looking to upgrade my planer

[jeff oldham]

i have had the porter cable 12/1/2 inch planer for a few years now and it really does do a good job,,i dont think they make them anymore but i was thinking about upgrading to a 15 inch with helical head cutters,,,,the one thing i do like about the porter cable is the blades are double edged and its no problem to change them....,,and i know it might sound kinda stupid to want the 15 but i was also wanting the helical head,,i was told you could change them over but since porter cable dont make the planer anymore im sure the parts would be a hit and miss thing,,,i like grizzly but i dont know much about them plus the warranty isnt but 1 year,,can anyone point me in the right direction

[Robert London]

Most brands only have a 1 year warranty. Grizzly sells a ton of planers. You use to be able to get their 15” helical on sale for 1800 or so, but now after Covid and price increases, most 15” helical are nudging 3k. Powermatic, Oliver, Laguna can set you back closer to 4k. Buy a machine made in Taiwan if you can.

[Mel Fulks]

As the helical stuff steadily gains fans, less is written about the “old type” straight knives. Most planers were sold new, with the lowest grade
knives, and that is what gave straight knives a bad reputation for tear-out. T1 or M-2 straight knives will leave a much better surface.
And some buyers even followed the mfg. manual advice to “buy only our genuine knives !” BUT at least they didn’t add. “follow our
science”.

[Jim Becker]

There are a ton of the typical 15" thickness planers on the market, some including the helical cutter head. You might also want to consider a J/P combination which could give you 410mm/16" width for both face jointing and thicknessing in a reduced footpoint, but, of course, that would be a larger investment than just getting a 15" thicknesser.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Your prepared spend level/limit will dictate much of what's available.

I went from a 25 year old Shopsmith planer to a Dewalt 735 and then to a Hammer A3-31. All with about a 12" width cut.

Big price jump from the Dewalt to the Hammer. They both worked well, but I did not enjoy using the Dewalt, mostly because of the noise and always fighting snipe. I installed the Shelix Byrd head on the Dewalt, from new, but it was still excessively loud.

Meanwhile, the Hammer rarely gives me snipe and is reasonably quiet in operation and consistent in dialing in the depth of cut. I have the silent helix head on the Hammer and in three years of use, have not rotated the carbide cutters yet. It's on a mobile base, so I move it around depending upon the length of the work piece.

I went the J/P route because of space.

But it was a big jump from a $800 Dewalt to $4500 for the Hammer.

My Sawstop was my most expensive tool, prior to the Hammer and it was a big phsycological battle to think about spending that kind of money, but I still consider it money well spent.

[Jeff Roltgen]

I have a grizzly 4 post 15" with spiral head G1021X. Running almost 15 years now, with a seal/bearing/gear replacement about 4 years ago. This is full time in a single person shop - not all day every day, but many thousands of board ft run through it. A real workhorse. Quality of cut is decent, just need to drop the bed rollers lower than recommended, then snipe is greatly minimized. Very respectable machine - if it's your hobby, it could very well be the last one you need to buy.
Rotated cutters every 3-4 years. It's due for a full set now, but that's pretty incredible considering the volume of processing. Only broke 1 carbide chip in that time - super-hard knot in pine that was pitched at exactly the wrong angle and wedged that bit right apart.

In contrast, I've recently ordered an SCM 20" at about $13.5K . Ouch. Never thought I'd hit that level, but that's what it takes to have any serious upgrade from that old Griz.
Sadly yes, the days of a 15" spiral for $1,500 are gone. Just saying, if you can swing up to that $3k mark, you do hit a level of professional performance you just cannot coax out of a $1k lunchbox. All the inner workings are far more robust, and I think the larger (3"?) cutter head is likely what contributes to the finish quality - those new lunchbox units with carbides are a funny, flimsy looking shish-kabob thing in comparison.

FWIW
jeff

[Lisa Starr]

I had a 15" Grizzly planer for years (straight knife) that just worked. I sold it when I chose to go to a combo machine (Hammer) for floor space reasons. You can't go wrong with a Grizzly, preferably made in Taiwan.

[John Ziebron]

I bought a lightly used 15 inch Grizzly several years ago at a good price and after a few months converted it with a Shelix head. It's a great machine and I've never had a problem with it.

[Ronald Blue]

It is never mentioned but Woodmaster is an American made planer/moulder. If they have issues maybe someone can enlighten me. I have been browsing their website. I know that when a machine is made so it can do other functions it can lead to compromises that degrade all functions.

[Robert London]

I checked out the woodmaster online several times. Seems like a nice American made machine. I passed on the 21" planer because it can only handle stock up to ~ 6.5 thick. Not often I'll need thicker than that, but sometimes I could use it. Most 20" planers will have 8-9" inches of depth. Seems like WM caters and markets more to the trim and moldings crowd.

[Andrew Seemann]

I have a 15" Grizzly I bought a dozen or so years ago. It is the straight knifed version. I don't have problems with tear out or snipe. Sometimes I think I must be missing out on some great, magical experience, but I haven't really found the need to upgrade to an insert head.

I don't know how much wood I have run through it, but it is at least several thousand board feet. I do have an extra set of knives in case I get a bad knick, but other than setting it up and lowering the bottom rollers to reduce snipe, it really hasn't required much attention.

[Bob Coates]

Did a google on helical head for PC and found for about 450 you could get new heiical head for 121/2 planer\https://shelixheads.com/SHELIX_for_p...aner_(PC305TP)

Bob

[Erik Loza]

OP, what's your budget? We're all more than happy to spend your money but what you can actually afford/are willing to spend?

Erik

[Rod Sheridan]

OP, what's your budget? We're all more than happy to spend your money but what you can actually afford/are willing to spend?

Erik

Always step 1, qualify the customer😀

[Erik Loza]

Always step 1, qualify the customer

When I was a rep in the architecture and design field, there was this meme I often used to use in my powerpoint presentations. It basically showed a client coming to an architect with the idea of this giant mansion and by the time everyone takes a slice of the client's pie, it was this mundane little sticks-and-bricks house, with a depressed human figure standing next to it.

Erik