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Thread: Thickness planer

  1. #31
    Join Date
    May 2005
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    Highland MI
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    I have my local supplier skip joint one face then thickness my purchases to +1/16 and then I finish thickness it on my Delta lunchbox after I joint and rip the edges (they want too much for that step). For a 20 cents or so per bd-ft, it saves a lot of time and the bags of shavings you won't have to toss is well worth it.
    NOW you tell me...

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Northern Illinois
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    Also, if you search around and find a name brand planer that is priced below Lowe's price, I believe they still match that price less 10%. I would be wary of buying a "cheap" planer. I realize you don't want to spend a lot but, before I'd buy a low-end priced planer, I'd consider finding a local hardwood lumber yard or woodworking place that would plane your wood for a price. This is especially attractive if you don't do a lot of woodworking and don't use a large volume of wood. There might even be a local woodworking club with a member(s) who would plane your wood for a reasonable price.

    I have had a Dewalt 735 planer for 10+ years and was never sorry I spent the money for it. It's more than you want to spend but, if you want the planer to last for awhile and not put up with significant snipe, I would recommend considering the longer term. I realize this planer, as all bench top planers, has some flaws but it is still a great planer with very good dust collection (which s also important for a planer).

    On the other hand, Cutech, an online company, has a straight knife planer for $239. I don't have experience with Cutech's products, but have read a lot of positive comments. Personally, if I were going to try their product, I'd go for the spiral head cutter, but that is more money. Just another possibility. Others may be able to tell you more about the performance and quality. Search on SMC. I believe there are other posts about it.

  3. #33
    Good advice, guys.
    Thanks

    I'm in the hinterlands and not aware of woodworking clubs and we are pretty limited for lumber places.
    I'll check out Cutech.
    Not sure how Lowe's or Home Depot do with their price match.
    For example, neither sell the Cutech.
    I don't know if they would match with a different product

  4. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Foster View Post
    Somebody has a Delta for $329 but that's about my upper limit for what I want to spend.

    Thanks for any suggestions or input
    I had a Delta planer for over 15 years and put it through a lot. It's a pretty good planer, at least the one I had was.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  5. #35
    It's hard to find any of those at a discount.
    Dewalt and Delta may require a minimum price

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
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    Northern Illinois
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    943
    Lowe's will only match prices on products they sell, but I would assume that they may sell some of the ones you originally mentioned.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Foster View Post
    Good advice, guys.
    Thanks

    I'm in the hinterlands and not aware of woodworking clubs and we are pretty limited for lumber places.
    I'll check out Cutech.
    Not sure how Lowe's or Home Depot do with their price match.
    For example, neither sell the Cutech.
    I don't know if they would match with a different product
    In appearance at least, the Ridgid and Cutech may have the same birth place. The Ridgid doesn't appear to offer any sort of spiral cutterhead but on the other hand you may not have to worry as much about cutter knife availability for the Ridgid in the future.

  8. #38
    Thanks for that info, Curt.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Central Missouri, U.S.
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    1,263
    The Cutech is based on an older model of the Ridgid (Model 1300?). The current incarnation, with the segmented cutter head, used to be sold by Steel City. When Steel City went out of business an employee, or employees, managed to get the rights to continue to produce it under the Cutech name.

    My dealings with the company (not affiliated) have been nothing but positive. When my planer arrived, there was a problem with the cutter head, contacted Cutech and they had a complete new machine to me within several days. They're a small company, located in Nashville, and only sell direct. Very quick to respond to questions/concerns. Like I said earlier, I'm very happy with mine.

  10. #40
    Thanks for that, Nick.

    I'll definitely check them out and consider

    Edit:

    I just checked them out.
    Their budget planer has a straight knife.

    Their better ine with the spiralhead cutter is a little more than I want to go
    Last edited by Larry Foster; 03-08-2018 at 11:00 AM.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Spokane WA
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    248
    At one point I was also considering another planer to replace my 735 and Cutech was always rising to the top. Since I use my drum sander so much I never did replace the 735 but if I did it would be the Cutech with spiral head.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Central Missouri, U.S.
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    My thinking on buying the Cutech went like this: Having been around and used a Dewalt 734, I knew it to be a solid machine and assumed the 735 would be even a little better. What caused me concern was reports about the longevity of the Dewalt knives, and how loud it was. Some people report using the same knives for years, no problem, but I don't know what kind of wood they're milling or how discerning they are about cut quality. I primarily use hardwoods, often exotics.

    Enter the Cutech. Their top machine is up there around the DW 735, pricewise, so you're not saving money there. I read everything I could find about their "segmented cutterhead" and the company itself. The only thing "spiral" about their cutterhead is that the cutters are placed around the head in a spiral pattern. There are a a lot fewer of them, and they don't slice the wood at an angle like a helix/Byrd head. As for the company itself, I could find nothing negative about them, only positive. My pre-sale contacts with them were good. As I said before, their response to the one problem I had after the sale was flawless.

    After using the machine for the last year or so, I can tell you that the cut quality is somewhere between a planer with straight knives and one with a helix head. It's glass-smooth on every type of wood I've put through it, but birds eye maple and other highly figured wood will cause some tear-out. Snipe is minimal. I sometimes see very faint lines caused by the edges of the inserts, but I hear the same reports from people with helix cutterheads.The carbide cutters show no signs of dulling, and the motor is strong for a 110v. I recently installed a Wixey DRO on it, no problem.

    Noise is definitely less than the Dewalt, probably related to not having straight knives. I'd put the noise somewhere between the DW 734 and a jobsite table saw. So, still loud.

    Whether it fits the bill for others, don't know. Works well for me and I recommend it.

  13. #43
    Thickness planers are one of those things that you buy and either use it or don't. I bought a dewalt 735 with extra blades (knives I think is proper term)- for 300$ on craigslist. The guy told me he bought it- tried it out, and never used it after that. I bought the stainless feed and outfeed tables- and its awesome. I use it now and then- but i use a jointer much more. Just my 2 cents if you are out there looking for one- you might consider the used route---and you will be able to tell if one is sparingly used or cared for, and one that isn't. Its quite obvious by looking at condition of the blades and overall appearance. ---I noticed this when I was looking.

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Pleasant Grove, UT
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    1,503
    If you're going to be running pallet wood through it, then take the cost of replacement knives into consideration. With a stationary planer, the knives can be sharpened, many times. Benchtop units use disposable knives. Yes, some folks have sharpened them once, but don't count on being able to do so. Using pallet wood will result in more frequent dulling/nicking.
    It came to pass...
    "Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
    The road IS the destination.

  15. #45
    Thanks, John, for that tip

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