I need some help with buying a planer

[brad clinton]

I was going to buy a G1033X 20" 5 HP Spiral Cutterhead Planer, but it's not in stock.
Is this a good planer for the $ ?
Should I buy it and wait, or is there something out there in the $2500 range better?
I thank you for any help you can give me

[Brett Baldwin]

First, welcome to the Creek.
Second, if you could give some indication as to how it will be used and how pressing a need you have for it, the responses you get would be better tailored to your situation. Off-hand, it seems like a 5HP 20" planer would indicate a professional level interest. I'm not at that level so I'm afraid I have nothing useful to contribute here. I"m sure if you could expand on your needs a bit, others will be glad to give you some good opinions.

[tod evans]

welcome brad! at the 2500$ price point there`s really not much new that i personally like. you should be able to find a very nice used machine in that bracket that will serve you well for lotsa years.....02 tod

[Craig Zettle]

Hello Brad and welcome! I am also looking at that machine because I want to run glueups, doors, etc. with minimal sanding afterward. I went so far as to sell my drum sanders to increase my funds. (please don't get me started about open end drum sanders). I have several questions about that machine too, but they don't even have a display model to go look at, so we are out of luck until they arrive. I want to know the difference between this "extreme series" machine and the less expensive straight knife cutterhead machine, which you could in theory install a Byrd cutterhead in and be at approx the same money spent. If you find out anything, let me know, and visa versa.

[Rob Will]

Brad, I have a Powermatic 225 with a Byrd cutterhead. I really like the low noise of the carbide insert heads. You can stand beside of my machine while operating and carry on a normal conversation. Cutter is very slick on grain reversals.

Rob

[David Rose]

I have no experience with anything other than the little guys, so I probably shouldn't post. But... the few times I've run anything against the grain of the wood through my lunch box, the results were pretty dismal. Will the big boys handle that better? I'm picturing running rail/stile assemblies through where you will have some cross grain to the feed direction.

Also, the few big ones I've seen run have considerable snipe. More than I would want to sand out by hand. But they were saw mill planers, so maybe they weren't maintained well.

David

[tod evans]

I have no experience with anything other than the little guys, so I probably shouldn't post. But... the few times I've run anything against the grain of the wood through my lunch box, the results were pretty dismal. Will the big boys handle that better? I'm picturing running rail/stile assemblies through where you will have some cross grain to the feed direction.

Also, the few big ones I've seen run have considerable snipe. More than I would want to sand out by hand. But they were saw mill planers, so maybe they weren't maintained well.

David

david, i have a pretty good planer and have run some very good ones and none of them will run a frame that is assembled! they will eat the crossgrain board.....please don`t try this with any planer! what is needed to smooth assembled doors is a sander......02 tod

[brad clinton]

I'v looked around and got it down to two planers the grizzly and the 20" shop fox thanks again