Best planer for less than $400?

[Mike Dowell]

I'm making a custom table and what I'm charging will pay for a basic shop planer. I've always wanted/needed a planer but always run away when it's buy-time.

Home depot has a Dewalt for $399.00 which has good reviews but you can't always trust reviews. I've got a rough cut pine board which is 12.5" wide.

What budget planers do you all have experience with?

[rudy de haas]

hi:

I was all set to buy a DW734R - but then discovered that the blades tend to be both expensive and not terribly long lasting. The 735X may be better, but if you plan on planning hardwood (I have hickory and jatoba to duel with) you have to consider the cost of replacement blades before making a buying decision.

[Mike Dowell]

hmmmm. Suggestions?

[Jason Beam]

DW734 ... no question.

Nothing better, imho, for that money.

[John Schweikert]

I have had a DW733 for over a decade. It works great, and blades have not been an issue.

If you can up your $$ then I would suggest the DW735 or Makita 2012NB. Both around $550 presently.

[lowell holmes]

I agree with Jason. It's more substantial than my old Delta lunch box planer which lasted over 10 years. It resembles it a bit, but is slicker.

[Andrew Kertesz]

Steel City offers a lunch box planer with a helical head that can be had for about $500.00. No personal experience.

[glenn bradley]

I ran a DW734 for years. The blades are pretty long lasting in my experience. When I sold it to a pro shop it was in addition to the DW734 they already had. The first one was always busy despite a giant floor machine they also ran. Two sets of blades went with it that I never got around to using.

All that being said, how are you going to prepare the reference side of that 12.5" board? A planer sled will do the job and I prefer this to the half and half jointer trick although that will get you there too.

[Danny Hamsley]

The DW734 is a little workhorse, tried and true. You can't go wrong with it.

[Rich Enders]

I bought the Ryobi 13" from Home Depot and used it for five years for both jointing (with a sled) and planing. Now it is being used by Habitat. It was very inexpensive, and very reliable.

[scott spencer]

The new Ridgid R4331 is a decent choice IME. I bought a refurb unit for $310 shipped from Tyler Tool. It has a cutterhead lock and a built in chip blower, and has worked well for the few months I've had it.

[Richard Shaefer]

The new Ridgid R4331 is a decent choice IME. I bought a refurb unit for $310 shipped from Tyler Tool. It has a cutterhead lock and a built in chip blower, and has worked well for the few months I've had it.


I also have the R4331. it's a good planer, but I worry that since the only place to get it is Home Depot, and the only place to get replacement blades (they are disposable inserts) is Home Depot, how long will Home Depot continue stock the replacement blades? You can get DeWalt blades just about anywhere, and DeWalt planers are popular enough that 3rd party vendors also make blades for them. Most Home Depots don't even stock shop tools anymore.

[Jim Andrew]

I'd look on Craigslist. You could probably buy 2 or 3 planers used for that. Or maybe a 15" planer if you find a used one with a3 or 4 knife cutterhead.

[Phil Thien]

I'm very happy with my DW734. I considered the Ridgid but had the same concern about the replacement knives as Richard Shaefer (above).

I'm still on my first edge of the knives. I've had the planer over a year now, and I use it quite a bit. I don't take big bites with it, though.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have a Steel City with a spiral head that I got for around 400$. I haven't turned the inserts yet. I don't use it a lot as I resaw most boards.

[Rich Enders]

Referring back to the Ryobi 13 inch, I just looked it up. It is $249 at Home Depot. I know it does not get rave reviews, but it worked flawlessly for me for 5 years, and is probably still working somewhere on a Habitat job site.

[John Schweikert]

I think a couple important (to me at least) qualities of a decent planer are: How long do the knives stay sharp? How easy is remounting and accurately setting the knives? Is the motor enough not to get bogged down doing more than very thin cuts?

That's where user reviews come in handy.

My DW733 comes with magnetic brackets to set the knives, and those work quite well. Takes more time to reattach the dust shroud than to set the knives. On my local Craigslist, I see Dw734 units for sale often in the $250-300 range.

[Garth Almgren]

I'm getting a feeling that the DW735 I picked up at a pawn shop last week for $260 was a heck of a deal, even if I have to replace the knives...

[Matt Day]

A DW735 for $260 is a steal! Nice work!

Buying new though, a dw734 hands down is the best IMO. I had one for years and it was great. Blades last quite a while and are reversible.

[Mike Dowell]

I ran a DW734 for years. The blades are pretty long lasting in my experience. When I sold it to a pro shop it was in addition to the DW734 they already had. The first one was always busy despite a giant floor machine they also ran. Two sets of blades went with it that I never got around to using.

All that being said, how are you going to prepare the reference side of that 12.5" board? A planer sled will do the job and I prefer this to the half and half jointer trick although that will get you there too.

Prepare the reference side? I guess my planer ignorance is in full view right about now. Glad I'm amongst a respectful community. Reference side?

[John Schweikert]

Mike,

A planer has one main job to make a second side even thickness to a reference side. That ref side is usually done on a jointer to make it perfectly flat. Then the planer will make the other side match in flatness with even thickness the length of the board.

A wavy board put through a planer both sides with have two faces that match in waviness. You may already know all that but just answering your question to the "reference side."

[Phil Thien]

Mike,

A planer has one main job to make a second side even thickness to a reference side. That ref side is usually done on a jointer to make it perfectly flat. Then the planer will make the other side match in flatness with even thickness the length of the board.

A wavy board put through a planer both sides with have two faces that match in waviness. You may already know all that but just answering your question to the "reference side."

John is right, the only thing he didn't mention is that you can use a "sled" with a planer to create a "reference" flat side.

Some more info here:

http://www.jpthien/ps.htm

Just a note: I added a small (6-1/8") benchtop jointer because I wanted something quick for narrow lumber. Planer sleds are a little tedious. Planer sleds have some definite advantages over a jointer, but one disadvantage is they take a while to accomplish the task.

[Mike Dowell]

Wow. I didn't know it was that complicated! I just figured you run a board through and the top side comes out perfectly smooth. Also, you can continue to run it through until it's the thickness you want. I'm off base. I figured if you feed a way board in a planer it would gradually plane the high points off until it was flat.

You see, I'm making a table top from a pine board - a rough cut pine board. I figure a planer would address the rough part and I would have to find someone around here with a jointer so I can make the sides perfect for glue up.

[John Schweikert]

Mike,

Really not too complicated. I have a Jet 6" jointer, so I only work boards that wide when wanting dead flat stock to build from. But I have done projects where I only run the boards through the planer both sides for 8-10" wide boards. Reason is that I was using shorter lengths so any minor irregularities that may exist over a long board diminish on shorter pieces. There are times for rules and then there are times just to break the rules. As a photographer that's what I do all day everyday. Use rules but break them to get to my end goal. As such the methodology is perfectly valid in woodworking.

I have no experience with a planer sled to flatten a reference side. In watching the method, I see it to be slow and that's no fun. But if it works for others, then that's great. If I started building things needing 12" wide or wider boards all the time, I would buy a wider jointer. But for me a 6" jointer is perfect. My Jet with a Byrd head is just wonderful, along with a simple Dewalt planer and I can do what I want. I am not a commercial wood shop so I have no worries.

[Art Mann]

I also have the R4331. it's a good planer, but I worry that since the only place to get it is Home Depot, and the only place to get replacement blades (they are disposable inserts) is Home Depot, how long will Home Depot continue stock the replacement blades? You can get DeWalt blades just about anywhere, and DeWalt planers are popular enough that 3rd party vendors also make blades for them. Most Home Depots don't even stock shop tools anymore.

I have a 10 year old Ridgid TP1300 planer, which is the previous generation to the R4331. I use it most every day and it works the same as when it was new. I have gone through too many knife sets to even count. You can still get knives special order from Home Depot Online but you can also get aftermarket knives from other companies. Amazon.com has them. I don't think there will be a problem getting knives for the new Ridgid planer for at least another decade or two.

[Matt Day]

Wow. I didn't know it was that complicated! I just figured you run a board through and the top side comes out perfectly smooth. Also, you can continue to run it through until it's the thickness you want. I'm off base. I figured if you feed a way board in a planer it would gradually plane the high points off until it was flat.

You see, I'm making a table top from a pine board - a rough cut pine board. I figure a planer would address the rough part and I would have to find someone around here with a jointer so I can make the sides perfect for glue up.

Mike,
You can keep running a board through a planer, taking say 1/16" off each pass, until it's the thickness you want. But you need to start with a flat (jointed) references face or you're going to get a wavy board.

A planer has a spinning set of knives, and a roller before and after it that put pressure down on the board so it stays against the table. These pressure rollers are very strong and will bend the board instead of "take off the high spots" as you stated.

You can try the planer sled method if you don't want to buy a jointer too. Do a search on here for planer sled to find more info than you probably want to know about it. A 6" jointer can be had for very cheap used on craigslist.

If you know someone with a jointer, you can have them joint one face and one edge square to each other, then you can use a planer to make the other sides parallel.

[David Weaver]

I just replaced a delta 22-580 with a dewalt 734. the dewalt is smoother and quieter and just nicer to use. It'd get my vote.

[Mike Dowell]

So what should i get? A jointer? It's a 12.5" rough cut 5 quarter board. How would you turn it into a table top?

[John Schweikert]

Large wood requires large tools. I'm building a boat (16ft skiff) and the 12ft long x 1ft wide 4/4 and 5/4 rough cut boards of mahogany, white oak and purple heart put some of my tools past their capabilities to make seats, knees, gunwales, inwales and keel/stem. So I have to be creative in my methods and cuts.

I suggest you:
1) find someone local with a wide jointer who can flatten a reference face for you or
2) research and build a planer sled or
3) research and build a router sled or
4) buy a planer, plane both sides, cut to length, edge joint with a smaller jointer or hand plane and accept possible minor irregularities when glue joining the boards for the table top.

[Mike Dowell]

Plane both sides? Is this a solution?
I could rip the board to thinner widths. I guess I'm just confused as to what tools I need to complete the task.

[Matt Day]

I guess I'm just confused as to what tools I need to complete the task.

There are a lot of ways to skin a cat as they say.

You can do this all with hand tools if you want, but you need to get the hand tools, get them working properly (read: time and/or $ for sharpening), and learn how to use them properly.

You could get a 6" jointer off CL for cheap, and I'd recommend a used lunchbox planer from CL as well, and git r dun if you rip the board in half.

You could bring it to a cabinet/furniture shop and see if they'd do it for you.

You could find someone local to help you out and use their tools.

If you really want to get into ww'ing you could invest in an 8" jointer and a planer. I have an 8" jointer and there's a technique to joint a 12.5" board with it. Joint 8" of the board, use an 8" wide piece of 1/2" ply in the jointed area and put it through the planer to plane the opposite side, flip, and finish planing the leftover 4.5".

And there are probably a few other ways to do it that I'm missing.

[Mike Dowell]

This is funny. I must have been posting at the same time someone else was because my posts seem out of order - I'm asking a question right after it is answered!

Ok, I get it now. So, really, you need both. I just always thought of a jointer as a tool that only squares the thin edge of a board. I'll do some looking around and update when I figure out what I'm going to do. I very much appreciate all the feedback! Thanks!

I suppose this is too good to be true? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001O0D6OC?pc_redir=1405321061&robot_redir=1

[Bruce Wrenn]

If time is on your side, watch for a used 15" planer. You will probably have to sweeten the pot by a couple hundred bucks, but you will have a "lifetime" planer. Then you will have a gloat, only $200 out of pocket for a 15" planer. They are almost all the same machine. Color, top or bottom mount motor, being the biggest difference.

[Kelly Cleveland]

I think that little jet combo machine is in fact too good to be true. You can probably get both a jointer and a planer for under 400 but they will both be crusty. I have a lunch box planer and do all my jointing by hand. It isn't as bad as it sounds because you only need to get it flat enough to run through the planer, then you flip it over and plane the side you jointed by hand. $400 should get you a nice used planer and a few hand planes.

[Mike Dowell]

I think that little jet combo machine is in fact too good to be true. You can probably get both a jointer and a planer for under 400 but they will both be crusty. I have a lunch box planer and do all my jointing by hand. It isn't as bad as it sounds because you only need to get it flat enough to run through the planer, then you flip it over and plane the side you jointed by hand. $400 should get you a nice used planer and a few hand planes.


What's this planer worth?
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/hvo/4557851701.html