Planer upgrade questions

[Jules Dominguez]

I have an old Ryobi 10" benchtop planer and plan to upsize to at least a 13" planer. Shop space and planer cost (within reason - I'm retired and woodworking is a hobby) aren't dominant issues.
I have several hundred board feet of 5/4 unplaned cherry and a few hundred board feet of unplaned 5/4 white oak in my basement which I acquired when I was working for a forest products company, so the first step in any of my projects is thickness planing. I don't own a joiner and I hope to get by without one by using a sled, shims and light cuts on the planer when needed to flatten a board.
Most of my projects in the past have been one of a kind, but I plan to make perhaps as many as 5 or 6 barristers bookcases for family members. I may use oak or cherry for any individual bookcase.
First question - Are there any major advantages, in my situation, to a stationary planer over a benchtop?
Second question - I just read a claim on the Craftsman web site that their 13" Professional Benchtop Planer has a cutterhead lock for virtually snipe-free planing. Can anyone who has used this planer vouch for that claim?

[Bill Lewis]

Personally, If I was to buy a planer today I would get the DeWalt DW735. I currently have an "older" DW733.

If shop space and money were not an issue, I would probably be looking at a stationary planer, and keeping the benchtop too.

[Nick Mitchell]

By all accounts, all of the portable planers do a snipe-free job. They are very slow though, but since you're retired that's probably not an issue. A stationary 15" planer will last you the rest of your life, will work longer and stronger and is generally a better option if you have the space and the means.

Also, think seriously about getting a jointer. You can not flatten a board in the planer simply by taking light cuts, and a sled is a pita. Every single board you have will need to be flattened.

[Jules Dominguez]

Thanks, guys. I'm down to considering a stationary 15 inch planer versus a 13 inch benchtop (the DeWalt 735 does look pretty good, Bill).

My main reason for considering a stationary planer is to get the extra width to plane glued up boards for something like a bookcase or small cabinet. I don't think I need the really heavy-duty features for durability and longevity, because I work slow and don't do that many projects. But, the extra width sure would be nice.

Never having used anything other than the little Ryobi, I didn't know if you could could get a higher quality finish with a stationary. Any opinions on that?

As for flattening a board with a planer, Nick, I read a thread on this website (not a recent one) in which a few people claimed to use a flat sled, shims between the workpiece and the sled, and light cuts to successfully flatten the first side of a board. I've had limited success just using light cuts, and I think I'll give this method more of a trial before I give up. I don't really care if a board is absolutely flat, anyway, as long as the finished piece is strong and not visually defective. I don't sell my work, so I don't have to worry about a customer using a straight edge to check flatness.

[Bruce Page]

Jules, you might want to check out this thread, there's some good info.http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18318

[Ray Bersch]

They are very slow though, but since you're retired that's probably not an issue.

Don't be so sure of that - you young guys have a lot more time to finish a project - we retired folks want to be sure it gets finished before we do.

[Nick Mitchell]

Jules, it definitely is possible to flatten boards using a sled and a planer but considering you can get a jointer for 2 or 300 bucks imo it just isn't worth the hassle. FWW had a good article on building and using a sled.

A planer really isn't meant to give a finished surface. It's called a thicknesser because that's what it does. To get a finished surface from any planer, portable or stationary, you'll still have to plane, scrape and sand.

Ray, thanks for calling me young, haven't felt that way in quite a while ;)

[scott spencer]

Most of the big name benchtop planers do a good job. I don't know as though I'd go as far as claiming that any are "snipe free" b/c given the right conditions I think sooner or later it's possible to get occasional snipe from any of them from time to time.

The stationary machines have several advantages... mass, power, speed, heavier cuts, quieter motors, and should last a lifetime, whereas benchtops will eventually be taken out of service. Cost and value is something you'll need to weigh out.

[Mike Holbrook]

I have had the pleasure of knowing this gentleman for a ... lets say a few years. I sent him a link to the Mini Max combo machine which he can afford, but knowing him he will probably try to get by using a Bic razor to plane with :) Or worse wait till I buy one and borrow it!

[lou sansone]

Don't be so sure of that - you young guys have a lot more time to finish a project - we retired folks want to be sure it gets finished before we do.

great ... I love a good sense of humor...

lou

[Richard Wolf]

Don't be so sure of that - you young guys have a lot more time to finish a project - we retired folks want to be sure it gets finished before we do.

I'm with you Ray. I often worry about starting large projects!!

Richard

[Jules Dominguez]

Thanks, guys, but I'm still on the fence. I read a bunch of really gushing user reviews of the DeWalt 735 at Amazon.com and a couple of other tool sale sites, plus Bill's, so if I do go benchtop that's probably what I'll get.

As I said, my main reason for a stationary model would be to get the wider cut for glued-up panels. Speed's not an issue, and apparently from what you guys say, quality of finished surface isn't either. Another consideration is that I don't have a big dust collector, which is a must for the stationary wood hogs.

Speaking of which, I recently made a jig to clamp a shop vac wet nozzle over the outfeed table of the old Ryobi. I leave the nozzle attached to the planer and plug the 2 1/2 shop vac hose into it when I use it.

The shop vac is a 3 1/2 hp Ridgid, and I'd estimate it catches 90% or more of the planer shavings. The nozzle has a slot about 1/2 inch wide by about 12 inches long with the squeegee removed, is attached so that it's very close over the top of the workpiece as it exits the planer, and moves up and down with the planer topworks. This is a poor man's dust collector, but much better than the original zero collection. This planer wasn't built with any consideration for dust collection.

[Mike Wilkins]

You did'nt mention anything about budget. You really should rethink the
idea about not having a jointer. Any flat work in solid wood should start with
the jointer for more precise working surfaces and joints, which are hard to
make on wavy wood.
You should consider one of the combination jointer/planers on the market.
It is a great advantage having the jointer the same width as the planer, and
the cost is often less than the 2 separate machines. And it will save space if
your shop is space challenged like most of us on this forum.
Good luck and watch those fingers.

[Jim Becker]

Jules...the DW735 and the Delta 22-580, while "labeled" with words like "portable" and "benchtop" are very heavy machines. You'll be wanting to build a cabinet for them that is on locking casters. They are too heavy to be lifting for storage, etc. And If I were ever going to buy a planer in this format, the DW735 is the one I'd be looking at. It's design is much closer to the stationary machines than most, if not all, of its competitors.

[Jules Dominguez]

I've decided on the DeWalt 735, which is a pretty heavy-duty benchtop, as Jim points out. And the next thing I make in the shop will be the sled described in the article on page 58 of the February 2005 issue of Fine Woodworking, "Flatten Boards Without a Jointer". It's a really well-thought-out and designed jig. You can view a video demo of it on the Fine Woodworking website.

So many experienced woodworkers have said that a jointer is a must, Mike, it makes me wonder if I'm swimming upstream trying to do without one. And I certainly appreciate the advice. Maybe I'm just hardheaded. If my future projects change my mind for me I'll be back, asking which one I should buy.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I've decided on the DeWalt 735, which is a pretty heavy-duty benchtop, as Jim points out. And the next thing I make in the shop will be the sled described in the article on page 58 of the February 2005 issue of Fine Woodworking, "Flatten Boards Without a Jointer". It's a really well-thought-out and designed jig. You can view a video demo of it on the Fine Woodworking website.

So many experienced woodworkers have said that a jointer is a must, Mike, it makes me wonder if I'm swimming upstream trying to do without one. And I certainly appreciate the advice. Maybe I'm just hardheaded. If my future projects change my mind for me I'll be back, asking which one I should buy.


Jules, I can't imagine doing wood working without a jointer. The sled idea is great but I wouldn't want to have to use it for every board I had to flatten. The main idea of the sled was not really to do every board with it. It was mainly for boards that were too wide for your jointer. Of course you can use the sled for anything but I'll bet you buy a jointer soon after doing some projects. I'm thinking of trading up to a 8" soon. Good luck. Alan

[Michael Sloan]

Hi Jules,

In my humble opinion, you will enjoy your woodworking projects much more if you have a decent jointer. The key issue is not so much the finished appearance of the wood, as it is the ease and accuracy of assembly. Out of square edges and surfaces mean out of square joints in the corners. Getting everything square without a jointer, or getting out-of-square stock to come together squarely will increase your frustration level by at least a factor of 10. Particularly with with stacking caseworks (barrister bookcases), squareness/flatness will be essential.

Of course, master cabinet makers have been producing wonderful furniture and casework with perfect joints without any electric tools for several thousand years, and there are a lot of woodworkers that revel in the challenge. But it sure seems like a lot of extra work to me.