Portable planers with non-disposable knives

[Chuck Ketcham]

Hello all,

I'm in the market for a portable benchtop planer, but I really hate the idea of buying one with disposable knives. I'd much rather send out the knives to be sharpened when needed, or better yet learn to sharpen them myself. I've already read about certain planers (Dewalt 735 for example) that have disposable knives that dull to quickly and are expensive to replace. I've also read about other planers (Ridgid TP1300LS for example) that have disposable knives that are now difficult to find.

Can someone give me the list of good portable 12-13 inch planers that have knives that can be sharpened?

Thanks.

[James Suzda]

I’ve got a DeWalt 735 and of course like with everything else I “thought” that the knives should have lasted longer before getting dull. But, when you figure it all out cost wise in using disposable verses re-sharpen knives the total isn’t that far apart. First of all, figuring the disposables are about $50. With two sides that brings the price down to $25. Now, you figure new knives that can re-sharpen are going to be about $30 to $40 for a set of 12 or 13 inch knives. Then if you don’t sharpen your own and have them done professionally the sharpening is going to be about $20 for the set if you are lucky. So, the bottom line is that the savings are not that great on getting a planer that you can re-sharpen the knives. Plus you will need two sets so you have something to use while the other set is being re-sharpened.
Jim

[Scott Whiting]

Since the DeWalt 733 is gone I am not aware of any lunchbox planers that use resharpenable knives. I happen to have a Ridgid myself. As the other poster noted the price of disposable knives is almost identical to having a set of knives sharpened. And the nice thing about indexable knives is the quick change out. Which is why I have an Esta set in my jointer.

[Gary Muto]

Interesting... A sharpening guy uses disposable blades. That puts it in perspective for me. I also like the quick change feature of disposable and could not expect to get a 12" blade straight wehn sharpening.
Thanks for the honest feedback Scott!!

[Mark Berenbrok]

You may have to go the used planer route. I've used a Ryobi AP-10 since the early 1990s and love it. Sure, it only has a 10 inch capacity but its well-built and blade changing is easy. I have 4 sets of knives and bought a Makita sharpener last year to eliminate the sharpening issue. I've sharpened the 4 sets twice so I've already saved more than the Makita cost me. The Ryobi shows up on that auction site occasionally.

[Matt Meiser]

The Dewalt 733 has resharpenable knives but is no longer made. It is easy to set the knives and I just bought a set from Lowes so they are still available. I also had a set sharpened by Scott. I agree with the above comments that you won't save any money by using resharpenable knives.

[Brad Townsend]

Maybe DeWalt says the 735 knives can't be resharpened, but I and others have been doing it successfully. Yes, I know that theoretically as the knives are indexed and can't be adjusted for depth, it should result in uneven performance. All I can say is that I have three sets that I have resharpened twice each. When resharpened, I can't tell the difference from when they were new. I'm not grinding a whole new edge on them. I'm just giving them a couple of lite passes over a horizontal wet grinder to hone the edge. If you are willing to sharpen them yourself, it WILL work.

[James Suzda]

Maybe DeWalt says the 735 knives can't be resharpened, but I and others have been doing it successfully. Yes, I know that theoretically as the knives are indexed and can't be adjusted for depth, it should result in uneven performance. All I can say is that I have three sets that I have resharpened twice each. When resharpened, I can't tell the difference from when they were new. I'm not grinding a whole new edge on them. I'm just giving them a couple of lite passes over a horizontal wet grinder to hone the edge. If you are willing to sharpen them yourself, it WILL work.
I had a set of 735 knives re-sharped at a pro-shop and they took way too much metal off them! When I tired to use them the heads of the cap screws would hit the wood and was leaving marks in the lumber. However, I agree that if you'd just "touch" the knives up they probably could be re-sharpened.
Jim

[Joe Mioux]

I like the idea of disposable knives. I have a Delta 22-580, which by the way is for sale, and a MM FS30.

The main reason I chose the FS30 was because it has disposable tersa knives. By the time you pay sharpening, shipping and handling fees, and a spare set I think it is easier and cheaper buying disposables.

Joe