lunchbox vs stationary planer

[Patrick Kane]

I went from a 735 to a PM209hh last year, and i would say the byrd head is a downgrade compared to the 735. I have the scalloped ridges everyone talks about, and i dont find it to be much better with reversing grain. Full disclosure, i still feel like i was sold a bit of snake oil by most opinions on the net. However, to me the stationary planer with carbide inserts wasnt about improving cut quality etc. I was ramming a lot of wood through the dewalt, and the pace left a lot to be desired. In addition to pace, i was holding my breath over when it would eventually kick the bucket. Im sure they last awhile, but i was 2-3,000 bdft into it and wanted to sell it before i broke it. Import 20" machines arent invincible, but at 1-2,000 bdft a year it should last me for quite awhile without trouble. Im no longer limited to 1/32-1/16" passes, and the PM on slow gear is much faster. Similar to having a narrow jointer, i am now using the 13-20" wide boards ive accumulated, but never touched because my tooling didnt match their dimensions. I cant outright say the powermatic is better than the dewalt, they are just different. I wanted wider, faster, and more robust to suit my needs. The dewalt could be a better machine(and significantly less expensive too!) for some people given the circumstances.

[John Lankers]

I will not mention any specific brands but there are cheap (quality) and more high end lunchbox planers and the same holds true for stationary planers. However, if you run any lunchbox planer all day every day at full capacity you won't get much life (duty cycle) out of it and it simply won't be able to work at all with dull knives as where a large industrial planer with dull knives just leaves a rougher surface. IMHO, both planers outfitted with new knives and taking a thin layer of wood of should leave a very comparable finish. No matter how you stretch it, running a 13" board through a 13" lunchbox planer is a workout even at the thinnest setting. Also, most higher end stationary planers can be bought with rubber outfeed rollers to eliminate marring.

[Jon Nuckles]

The finish off my DW735 with sharp knives is better than I used to get with a 15" Delta stationary planer, and I like the easy replacement of dull or nicked knives. On the other hand, it takes too long to plane down rough sawn lumber and it does scream. It is certainly a cheaper option if that matters to you. You'll likely pay more for a Byrd head for a 15" planer than the DW735 costs in total. As was mentioned above, there are big differences in quality within each class of planer. I had a Delta 12" many years ago and, while it was lighter than the DW735, the Delta was no match for it in power or finish.

[rudy de haas]

Before buying mine (G1037z equiv from craftex in Canada) I ran some tests. Conclusions:

1 - finish quality depends on the cutters, the feed rate, and the wood, not how the machine is mounted or powered (unless the machine is so light relative to the job that it moves; that's a disaster for finish quality);

2 - noise matters

3 - the lunch boxes work ok for small pieces fed slowly, are easy to move around, and take normal 15 amp, 110 volt power. The better stationary units are heavy, take 220 volt power, and are not easily moved except on wheels within the workshop.

4 - the heavier machines have it all over the little guys when you want to plane longer boards. There is no comparison between feeding a 12 foot long piece of jatoba through a small stationary unit like the G0137z and doing it on a lunchbox. Basically, one is just some work, the other needs planning, care, clamps, and a lot of time.

[John Gulick]

We use our Powermatic 180 for roughing and either our Makita or Rigid for finishing.

[Homer Faucett]

With regard to using a stationary planer, I will say that those who are seeing significant marks from the serrated feed roller do not have their planer set up properly. The planer blades should be set below the teeth of the feed roller. I have bought and used 4 stationary planers and set them up according to specs from Bob Vaughan. There used to be a great video on this.

I started with a screamer lunchbox planer, and they do a great job for short boards. Universal motors will not last long, the gears will eventually sheer, and you cannot take much thickness off the board. Moreover, I have found that snipe is generally worse on those lunchbox planers than on a well tuned floor planer.

I started with a Ryobi and have had one of the "elite" DeWalt lunchbox planers. If you do not ever want to do setup on a planer...get a lunchbox planer, but live with it's limitations. I have seen the edges on the DeWalt planer blades fold over on oak and walnut. I hope they have fixed that. I also have/do own a Robland 12" J/P that works great, a Sunhill 20" with a Byrd Style head I installed, an old beast Williams & Hussey 12" planer/molder, and a Parks 12" planer. If you aren't willing to go to Harbor freight and buy a dial indicator, you have no business in buying a floor planer.

With regards to a Byrd head, if you wont buy a torque wrench, you shouldn't buy one. So many of our machines require 3+ hours of setup to ensure that you get proper results. They are not set up properly from the factory, regardless of manufacturer for the floor model machines. The setup time is offset by the throughput on the bigger machines. I use almost exclusively roughsawn lumber, including exotics, and I have burned up the lunchtop versions. I am not a mechanic, so I feel everyone's pain in the setup, but I feel like much of the negative comments on floor planers are related to poor setup by the owners.

I personally use my Robland planer with straight carbide blades for most uses, and don't find the minor sanding difference between this and the old lunchtop planers justifies the very slow feed rate of lunchtop planers.

[Art Mann]

I used a Ridgid TP1300 for 10 years before acquiring a Jet JJP-12HH jointer/planer machine with the segmented spiral cutter head. The Ridgid had hard use over the whole time period and I had zero problems with it. The quality of the surface for both machines is about equal for smooth grained wood. For figured or knotty wood, the Jet beats the socks off the Ridgid. The Jet is far quieter and far faster than the Ridgid. My experience is that the Jet will not allow you to remove as little as the Ridgid and sometimes that is important. I have a DRO on both machines and the Ridgid planer is more accurate when adjusted using the readout. I sold the Ridgid and it is still at work in a friend's shop. I regret selling it. I had the room for both and each is better at certain things.

[Russell Smallwood]

With regard to using a stationary planer, I will say that those who are seeing significant marks from the serrated feed roller do not have their planer set up properly. The planer blades should be set below the teeth of the feed roller. I have bought and used 4 stationary planers and set them up according to specs from Bob Vaughan. There used to be a great video on this.

I started with a screamer lunchbox planer, and they do a great job for short boards. Universal motors will not last long, the gears will eventually sheer, and you cannot take much thickness off the board. Moreover, I have found that snipe is generally worse on those lunchbox planers than on a well tuned floor planer.

I started with a Ryobi and have had one of the "elite" DeWalt lunchbox planers. If you do not ever want to do setup on a planer...get a lunchbox planer, but live with it's limitations. I have seen the edges on the DeWalt planer blades fold over on oak and walnut. I hope they have fixed that. I also have/do own a Robland 12" J/P that works great, a Sunhill 20" with a Byrd Style head I installed, an old beast Williams & Hussey 12" planer/molder, and a Parks 12" planer. If you aren't willing to go to Harbor freight and buy a dial indicator, you have no business in buying a floor planer.

With regards to a Byrd head, if you wont buy a torque wrench, you shouldn't buy one. So many of our machines require 3+ hours of setup to ensure that you get proper results. They are not set up properly from the factory, regardless of manufacturer for the floor model machines. The setup time is offset by the throughput on the bigger machines. I use almost exclusively roughsawn lumber, including exotics, and I have burned up the lunchtop versions. I am not a mechanic, so I feel everyone's pain in the setup, but I feel like much of the negative comments on floor planers are related to poor setup by the owners.

I personally use my Robland planer with straight carbide blades for most uses, and don't find the minor sanding difference between this and the old lunchtop planers justifies the very slow feed rate of lunchtop planers.

Hard to add much to this post. Setup is key and you can get great results from stationary equipment if you set it up properly. I finally gave up on lunch box planers when mine slipped my clamps and toppled over in the middle of surfacing a 12' 6/4 piece of cypress. Some kind of helical head is a must IMHO. I have them on both Jointer and Planer and wouldn't go back to straight knives.

[Chris Hachet]

With regard to using a stationary planer, I will say that those who are seeing significant marks from the serrated feed roller do not have their planer set up properly. The planer blades should be set below the teeth of the feed roller. I have bought and used 4 stationary planers and set them up according to specs from Bob Vaughan. There used to be a great video on this.

I started with a screamer lunchbox planer, and they do a great job for short boards. Universal motors will not last long, the gears will eventually sheer, and you cannot take much thickness off the board. Moreover, I have found that snipe is generally worse on those lunchbox planers than on a well tuned floor planer.

I started with a Ryobi and have had one of the "elite" DeWalt lunchbox planers. If you do not ever want to do setup on a planer...get a lunchbox planer, but live with it's limitations. I have seen the edges on the DeWalt planer blades fold over on oak and walnut. I hope they have fixed that. I also have/do own a Robland 12" J/P that works great, a Sunhill 20" with a Byrd Style head I installed, an old beast Williams & Hussey 12" planer/molder, and a Parks 12" planer. If you aren't willing to go to Harbor freight and buy a dial indicator, you have no business in buying a floor planer.

With regards to a Byrd head, if you wont buy a torque wrench, you shouldn't buy one. So many of our machines require 3+ hours of setup to ensure that you get proper results. They are not set up properly from the factory, regardless of manufacturer for the floor model machines. The setup time is offset by the throughput on the bigger machines. I use almost exclusively roughsawn lumber, including exotics, and I have burned up the lunchtop versions. I am not a mechanic, so I feel everyone's pain in the setup, but I feel like much of the negative comments on floor planers are related to poor setup by the owners.

I personally use my Robland planer with straight carbide blades for most uses, and don't find the minor sanding difference between this and the old lunchtop planers justifies the very slow feed rate of lunchtop planers.

Finding accurate information on set up is often not easy. What would you suggest?

[lowell holmes]

I have a Dewalt 734 that suits my needs. You will have to learn a few things. To avoid snipe, lift up on the tail of the board as you are feeding it into the machine.

Don't get cute with it, it can throw a board across the room. DAMHIK

[Doug Landphair]

A couple of years ago I made the move from a Ridgid 6" jointer and a Delta 22-580 13-1/2 inch planer to an 8-inch Jet jointer and a 15-inch Jet planer. It wasn't because the Ridgid and Delta didn't work well. They did a good job. However, they were slow and noisy. Processing a pile of wood took a pile of time. The Jet machinery is faster and much quieter. Both are equipped with helical heads which provide very smooth surfaces. Yes, it was a ton of money but am glad I made the move.

As others have commented, the direction you go really depends on what you're going to do with the equipment (and your budget!).

[Ken Platt]

Another happy upgrader from lunch box (Dewalt) to stationary (Grizz 13", maybe G1073?). I found that I had to run boards through the Dewalt over and over in order to take off any significant amount, which I usually had to do with my bandsaw milled boards. It was mind-numbingly boring. With the Grizzly, much much faster. I should have upgraded years earlier.

Ken

[Ole Anderson]

I would say go with a lunchbox (I have the Delta 22-580) if you plane rough sawn only occasionally or if you get your boards sized 1/16" over final size like I do.

[Homer Faucett]

I would say go with a lunchbox (I have the Delta 22-580) if you plane rough sawn only occasionally or if you get your boards sized 1/16" over final size like I do.

You can easily pay for a floor model in the price difference between rough sawn and previously prepped boards and do any kind of volume in your shop. Cost per board foot adds up quickly.

The question becomes what you want from woodworking. Is it an expensive hobby? A self sustaining hobby? A money making venture?

If you are doing large flatwork of any sort, and you want to do sustainable or money making, I personally think a floor planer is one of the top 5 machines you want if you want to be cost effective over the long haul.

[Homer Faucett]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSM7Jrg34a8

Here is the best generic planer setup advice I have ever seen or read. Robert Vaughan is a woodworking machinery guru. If you have a floor planer, I'd invest in watching this and following what he recommends.

I have bought 3hp floor planers for $100 that were simply out of alignment. Yes...it's a pain. Yes, it's a time investment. It all goes back to what are you looking for from woodworking?

I see alot of guys who just like to buy gadgets and really never make anything worthwhile, only to sell it all at a loss 5-10 years later.