$299 for the Wood River spiral head planer. Worth it?

[James Dudley]

See below. Worth it? I've read the DeWalt 735x is good too. But it's more than double the cost.

RED HOT
SUMMER DEAL
The WoodRiver® 13" Planer features a powerful 15-amp motor
Segmented cutterhead incorporates 26 carbon steel reversible inserts,
superior finish, longer blade life and quieter operation.
The extra-large infeed and outfeed tables
provide extra support for large work pieces.
• Motor: 15-Amp, 115V, 60 Hertz • Cutterhead Speed: 9,500 RPM
• Max Width of Stock - 13" • Thickness of Stock - 1/8” to 6”"
• Dust Port Opening: 2-1/2" or 4" • Weight: 72-1/2 lbs.
• Warranty: 1 Year

wsc#159608 Regular Price $399.99
RED HOT SUMMER PRICE
$299
Plus a 5 pack of replacement cutters Free!

[Bruce Page]

Note that the Woodriver inserts are carbon steel and not carbide. A better comparison would be the DW734.
The DW735 has a lot of fans and a solid rep but is twice the price of the WR.

[Allan Speers]

Bruce beat me to it.

The LAST thing you want is to be constantly changing that many cutters. That's my idea of a nightmare.

[Rick Lizek]

Carbide lasts 10 x longer than hss

[Curt Harms]

Carbide lasts 10 x longer than hss

And you'd need to be confident in an ongoing supply of that cutter. I believe most carbide spiral heads use the same carbide cutters so they're readily available from many sources, not just the manufacturer/retailer. Cutters for the Wood River planer would require some research into future availability if it were me.

[Paul Wunder]

The description sounds suspiciously like the Steel City Tool Works planer. Steel City made tools for Wood River (mortising machine, etc.). As you may know, Steel city is out of buisness

[Scott Pearson]

Note that the Woodriver inserts are carbon steel and not carbide. A better comparison would be the DW734.
The DW735 has a lot of fans and a solid rep but is twice the price of the WR.

Really? HSS cutters, that sounds like a horrible idea. Its fine when its two, three or four blades but 25-50 to keep up would be a pain.

Scott

[James Dudley]

The description sounds suspiciously like the Steel City Tool Works planer. Steel City made tools for Wood River (mortising machine, etc.). As you may know, Steel city is out of buisness

Nope. Wasn't aware they were out of business.

Sounds like there's a good reason this planer is discounted. I think I'll pass.

Thanks to the collective wisdom of the board as always!

[David Ragan]

Good call to pass on that one.

My DW735 is much much quieter with the Shelix head. It was a pain to install, though. Doable, but a pain.

Why would I go with a helical cutter head, and then have to hassle with HSS inserts?

but, like OP said, this Forum has saved me lots of time and some $.

[Bob Varney]

That is 26 cutters that are 2 sided not 4 like carbide cutters