20" Planer Options - Request for Feedback

[James Cheever]

All -

In the effort to upgrade my woodworking equipment before I retire, I have decided to upgrade my very old 15" Jet planer (with a straight knife cutter head) to a 20" planer with a helical head. I have looked at a lot of options and I think I have it narrowed down to either the 20" Laguna with their SherTec Head or the 20" Powermatic with the Byrd cutter head. Can anyone have either of these two planers and can give me your thoughts on performance, reliability, etc? Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

I don't know anything about the two options you pose, James, but one option you might want to consider to kick things up a notch while hedging on "retirement" and space constraints that could come at some point is a 410mm/16" J/P combo. Yes, it's not 20" wide, but you can get helical/insert type cutters if that's what you prefer and have identical capacities for both face jointing and thicknessing. 'Just something to think about...

[Bill Dufour]

Or get a older 18" planer like a powermatic or delta and upgrade the cutter head. I have no idea how any planers are for dust collection but I have heard the modern 4 post ones are hard to collect from while the older ones are easier to attach a hood but the sides are impossible to seal off from thrown chips.
Bil lD

[Michael Koons]

I'm going to second Jim's option.

I was in a very similar situation, buying tools in prep for retirement and ended up getting a 410mm J/P combo. Ideally I'd prefer 2 separate machines each with 16" or 20" capacity. However, I LOVE the ability to joint up to 16" wide boards. I used to have the PM 8" jointer and the Dewalt lunchbox planer. It made zero sense to me to have different dimensions on those 2 machines. I'd guess about 25% of the boards I face joint are over 8".

There are many options out there that fit many budgets.

[Patrick Kane]

I have a PM209-hh, and it is an "ok" machine. The surface quality from the byrd isnt anything to write home about, but other than that i like the machine. The capacity is adequate for most of the work i do. Something in the 25-26" would cover 99.9% of my needs, but 20" is good 90% of the time. I went right from a 13" lunchbox to the 20" machine, but the extra 7" of width is very noticeable. One, i have quite a bit of lumber exceeding 13" wide, but it is convenient for most glueups.

Comparing the two machines, the 20" formats get you better design and quality. I dont think 15" four post machines have pressure bars(helps with snipe). It is also possible to get segmented infeed rollers and chipbreakers on some of the 20" machines.

Just checked the prices and $3,800 seems like a good deal for a 20" helical head. I think my pm was during the 10% sale for that or more years ago.

[James Cheever]

All -

Thanks for the input on the J/P and the PM209-HH quality. I’ll take a look at the 16” J/P option and see if that would work for me. The use on glue up panels is really the driver for me to get a 20” planer.

[Jim Becker]

A 410mm/16" combo for flattening/thicknessing and a drum sander for leveling panels might be a great combination, James. I mean, while you're shopping for tools and all that... . They will complement the CNC machine, too. LOL

[Jim Andrew]

I bought a small widebelt sander to sand panels after gluing. Also works for sanding panel doors if I use 7/8" thick frame material. Cauls help get your panels flat and even enough that you don't need a surfacer to clean them up. Helical cutterhead is a good thing, i have one on my 15" Grizzly planer. For the extra cost of going Powermatic, you could upgrade to a higher grade of Grizzly planer. Look at G0544. It is a planer made to run all day long, has a feed motor as well as a motor to run the cutterhead and a helical cutterhead.
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[Stewart Lang]

Don't bother with the Powermatic planer, just get the same model Grizzly 20" for less. They're identical (I've had both in the shop). Pretty much all 20" 4-post planers are made in the same factory. Laguna, Powermatic, Grizzly... Byrd's and Grizzly's spiral heads will give about the same surface quality, so don't worry too much about the make, just as long as you get a spiral head

[Will Blick]

I have the PM20" with Byrd head...
other than the tough table set up... a bit cumbersome to get the tables co planar...
the Byrd head is superb, finish is mark free and and equal to about 120 grit sanding.
Feed rate is good considering power input. So quiet, you barely hear it running.... dust collection overwhelms any sound.
I never had the Grizzly head... i know the byrd upgrade on Grizz is an add-on, I would assume its a better head, but previous posters have had them side by side, cant beat that experience!

[Mike O'Keefe]

James Have you looked at Woodmaster Planers?? Made in Kansas City. I got a used 18'' 3 years ago with the sanding attachment and have been more than pleased. Good Luck Thanks for your service Mike O'Keefe

[James Cheever]

I want to thank everyone for their input. You have given me several new options to think about and get proposals on. More to come. Thanks again!

[Jim Becker]

We are always happy to help you spend your money, James.

[John C Bush]

I bought a used Griz 20" planer ~10 years ago and it has worked very well for me. I have replaced all the cutters once and have run lots of rough stock since the last rotation. I was surprised at the number of lightly chipped edges because the finish I was getting wasn't as good as my old Parks 12"er with new blades but was still pretty darn good. New rotated edges were much better tho. If you don't need to mill over 16"s often the 16" J/P would be my call. I could have used the extra jointer width lots of time.Good luck shopping.

[Kelby Van Patten]

I have the Laguna. Great planer. No regrets or qualifications. I've had it for six or seven years, no problems.