Oliver machinery

[Keegan Shields]

Thanks all for the feedback.

I buy used machines almost exclusively and have never had a motor issue... which got me thinking maybe what I'm seeing is survivorship bias. In other words, only the machines without fatal flaws make it to the used market.

My Grizzly dust collector is from the early 90's and just keeps chugging along.



I do think the overall quality of machines manufactured in Asia has improved a lot over the past 40 years. And that includes the component parts like bearings etc.

[Izzy Camire]

Well I must say I am kind of disappointed with the direction this thread ended up going. It was suppose to be about getting first hand information about Oliver machinery. I am grateful to those who did provide that information.

I called Oliver yesterday and learned they install Baldor motors once the machines arrive at their facility in Washington and then they test out the machines. Also learned the current price of $3200.00 is the normal selling price for the 15" planer.

[Keegan Shields]

15” planers are all basically the same. Points of differentiation include price, warranty, infeed/outfeed table style, cutter head, and paint color.

Pick the one you like.

[Mitch schiffer]

I have a new age Oliver 25" planer and I'm happy with it. It didn't come set up perfect. I had to fiddle around with the pressure bar to get stock to feed reliably. My local wood working store seems to hold Oliver in high regards, putting it in the same class as Baileigh. I do find the overall build quality to be higher then the 20" ship fox it replaced, but it is also 3x the cost of that one. Several people on YouTube have the newer Oliver jointers and seem to like them. As Jim mentioned Andy Rawls on YouTube does a few videos on the new Oliver machines that may be worth a watch to you.

[Jim Becker]

Well I must say I am kind of disappointed with the direction this thread ended up going. It was suppose to be about getting first hand information about Oliver machinery. I am grateful to those who did provide that information.

I called Oliver yesterday and learned they install Baldor motors once the machines arrive at their facility in Washington and then they test out the machines. Also learned the current price of $3200.00 is the normal selling price for the 15" planer.

Don't let it bother you...it's the nature of online discussions. It's good to hear that they addressed your questions...come companies dance around a little when it comes to that. While the current iteration of the Oliver name is a different company, they do seem to be serious about being in the marketplace and the gear I've seen operating on video appears to be very nice quality. And if you like blue, it's even better.

[Izzy Camire]

I thought I would add a reply to this thread I had back in March. I ended up going into Woodcraft and they told me they had an Oliver 15" planer coming into the store and it was available. I ended up buying it. Given that it was already headed to the store I did not have to pay for shipping which was a significant savings. We had a stressful 21 mile trip home with the crate in the back of the pickup.

At this point I have it setup and have used it a bit. The first thing I noticed is how quiet it is. The boards came out of it perfectly smooth as expected. The machine is from Taiwan and the build quality is excellent. I am very happy with it and glad I made the choice for Oliver. I have also contacted the company a couple of times on the phone and the most it has rung is 3 times before they pick up.

[Michael Elliott]

Good for you. I've had the 15" Oliver planer for over a year now, and have run hundreds of bdft through it. It is a solid planer.

[James Jayko]

ehhhh has anyone had their non-baldor motor die?

Yep. The 3HP on my 17" Grizzly band saw. Tried to replace it with a Baldor but they have different specs in some way (drive pulley diameter or something), so I had to get a replacement Chinese made motor from Grizzly.