20" Planer Options - Request for Feedback

[Rod Wolfy]

James,
You didn't mention a budget. You could also look at a Felder AD951, which has a 20" jointer/planer. The 16" j/p that is significantly less would be a Hammer A3-41. Either of these with a spiral cutter head will give a really smooth finish.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Felder D951, and it's a massive upgrade over my Laguna J/P. The digital mechanism is spot-on, and truly amazing, as well as easy to use. Dust collection is superb. Certainly not cheap.

As I've posted many times before, I was not a fan of my old Laguna J/P. Dust collection was horrible, amongst other issues. I'm thrilled I upgraded.

[James Cheever]

All -

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions. I thought I would let everyone know what I decided to do.

In the end, I decided I wanted to keep a separate jointer and planer since I have the room for them in my shop. So I decided to wait until the fall to decide on a 20" planer.

However, after looking at the recommended Hammer J/P combos, I decided to go big (and go home, haha) and order a Hammer A3-41A jointer.

So I can hardly wait until it arrives in my shop late this fall.

Thanks again for all your help.

[Will Blick]

James, great decision! I am sure u will enjoy the wider jointer. My 12" falls short at times for certain tasks.
While two independent machines are ideal, I hardly hear any complaints of alignment issues when switching between the two tasks.
16" rocks, that is my next move too...
IMO, a good jointer n planer is KEY to well dimensioned lumber. Tons of good TSs out there...
what else did you look at in the 16" category?

[Jim Becker]

He puts the Hammer down! Congratulations, James. Nice shop upgrade for sure!

[Rod Wolfy]

However, after looking at the recommended Hammer J/P combos, I decided to go big (and go home, haha) and order a Hammer A3-41A jointer.

So I can hardly wait until it arrives in my shop late this fall.

Thanks again for all your help.

James, Congrats!

Just a little info for you. The machines are likely coming in around December. Felder is sending two containers completely full of Hammer machines to try to satisfy the orders, caused by a backlog w/ COVID.

There is a sale promotion right now, which will end I would assume in August, when the IWF show was supposed to close. This also includes a free mobility kit.

I just put down my deposit/order for an A3-41 today, too.

I sold my Jet 12" J/P w/ HH to a friend. I'm planning on getting a Bora 3550 in December, so that I can move the J/P in any direction, instead of on the long axis only.

A shout-out to Fellow Member, Erik Loza for the extra help on this.

[Alex Zeller]

If you do decide on a Powermatic or Laguna planer and aren't in an immediate need I would just wait for a sale. Powermatic had a 15% off sale that ended last month so I don't know if they are going to offer another soon but Laguna always seams to have sale every few months. As for which one (or the Grizzly) I think you will most likely not be able to tell the difference. I know the Grizzly and Powermatic are made by the same company (don't know if the Laguna is as well). What I also don't know is if they all use the same parts. For example does the Powermatic spec a better brand bearing?

[Robert London]

Hey James, your strategy was similar to what I was thinking as well. The stand alone A3 41A plus a designated 20” spiral planer would be a great duo if you have the shop space. Being able to glue up wide panels up to 20” does make a huge difference. I’ve researched most every 20 inch spiral planer out there. Most all have a similar design and probably made by the same manufacturer with slightly different specs and paint color. Grizzly laguna Powermatic shop fox jet Oliver....mostly the same machine when you’re in the 3000-4000 range. I’d probably lean toward the grizzly extreme 20. It’s a Taiwan made machine for 2995 plus shipping. The Woodmaster peeks my interest as well. For 4000 or so it’s an American machine with a leeson motor, but down the list on preferences.

Ergonomics and personal preferences do play a big part. I’m tall at 6 4 and don’t like constantly leaning over and bending to the ground to turn a crank wheel. Would get old very quickly and like to keep things higher up. The A3 41 combo seems to be a great choice for the money though. It’s often on sale for ~$5500 for the 16 inch silent power. A lot of bang for the buck there.

[Lisa Starr]

James -- I'm on that wagon too! Though I only went with the Hammer A3-31 due to space constraints, I'm busy re-arranging my shop to accommodate it and getting ready to sell my Grizzly 15" 4-post planer that has served me very well. My deposit is in and I'm anxiously awaiting the November/December arrival. I think you made a great choice.