Calling all Ryobi AP-10 devotees

[John McBride]

So after scoring both a General 50-185M1 and an Inca 510, (both still unused by me yet....damn priorities) I am happy to say I have also scored a Ryobi AP-10 for an absolute song. Virtually brand new. (Owned by a former fellow professional cabinetmaker) and hyper maintained. She has the knife setting jig, manual, and a spare set of knives.

So does anybody else out there have one too? Are their any quirks I should know about? Any recommendations for indeed/out feed table designs to help with the AP-10's habit of sniping? Anybody have some advice for its care and feeding? Surely there are more than a few creekers who either still have one or had one somewhere in their past?

[John McBride]

oh, and also anyone who made their own dust hood too, ill be needing to fabricate one for this machine....thanks all!!!

[Michelle Rich]

I bought one when they first came out..I have used it for 20+ yrs..it is rugged and dependable. I have no table support, so i just put a little bit of pressure under the board as it exits..no snipe. The blades are waaayyy tough..rarely need sharpening. I have a bigger planer too, but the old ryobi gets a lot of use

[Fred Heenie]

I had an AP-10 until about a month ago. the best thing that I did was to add a cleat across one side of a 4' long piece of melamine and use the flat surface as a bed in the planner. Imagine a fixed sled. It did help with snipe somewhat and I only lost 3/4" in height which on a 10" machine was not a big deal. I also found that if I manually supported the finishes side by lifting it stopped the snipe completely. I bought the machine new so I had it a very long time.

[Mike Null]

I had one for years. I made a 4 foot table and always used a sacrificial piece just slightly ahead of the workpiece.

Even better was their lightweight variable speed jointer. For the price and for the small work that I was doing it was outstanding. I sold both when I decided to back off my woodworking hobby--now I wish I still had them.

[Jim Dwight]

I bought one used a few years ago for $100. It wouldn't really plane when I got it but when I looked at the blades I understood why. They were VERY dull. I sharpened them and it work fine. I got the accessory infeed/outfeed rollers with mine, do you have those? I made little supports for them that fasten to some 2x2s it is mounted to. The supports are slightly taller than the bed of the planner and help a lot with snipe. Especially with long boards, lifting as they exit is still a good idea.

I would also like to have the accessory dust hood but haven't seen any for sale. I haven't looked real hard. In pictures it looks like a 2.5 inch dust port is just attached to the standard deflector on the outfeed side. Shouldn't be hard to do if I ever get around to it. It probably wouldn't get everything but should help. What I do now is just sweep up afterward. I also tote it outside sometimes. For it's size, it is heavy. Maybe that's why they last.

I also have a INCA 410. It has manual feed for the planner attachment and was tough to use. After getting the Ryobi, I don't use the planner attachment but still use the jointer side. The tables are short but it takes up less space. I usually straighten long boards on the table saw or track saw.

[John McBride]

Thanks Michelle, I had a dear friend who worked wood recommend this little planer to me years ago. I have had a couple over the years, and my experience mirrors yours. Its been....like...10 years since I have had one, and was just curious who else had the little beast and what their experiences were. I was a "closet fan" for a long time. Sometimes even hesitating to offer it as an option to someone looking for a good, cheap planer. Sure, there are others out there that could be said to be better, but these little beasts just keep humming along....good machine in my view.

[John McBride]

Thanks Fred,
I think I have a piece of melomine out in the shop. This is a good trick....thank you.

[John McBride]

Jim,
Its good to hear from a fellow Inca owner. They sure are wonderful little machines.

[Gerald Hurst]

Here's a SketchUp of a dust hood I created for my AP-10 to attach to my dust collector. It will get you started.

[John McBride]

Gerald,
For some reason, I am unable to open the file. Thanks for the thought though. Its much appreciated.