Which planer would you buy and why

[steve joly]

I'm in the middle of making 1500 square feet of flooring and had an unfortunate event this week. My planer, a Taiwan made 16 inch exploded in spectacular fashion. The chip breaker hit the cutter head destroying both parts and ruining the machine. A little back story on that planer was it was sitting there when I went to buy a shaper and I picked it up very cheep.

Now I'm left with a stack of oak and black walnut about 7 feet tall in my garage half planed. I'm at a bit of a loss on what planer I should buy. My first instinct was the grizzly g0454. It has plenty of power and seems to be all the machine I need. I am not in business this is only a hobby.

I then was looking at the grizzly g0453z and realized that for the same price I could sacrifice the width but gain a spiral cutter. However this machine does not have a pressure bar on the outfeed side of the cutter. Is that a problem.

My other option would be used and there are a few options around but the best seems to be a linmac 20 inch 3 hp with segmented rollers and chipbreaker. That seems like a really nice machine but what can I do for parts. Or I have seen a few grizzly g0454 and g1033 with straight cutters that I could buy and then purchase a spiral cutter.

all these options are within about $150 of each other so of these price is not really a factor. What would you recommend. Thanks for your help.

Steve

[Brad Cambell]

I would go with the spiral cutter. A blade gets a nick and needs to be sharpened or replaced. A spiral cutter bit just needs to be rotated.

I am in the process of looking for a 20" planer.......

[Aleks Hunter]

I own a Grizzly 0454 and cannot in good conscience recommend it. My biggest gripe is that it bogs down when planing wide boards in wood wood harder than cherry or walnut. White oak make it really groan. I've learned to not even bother with hickory It is rated at 5 HP but those must be shetland ponies, because My 24" jointer at 5hp takes down any hardwood like it was warmed butter. I sharpen the blades the same way on both machines, so that is not the issue. It is also a time consumer that seems to wants much more adjustment than any other tool in the shop. If I have have hard maple or hickory to plane it is easier for me to truck it over to a friend's shop who has a 20" scm with a tersa head. More money, yes, but much more machine. If you're not under the gun, shop around for a better , heavier duty used machine. With a little patience you can find excellent deals on powermatic or scmi (minimax) or extrema.

[Judson Green]

I'd go for the old arn every time (I have no idea what a "linmac" is thou). And I'm not real big fan of segmented rollers, at times one of the rollers can sort of slip off the edge of a board damaging it. Sucks if your on your last pass of some face frame material or door stock. I can see the benefit when you're running uneven thickness.

[scott vroom]

I own a Grizzly 0454 and cannot in good conscience recommend it. My biggest gripe is that it bogs down when planing wide boards in wood wood harder than cherry or walnut. White oak make it really groan. I've learned to not even bother with hickory It is rated at 5 HP but those must be shetland ponies, because My 24" jointer at 5hp takes down any hardwood like it was warmed butter. I sharpen the blades the same way on both machines, so that is not the issue. It is also a time consumer that seems to wants much more adjustment than any other tool in the shop. If I have have hard maple or hickory to plane it is easier for me to truck it over to a friend's shop who has a 20" scm with a tersa head. More money, yes, but much more machine. If you're not under the gun, shop around for a better , heavier duty used machine. With a little patience you can find excellent deals on powermatic or scmi (minimax) or extrema.


I've got the G0453Z and have run full width oak through without a problem, taking light passes. I think you'd be fine with either Griz machine....just don't plan to hog off deep cuts with full width planks.

My Griz tools are ancillary to a remodeling business so not making cabinets all day for a living...plenty of power for my needs.

[Jim Andrew]

I really like my go453px planer, but when I try to run it like a commercial planer, on a hot day planing one 12" board after another for hours, the circuit breaker in the machine shuts down. It does a great job, if I was planning to run it hard every day, would look at replacing the motor with a 5 hp Baldor motor. Saw one on craigslist for 250$, thought about picking it up.

[Keith Hankins]

I'd go for the old arn every time (I have no idea what a "linmac" is thou). And I'm not real big fan of segmented rollers, at times one of the rollers can sort of slip off the edge of a board damaging it. Sucks if your on your last pass of some face frame material or door stock. I can see the benefit when you're running uneven thickness.

+ 1 on the old iron. I bought a northfield 18" for 1500 on ebay built in the 60's and man is it a hoss! IT will be running long after i'm worm bait. I have grizzly tools and they will get the job done, but not even close in quality.

[David Kumm]

Probably neither. Linmac was a standard Asian 20" planer pretty much like all the others of similar design. It should be cheap as they don't hold value very well and came with typical rough castings, machining and a mediocre motor. Having said that it might run and plane just fine. Quality was really hit and miss on older Asian stuff but 3 hp is a little light for 20", particularly considering the motor was likely not real efficient. Keep in mind I'm generalizing without having seen the particular machine. Dave

[John TenEyck]

Another vote here for an older American machine. Powermatic, Northfield, doesn't matter much, there were many good ones. Even the lower end Foley Belsaw machines, for example, will run all day, day after day.

John

[Aleks Hunter]

I don't do this full time either. If I did, I' go for full on industrial machinery This is a hobby that keeps me in new tool and new wood money:D I think the spiral cutterhead may make a small dfference, more much smaller chops than the 20" wide knives, like going up a ramp vs climbing stairs,. The amount of work is the same, but the energy needed for each larger incremental step is greater. I'm on the fence between putting in a helical cutterhead or just getting a heavier planer ad being done with it. Ok I'm on the looking at auction sites for a real industrial planer side of the fence. I have somewhat limited room in the barn, but the more I thinking about dedicating a bay for planing the more I like the idea. The drag is moving the jointer again.
I am certain I know that either the grizzly motor is severely underpowered vs its stated rating or the GE motor on the jointer, which is from the 1940's,(the jointer itself is from the turn of the 20th century) is magnificently overpowered. I've run 18"wide white oak and hard maple over it taking down3/16 at a pass with out straining, then the same board bogs the planer down taking a 1/4 turn on the wheel. 1/32" at a pass. The cutterhead on the jointer, at almost 180 lbs has much more momentum than the far smaller far lighter grizzly head.

[David Kumm]

Keep in mind that generally a Byrd type head requires more power than sharp knives, not less.An underpowered machine won't benefit from the spiral unless it is designed for less HP. Felder found that the Byrd conversion made their smaller motor machines bog down which lead to the development of their Silent Power head. Dave

[Ethan Melad]

I've got a Linmac 18", and it's fine - not spectacular, but pretty good for the most part. I believe Linmac was imported and sold by a machinery dealer in Boston (can't remember the name at the moment..) somewhere from the mid-late '70s to the late '80s/early '90s. My dates might be off, though. In any case, I think it is machined pretty well - maybe a little rough, but good flat tables, segmented chipbreaker, and feels relatively hefty. I haven't had any issue with the motor. I think mine is also 3hp. Biggest complaint would be snipe - after more than a year i have not yet been able to eliminate it.

Depending on the price, I'd vote for the Linmac. If you'd like, i can look into who the dealer was - I believe the shop is still in business, so you could talk to the guys who originally imported the machine.

edit: just noticed you said all the prices were within $150 of each other - unless the Linmac is in pristine shape and/or has a power up/down, I'm not sure its worth upwards of $1400. But since its used, i imagine the price could be negotiated...

[Art Mann]

Used equipment isn't an option in areas where none is available. To my recollection, I found a whopping total of 2 cast iron planers and one cabinet saw for sale on Craigslist in my area in the last year or so.

[Rich Enders]

Steve,

20+ years with an SCMI (Minimax). 4.8 Hp for a 12 inch gives lots of power, and the Tersa head cuts like a dream and makes blade changes enjoyable.

[Aleks Hunter]

There is life beyond craigslist. and a better place to look for used equipment is in industrial auctions Like irsauctions or exfactory auctions. you can find much better equipment at much better prices.

[joe maday]

If you can pick up an older USA 12" powermatic and add a byrd cutterhead..... I would think you could get away cheaper than the grizzlies without the spiral, it will run all day and get time to make decisions on a wider planer if needed. I've seen them on craigs list for under 500 in nice shape and you would be able recoupe the money if you sold it.

[george newbury]

There is life beyond craigslist. and a better place to look for used equipment is in industrial auctions Like irsauctions or exfactory auctions. you can find much better equipment at much better prices.
I followed IRS for over a year and found that for "lower end" hobby type woodworking equipment high school auctions was the "sweet spot".
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?188861-Where-to-buy-used-equipment&p=2157806&highlight=#post2157806

Shows what I got for a grand.

Pictured here is my Powermatic 160. Boy was that heavy!.

[Jeff Duncan]

Your in a tough spot as your in the middle of the job so you can't wait around for the "right" deal. I'm not a huge fan of the Grizzly stuff though I think if you bought one of their beefier machines and were just using it for a hobby you'll probably be fine with it. Lin-Mac as mentioned was a generic Asian made machine badged under several different names, (Champ Fond is another), and marketed to industrial shops. I have a Lin-Mac tilting spindle shaper that's a very crude and rough around the edges machine. However it's still well ahead of a Grizzly or the lighter Powermatic/Delta shapers. It's an industrial machine with plenty of cast iron that's meant to run all day. I don't know about their planers but if it's built like the shaper I'd be comfortable using it in my shop. I don't know how much the asking price is but it should be pretty reasonable as there's just not much market out there for them. Your not going to find parts or service and most people have never heard of them. I'd hazard a rough guess here that a 20" Lin-Mac planer that's in decent condition and runs well should be under $1k.

I'd look at the LinMac and see it run and if you can get it for a good price consider it. However in your situation you may be better off just buying a new Grizzly. Your not running it every day, you'll have support for it, and you can buy one with an insert head which would be a nice option to have. I had a new 20" Bridgewood w/ spiral head for a little while which is similar to the Grizzly. It was under powered at 5hp (w/ American made Baldor motor), and a bit light for what I needed, but overall it was not a bad little planer.

good luck,
JeffD

[Chris Fournier]

Get the best planer that you can. I prefer relatively modern European machines, heavy enough but easy to use with the advantages of modern cutters - quick change.

I have been where you are right now and I can tell you that a millworking shop will take your pile of lumber and return it to you as near perfect flooring for pennies a foot ($0.25 to $0.35 say) and that includes a sanded face! I'd suggest taking this route and pouring your efforts into a flawless installation. Just a thought and observation based on experience.

[David Kumm]

If you buy used you need to get comfortable with freighters or have a trailer. The right machine in the best condition only rarely appears next door. You factor into the price and spend time talking to the seller. It becomes apparent when you talk whether he knows how to pack and crate, is BSing or seems genuine. There is some risk but there is also risk in a new machine that has not been run or maybe even inspected. Depends on your comfort level. I do spend as much time talking about the crating as the machine itself. Dave

[Rod Sheridan]

Steve,

20+ years with an SCMI (Minimax). 4.8 Hp for a 12 inch gives lots of power, and the Tersa head cuts like a dream and makes blade changes enjoyable.

Completely agree, great machine.

I have a Hammer A3-31, both are solid contenders.........Rod.

[steve joly]

Thank you all for your advice, I'm not much closer to getting a machine, but I did expand my search area and found a powermatic 160. The photos look good. It's 500 miles away is my problem. I emailed the seller and I'm waiting to hear back, I'm thinking of taking the gamble if the seller is willing to ship it. If that machine doesn't work out I'm back to the drawing board.

The seller has 2 machines one is direct drive the other is belt drive I don't have info on if they are 3 phase yet. Assuming they are would the belt drive be an advantage so I can use a motor I have to at least get it running through my project and until I find the proper motor for permanent use?

[steve joly]

274327
Direct drive machine

[Judson Green]

I had a DMD version of that (a powermatic 20", didn't have some of the levers those have but basically the same) and it worked out pretty well. Liked that you could lower the bed rollers and have no snipe but when doing quick work crank em up and there ya go. Also the feed rate is variable, handy for last pass or cranky grain. Don't feel ya could wrong on either one.

How many knives? Size? HP?

[Mr Mike Mills]

I have 25" powermatic at the school. it is one of the few powermatic tools that has held up relatively well with all the student use. This unit also came with the Helix Type cutting head. My suggestion is it is always nice to have a bigger machine. I do not like when I have to plane sections and then glue them together. I like to get all my gluing done and then plane. Just make sure it has some type of boot over the mechanical parts that lowers and raises the table, Our local trades school had several problems with their smaller powermatic binding when the table moves. They determined this was because dust and other debris were getting into the treads.

[David Kumm]

You should check over at OWWM.ORG as there were different versions of the PM 16. Those look like the later versions but I'm no PM expert-( or anything else ). I think there are things to watch for so search the posts over there. While the direct drive are slightly preferred it will be easier to swap the belt drive as it is likely three phase. Will need to swap the starter or at least the heaters. Dave

[george newbury]

That looks similar to the one that just landed in my shop.

Note - IT's HEAVY. I used a 1 ton hoist to get it out of my F350 bed.

OP - If you would put your location in we might be able to better assist you.

As of this writing there are 2 large planers being auctioned on Public Surplus, 1 18" in Ok and 1 20" in CCt.