New Planer

[Andy London]

I bought a new X5, Delta 15" planer and finally set it up today and dialer it in. In domestic hardwoods the results are excellent, in exotics I see ripples in the sunlight, I am used to the 22-580 leaving a glass like finish which this one does not.

It has a 5" d/c port which is attached to my cyclone, collection is near perfect with no dust at all, the rollers are clean etc....has me stumped as in using planers for 25 years I have never seen this.

Appreciate any feedback.

Almost forgot the picture for the police:)

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations!

The portable you're used to has a very high "cut per minute" at a given feed speed, which reduces the visible scalloping from the planing process, but it's still there. That's why you really need to scrape/plane/sand stock after milling with the jointer and/or thickness planer. Your new planer likely has a lower "cut per minute" at a given feed speed. If it has two feed speeds, the slower one will give you a "better" surface...

[Bruce Page]

Andy, I noticed the same thing when I went from a lunchbox to my PM15. I think it’s the nature of the beast. As Jim said, make sure you have it on the slower feed rate (mine’s set at 16 ipm). I usually finish up with the drum sander and then hand sanding. It doesn’t take much to work out the scallops.
Congrats on the new Delta!

[Andy London]

It is two speed and on the slowest....I think I'll have to keep the Delta 13" benchtop as I always take my framing stock direct from the planer to a light sanding.....I used to have a 20" General years ago and could not recall if it did this also, probably did.

Now I need a 4th shop exppansion for two and three of the tools I have acquired....that should go over well:rolleyes:

Thanks!

[Robert Waddell]

Andy,
We now have the same two planers in our shops. I've kept my lunchbox 22-580 for the same reason. I use the 15" when I'm doing rough stock and the finish planer, as a finish planer. They both do a good job but are different. You will also need your 13" for planing short pieces. I've run pieces as short as 6 inches on mine. I'm afraid to try that on the 15". You'll get use to them.
Robert

[Joe Mioux]

So are you all saying that the lunch box planer is better than its bigger brother?

Joe

[Andy London]

So are you all saying that the lunch box planer is better than its bigger brother?

Joe

Depending on what you are doing. The bigger unit would out perform on stock 8"+ (hardwoods and exotics) and is made for very long production runs however if you want a glass like finish then the benchtop does a better job and very noticable.

I will be ordering a Shelix Helical head in a month or so and it will be interesting to see if that makes a difference.

I purchased the big unit as we have a large supply of very wide exotics 12"++ and I wanted to be able to plane these without ripping, other than that I have been 100%+++ with their 22-580 benchtop 2 speed unit.

[Martin Shupe]

Congrats, Andy! It's cool in Calgary today...

[Frank Pellow]

Congratulations Andy. I have the same two planers that you do. The big one is in my shop here in Toronto. The small one is in my shop at Pellow's Camp. Since I sendom use "exotics", I have not noticed the difference that you mention. I agree that the dust collection on the large unit is very very good.

I don't know anything about the Shelix Helical head, so will be very interested in learning more -e.g. -cost, your supplier in Canada, installation, performance.

[Brett Baldwin]

Is there any chance of lowering the feed rate on the X5 even more? A different gear set or something like that?

[James Biddle]

I was planning on getting rid of my Dewalt 735 after I bought the Jet 15", but I found the same results you did. Now my planers look like this:
http://home.comcast.net/~jbiddle/pics/planers1.JPG

[Bruce Page]

I was planning on getting rid of my Dewalt 735 after I bought the Jet 15", but I found the same results you did. Now my planers look like this:


Nice setup!

[Jim Becker]

Oh, my...next thing you know, there are going to be a bunch of little hand planes running around that shop... :D

[Norman Hitt]

I was planning on getting rid of my Dewalt 735 after I bought the Jet 15", but I found the same results you did. Now my planers look like this:
http://home.comcast.net/~jbiddle/pics/planers1.JPG

Nice Setup, James, now ;) if you could just mount a drum sander to the outfeed of the DeWalt table,:rolleyes: you'd REALLY have a production Set Up Going.:D

[Allen Bookout]

James,

Very seldom does anything really impress me but boy does that set up really blows me away. I just cannot seem to quit looking at it. Very impressive and innovative.

The whole thing looks like that it is a set up in a store front display. Clean as a bell.

I sure am glad that you are not my next door neighbor as keeping up with the "Jones", or Biddles in this case, would be impossible.

Allen

[Pete Harbin]

Nice score Andy! Congrats!

Sweet set-up James.

Pete