# Oliver 4420 16" 5hp helical Planer



## MJCD

I'm very interested in reading your follow-up.

About two months ago, I purchased the Oliver floor-standing Oscillating Spindle Sander. Oliver customer service was top notch, and the machine is excellent - I placed a penny on-edge, turned on the sander, and was sanding walnut… watching the penny still on-edge.

It appears that Oliver and Baileigh use the same cabinet for some of their machines: the wide-belt sander and the spindle sanders appear identical on the outside. However, the Oliver - my Oliver - is a beast underneath. All indications are a buy-once machine.

MJCD


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## ptrckbhnnn

Trout..
I am in the exact position you were in having sold my planer and now needing to replace it. Funny enough I was looking or trying to find background info on the Laguna as well, to no avail, so that is out. The Oliver planer and the powermatic are my two leading candidates. The tables that are shown on the Oliver, do they "fold" down or do you have to unbolt them? I called Oliver today, and I was told they folded flat, but in your photos it looks as if you removed them..

Second question, is how well do the embedded casters work?

ptrck


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## WyoRoy

I can see this thread is a bit old, but I too bought the Oliver Planner 4420 16" model. Been using it for several years. Generally I would say it is a very good machine. It does have embedded casters as you asked about above and they are serviceable as long as you are on a smooth surface. They are not an elaborate set-up so I would recommend moving the unit as little as possible. I use a lot of hard rock maple and hickory and the 5hp unit never misses a beat. Adjustments to minimize snipe can be a little fiddly. I've not been able to dial it out entirely. The dust collection works very well. When I change the thickness settings after a cut, there is a loud click as the collets release which can be a bit disconcerting, but I've convinced myself its not an issue. I have called the company for assistance a few times and was pretty disappointed with the help I got. The owners manual is extremely poor. As the machine is similar to many others in most respects, I tried a Powermatic owners manual which was well written, up to date, and was able to get an answer to my question.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase, but you'll need to be able to take care of most of your issues on your own. Unpacking this machine was interesting due to the weight. I eventually just made some long ramps out of plywood and two angled 2×12". This allowed me to just roll the machine using the pre-installed wheels off the pallet and into place in my shop. Unless you have high ceilings in you shop and a very stout hoist, this is probably the easiest route to go.


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