Thickness Planer

Here is a post with some info.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/556

I also see them quite frequently on Craigslist. This might work for you if your near a larger metro area. Delta, Rigid and Dewalt all make some good models.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Thanks Wayne. I checked that thread and got some helpful information from it.

Does anybody have any experience with the Ryobi model 1300. I saw that one at Home Depot today. It is small enought that I might be able to move it around. They also had the Ridgid, but it looked pretty heavy and would be better for a stationary setup.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I think I would recommend Delta over the Ryobi just from a brand perspective…. I have not used one. You may want to look at this model…

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-ShopMaster-TP305-Benchtop-120-Volt/dp/B0007DFWR6/ref=sr_1_9/104-5074125-1279925?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1184700644&sr=1-9

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I have a Dewalt that I swear by. I don’t have experience with any other.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Mot, I bet after having a planer, you would be hard pressed to be without it. Am I right?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I have a Delta that I am very happy with.

I also have a friend with a Dewalt who is also happy with it.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Good thread Tom. I’m in the same boat. Not having a planer makes some things difficult if not impossible. I’ve managed to convert my spindle sander to do some light joining but I’d love to have a planer.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Bob, It’s only because of lack of space that I have put off buying one so far. If I could find a decent planer that wasn’t too expensive or BIG, I think I’m ready to do it.

I have tried to get by with hand planes, but I guess I’m not enough of a “purist” to go that route. I have owned a planer in the past when I also had a larger shop, and it was great to turn that thing on and stick my board in one end and catch it at the other – perfectly parallel.

You guys with the big shops are blessed.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Hey Tom,

I have a big shop but a small planer. You can see my Delta sitting on a stand I got for $10 at Harbor Freight, and that sitting on a wood frame with wheels so I can get it out of the way when I need to.

It’s also easy enough to pick up and put it somewhere out of the way. That’s what I did when I was in my garage.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Gary,
That’s exactly the kind of solution I’m looking for – mobility. Your planer looks like it’s a step up from the one I recently saw at Lowes for around $230. Do you remember what your’s cost?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I’m in the same boat. I don’t have much any more room in my shop. Even a small machine would be tough to fit.

The folks with a big shop are blessed. I love my shop but I’d love to be able to setup some tools in permanent locations instead of moving everything into position. I even have to carry my tablesaw outside in order to do anything of any size. LOL….if I had a planer and wanted to plane an 6’ board I’d have to open the window.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Bob,
Someday, when we get to heaven, we’ll have a shop like Gary’s ;^D

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom, I wouldn’t be without one. Take a look at my shop photos and see where I put mine. You can hide a lunchbox planar in a lot of places.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Tom,

I got the planer and the drill press you see behind it for $400. I found it in the newspaper. Both were like new.

I just finished adding a digital scale readout to the planer which takes a lot of trial and error out of it.
It’s made by Wixey (www.wixey.com) and I also have their digital angle guage which I wouldn’t do without.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Woodcraft now wants $469! for the planer that Gary (and I) have. It was $359 a couple years ago….

It’s been a great planer though – no real complaints. What about the 12” or 12.5” Deltas? – I think Wayne provided a link above to one of those…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

The Delta 305 that Wayne pointed out seems like a good deal – and keep in mind you should go for as much width capacity as possible in our range (that is up to 12.5 -13”). Having the 13” capacity has been very helpful.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I have the Ryobi and it does the job just fine, it’s one of the few things I bought early on that I don’t feel the urge to upgrade everytime I use it.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Also just so you know the Ryobi weighs a ton, I keep it on the floor under a table and haul it out when I need it but I almost crack my spine every time I do it.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

I have an older 12” Delta portable table top that has been a good worker – although I’m on my third drive belt.

I was fortunate to win the $550 Dewalt table top and I love it, but it’s a little heavy to move it as much as I do. One shortfall is the short bed . . . I need to add the $75-$99 bed extensions some day.

-- Paul, Texas

Gary, What a deal ($400)!

Mot, I’m going to try to use my imagination to figure out where I could hide one in my shop.

Dorje, thanks for the tips on size – I would like to have one that would do up to 13”.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

• Which model do you have? Is it the the AP 1300? I’ve read some reviews on it that were pretty positive.

• Do you remember how much you paid for it?

The one I saw at Home Depot today was $200.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Yes the AP1300 and $200 sounds about right.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

The height adjustment isn’t as smooth as some of the others out there but it does the job. Every now and then the rollers need to be cleaned because the real fine dust compacts itself on there so they lose grip but a quick wipe with some solvent gets them nice and sticky again, it’s also real loud (not sure if they all are though)

No harm in giving it a whirl though, Home Depot are very good about returns if it doesn’t meet your needs.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

we have a DeWalt and not that I know if it could be better – I’m pleased with it and use it all the time.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Damian,
I like that logic – give it a whirl! The size of that model seems like it might fit in a tight spot. I’d love to have the DeWalt, but it is quite a bit more money and has a bigger “footprint.”

When it comes right down to it, any planer would be better than no planer. Someday when I get as good as Lee Jesberger (that won’t happen in this lifetime…) and some of you other guys, I might “deserve” to have a better one.

Now I just have to think of a “rationalization” for my wife, so that I can go down and buy one… ;^D

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I think it’s about the same size as the Dewalt to be honest, there definitely isn’t much in it either way, but it’s cheap and does the job and hasn’t given me any trouble in the three, maybe four years I’ve had it. Just tell your wife your heading out to buy some milk then stash it in the shop before she notices, if she asks tell you’ve had it ages :)

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Just tell your wife your heading out to buy some milk then stash it in the shop before she notices, if she asks tell you’ve had it ages :) – Damian

Hey, I thought I was the only one who knew that trick…

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I’m about in the same place. I’m planning on making some small boxes and can probably get away without one for now, but after that I want to make some furniture. I’ll definitely need one then. To me, size matters; not too big, not too small. But dust collection matters, too. I’m planning on just hooking up my shop vac, which is what I do with my tablesaw and my router. Does that sound sane? Any better at dust collection, in particular?

-- Disappointment is an empty box full of expectation.

I just read a review on the Ryobi AP 1300 that said it had a dust collection port. It can be used with either 2 1/2” or 4” hoses. For a brief (positive) review, click here.

Because of my shop size and budget constraints, I’m leaning toward toward taking Damain’s advice on the Ryobi. I love high quality tools, but for now, I think I’ll take the plunge on this AP 1300.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Hello Tom;
I have the Rigid 13’’ planer which I bought….some four to five years ago. Was unsure of Rigid at the time since up to then my experience with them was plumbing tools. At the time I compared Rigid, Dewalt and Delta….so what sold my on trying Rigid? From what I was reading and then talking with other woodworkers as to where the rubber meets the road….was ‘snipe’ or lack of snipe with the Rigid planer.

Not sure where the others are at today in that area, since I have been well pleased….and more likely to say over pleased with what Rigid sold me. I use the Rigid planer all the time for hard wood, sometimes in the area of 4’’-5’’ thick when planing slab wood at times with the motor constantly running while I will plane odd shaped cut wood down to 1’’-2’’s. I have been very pleased with Rigid, and I can always call them up and talk with their tech guys if I’m looking for or asking questions.

That experience with the planer has since prompted me to buying other power and stationary tools from Rigid and then there’s the issue of that ‘lifetime guarantee’ on all rigid tools. That means, and was the day I stopped buying battery packs also. I now have a battery pack for a DeWalt drill which I will have to shell out some money for, while when this happens with my Rigid drill….well it’s just a matter of an exchange.

I could tell other stories about items with Rigid tools were I needed some small part such as new stickers for a rail on a table saw, called them up and within days the part arrived….just new stickers, no….a whole new rail.

Well I’ll stop ‘railing’ for now, and I’m sure from what’s been stated above, and before my comment, that there is great worth in that which comes from other’s also who love their makes and models….and after all it’s only my two cents worth.

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

I realized I did not say what planer I do have. I have the Rigid as well and have had very good results.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Thank you, Frank, for your input. I have been hearing a lot of good reports in regard to Ridgid equipment. Just recently, I introduced a topic on “Laminate Trimmers,” and was surprised to hear a lot of positive feedback in regard to the Ridgid model.

I have never owned a Ridgid product, but am starting to realize that they manufacture some quality and highly respected machinery.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

And thank you, WayneC, for weighing in on the Ridgid planer. I may have to go back to Home Depot and do a “size” comparison on that model.

Since I’m probably going to be moving mine around to use it, size and weight are factors for me.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

The Rigid is pretty big. Also, the Rigid comes with a 4” dust collection port that works well.

I was thinking the Delta I linked above was similar in cost and size to the Ryobi and it’s amazon reviews are pretty good.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Wayne,
I believe the Delta you linked is available at Lowes for $230. I will check the reviews to see how it stacks up against the Ryobi. I think they are very close in size.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Also, I was surprised to see that Amazon does not offer free shipping on the Delta. This would make Lowes the better option.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Yes, indeed. Amazon wanted $49.95 to ship it. Yikes! Gotta watch those “shipping and handling” fees.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

The Makita appears to be the best selling on Amazon. It is about $380 with free shipping. Might be another option if money is not a factor. It looks like dust collection is an accessory.

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-2012NB-12-Inch-Benchtop-120-Volt/dp/B000051ZOO/ref=sr_1_2/104-5074125-1279925?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1184723124&sr=1-2

One more thing, when I bought the Rigid it came with the dust collection port and also a stand. I stuck it on a mobile base and just roll it out of the way.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Tom, I bought a Ridgid planer last year to replace the origianl lunch box planer the Ryobi AP10. It was a great planer, but it time had come to a end. I love the Ridgid. When I bought mine. It came with a stand, dust port, and an extra set of knives. I bet it still does. The Ridgid has done a out standing job. With very little snipe. It’s just a great planer for what you get and the price is not bad either. The warranty on the Rigid is great too. I have a friend who had the newer Ryobi, and he has a little problem with snipe on boards with a little length to them. His doesn’t have infeed and outfeed tables. Something to think about.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

The Ryobi planer I have has infeed and outfeed tables and snipe hasn’t proved to be a problem. This guy (and the epinions folk seem to like it too)

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

A 13” planer for $200 that gets satisfactory reviews…how could you go wrong!

However, do consider getting a stand, which really is important, (and mobile base down the line) with/for any planer that you end up with. All of these planers are back breakers. And, often it’s when you just get it put away that you say ”!!!!!,” I forgot to mill the….....and your back to setting it up again! I gave my planer a stand from an old table saw. Gary said he got one from Harbor Freight for cheap and you can always look on craigslist to find one too.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Tom, I have the Delta Model TP305 12 1/2” planer and have had no problems at all. I also have the Wixey Digital Scale installed on it and it takes all of the guesswork out of guaging the finished size. I have the stand with mine and have added some casters to it, so it is very portable. Amazon has it right now for $286 and Northwesttools.com has it for $259.00. I think any of the brands mentioned above, except the Ryobi, would work well for you – I am not a big Ryobi fan.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Greg, Looks like we have another highly satisfied Ridgid customer. I am coming to the conclusion that Ridgid makes a very good product.

Thanks for the input!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

A 13” planer for $200 that gets satisfactory reviews…how could you go wrong! – Dorje

I agree. Even if I use it for 5 years and it breaks, it doesn’t owe me anything.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Bill,
Thanks for sharing your experience on your Delta TP305. Isn’t it amazing that you can buy a halfway decent planer for less than a Dowelmax…?

Actually, I can probably free up enough space for a planer on a stand, if I can find a place to put some wood that I got for free from a local mill. Having it on a stand with casters would be much better than hefting it out of a cabinet all the time.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom, you are right. I have been very satisfied with the Ridgid. I could have spent less, or a hole lot more. It was just a happy medium for me, and it seems to be working out well. Good luck in your purchase. One note about the Ridgid warranty. The first ninety days if anything happens or you do not like the planer you can take it back to the store you purchased it from. After the ninety days it has to go to a repair center, unless you try and repair it yourself. I have one about seventy miles from me. You might check the Ridgid website www.ridgid.com for the closes repair center. This would be for any larger tool that you buy. If you have to freight the item back to a repair center. The charges would eat into your pocketbook. I bet you have one close by. One other thing is that for awhile now Ridgid is offering a Lifetime replacement on parts when you register online. I found that out last weekend when I went to register a 6” sander online. Something else to ponder. Good luck.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

Greg, The Ridgid was also rated very well by Fine Woodworking Magazine which tested (9) planers.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

great discussion everyone…I am not ready…but this is such a great help for those thinking/looking to buy this tool…thanks everyone for chiming in…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...177 days to sanity...

Tom,
I’ve had the Ridgid for about 6 months now and while I’ve got nothing to compare it to, it’s been great. It was set up dead on right out of the box and is easy to understand and operate. It is a little heavy, but a mobile base could be fabbed up to make it easy to move. JMHO….......Carl.

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

Tom,
I’ve had the Ridgid for about 6 months now and while I’ve got nothing to compare it to, it’s been great. It was set up dead on right out of the box and is easy to understand and operate. It is a little heavy, but a mobile base could be fabbed up to make it easy to move. JMHO….......Carl.

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

Tom,
I’ve had the Ridgid for about 6 months now and while I’ve got nothing to compare it to, it’s been great. It was set up dead on right out of the box and is easy to understand and operate. It is a little heavy, but a mobile base could be fabbed up to make it easy to move. JMHO….......Carl.

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

I just went to Home Depot on my lunch hour and they had the Ridgid. It looked heavy duty with nice infeed and outfeed tables. FWW magazine said it had almost “0” snipe.

Home Depot also had the Ryobi AP1300, only this one had no infeed/outfeed tables. It appears the one with the I/O tables was discontinued according to FWW magazine. That was a bit disappointing. Now I’m leaning toward that Ridgid, but I’ll have to start saving my “allowance” and look real hard at freeing up some space in the shop.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

The Makita was rated well by Fine Homebuilding a few years ago. This is a magazine which is read by building contractors, developers, installers, etc. They rated the Makita very highly – part of the reason was that they felt it was the most portable of the lot.

-- John

Tom,

I, too, was in the market for a planer a couple of years ago.

I have very, very limited space (right now) in which to work. Thus, a movable planer was really the only feasible option I had.

I shopped around and did a lot of research and ended up with the Ridgid. I brought it home and set it up on my workbench. I was using it within an hour of getting it home.

After planing some really gorgeous reclaimed heart pine for two custom built fireplace surrounds and their corresponding mantle piece beams I can tell you that the Ridgid was a welcome addition to my tool collection.

I have put that planer through its paces with this old pine. It was well worth every dollar and has definitely paid for itself.

-- Jesus was a Jewish carpenter.

Hi Tom;
—-at the time I was researching the planers, I believe I read the article from FWW where they rated the Rigid as tops against the competition and one of those things they noted and talked about was lack of snipe with the Rigid.

As noted above, the rigid came reading to plug in and run….no adjustments were made at that time. Since then I have fine tuned the in-feed and out-feed tables. When I bought mine the planer came with an extra set of knives, knives are reversible and easy to change. While other’s might say a little on the heavy side, (and heavy for a planer is not bad in my estimation) I have had no-problem with weight or size….but then I first learned about heavy from doing timber framing….Ha!

I missed the promotion at the time on the stand but found another stand for cheap and put the stand on wheels so I can just roll it around. If there is a lesser thing to say about this planer, it would be the dust collection hood, which still leaves me with some clean up, but then hey….it’s a planer so I sweep the floor. I’m still sweeping the floor after using my bandsaw and table saws so I get used to it and don’t get me wrong….the dust hood does work.

There is a lock down on the depth adjustment which keeps the depth at where you want it, plus a feature that can also be used which is called ‘repeat-a-cut’ and three blade cutter head.

Now if that is not enough then I would like to see what company can beat this: LIFETIME SERVICE AGREEMENT FOR RIDGID® HAND HELD POWER TOOLS, STATIONARY POWER TOOLS AND PNEUMATIC TOOLS

“In addition to the 3-Year Limited Service Warranty currently included with RIDGID® Brand Hand Held Power Tools Stationary Power Tools, and Pneumatic Tools, purchasers of these products may elect for a limited time to receive a free Lifetime Service Agreement. To accept this Lifetime Service Agreement, you must register your product and submit proof of purchase as described below. The Lifetime Service Agreement provides the original owner of qualifying RIDGID® Brand tools a lifetime of free replacement batteries, free service and free replacement parts subject to the limitations set forth below.

The Lifetime Service Agreement is available free of charge, for a limited time commencing April 15, 2005, on all RIDGID® Brand hand held power tools, stationary power tools and pneumatic tools, subject to the terms and conditions stated below. Customers have 90 days from date of purchase to register tools for the Lifetime Service Agreement.” ....so after registering, just keep make copies of the receipt and you are set for life as long as you own the tool and Rigid stays in business.

—-again two more cents of my two cents worth!

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

Thanks Aubrey and Frank for your input.

You Ridgid guys are making a pretty good case for that planer. I haven’t heard from one person who had anything negative to say about it; instead all I’m hearing is praise.

Home Depot has this planer marked down to $350 from $400. I might have to move on it.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

John, Thanks for the tip on the Makita. The only problem with that one would be the cost, since Lowes or Home Depot don’t sell that brand. I seem to get the best deals from them, since there is no shipping and handling to deal with there.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Hey Mot,
I just looked at your shop pictures and that is really a great idea for storing your planer. You really did a great job of organizing your shop for efficiency.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I will jump on the ryobi wagon. I have a small shop and space is crucial.I bought one last winter and it makes shavings just fine. I get the same small amount of snipe. I paid $200 for it. I mounted mine on top of my old stereo cabinet that is mounted on casters. I have found that it works best with the shop vac hooked up to the dust port but will fill the vac quickly.

-- Jim in Cushing Oklahoma

Jim,
Does your Ryobi have infeed/outfeed tables? The one I looked at today did not have them. I think they are kind of important to eliminate snipe.

Is your’s a model AP1300 or 1301?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

no mine does not have infeed or outfeed tables I am going to make some when I get a chance. mine is the 1301

-- Jim in Cushing Oklahoma

We just rebuilt a friends Delta 12” planer after 10 years of use and I think I’m about to rebuild my Ryobi 10” after 15 years of use.
However, 10” just does not cut it any longer 9some sort of twisted metaphor in that one) and I may just have to get one that is 13” or 15”
Friend with Rigid has no problems.
Friend with Delta has no problems
Friend with DeWalt has no problems

Do get one with as wide a cut as you can afford.

My $.03

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Jim,
Do you need the I/O tables if you don’t have a problem with snipe?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

• What is involved with rebuilding a planer?
• How did you like your 10” Ryobi?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I, too, am looking at a thickness planer. I saw in a tool review that the Ryobi won the best deal award, but they cautioned that unless you fabricate some infeed and outfeed tables, you might experience more snipe than those with tables.

I found a Dewalt 12 1/2” planer that is refurbished at www.toolking.com for about 260.00 with 7.50 shipping! Good planer, too. I may just get that once IO nake room for it.

One solution for a small shop, like we have, is to mount it on a cart thta lets you swing it below when not in use. I have even seen plans for a rolling table that allows you to mount a planer on top and another power tool underneath. So, you can either use one tool by rotating it to the up position, locking it in place, or swing the other tool up and use it. A plan for this table can be found on page 76 of Shop Cabinets & Tool Stands by Woodsmith Publications. You can pick a copy up at your local library—or better, yet—buy one at Amazon.com.

Good Luck,
God Bless,
hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

Hawg,

Good hearing from you!

Thanks for the tip on the “Shop Cabinets & Tool Stands” book. That sounds like a “must have” for us small shop guys.

I’m going to have to come up with some magic to make the room for it, but I’m determined to get a planer. Hope you get yours too.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I love my DeWalt 735 with entensions that fold out of the way and on a roller stand for my small shop. Knife changes are fast and easy.

Steve, The DeWalt 735 is a quality machine. I believe that Mot also has this one. It seems like it could be a real space saver. I’ll bet it can put out some serious “hampster habitat” ;^D

Lowes sells this model for $549.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

With regards i/o tables there is no reason you couldn’t just clamp/stick a piece of MDF, or that white laminated stuff inside and use that as your table, you’d lose 3/4” in height capacity but I doubt that would ever be an issue.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

I cut a piece of Melamine to put inside the planer when I want to plane pieces really thin.
Melamine is slicker than MDF.

Have to put a piece of wood on the underside to catch on the infeed table so the Melamine doesn’t go flying thru the planer.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

I’m real glad you started this thread….I may just buy whatever you do…:)

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Damian,

Thanks for posting that idea regarding the I/O tables. Your right, unless your planing something 6” thick, it wouldn’t be a problem. And, as Sawdust2 has suggested, just make sure you put something on the bottom to keep it from getting sucked through the planer. Melamine would be the perfect material for it.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

This has been a real education for me. A lot of L J’s have shared their experience with their equipment. I am grateful for the collective wisdom on woodworking which is represented on this site. All of you have helped me to narrow my decision as to which planer I will purchase.

It all boils down to how much room you have and how much money you want to spend. You can buy a planer for as little as $200 (Ryobi) or you can spend much more by buying a high quality machine.

My opinion based on all those here who weighed in would be that for the average Joe, the Ridgid is the best value. It is a moderately priced machine, but it has the quality to give you many years of good service. I found one at my local Home Depot for $350 (marked down from the regular price of $400).

The DeWalt’s are fine machines as well, but they do cost considerably more. For the serious woodworker or professional this might be the one for them. I found the DeWalts at Lowes ranging from $400 (the 734) to $550 (for the 735).

For some of us who don’t have a lot of room or money, the Delta or the Ryobi will work. The Ryobi is available at Home Depot for $200. The Delta at Lowes was $240 for the TP305.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for, so buy as much quality as you can afford. For me, because of my small shop, I may have to go with the Delta or Ryobi, so that I can tuck it away under my table saw wing (like Mot). Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge and insights on this topic.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

WOW, I cannot find that Ryobi planer at Home Depot.com! Looks like they finally put infeed and outfeed tables on it.

Ridgid is a great produt. It got high reviews in Wood’s test. The only problem I have is the stand. With the stand I wonder where I will be able to store it. But the lifetime warranty is twh BOSS! I have several Ridgid tools: Table Saw, 1/4 sheet sander, Full-Head nailer, and my newest acquisition—the Oscillating belt/spindle sander. And ALL have the lifetime warranty if you send in the required items (original UPC and ciopy of receipt). They pack a lot of punch in their equipment!

If you want a Dewalt, try that site, www.toolking.com. They sell quality refurbished tools. I got a PC 694 VS plunge/fixed router combo for about 140.00. I am eyeing their Dewalt 734 planer at $250.00 plus, 7.50 postage, last time I checked.

Good Luck and God Bless,
Hawg
(longing to make some more sawdus!)

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

LOL….I just came from Home Depot (buying a table saw for the son-in-law) and was looking at the Ryobi and thinking about this thread. I think its going on my Christmas list.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

There is a different Ryobi planer at my HD. They used to have the one that TomFran included in his post, but now they only have one that has a single bar across the top. I believe the one pictured above is called a 12 inch (30.48 cm Niki and Tony :-) ) thickness planer and the “new” one at my HD is called a 13 inch (33.02 cm) thickness planer.

I wonder if anybody has seen this change at their local HD.

-- John

Here is another point that I believe has not been mentioned. One distinction between the thickness planers is whether or not they have one or two speeds. The large DeWalt and the large Delta have two speeds. The Ryobi and the smaller Delta and I believe the Rigid have one speed. Not sure about the smaller DeWalt.

I believe that for all practical purposes one speed is all you need.

-- John

John,

You are right about the Ryobi. The ones at Home Depot now are 13” and they DO NOT have I/O tables. Actually, the one that is pictured (in my previous post above) is a discontinued model (AP1300). It has been replaced by the AP1301.

This model is not rated as highly as its predecessor. No I/O tables, cutterhead lock, or repeatable depth stop which the model 1300 had. I believe Daimian had the AP1300 which got high praise from a FWW magazine test.

Why they ever discontinued the 1300, I’ll never know. It was a great value, and I dare say, if it was at HD right now I would buy one.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Is it worth looking for a used AP1300? Lots of people buy them and use em once….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Wayne,

That is so true – just ask GaryK. He told us on this thread, that he got a Delta drill press AND his planer – BOTH for $400. That is a deal and a half! And, they were hardly used.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom – - do you have a pretty active craigslist in your area?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Dorje,

I just checked it (craigslist)and it had (1) page on tools. I guess that is not a very active one. To be honest with you, I&