planer question

[Kent E. Matthew]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/Goose5/deltaplaner.jpg

This planer has been up for about two months. If I can arrange funding through the Minister of Finance I am thinking about it. No stand but that's no problem I can put one together in no time. My question is functionality without the infeed and outfeed tables?

[Stephen Cherry]

It's my opinion that infeed and outfeed tables are one of a long list of culprits in producing snipe. The advantage of the planer in the picture though is that the table does not raise and lower-- it would be pretty easy to make a base with accurately placed tables. I use my planer (a jet) without infeed or outfeed tables and it is fine.

[David Kumm]

That is a DC 33 which was a nice little 13" planer and although made in Taiwan a step up from what was Asian at the time. Mine is mounted on a plywood base and set high enough so the bandsaw table serves as the infeed. Auxiliary tables are easy to make and it is a great candidate for a byrd head. The gear oil tends to leak but not a big deal. The older RC 33 is the preferred model but it is really a pretty good little planer. Knives are harder to change with the motor on top - hence the byrd head on mine - but the Marathon motor was a good one. You can easily fit a Wixey digital on it and have an accurate repeatable set up. I use mine as a finish planer and would not change for a moving table 15". They very seldom came with the tables unless with the base and I've seen more without than with. Dave

[David Nelson1]

I had an RC 33 with the stand and the in and outfeed tables. The stand and the feeds are accessories. The tables where made of particle board with a laminate top. Dave is right no need for them. As mentioned blade changes are a major pain. The plane doesn't do well without dust collection and its very loud. add dust collection and it howls IMO louder than a lunch box. It is a good planer and if you don't mind standing on your head fiddle around to adjust the blades it does leave a nice finish. It's 2 speed as well. If I where to get it I would add the Byrde head right off the bat.

[David Kumm]

The DC 33 is single speed- 18 fpm I think. A good all around speed. Mine isn't all that loud and wasn't with straight knives. How fr the knives project from the head makes quite a difference. The picture shows the dust port which is expensive to replace and cast iron so that is a good thing. Adjusting the head parallel to the table is a little bit of a pain but not so bad as to avoid the machine. You do need to keep the tables waxed as it doesn't have tons of pulling power. Dave

[Zach Callum]

I own a version of that planer. Delta Invicta, 22-650, made in Brazil. It is a good machine. Not much to go wrong with it. Just make sure that the bed is flat, and that the feed gears are oiled.

[David Peebles 1]

I have an old Rockwell/Invicta version of that planer, made in Brazil, 1981. In many ways the best planer I've ever owned. Though some have complained that you can't use Planer Pal knife setting jigs (not enough room), you can do it by first removing the bar (1/2" diameter or so) that holds the chip breaker in place. Remove a deep setscrew first (from the top). If the bar hasn't been moved for a long time, you may have to coax it a bit. When it's out, remove the 6 little machine screws that hold the chip breaker springs. Very easy to do. Now the chip breaker moves up and down freely, giving you room to use the Planer Pals. I agree you don't need extension tables, unless you're planing really long boards. I got mine super cheap, because a feed roller chain had broken, jammed up in there, and broke the gear cover casting. Wasn't much trouble to weld up a replacement cover, but now I know why they use cast iron (think: labor costs). But what to do about the chain? Rockwell doesn't support these old machines at all (neither does Delta, I think). So I took my broken chain over to Grizzly (yes, I'm in Bellingham), and the salesman took the cover off one of their planers in the showroom (half and hour or more of free customer service!) and we saw the Grizzly chains fit perfectly (metric, of course). The thing is really a howler, and I was on the verge of getting the Byrd, but hesitated (for about 6 months) and decided to get the Jet combo 12 incher instead. So put it all back together, painted it up, and now it's on CL for sale. No nibbles yet (except for a spammer), so I may have to drop my price. Anyhow, these are really good planers!