My next purchase is a thickness planer. I am looking for some feedback and considerations not shown in previous posts/reviews. I am a person who does not like to buy something for $5 when I should have bought the $10 version. I end up buying the $10 version and have now spent $15 for it…
Having read the reviews of the bench top planers, they seem to work OK. Lots of issues with blades wearing out quickly. I am Landscape Contractor, and with my contacts, I have access to trees such as Mesquite (Honey, Chilean, and native AZ), and Ironwood (Toxic Wood!). I use a chainsaw to rough mill a face and a portable planer to level it out some. Then Bandsaw to a rough thickness. These woods are very hard and full of tough grain, plus some nails (city trees). I am considering a Grizzly 15″ planer with the carbide Shelix cutter head, or the Power Matic with the same setup. The reviews of 15″ planers are a bit out date, and I see some mixed review of the Shelix cutter. The local wood supply has one, the guys love it.
Any experience out there with this application and machine? I should say I have 220 V single phase and 20 AMP service. 5HP motors are not an option….
Thanks AZMO
Replies
15" or 20" Grizzly with a Shelix head............... that's what I would go with.
Best,
John
I just bought the Grizzly G0454 20" w/o the spiral head. I was originally going to get the Dewalt DW735 but really wanted larger capacity. I didn't get the spiral head upfront because I needed to save some $ right now otherwise that is what I would have gotten in the first place. The nice thing is that I will be able to add the spiral cutter to it down the line and will actually be about $100.00 cheaper than if I bought the planer with the spiral head already installed. I haven't had a chance to run much stock through it yet but so far it's working pretty nice. And of course like any of the tools if I would have gotten a 13" I would have some 15" stock, or if I got a 15" I would have some 16" stock and now I will probably get some 21" stock somewhere. Anyway, good luck.
B.Kidd
B.Kidd
Thanks for your input, Grizzly sounds solid, and no issues on a new machine. I need the carbide now, easy to replace a few pieces when I hit metal and objects in my City Trees. If I had the room, I would opt for a 20" but my stock is generally limited!
AZMO
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