Planer Question

[Tim Hughes37]

This is a subject that has probably been hashed and rehashed, but, I am looking to buy a planer, 12"-13" in the $200-$400 price range. I value the posters on this site and would love to know what you would recommend and why. Thanks in advance for the advice and guidance in my search. Oh, I am a woodturner and will be planing anything from softwood to exotic hardwood.

[Aaron Berk]

Get a 20 inch.

[Bryan Wellman]

I have the Ridgid 13" and it has performed flawlessly for me. The dust collection actually works pretty good and the infed/outfeed tables are fairly large and can be set quite easlily.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...cStoreNum=3209

[glenn bradley]

I have the three knifed DeWalt DW734 that has a carriage lock and included tables. Properly adjusted it is snipe free. I have been unable to part with it even after getting a 15" with a spiral head. Great little machine.

[Lee Schierer]

I have an older Delta Lunch Box style planer. It does all the planing I need since I buy all my lumber dimensioned. If you plan to process rough lumber regularly I would not recommend a portable style planer. You will likely want a heavier built machine.

[Russell Smallwood]

Hey Tim,

I've had two lunch box planers (before finally buying a 15" floor model), a Grizzly G0505 (lean and mean planer) and a Ryobi AP10. Both are inexpensive, no-frills planers, both worked pretty well, but if you offered them to me today, I'd take the Ryobi in a heartbeat. The quick-change knife system is great. The new versions can be found for <$250, are mostly well received, and are supposed to be as tough as the older models. Normally, I'm not much of a Ryobi fan and rave about my Grizzly stuff but in this case, my experience was just the opposite.

[Doug Wolf]

Hey Tim,
Another +1 for the Ryobi AP10. I've had mine for several years and planed a lot of red and white oak for making furniture, so its had some use. Outside of a little snipe at the end of the boards, which is common with all planers, it works good. I did have a "On-Off" switch replaced under warranty early, but otherwise no problems. Its a 13" wide planner.

[Ron Blaise]

DeWalt, hands down, for the buck is a great portable. But I gave mine to a family member and now use a 15" Jet Floor Model. If you are going to plan on planing a lot of wood I would go for a floor model.

[John TenEyck]

If you have the floor space, I'd buy a used stationary machine. I bought a Foley-Belsaw 12-1/2" planer/molder 2 years ago for $250. The 5HP Baldor motor itself is worth that much, and I got a bunch of molding knives as well. Anyway, $60 for new bushings and and couple of springs, another $50 for a new set of knives, and it planes and molds to beat the band.

[Tim Hughes37]

Thanks for all the advice. I don't have the space in my garage for a floor model. Mostly, this machine will be used to "true up" already cut lumber for projects I'm going to be doing. I don't forsee taking larger, rough cut lumber, and planing it down. But as I said, thanks for the input! It is greatly appreciated.