Planer gloat...for me at least.

[Mike Cruz]

Well, I've been looking for a while now. The budget was the big issue. Since I am putting my shop together (including building the shop itself, installing electricity, flooring and now setup...it has taken me about 5 years. Rehabbing this property, the house, the barn and my ever increasing honey-do list always seems to have taken priority). So, here's the gloat:

I picked up a Woodtek 15 inch planer for $425. Yeah, its 15 years old, but when I threw a 6/4 cherry board through it, it ran pretty smooth. The guy threw in 5 extra sets of knives (on set Freud), and an osillating spidle sander. Then started giving me screws, pins, and whatever else he couldn't "find a home" for. Oh, and the sander came with a box full of sanding sleeves to boot. I didn't really have a need for the sander, but I'm sure I will find one.

Anyway, here are some pics.

I hope I get these in order correctly...

The first is it unloaded in front of my shop...where it stood ALL day while I took it apart, blew it off...EVERYWHERE, cleaned (with water and a sponge) each piece I could...except bare metal. Took all day, too.

The second and third are of the planer after cleaning up...in the shop. Yeah, there is paint spray...white of all colors...all over the top of it. I tried to scrub it, but started taking the "green" off. Stopped that VERY quickly. Unfortunately, I don't have time for a full restoration. Would LOVE to get this thing sparkling, but I'll have to settle for clean...for now at least.

The fouth is of the sander and boxfull of sleeves. Yeah, white paint on that, too. We'll see if that'll come off.

The last is how you PROPERLY take a planer off the back of a pickup.

[george wilson]

I have that planer,except mine is badged Bridgewood. It is a wonderfully smooth planing machine. You might find that these planers have a maximum planing depth ,which,when reached will cause the table to slip down the columns. I have never pushed my planer to its limit like that,but one of the maintenance shops in Williamsburg had a Jet badged example. I think they were trying to take off more than 1/8" and asked me why it wouldn't handle it. Design limitation,I told them.

That sander looks like a Ryobi. I have the same one,and had the same one at work. Its oscillating drive belt broke. They were giving free replacement belt kits out. Mine hasn't seen hard use,and hasn't broken yet,but you may expect it to sometime. I am not buying more Ryobi stuff. Their stuff hasn't enough guts to suit me.

[John Harden]

Very nice Mike!! Those big, stand alone planers are sure nice. All that mass works in your favor when planing. Much quieter too than the noisy univeral motor driven portables.

Have fun!!!!!!!

[Bruce Page]

Congrats Mike. I don’t think I have ever read/heard anything bad about the Woodtek Brand (other than the green & yellow paint scheme)
You could probably contact Woodworkers Supply and find a set of infeed/outfeed rollers for it.

[Mike Cruz]

Oops, I forgot to mention that I took those off because they had some wear to them. I already have an email in to Eric at Woodtek to get some pricing on a few things I would like to buy/replace...the brackets that hold the infeed/outfeed rollers are on that list. Thanks for the info, though...hehe, sorry I forgot to mention that.

[Philip Johnson]

I too had a planer like that I think it was badged sunhill but never had any problems and did a good job. Whats wrong with the colors I think I looks like a John Deere product

[Mike Cruz]

Matches my tractor, wouldn't you say?!

[george wilson]

P.S.: I took the 4" port off mine,and welded on a 6" dust collection port to make sure I avoided any wide chips bunching up and plugging up a 4" port. No problems with the 6" port yet. Maybe no problem with the 4" either.I just was being cautious,and did have 6" DC pipe on my system.

[Marty Rose]

J.D. GREEN---Can't beat it

[Philip Johnson]

I am jealous now i may have to paint mine to match the JD

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

Darn it! Now I have planer envy.

[Ted Calver]

Planer envy?? How about pick-up truck, tractor, planer....and shop envy

[ed vitanovec]

Mike,

Nice score...you will like the planer. I have the Sunhill version and its been really nice. These are made by Gee Tech and the quality of their tools are pretty good.

Regards!
Ed

[Cody Colston]

Congrats on the planer. I just got a Griz GO453 myself and the business end looks really similar to the Woodtek. So far I love mine.

I love the big green power tool with the rubber tires, too.

[Mike Cruz]

Thanks, all, for the congrats. The planer came wired for 220, but with a different plug than what I wired my shop for. I just put the "correct" end on the wire, so soon (hopefully, this weekend) I will get to try it out...for real!

On a funny footnote. You know how current codes require a 4 prong/4 wire outlet (2 hots, a neutral, and a ground)? Isn't it funny that only NEW equipment will allow such wiring? I spent a lot of time and energy to make sure my shop was wired to new codes, but NONE of my 220 machinery...even my two new Leeson motors...are made for that wiring. I had to skip the "W" (white/neutral) wire each time. So much for codes...

Oh, yeah, and thanks to the "envies" of the "other" things in the pics, too. Easy to take them for granted somethimes. But with each mention of them, it makes me thankful for what I have.