All Replies on Which planer would you pick?

I have read that the Steel City has problems with excessive packing oil (see one of the current reviews on the front page). The Dewalt seems to be one heck of a work horse. I am looking to upgrade my planer as well, so I will be watching this.

-- Brian T. - Exact science is not an exact science

I’d go for the DeWalt, I have read awesome reviews for them and some not so great reviews about the Steel City.

-- Save lives, ease suffering, reduce morbidity and mortality, stomp out pestilence and disease, postpone the inevitable, and fake compassion. The Paramedics Creed

Dewalt hands down, it has a proven track record and it will serve you well for many years.

Congrats on your joiner and the new planer of your choice Russell.

Nothing against the Steel City, but I’ve heard nothing but praise for the DeWalt.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I’m surprised you have to ask.. look at that nice big crank the Dewalt, compared to the stubby little knob on the SC model. The big, visible thickness indicator, the big, grabable handles and most importantly, the dual speed selector. Switch it to the low speed and you’ll get such a smooth finish you’ll barely have to sand at all.

Steel City is like Harbor Freight but without the low prices. If you get the Dewalt you’ll be happy, if you get the SC you’ll be unhappy.

-- I'll grow up when ketchup bottle farts stop being funny.

My Dewalt 735 has served me well.

A couple of things to make it better:
-buy/make infeed and outfeed tables
-you absolutely must connect it to a dust/chip collection system- the chip ejection system is from the afterburner of an F-14
-when you receive it, remove the blade holding screws, add some anti-seize compound to each and re-install the screws
-add a Wixey (or similar) digital height gauge

-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

http://www.amazon.com/DeWalt-DW735X-Two-Speed-Planer-Package/dp/B003OX9KME/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339516301&sr=8-4&keywords=de+walt+planer#productPromotions

Amazon sells it with free shipping, in and out feed tables and a spare set of knives, plus and additional #20 discount.

-- Roger-R, Republic of Texas. "Always look on the Bright Side of Life" - An eyeball to eyeball confrontation with a blind person is as complete waste of Time.

I have the DeWalt. Great planer but the location of the DC port is a PITA. You have to support the hose somehow or it blocks the area where the wood comes out. I use a bungee cord to hold it to one side.

I have used the dewalt quite a bit and it is awesome(from a anti-dewalty). It will snipe if you don’t support the pieces, but you can’t expect 100% snipe free from a benchtop. My school shop also has one to handle thin stock, as it can go down to 1/8”. People run the planer without DC or clogged DC and it gets pretty nasty in there and plugs up the gears. It now tapers a bit, but as long as you run it with DC you shouldn’t have this problem.

I guess I am the odd man out here. I bought the Steel City and couldn’t be happier. I bought this model though.

Yes, there is packing grease to clean up, but after that is done, the performance of the unit is OUTSTANDING!

And I have not heard anything bad about the DeWalt except that it is possibly the loudest portable planer out there, and because my shop is in our basement, that made me choose the Steel City.

John

-- John -- Racine, WI -- Woodworking..."It's not just a Hobby, it's an Adventure"

The DW735 hands down. HOWEVER, the Steel City model that John bought is a REALLY nice machine. I don’t recall the model, but it’s the same thing as the older model Ridgid that I wish I had gotten when I bought a planer, except the Steel City has a helical cutter head. I really have no clue what sort of help that is… Regular knives work fine by me…

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!

Friend has a $2,000 Woodmaster – it has snipe. THEY ALL HAVE SNIPE, so don’t let that sway you, just plan accordingly with some waste.

I have the 18” Woodmasterr and I have snipe but it is not a big deal to deal with. I used to have a 12” Makita and I gotta tell you I loved that little planer but I have Dewalt and Steel City equipment in my shop and I love them all…....Go for it…....they are both good and you learn to deal with little idiocencracies that most machines have.

-- WoodyG

The dewalt. It’s a no-brainer. I will be getting the same one soon. I have a craftsman that I got effectively for 50$ on Craigslist. It works, but not great. All planers snipe, but there must be ways around it on each one. I have a well orchestrated dance I do when feeding and retrieving pieces from the planer that, after a lot of trial and error, I get no noticeable snipe, or if any it can be taken care of with 150 grit.

-- http://www.etsy.com/shop/KandJWoodCrafts

Don’t know anything about the Steel City. I have a 1 year old Dewalt that I replaced a 12” Delta with. Buy the DeWalt, you will not be disappointed. Mine is great

-- Improvidus, Apto quod Victum-- Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

Russell, your turning out some nice product. I personally would recomend the delta 22-451 as a minimum for a serious operation. Can be had at tool king now for just under five thousand..I know, I know, sounds like a lot of money, well it is in times of uncertainty but the first time you use a planer from this arena, you will quickly forget the cost. And if your chair deal takes flight youll want more than a lightweight planer. enjoy JB

About the Dewalt 735:
you absolutely must connect it to a dust/chip collection system- the chip ejection system is from the afterburner of an F-14 – lew

That is the truth! I ran a long heavy board through the 735 and had to swap ends to support the board and ended up on the angry side of the Dewalt (the dust collection side). It was firing woodchips out so hard that it felt like I was being sandblasted (I was about 4-5’ away). If you don’t add dust collection, at least add some piping aiming it into a trash can or something or your shop will be covered in dust and chips.

I’ve wondered about the Steel City because it comes with a helical head. I know you can add a Shelix to the 735 though (it pretty much doubles the price of the machine though).

-- "Well, at least we can still use it as firewood... maybe." - Doss

Dewalt! I have that planer. It rocks. A vac is necessary, but isn’t that the truth for any planer unless you have a huge adoration for vacuuming up chips?

I built a dedicated table for mine so the wood is always level and I absolutely love it. To be honest, I would build such a table no matter what planer you get.

I’ve showed almost 500 board feet of lumber coated in carpet clue through it and the blades are still going strong.

-- Lis - Michigan - http://www.missmooseart.com - https://www.etsy.com/people/lisbokt

I’ve never owned or used either but just from the reviews the Dewalt seems to be the way to go.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I’ve got the Dewalt 734 ,and love it.A lot better than the craftsman that I used to use at work.

DW 735. Many happy customers, including me. Take the amazon info w/you if they have a lower price and freebies. Get the mgr to beat it by 10% or check out the hf coupon for 20%...dont take no for an answer Russ : )

Is cabmaker serious? No disrespect but most people don’t have 5000 dollars to spend on a planer that’s insane unless your a high end cabinet shop, I have the dewalt 734 and somehow have gotten zero snipe at all. I’m sure the 735 is an even better machine, go with that one and don’t look back. You absolutely need the in and outfeed tables though. Goodluck with it

I have a Steel City table saw (35990 granite top), but I didn’t have enough cash for the planer from them. I got a refurb Dewalt 734 and it’s been nothing short of awesome so far.

I think the Dewalt is the SAFE bet.

Iggles, yes I am very serious. Russell is looking to take his business to another level. I understand that that is a lot of bread but in the long haul there is certainly a payback. He may not be ready for that however. I just through that out there thinking he may not have even considered it as an option. Believe me I once reacted that way too until I bought a few of these type machines. The planer I use I bought new in 1988. It has seen several thousends of bd. ft. thats 24 yrs.( boy time flys) and other than little grease and oil every year or so that is all that has ever been done to it, aside from knife changes. Im on my 4th, maybe 5th set. I sharpen about three times a year. I know its a lot of money, but for a heavy planer, not bad. EnjoyJB

I had the money to go out and buy a stationary planer but instead bought the dewalt. My father and uncle have had one for several years. These things are beasts. The only difference is the speed in which you can get it planed down. I agree with the other post above, get the extensions. it took the snipe completely out of mine. I also went on their website and bought the hose with the filter bag that attaches to a 55 gallon drum. Makes emptying a breeze.

-- Rob, Kalamazoo, MI