Thickness Planer decision?

[Tony Shea]

I am in the market for a new thickness planer. This will be my first planer I have ever owned and used. I am a new woodworker and have found that using wood that is unplaned is next to impossible. I would love to have a jointer as well but cannot afford both peices of equipment at the moment. Therefore I have decided that purchasing a planer first would be more reasonable. Is this thinking correct or should I look at purchasing in the other order? My budget isn't huge, around $500. I have really been considering the Ridgid model as it seems to be a lot of tool at a decent price. Any reccomendations for other models or comments on the Ridgid would be a huge help. Looking at reviews really doesn't help me much as most of them are posted right after they purchase the tool and tells me nothing about the durability of the tool. I think I would get more out of posting the question here where people have real world experiences with their tools. Any help on this decision would be a huge help.

[Myk Rian]

You made the right decision.
A planer can be used as a jointer with a sled.
I'm partial to the Dewalt 735 planer. Keep an eye on Craigslist and you might find both tools for what you want to spend.

[Don Jarvie]

IMHO you should get the jointer before the planer. Even though you can get pretty good clean edges on a table saw the jointer does a great job so gluing up panels, etc is easy.

A jointer was one of the first tools I got and I am looking for a planer now and I've been poking around for 15 years or so. The main reason to get a planer now is so I can buy rough sawn wood in bulk and plane it to save some money.

[Paul Ryan]

Tony,

I have the ridgid planer and really have not complaits about it. It is very loud but that is normal for lunch box units, and the chip collection wasn't the greatest until I removed the reducer. It works well and does what asked of it. I would also look at the Steel City 13" planer. It is the same as the ridgid except it uses the inserts as cutters instead of knives. The inserts are steel not carbide but that is still better than knives. And I dont see why over time you couldn't replace the inserts with carbide. But on the other hand the ridgid has their lifetime warranty and I am sure the SC does not.

I agree with Don though. I would buy a jointer first. I owned a jointer for 4 years before a planner. A planner is nice but not necessary if you ask me. It really depends on whay kind of stock you buy. If it is from a local mill it should be good stock. I have never had much trouble with warping for twisted stock. If you get a much lower price on rough stock than maybe a planner is in the cards. But personally I would be lost with out my jointer. Almost every cut goes over the jointer before it is finished. I rarely do any face jointing. It is all edge jointing. And if I am in a pinch you can plane with you jointer. Craiglist is great for used equipment in some places. Used 6" jointers and lunch box planners are a dime a dozen around here. You maybe able to get both for the price of a new planner. IMHO a used dewalt 735 is not worth a new ridgid planner. The ridgid comes with a better warranty, infeed and out feed tables, and it is new.

[Carroll Courtney]

Tony,I think that getting a planer is the way to go than a jointer.You can always joint the edges on your table saw but you can't plane on the TS.What type of planer are you in the market for?Lunch box type,floor model,new,used,and the budget(500.00).So,the budget is 500.00,now what type do you want?Something that you can easily more around,or maybe you have a spot that a floor model will fit.New????I don't know if you can fine a new one for 500 that is worth a flip,lunch box or floor model.You may be able to fine a new one on sale,if your not looking for one of the big name brands.But,if you don't have your mine set for a new planer then check into used market.First by checking here in the classified section,then check out your local CL's.For me,I'm not impress by what's available in the new market so I went with a used floor model and it cost me 400.00,alittle cleaning,tuning up,and its as good as new.Good Luck and post some pics of what you purchase,new or used----Carroll

[Scott Vigder]

Tony, I'm in the jointer-first camp. What kind of work are you going to do? Will your stress loads require near-perfect angles to prevent racking or warping?

I have a 8" jointer and the DeWalt 735 lunchbox planer. A great combo that has served me very well over the years.

[Drew Loehr]

You might want to consider the used market. You should have no problems getting a planer AND a jointer for around $500.

[Doug Hepler]

Tony,

Jointing comes before planing. I had a jointer for years before I got a planer, and it was very useful for both flattening and thicknessing boards.

I disagree that you can flatten a warped board with a planer, sled or no sled. However, if you are set on getting a planer before a jointer, you can joint boards with hand planes and then finish them on the planer.

I researched the subject carefully two years ago. I think that there was a review in Fine Woodworking sometime in 2007-8. I chose the Craftsman 21759 13" Planer.

I am very pleased with it. It has two feed rates. The finish from the slow rate is almost perfectly smooth. It came adjusted for no snipe. Chip collection is effective. The electronic depth gauge is a minor convenience. It's a battery hog so I added an external power supply. (Easy to do.)

I have to say that the bearings went on the first one (I suspect it was because of how I mounted it). I got a replacement from the OEM with no problem.

Hope this helps

Doug

[Michael Schwartz]

There are a few things you should consider and it all starts with budget.


The price points go from about $100-400.00 for a low end bench-top machine to about $400-600$ for a high end bench top. Then after that you start to get into the range $800-$1000 for an entry level stationary machine.

Currently due to space and budget reasons I am using a DW735 which is by all means a great machine. Compared to my Delta shopmaster there is no comparison. The DW735 has a good finish, enough power, good dust collection, and the double edge knives hold an edge.

If your in the market for a stationary machine I would strongly consider buying a machine with a helical cutter-head with carbide inserts. (Byrd, Shelix, grizzly etc...) The Carbide cutter-heads are quieter, smoother, leave a near flawless finish, and last a long time. If a few inserts become kicked you can simply rotate them. When it comes time to rotate all of them it is much less of a headache than setting knives.

I have worked with a 15" Delta X5 that used to scream so loud you could hear it on the other end of the building, which was sealed off from the shop. with the carbide cutter-head the sound of the rollers vibrating on the in feed stand was louder than the machine.

[Gary Herrmann]

If you don't want to go used, with your budget - I'd recommend a DW 735. I had one for several years and was very pleased with it's performance. You can make a sled for it and then you'll be able to plane boards and get parallel faces.

[David Prince]

Unless you deal with a lot of rough cut material, a jointer will do everything you need. A planer has its place, but a jointer should find itself a place in your shop first.

[Anthony Anderson]

I have a DW735, with a Byrd shelix head. Even without the Byrd head, it did everything that I want to do.

With the Byrd head it is much quieter, and leave a nice smooth surface with no tearout.

Lowe's has the DW735 planer right now for $599, you can get a 10% off coupon at the post office in a moving packet, and get it for $540+tax. The blades are not the greatest, but they will last until you can upgrade to the shelix head, or carbide blades.

Now as far as a Planer or jointer first. I use a jointer only for straightening an edge. I know what the proper/correct procedure for preparing lumber is, but I don't like my hand/fingers going past blades that can turn them into mince meat in a fraction of a second.

So I use the planer for surfacing both sides, then I use a straight edge and draw a straight line down the edge of the lumber, and take off enough material to get it close to the line. Then I joint the edge.

I don't have any problem gluing up boards to make a wide panel, using this method. I don't have any gaps, and don't have to force the boards together. Light clamp pressure is all I use.

Now if I had a power feeder, I might change this practice, but it works well for me.

I worked with a person, that had an accident on a jointer, and it took all of his fingers off on his right hand before he even realized that an accident occurred.

Good Luck, Bill

Also keep checking local paper, and Craigslist, sometimes you can buy both machines and stay within your budget of $500.

[Kent A Bathurst]

You made the right decision.
A planer can be used as a jointer with a sled.

Myk is dead-nuts on target. Spend a little time to fab a good sled. Don't get two lower-quality pieces of equipment, get one good one.
I don't have the Byrd-style head. Would love to, but my planer works great without it - once I learned how to align it, and I keep sharp knives loaded.

This is from a guy that got both a jointer and a planer at the same time 10+ years ago. If I had to do with only one, it would absolutely be the planer - hands down. (But - in deference to the guys speaking about jointing on a TS - spend the money to get a really good blade. Others do it with a top-notch router and table). Don't personally know the DW 735, but a lot of smart people here on SMC like them a lot, and I'd go that way for sure, if the capacity does what you need.

[Harold Burrell]

You might want to consider the used market. You should have no problems getting a planer AND a jointer for around $500.

I agree.

I started with a planer (and quickly found out how desperately I needed a joiner...). However, I found a Makita planer on CL for $150 in great condition (yes...that was a gloat.) I later picked up a joiner.

IF you wanted to go new...you could go with...

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-1-2-Planer/G0505
and
http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-Jointer/G0452

I own this particular jointer and love it. And tho I do not own this planer, I have heard good things about it.

[Tony Shea]

Well the decision has been made for me. This morning my girlfriend surprised me a great X-mas gift. She got me the Ridgid 13" planer. What a great girl she is. Must have heard me talking about it at some point I guess as this was a huge surprise! Might have to marry this chick some day if she keeps that kind of stuff up. Now I can afford to get myself a jointer in the near future.