20" Planer Options - Request for Feedback

[James Cheever]

All -

In the effort to upgrade my woodworking equipment before I retire, I have decided to upgrade my very old 15" Jet planer (with a straight knife cutter head) to a 20" planer with a helical head. I have looked at a lot of options and I think I have it narrowed down to either the 20" Laguna with their SherTec Head or the 20" Powermatic with the Byrd cutter head. Can anyone have either of these two planers and can give me your thoughts on performance, reliability, etc? Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

I don't know anything about the two options you pose, James, but one option you might want to consider to kick things up a notch while hedging on "retirement" and space constraints that could come at some point is a 410mm/16" J/P combo. Yes, it's not 20" wide, but you can get helical/insert type cutters if that's what you prefer and have identical capacities for both face jointing and thicknessing. 'Just something to think about...

[Bill Dufour]

Or get a older 18" planer like a powermatic or delta and upgrade the cutter head. I have no idea how any planers are for dust collection but I have heard the modern 4 post ones are hard to collect from while the older ones are easier to attach a hood but the sides are impossible to seal off from thrown chips.
Bil lD

[Michael Koons]

I'm going to second Jim's option.

I was in a very similar situation, buying tools in prep for retirement and ended up getting a 410mm J/P combo. Ideally I'd prefer 2 separate machines each with 16" or 20" capacity. However, I LOVE the ability to joint up to 16" wide boards. I used to have the PM 8" jointer and the Dewalt lunchbox planer. It made zero sense to me to have different dimensions on those 2 machines. I'd guess about 25% of the boards I face joint are over 8".

There are many options out there that fit many budgets.

[Patrick Kane]

I have a PM209-hh, and it is an "ok" machine. The surface quality from the byrd isnt anything to write home about, but other than that i like the machine. The capacity is adequate for most of the work i do. Something in the 25-26" would cover 99.9% of my needs, but 20" is good 90% of the time. I went right from a 13" lunchbox to the 20" machine, but the extra 7" of width is very noticeable. One, i have quite a bit of lumber exceeding 13" wide, but it is convenient for most glueups.

Comparing the two machines, the 20" formats get you better design and quality. I dont think 15" four post machines have pressure bars(helps with snipe). It is also possible to get segmented infeed rollers and chipbreakers on some of the 20" machines.

Just checked the prices and $3,800 seems like a good deal for a 20" helical head. I think my pm was during the 10% sale for that or more years ago.

[James Cheever]

All -

Thanks for the input on the J/P and the PM209-HH quality. I’ll take a look at the 16” J/P option and see if that would work for me. The use on glue up panels is really the driver for me to get a 20” planer.

[Jim Becker]

A 410mm/16" combo for flattening/thicknessing and a drum sander for leveling panels might be a great combination, James. :) I mean, while you're shopping for tools and all that... :D. They will complement the CNC machine, too. LOL

[Jim Andrew]

I bought a small widebelt sander to sand panels after gluing. Also works for sanding panel doors if I use 7/8" thick frame material. Cauls help get your panels flat and even enough that you don't need a surfacer to clean them up. Helical cutterhead is a good thing, i have one on my 15" Grizzly planer. For the extra cost of going Powermatic, you could upgrade to a higher grade of Grizzly planer. Look at G0544. It is a planer made to run all day long, has a feed motor as well as a motor to run the cutterhead and a helical cutterhead.
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[Stewart Lang]

Don't bother with the Powermatic planer, just get the same model Grizzly 20" for less. They're identical (I've had both in the shop). Pretty much all 20" 4-post planers are made in the same factory. Laguna, Powermatic, Grizzly... Byrd's and Grizzly's spiral heads will give about the same surface quality, so don't worry too much about the make, just as long as you get a spiral head :)

[Will Blick]

I have the PM20" with Byrd head...
other than the tough table set up... a bit cumbersome to get the tables co planar...
the Byrd head is superb, finish is mark free and and equal to about 120 grit sanding.
Feed rate is good considering power input. So quiet, you barely hear it running.... dust collection overwhelms any sound.
I never had the Grizzly head... i know the byrd upgrade on Grizz is an add-on, I would assume its a better head, but previous posters have had them side by side, cant beat that experience!

[Mike O'Keefe]

James Have you looked at Woodmaster Planers?? Made in Kansas City. I got a used 18'' 3 years ago with the sanding attachment and have been more than pleased. Good Luck Thanks for your service Mike O'Keefe

[James Cheever]

I want to thank everyone for their input. You have given me several new options to think about and get proposals on. More to come. Thanks again!

[Jim Becker]

We are always happy to help you spend your money, James. :) :D

[John C Bush]

I bought a used Griz 20" planer ~10 years ago and it has worked very well for me. I have replaced all the cutters once and have run lots of rough stock since the last rotation. I was surprised at the number of lightly chipped edges because the finish I was getting wasn't as good as my old Parks 12"er with new blades but was still pretty darn good. New rotated edges were much better tho. If you don't need to mill over 16"s often the 16" J/P would be my call. I could have used the extra jointer width lots of time.Good luck shopping.

[Kelby Van Patten]

I have the Laguna. Great planer. No regrets or qualifications. I've had it for six or seven years, no problems.

[Rod Wolfy]

James,
You didn't mention a budget. You could also look at a Felder AD951, which has a 20" jointer/planer. The 16" j/p that is significantly less would be a Hammer A3-41. Either of these with a spiral cutter head will give a really smooth finish.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Felder D951, and it's a massive upgrade over my Laguna J/P. The digital mechanism is spot-on, and truly amazing, as well as easy to use. Dust collection is superb. Certainly not cheap.

As I've posted many times before, I was not a fan of my old Laguna J/P. Dust collection was horrible, amongst other issues. I'm thrilled I upgraded.

[James Cheever]

All -

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions. I thought I would let everyone know what I decided to do.

In the end, I decided I wanted to keep a separate jointer and planer since I have the room for them in my shop. So I decided to wait until the fall to decide on a 20" planer.

However, after looking at the recommended Hammer J/P combos, I decided to go big (and go home, haha) and order a Hammer A3-41A jointer.

So I can hardly wait until it arrives in my shop late this fall.

Thanks again for all your help.

[Will Blick]

James, great decision! I am sure u will enjoy the wider jointer. My 12" falls short at times for certain tasks.
While two independent machines are ideal, I hardly hear any complaints of alignment issues when switching between the two tasks.
16" rocks, that is my next move too...
IMO, a good jointer n planer is KEY to well dimensioned lumber. Tons of good TSs out there...
what else did you look at in the 16" category?

[Jim Becker]

He puts the Hammer down! :) Congratulations, James. Nice shop upgrade for sure!

[Rod Wolfy]

However, after looking at the recommended Hammer J/P combos, I decided to go big (and go home, haha) and order a Hammer A3-41A jointer.

So I can hardly wait until it arrives in my shop late this fall.

Thanks again for all your help.

James, Congrats!

Just a little info for you. The machines are likely coming in around December. Felder is sending two containers completely full of Hammer machines to try to satisfy the orders, caused by a backlog w/ COVID.

There is a sale promotion right now, which will end I would assume in August, when the IWF show was supposed to close. This also includes a free mobility kit.

I just put down my deposit/order for an A3-41 today, too. :)

I sold my Jet 12" J/P w/ HH to a friend. I'm planning on getting a Bora 3550 in December, so that I can move the J/P in any direction, instead of on the long axis only.

A shout-out to Fellow Member, Erik Loza for the extra help on this.

[Alex Zeller]

If you do decide on a Powermatic or Laguna planer and aren't in an immediate need I would just wait for a sale. Powermatic had a 15% off sale that ended last month so I don't know if they are going to offer another soon but Laguna always seams to have sale every few months. As for which one (or the Grizzly) I think you will most likely not be able to tell the difference. I know the Grizzly and Powermatic are made by the same company (don't know if the Laguna is as well). What I also don't know is if they all use the same parts. For example does the Powermatic spec a better brand bearing?

[Robert London]

Hey James, your strategy was similar to what I was thinking as well. The stand alone A3 41A plus a designated 20” spiral planer would be a great duo if you have the shop space. Being able to glue up wide panels up to 20” does make a huge difference. I’ve researched most every 20 inch spiral planer out there. Most all have a similar design and probably made by the same manufacturer with slightly different specs and paint color. Grizzly laguna Powermatic shop fox jet Oliver....mostly the same machine when you’re in the 3000-4000 range. I’d probably lean toward the grizzly extreme 20. It’s a Taiwan made machine for 2995 plus shipping. The Woodmaster peeks my interest as well. For 4000 or so it’s an American machine with a leeson motor, but down the list on preferences.

Ergonomics and personal preferences do play a big part. I’m tall at 6 4 and don’t like constantly leaning over and bending to the ground to turn a crank wheel. Would get old very quickly and like to keep things higher up. The A3 41 combo seems to be a great choice for the money though. It’s often on sale for ~$5500 for the 16 inch silent power. A lot of bang for the buck there.

[Lisa Starr]

James -- I'm on that wagon too! Though I only went with the Hammer A3-31 due to space constraints, I'm busy re-arranging my shop to accommodate it and getting ready to sell my Grizzly 15" 4-post planer that has served me very well. My deposit is in and I'm anxiously awaiting the November/December arrival. I think you made a great choice.