markus shaffer
09-04-2003, 1:01 AM
Awhile back I read something about a lipping planer made by Lamello called the Cantex. I'd never heard of a lipping planer before and was curious as to what it was. After a quick Google search, I found three lipping planers on the internet. Along with the above mentioned Cantex, there was another imported by Hoffman and also one made by Virutex. as mentioned on my other recent post regarding clamps, I was in need of something to speed up the time it was taking me to work with hardwood edging. I called a local dealer to speak with him about the Lamello. He ended up recommending the Hoffman instead of the Cantex. I was going to go out to his place to look at it in person but he offered to send me one next day. I was a bit reluctant because of the price but he insisted that I would really like to tool. Still I was hesitant, so he said he would send it over so that I could use it and if I was unhappy, he would take it back no questions asked. I can truthfully say this thing is pretty awesome.. I've always milled hardwood edging a little bigger than the thickness of the plywood and then handplaned it down flush. While it's somewhat nice to work with a handplane, with a big project, it's real time consuming. With a lipping planer, the time involved in trimming the wood flush is no more than the time it takes to run a circular saw the length of the piece you're working with. Also this has dust collection that is pretty efficient. I had to use a universal adapter to make use of the dust collection but with the shop vac attached, it missed very little of the chips produced. I've added some photos of the machine. Also added a photo where I wasn't paying so much attention. Like all power tools, this one will ruin a piece real quick if you're not paying attention. I ended up making a new door to this cabinet because of this. I would recommend this machine to anyone who works with a lot of hardwood edging and plywood. It's not cheap, but it will pay for itself very quickly provided you keep it flat on the workpiece..
-Markus
-Markus