Hi all, over the last couple years I have been slowly getting into woodworking as a hobby and have been accumulating older tools as time/money allows.
A year ago I set out searching for a planer (envisioning a cheap lunchbox) but ended up being able to get a great deal on an old Powermatic PM100 planer. I have been very pleased with it, as other than cosmetic appearance it has worked great. This winter when I have time I've been considering tearing it down and restoring it, and possibly putting in a helical head. Am I crazy to consider investing a bunch of time and the cost of a helical head (~$835) on a 12" planer? The 12" planer will likely do most of what I'll ever do as a hobbyist, but I do wonder if I'll want a bigger planer at some point. I have plenty of room in my shop, but as this is just a hobby of course I'm budget conscious.
Instead of restoring the PM100 I've toyed with the idea of waiting to find a deal someday on a old Powermatic 180 for the additional capacity. I'm also intrigued by the variable speed feed on the PM180 which seems like it might be nice to have. I'm curious as to everybody's perspectives and ideas what you would do in your shop - commit to the PM100 and restore it, or hold out for a bigger planer?
Thanks in advance!