How big is a 20" planer?

[robert cohen]

I am a hobbiest. I have a Ridgid 13" planer and would like to upgrade. Is going to a 15" planer an upgrade? Should I get a 20" planer?

Is it too big? Is it easy to move around? Can I plane a glue up to flatten it?

I would be getting either the Grizzly or Yorkie.

[Lars Thomas]

Going to one of the models you mentioned would be a significant upgrade. Principally you'd be moving from stamped steel and plastic to cast iron (for the most part). And just as importantly is going from a universal to an induction motor - huge difference.

As for sending panels through, obviously 20" is better, But I don't think you'll find 15" too limiting (that's what I have).

[Rob Will]

IMHO, there's no such thing as a planer that is too big. If your space, budget, and electric service allow, go big.

I like the carbide insert cutterheads because of low maintenance and noise.

Rob

[Tim Wagner]

IMHO, there's no such thing as a planer that is too big. If your space, budget, and electric service allow, go big.

I like the carbide insert cutterheads because of low maintenance and noise.

Rob

are you refering to the spiral cutter heads with the 4 sided bits. I wonder how much better they really are? i am not saying they aren't, but there has got to be 200 bit's on those things, and how much are those a peice? then again you can turn them 4 times. how many times can you sharpen the blades before getting a new set? I ask because a planer is one of three top tools i want to get. Ma wants a new cutter board, that id like to make out of bamboo.

[Dick Latshaw]

It's about this big:

IMG_70005.jpg

and weighs around 800 pounds. I'm a believer in the 'bigger is better' concept when it comes to planers and jointers.

[Art Mann]

What are you looking for in an upgrade? If you are looking for faster processing, even a 15" planer is certainly a big improvement. If you are looking for longer life, most all of the cast iron planers with induction motors will last many times longer than the portable ones. If you are looking for more versatility, I don't know if a 15 incher will do you much good. I have the Ridgid too and I can't think of a single instance in which the extra 2 inches of width would have done me any good. You really need a 20 incher to get much of an improvement there. If you are looking for a better finish, you will certainly not get it with a cast iron planer. My experience has been that they don't do quite as well as a good lunchbox planer. Maintenance on a cast iron planer is likely to be more difficult. The knives are generally much more difficult to replace. The cost of sharpening replaceable knives is the same as the cost of buying new ones on a portable planer. If your main goal is to to flatten glue ups, why not consider a big power sander? That will provide you with capabilities you don't already have.

I am fortunate to have a good friend with a 20 inch Powermatic that I can use whenever I want to.

[Rob Will]

are you refering to the spiral cutter heads with the 4 sided bits. I wonder how much better they really are? i am not saying they aren't, but there has got to be 200 bit's on those things, and how much are those a peice? then again you can turn them 4 times. how many times can you sharpen the blades before getting a new set? I ask because a planer is one of three top tools i want to get. Ma wants a new cutter board, that id like to make out of bamboo.

I have a 24" Powermatic planer equipped with a Byrd cutterhead. It has 168 4-sided carbide inserts. Very quiet. The inserts are about $2.75 ea. but most hobby WW'ers will probably never wear out a set.

http://www.byrdtool.com/
http://www.byrdtool.com/journals.html

Rob

[Tim Wagner]

I have a 24" Powermatic planer equipped with a Byrd cutterhead. It has 168 4-sided carbide inserts. Very quiet. The inserts are about $2.75 ea. but most hobby WW'ers will probably never wear out a set.

well i am too familiar with carbide bit's as i have to use them to turn roters at work. never having to replace them ever could be a huge advantage. I see each row is offset so not to get tracks in the wood surface. I hadn't noticed that before.

PS wow I just saw the price. 2095 dollers to buy one cutter head for a twenty inch planer?? that be big bucks!!

[Ted Miller]

Rob, My makita lunch box planer weighs about 72 lbs and my old 15" makita made in japan is 326 lbs, major difference in weight and dimensions. I had to build a stand on top of my 15" so the 12" could ride on top to save space in my shop. If you have the room go for the 20" or even 24", you will not regret it...

[Rod Sheridan]

I have a 15 inch cast iron planer, and am very happy with it.

The Dewalt 2 speed planer has 96/179 cuts per inch, my 15 inch planer has 78/63 CPI at 16/20 feet per minute feed rates.

I have been pleased with the finish obtained from my planer, as well as it's ability to take relatively deep, wide cuts in hardwood without difficulty.

The knives are changed in the same manner as industrial planers I have used, and all adjustments for table parallelism, chip breaker, knife adjustment are similar. I normally keep a spare set on hand, send them out for grinding when they need it.

The comments in previous posts are all informative, you now need to decide whether you want a cast iron, permanent piece of machinery, or a more temporary planer.

I opted for the cast iron model, I doubt that you would regret purchasing one.

Regards, Rod.

["Gary Brewer"]

Dick : That's huge!! How have you liked that big planer? How reliable has it been? Any maintenance issues? What is the manufacturer and motor size?
Gary

[robert cohen]

Is the 20 too heavy to push around easily.? I work in my two car garage. I have to move things around to work. Is a 15 " a better choice?

[Brian Knop]

I am a hobbiest woodworker also and can not imagine why you would need a 20" planner. A pro maybe, but for a hobbiest- it a hobby! Save your money and buy some hand planes.

[robert cohen]

Am I better off with a 15" with Byrd head and a 16/32 Performax?

[Dick Latshaw]

Dick : That's huge!! How have you liked that big planer? How reliable has it been? Any maintenance issues? What is the manufacturer and motor size?
Gary

Well, it's not really that big. Check out the Northfield web site or OWWM for really big ones. Being large, it does not move when I'm using it. If I really needed to move it around, I could put it on a mobile base. Some folks here have much larger machines on mobile bases.

The main advantages:

If I have a large glue up, a table top for example that didn't come out just right, I can run it through the planer to true it up. Last Christmas, I made a bunch of cutting boards from scraps of varying thickness and just ran them through the planer.

I can run problematic boards, say with knots, through at the sides of the planer and still have enough usable blade length in the center for most boards - although I haven't dinged a blade yet.

I can run narrower boards through at various locations to distribute blade wear.

Of course I could do all of that with a Stanley #8 and some time and energy.

I have had the machine for about a year and a half. No problems or maintenance issues. It's a Bridgewood BW-200P and has a 5HP 1 Phase Baldor motor. Just checked the price at Wilke. Glad I bought mine when I did.