# I,m thinking about buying a woodmaster planer any advice



## saumish (May 11, 2008)

I want to buy the woodmaster 718 planer for my shop. I wonder how hard it is to switch from planer to sander, and if it does a good job.


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## tooldad (Mar 24, 2008)

I have the video, doesn't seem to be too difficult. However I have the Dewalt 13" planer with the grizzly 24" drum sander. I think the 2 combined still cost less than the woodmaster. However takes up more space in the shop. Which is more at a premium in your shop.

We do have a product from Hawk woodworking, called the panelmaster. It is a shaper that has 3 cutters in it, one for stile, rail, and panel raising. They build their product in Kansas City and it is good equipment. They also make the planer/sander/gang rip/molding machine. You don't get all options at first, but you can upgrade right away or as budget allows. I was thinking about one of those machines for the school shop for gang ripping and molding.


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## JustinWright (Oct 7, 2008)

I have two 718 planers and for most part I am happy with them. I have one that has major modifications that I mostly cut Log Siding on. The second one I use mostly for ripping. I don't love the stock feed system with the spring loaded feed rollers. Regarding the change over time, it not bad. I spend about 20-30 min. each time. Thats to clean, change heads (and pulley if needed), and change the stock guides. Bottom line, its well worth the money but nothing beats dedicated machines for speed


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## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

I only know one person who owns one and he told me that it is full of flaws in the engineering and he would not buy another. I do not have personal experience to tell you about though.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I own a smaller Woodmaster 8" planer and I quite like it. It 
planes fast and with a nice smooth cut in what little work 
I have done with it.

It's the old one that converts from Planer to Jointer. The
engineering is a little bit funny but shows good ingenuity.

I would buy a bigger one if it came my way and was inexpensive.
Dunno about switching between features. I had a Performax
sander and it was a pain all by itself with no planer capacity.
It was a cantilevered-arm drum sander - which I don't recommend.
I would go with a closed drum sander and accept it's limitations
before struggling with an open-ended machine again.

My impression of a big Woodmaster is that they are not as
heavily built as cast iron planers are. Woodmaster uses 
a lot of folded steel, which isn't always bad, but it keeps both
the cost and the mass down. They are still made in the
USA I think.


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## Suz (Feb 12, 2008)

I've got a Woodmaster 712 which is a baby brother of the 718 with the same sized 5 hp motor. I have yet to use the sander because I do have a dedicated drum sander that I use instead. However, because of the hook and loop system I've heard that you can run into trouble if you heat the drum/paper up too much during the sanding operations.
As for the Woodmaster as a planer I have no issues with it. Unlike the lunchbox planers you can take a healthy bite off the wood on each pass. Plus with the variable speed feed you have an infinite feed range so you can produce some very nice planed lumber if your knives are sharp. As for snipe that can be controlled by having full length tables that are raised on the ends. Also having full length tables that support the stock and prevent it from "bouncing" you get away from having a lot of chatter marks in your lumber.
I can switch from the planing operation to the gang saw or to the molding head in about 15 to 20 minutes. 
The Woodmaster needs a good DC system or it will bury you in shavings in a short order. Also, when using the gang saw you need a good flow of air around the blades to keep them cool. Plus when you use the molder you need to get the chips out of the way or they will plug up the machine quite quickly. 
If you are interested in making moldings, the machine does a fine job with only one cutter/knife because of your ability to slow the feed down. 
If I were to buy another unit, I would not buy the bed accessory. I'd make a 8' long bed out of some material that would support the stock as it goes into and exits the machine. (I have yet to do this for mine, but will soon.)


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