posted by: rmnbike
5/4/2009

This planer used to perform very well, so it used to be an excellent, (5), but as it is discontinued, and my armature has worn out, I will be looking to another brand for my replacement. Delta made a poor choice in selling only a low-end ($250) and High end ($1400) model, leaving the middle ground to its competitors. Sorry Delta, you lost a customer...

posted by: DanLaJ
11/29/2007

I purchased this unit approximately two years ago. I keep it in my garage based, part-time woodshop. Well made machine that delivers good results. Straight and true set up out of the box.Chip collection is a potential weakness. The dust hood has a narrow slot opening that can clog easily with larger chips. I like what it produces for both hard and soft wood.

posted by: salty201
1/27/2007

This planer works real well. Knife change is easy and alignment is done for you. I purchased a refurbished unit about 1.5 years ago and have been totally satisfied. The only time I get snipe is if the boards are very long (over 6 feet) or if I forget to lock the head. Buying lumber unplaned saves from 25 to 50% so this planer has almost paid for itself already, plus I can use thicker material. Cleaning up resaw band saw marks works well. I have planed boards to 3/16 thickness. The only problem is the gauge and self thickness measurer are not real accurate, so I recommend you use a good caliper to check the thickness as you plane.I have planed primarily red oak and cedar, but also have used hard maple, walnut, padauk, curly maple and a variety of softwoods. It works good on all so far.

posted by: Keef
8/21/2006

The 22-580 is the first Planer I’ve ever owner, or used so my experience is limited. I am just a hobbyist woodworker, but this is what I have to say about it: Bought the 22-580 in February 2006 and have not had a complaint with it except the dust hood is an extra 30 bucks; consider the hood a mandatory purchase. I have not had a bit of problem with the dust collection as other reviewers, and have filled 2 Delta DC bags so far. Note that this is a finish planer and perhaps not intended to make many passes with deeps cuts. At installation, the tables were spot on, as was the knife and the outfeed roller height.Blade life has been a common complaint but having run several hundred BF of hard ash, and recently some quilted maple with the same blades, I haven’t had that problem. The blades are double sided and reversible too. The cutting depth can be changed in very small increments (1/128” division on the height adjustment), and that has been mighty handy when dimensioning figured maple. Another really excellent feature is the “Blade Zero Indicator”. It is used to find the top of your board and works something like a mousetrap mechinism: raise the cutter head above the thkness of the board and “set” the spring loaded indicator. Place the fist ½” of the board into the planer, under the indicator. Now lower the cutter head slowly. When the cutter head is at the same height as the indicator, the indicator snaps, indicating the cutter head is at the same height as the board. You can now set the height gauge to zero. Its very accurate. There is a “head lock” mechanism that is supposed to reduce snipe. I have only seen snipe on one heavy ash timber, so I started using the lock and had ZERO snipe. With smaller boards, I don’t use the head lock and snipe is almost non- existent. The 22-580 has a very convenient “stop” mechanism you can preset to get the same thickness on multiple pieces- once you reach your finish thkness, the stop prevents you from lowering the cutter any further- very elegant design. I’ve found the stop to be more than useful when dimensioning multiple pieces.All in all, based on my limited experience with planers, I have to say this is an excellent machine with features that serve a real purpose and work with precision. I hope I can still say that after I change the blades.

posted by: Rick in Bothwell
8/17/2006

I purchased this planer 4 years ago when I started woodworking for $600 Canadian. I have since put several hundred bd feet of white oak, maple and walnut through it, and not having a band saw until recently if I needed a 1/2" or 1/4" board and all I had was 4/4 stuff the planer did the dimensioning. Right now I am on my 7th set of blades and not having any other to compare it with I can't say how the blades last compared to other machines. Blade changing is simple although a little time consuming. I get very little snipe and have found that with shorter boards if I tilt the outfeed table up slightly I get none. Chip collection is a joke, without the chip collection hood the planer works fine but with it on and connected directly to my dust collector it still continuously clogs and the chips get tossed back to the knives causing dimples in the wood as they go through the outfeed roller. As long as the chip collection system is not clogged the boards come out very smooth and require little sanding.I have had one drive belt break but a call to the closest service center and I had a replacement in 2 days. Once set up the first time the thickness guage is accurate.The planer has served me well and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others. Getting knives for it was a bit of a problem. I purchased the planer at Home Depot, Canadian Tire also sold it but neither of them carried the knives. I now get them at one of the two woodshows I go to each year and usually buy 2 or 3 sets so I always have a spare.

posted by: ekgolf
6/15/2006

I bought the 22-580 about 3 years ago and have some thoughts about this machine.The Editors comments regarding the chip collection being the best of the units he tested leads me to believe that the other 8 machines have no dust collection at all. The Manifold assembly as well as the dust chute is so small in area that chip will fly back into the cutterhead causing distortion in the material.The head castings are inferior and cannot be replaced, as Delta chose not to provide this part in the event of damage.Knife changing is simple but time consuming.I would not recommend this unit

posted by: johna063049
3/29/2006

posted by: split
2/5/2006