planer, but will hopefully be upgrading soon. I would think a 15" would be fine (especially with a HH), and of course a 20" would be a little nicer. Do you have a drum sander? I would think you'd run your tops through that rather than a planer, but I don't have a DS!

For me it's the noise too - so I'd probably vote for the 15" now. I bet a 20" HH would be around a $500 investment later which is good chunk of change.

[Brian Kincaid]

I do lots of large 20"+ panel glue-ups but I only use a 15" hh grizzly planer. Get the spiral head it is great. If you want the 20" save some more $$ and buy the 20" spiral. Questions though:
Do you plan on planing glue-up panels? Most panels I work with are wider than 20". Flattening/smoothing a panel is better done with a belt/drum sander to eliminate the risk of tear-out. I use a hand-held belt sander followed by my ROS. Capacity=infinite!
The only reason "I" would want a 20" is if I routinely worked with solid wood over 15" width. As Rod said I would also need a monster jointer to go with it!
Well thats my $0.02 anyway.

-Brian

[Brian Kincaid]

I bet a 20" HH would be around a $500 investment later which is good chunk of change.

The G0454 head is almost $1000 http://www.grizzly.com/products/20-Spiral-Cutterhead-for-G0454/T10129
Highly doubt you would be able to sell the old head to recoup some loss.
-Brian

[Steve Griffin]

While less important than other factors, two more advantages to a bigger planer is they tend to have more power and, in theory, you can go 33% longer before sharpening.

If you have a stationary drum sander or wide belt sander, the planer width and HH becomes less important.

If you don't have those sanders, and are a hobbiest, I'd probably go 15" with a HH head if in the budget.

[Charlie Plesums]

I have 16 inch jointer and planer. I wish I had 20. There is no way I will be able to get a jointer/planer wide enough for the largest tabletop, etc., so I use a wide drum sander, but raised panels in doors seem to go up to 20 inches... that gives you a 24 inch door, and doors wider than 24 inches typically become a pair of smaller doors. I glue up the panels before I run them through the jointer and planer - except for those between 16 and 20 inches wide.

[Josh Rudolph]

I have the G0454....I bought it with the straight knives as I was too impatient to save up and get the spiral at the time. It was time for me to sharpen the straight knives so I started weighing my options. New set of blades so I am not down while the 1st set is being sharpened ~ $100. Cost of sharpening blades ~$1/in. so 60in. * $1 = $60 So for my first sharpening I was looking at a $160 investment just so I won't have time without the planer. I then looked at a spiral head. Carbide inserts should get at least 50% (most likely more) more yield before needing "sharpened/rotated". So that is the equivalent of at least 6 straight knife sharpening's ~$360. The more I woodwork the more I am getting into figured woods...my straight knives was giving me tear out on some really nice wood.

My buddy does not have the room for a shop, so he uses my shop to house some tools he has purchased. One of his purchases was a 12" jointer with spiral cutterhead. I went from a 6" straight knife to a 12" spiral. What a difference. It was quieter, easier to feed, and a far superior finish off of the jointer.

So considering all of this and knowing I plan to make this a life long hobby, I recently made the investment to the 20" spiral cutterhead. The nicest part of the upgrade has been the noise reduction. It is quite significant. The finish on figured woods is much better for me also. I really wish I had made the investment from the get go...it would have been cheaper, and the upgrade would have been done by Grizzly. The upgrade wasn't difficult, just something that I wouldn't have had to have done if I made the investment up front.

I agree with Rod's logic though...when I bought the 20", my upgrade plan was to eventually get a 16" jointer. In the mean time, my buddy needed a place to house his 12" jointer. Who was I to say no? :D So I won't be making a 16" jointer investment until he has a place to house his tools. There is no real need for him to find a place and the 12" works out well for us. If we have something wider than 12" that needs jointed, we break out the planer sled and wrestle it through the planer.

So considering all of my rambling...I would suggest the 15" with the spiral head. If you are more patient than me and have the room, save up for the 20"...you can use a planer sled and effectively have up to a 20" jointer. *Disclaimer* a 20" planer sled will be a beast to handle by yourself with a wide board on top. But it is doable.

[Paul Johnstone]

I would get a 20" with straight knives.

I have a 20" Jet, it does have the carbide inserts though.

It's great to be able to do glueups up to 20" and then just plane them all at once.
You can also put multiple pieces through the planer at once, saving time.

Jointer width is not an issue for me.. Mainly because if the boards are reasonably flat, I just edge join them and then put the whole glueup through the planer to flatten.

I know everyone has their own way of working, but I would rather have the extra width than the carbide insert head.
I used regular knives on my previous planers, and as a hobbyist, they last a long time.

[Glen Blanchard]

Mainly because if the boards are reasonably flat, I just edge join them and then put the whole glueup through the planer to flatten.

Paul - If the boards are not completely flat to begin with, how will the planer make them so?

[Van Huskey]

First, I am 100% in the insert cutter head camp. It is unlikely that I will ever own a jointer or planer with straight knives again, the time, cost and general pain in the butt factor makes the spiral heads worth it to me. My approach for my new shop is probably odd, 12" jointer and 15" planer. The one "loss" I have is the ability to plane wide glueups, but I have a 38" sander for those. If I was willing to pay the price of a 20" planer with a helical head AND segmented infeed rollers then I would probably have one, but we are talking a LOT more money than the planers we are talking about.

The bottom line is there will be no clear opinion on this because all of us work differently and view the economic costs differently.

[Greg Portland]

It should be mentioned that a 15" or 20" floorstander with straight knives will be significantly more quiet than your typical lunchbox planer. Going to helical head knives would be another equally large improvement. One thing to mention about wider planers is that you can run multiple boards through at a time. Is 20" going to save you time (depends on typical board width for your work)? Otherwise I wouldn't bother... there are not a lot of glueups that are going to pass through a 20" but not a 15" planer. Plus, your WWing budget is approaching drum sander territory anyway... it is only a matter of time. :-)

[Gary Herrmann]

Get the 20". Use it, see how you like the straight knives. Upgrade later if you feel it's important.

[Mark Blatter]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

I have been using a lunch box planer, and while it does a nice job, it is loud and needs to that knives replaced due to a nick. I just spent two years working at custom cabinet shop where we had a 12" top of the line Grizzly jointer that was oh so smooth, and a 20" top of the line Grizzly planer, both with HH. I got really spoiled. Also had the 36" wide belt sander, so have been hesistant to get the drum sander as I am so spoiled.

At this point, I think the 15" HH is the right way for me to go. I have been somewhat looking for a used drum sander and may have found one, a 16-32 Performax. Need to just make the call and get the planer ordered. Stop procrastinating......make the call.....

[Chip Lindley]

I have decided to buy a new planer. I am going with Grizzly and had pretty much decided on the 15" with a helix head. Then as I was doing more browsing, it hit me that I could get a 20" with straight knives for $100 more.

Now do I go with the 20" straight knives or 15" helix head...But will I really use or need the extra wideth? Mostly I build furniture for my family, though getting back to building cabinets is not out of the question.

Thoughts?

A 20" planer with knives for $100 more serves no purpose, except to prolong time between knife changes. I cannot fathom trying to plane wide slabs on a 20" knife head with any great success. Glue-ups would have to be straight-grained and very uninteresting. Tearout will make you wish you had a spiral head, time and time again! IMHO, a 15" planer with spiral insert head would be your better investment. I hear the small ridges left from a Shelix head can be cleaned up with a ROS. But, any knife-type planer begs for a decent drum sander to finish what it started.

[Mike Metz]

Save the extra Money and buy the 20" with the spiral head already installed.. it is a major PITA to replace the cutterhead. I have the g0454z and it is a champ! i had a 15" straight knife and will never go back!! the cutters last at least 4 times as long, then when they are dull, you still have 3 other sides to rotate to. the 5hp is great i was planing 12/4 black walnut 12" wide 8' long the other day and had no struggle. its quiet as well, just hear the air from the cutterhead (when under no load)... smooth clean cuts on everything thrown its way!

[Rick Fisher]

I have a 20" GI Planer with a Helical head.. I would accept 15" to keep the helical head.. would not go back to straight knives.. I have planed 19" and 19.9" glue-ups .. sofa tables last Xmas.. its great.. most of the time however, I am planing much narrower stock and appreciate the helical head every time..

Width is a luxury.. Quality of cut is an asset.

[Van Huskey]

Width is a luxury.. Quality of cut is an asset.

Truer words...

[Bill Sams]

Mark, I have a 20" grizzly 3hp planer with a byrd helical head for sale for $1500. Contact me if you are interested, I am in Virginia.

[Mark Blatter]

Already bought the 15" Bill. I am already second guessing my decision, but I started using it today. I would have loved the 20" but just couldn't justify the price.

Also, I am in Denver, so it would have been a challenge getting it picked up.

Thanks anyway.

[Paul McGaha]

Mark,

I think you did fine picking a 15" planer. No need for second guessing. Unless you have or are planning on getting a jointer larger than 15" it seems to me you made the right choice.

Please post some pictures of it so we can see what you picked out.

PHM

[Neil Brooks]

I agree with Paul.

I would love a 20" planer, but am perfectly happy with the 13"er that I have. It was a money decision, so ... if that picture ever changes ... maybe I'll buy something else.

Would enjoy seeing pics !

[Scott T Smith]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

I have been using a lunch box planer, and while it does a nice job, it is loud and needs to that knives replaced due to a nick. I just spent two years working at custom cabinet shop where we had a 12" top of the line Grizzly jointer that was oh so smooth, and a 20" top of the line Grizzly planer, both with HH. I got really spoiled. Also had the 36" wide belt sander, so have been hesistant to get the drum sander as I am so spoiled.

At this point, I think the 15" HH is the right way for me to go. I have been somewhat looking for a used drum sander and may have found one, a 16-32 Performax. Need to just make the call and get the planer ordered. Stop procrastinating......make the call.....


I think that you're making the right decision (unless you buy Bill's 20" planer in VA). At present I have a 16" straight knife jointer / planer, and a 25" spiral cutterhead jointer planer, and a 37" WBS. Previously had a 16" spiral cutterhead jointer and 20" spiral cutterhead planer.

IMO - you are better off with the 15" spiral cutterhead machine, and putting your next investment towards either a WBS or wide drum sander. The best of all worlds.