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Thread: Steel city planers

  1. #1

    Steel city planers

    The Steel city planers look like the PM planers yet they have straight knives over the spiral blades.

    They also have polyurethane outfeed rollers.

    Does anyone have the 15" planer?

    What is the quality like?

    They now have $100 rebate plus my dealer will give 10% off. Therefore I'll get it for $1130. Is this a good deal?

    Should I save my money and get a PM?

  2. #2

    Steel city planer

    I am in the market for a planer and have looked at the powermatic and the Steel City side by side and the quality is the same. As to the spiral cutter head I don't know if I like the flex knife spiral design setup on the powermatic it's easy to change and may give a little better finish in figured stuff but thats arguable. However if you have a nic in a knife I don't think you can shift it to the side. The steel city is what I would go with for the money. Whats up with the rebate?
    Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night
    -Poe

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
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    2,568
    Quote Originally Posted by BARRY RESNICK View Post
    The Steel city planers look like the PM planers yet they have straight knives over the spiral blades.

    They also have polyurethane outfeed rollers.

    Does anyone have the 15" planer?

    What is the quality like?

    They now have $100 rebate plus my dealer will give 10% off. Therefore I'll get it for $1130. Is this a good deal?

    Should I save my money and get a PM?
    Quote Originally Posted by James Williams 007 View Post
    I am in the market for a planer and have looked at the powermatic and the Steel City side by side and the quality is the same. As to the spiral cutter head I don't know if I like the flex knife spiral design setup on the powermatic it's easy to change and may give a little better finish in figured stuff but thats arguable. However if you have a nic in a knife I don't think you can shift it to the side. The steel city is what I would go with for the money. Whats up with the rebate?
    We have the Steel City 15" planer and it is great!!! Fit and finish were flawless. It came out of the crate ready to roll-just had to attach the infeed and outfeed tables. One minor problem: the battery in the digital readout was dead. One call to SCTW and we not only got two new batteries, but also a new readout "just in case." We have over 200 bd/ft of maple to push through it and have already planed some walnut, cherry, and oak with it, and it gives a finish ready for the ROS. We have the straight knives, but intend to buy a helical head for it in the near future...saves on sharpening costs.

    The Steel City planer has a 5-year warranty, (Yeah, I know, so does PM) and you can reach a live person on the phone, quite unlike PM. SCTW has a company policy that the phone will NOT ring more than 3 times before a live person picks it up--everyone there is on phone duty. No "press 1 for English", no phone tree, just a real person on the other end of the phone. When LOML called SCTW about the battery in our planer, "Scott" answered the phone and handled the call. Scott? Just Scott Box, VP of US Operations for SCTW. When was the last time you were able to reach an executive of PM??

    Buy the Steel City--you won't be sorry.

    Nancy (96 days)


    The $100 mail-in rebate is good until March 31, 2008. If your dealer will give you 10% off, you should jump on it. You won't find a better planer anywhere.
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  4. #4

    3 ring policy

    Wow,

    With a policy like that, I am going to invest in Steel City. Are their machines made in Taiwan, or mainland China?

    Just curious. I take CS into heavy consideration with every purchase.

    Thanks for the info!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
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    2,568
    SCTW's manufacturing plant is on mainland China. They own their own manufacturing facility--none of the cookie-cutter plants for them. They do manufacture machines for a couple of other brands, but I'm not sure which ones. They built their own plant because they wanted to have better control over the QA than they could get at a cookie-cutter plant. They also own their own quarry in China where they are quarrying the granite they are using on the cabinet saws, band saws, and jointer fences.

    The guys who work there--Scott, Tom, Jim, and Mark--and all the others are straight-up guys. They started the company to "build a better mousetrap" and so far they have succeeded.

    Nancy (96 days)
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  6. #6
    Nancy,

    Do you have any close up photos?

    The rebate is for some Steel city machine bought from 9/07 to 3/08.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
    Posts
    42
    Quote Originally Posted by BARRY RESNICK View Post
    Nancy,

    Do you have any close up photos?

    The rebate is for some Steel city machine bought from 9/07 to 3/08.
    Give me 15 minutes and I will!

    N
    Dave Laird
    D and N Specialties (Laser Engraving)
    Pro Sales for Woodworker's Supply in Albuquerque, NM

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Rio Rancho, NM
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    Barry, here are the pics I just took (Dave had to blow away the sawdust first!)

    IMG_0656.jpg

    The digital readout

    IMG_0658.jpg

    Infeed side

    IMG_0660.jpg

    One of the table trunnions (there are four)

    IMG_0662.jpg

    0utfeed side with the DC hood attached

    IMG_0665.jpg

    The knob behind the two wires is one of two to lock the table in place

    Next....
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
    Posts
    2,568
    Here are more:

    IMG_0654.jpg

    On/off box

    IMG_0657.jpg


    IMG_0664.jpg

    IMG_0663.jpg

    Both above are the 15" planer sitting next to the 6" wedge-bed jointer with the 68" bed.

    IMG_0666.jpg

    And that gorgeous Steel City logo

    Nancy (96 days)
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  10. #10
    Thanks for the photos. It looks like a tank.

    Are the mobility casters good? Is it esy to move around since the wheels don't swivel?

  11. #11

    Steel city planer

    You said that your dealer is giving you 10% off. Why are they doing that and where are they...I am looking at an older powermatic but if that dosent work out I would be interested in the steel city if i could work the deal your getting!
    Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night
    -Poe

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
    Posts
    2,568
    Barry, we haven't tried to move it since we put it in place. Our DC system is pretty permanent so we don't have a need to move it, but IIRC, it wasn't a bear to move into place.

    Nancy (96 days)
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
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    2,568
    Quote Originally Posted by James Williams 007 View Post
    You said that your dealer is giving you 10% off. Why are they doing that and where are they...I am looking at an older powermatic but if that dosent work out I would be interested in the steel city if i could work the deal your getting!
    James, PM sent.

    Nancy (96 days)
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  14. #14

    Steel city planer

    I've moved one at the dealers and it glides really well. Of course it is a hefty machine so don't plan on turning on a dime
    Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night
    -Poe

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Northern New Jersey
    Posts
    1,958
    Nancy or Barry,
    When you take a very light cut on your SCTW planer, do you see any serration marks from the infeed roller? I understand the outfeed roller is made from smooth urethane.
    -Jeff

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