Which benchtop planer for lots of oak?
Friends:
I have a substantial amount of wide rough-sawn white and red oak and walnut. For cabinets and the like, I just flatten and true with hand tools. However, there is a big project looming involving a couple hundred bd ft of raised oak paneling for the entry way to the house. Even it time were not a constraint — and it certainly is — that size of a job would not be fun with hand tools.
So here is the question – which planer to buy? Price is a serious object. I cannot afford a stationary planer and wouldn’t have space for one anyway. I have read the FWW tool guide. It recommends the big Dewalt 735.
Does anyone have other recommendations, given the stated space, funds and workload factors? I’d pay up to $450 and change if necessary, but not more without a really compelling reason.
Does anyone know of a reason why Dewalt 735 is not the way to go?
Will the blades hold up to a decent -sized run of old growth white oak? How long?
Are there work habits necessary to success with a job like this– for example when running a lot of hardwood, should one stop and let the planer cool every half hour or so?
Edited 11/3/2009 2:14 pm ET by Joe Sullivan
Replies
hey joe,
a few years back my buddy and i spent a full eight hour day planing a great deal of 4/4 sticker stained ash which was made into a full sized kitchen. we did it all with my 12" grizzly and the machine showed no signs of strain what so ever. i do not think that grizzly makes that model anymore. i am not sure what a rigid goes for, but i'd wager it would hold up just fine for what you need.
eef
white oak is verry tough stuff. plan on a blade change
Joe - if this scale of a project is a "once-and-done" thing, then you might be better off looking at local shops that will plane it for you. If you have survived this far without a planer, then maybe you don't need one long term. Unless you are like me, and look for projects that provide a "plausible excuse" for a new tool or three (I am actually trying to come up with one that "needs" a LN #7, if you have any ideas...)
At the same time, the machining charges will give you a solid reference number in terms of the $$ value of a planer.
More specific answer to your actual question - 200 BF of 2 x 6 (guessing - just an example) is only 200 lineal feet. I have no hands-on experience with the DW or its blades, but they HAVE to be able to do that without changeout/sharpening.
Old growth QSWO has traditionally been my primary wood, and I would not think twice. It is easily the hardest stuff I have ever run (but have only used domestic species). No need to baby the planer, IMO - run those suckers butt-to-butt sequentially, drop the height adjustment, and hit 'em again.
BTW - If you don't have a DC system in place, recognize that the planer puts out shavings of biblical proportions, and I'm talking OLD Testament.
Not actually a once-and-done, although I did look around for rentals and didn't find one. Here in Dallas, the wood shops charge rather high rates, which put me to looking to buy a machine.This particular project is the beginning. I have about 1000 bd ft of the oak and the same of walnut. The stickered stack is about 50% larger than our xtra length Aerostar van.J
Joe -
1) IMO, you're still fine. I have to think the blades will handle all of this and more without sharpening. My Delta 15" has easily handled that between sharpenings
2) Remember that, if you get a nick in the blades, shift one left a scosh, shift one right a scosh, and keep going
3) 1000 bf WO + 1000 bf walnut - that's cold - trying to make us jealous??
Joe,
I have a 12" Makita model 2012 that I bought about 18 years ago, when there were a lot fewer choices for quality benchtop models. The one minor gripe I have is with the choice Makita made for adjusting the cutting height. Instead of lowering the cutting head to a fixed infeed/outfeed table, the Makita raises the table to a fixed cutting head. The problem with that method is supporting long boards - you can't build a fixed jig, since the table is a moving target.
For small batches, it's not really a big problem. For larger batches, if ALL your boards start at about the same thickness, and you don't mind making small periodic adjustments to outfeed supports, no problem. But if I were buying one today, I'd look for one with a permanently fixed table where the cutterhead raises/lowers. I believe the DeWalt does this.
Pretty small gripe in the grand scheme of things, but might make your decision easier.
Enjoy, Mike
I have that same model, and she's still going strong! I love the simple blade replacement no muss no fuss. I to had the table design, but you can't beat it for longevity, and I've never even replaced as much as a brush. I was married by a judge - I should have asked for a jury.George Burns
Mike;
I have the newer version of the Makita model 2012NB it has been changed to work like the others, the cutter head moves rather than the table. Mine is around five years old and I haven't changed the blades in it yet, there are a few small nicks in them, but nothing some 120 grit on a R.O.S. won't clean up very quickly. I am a hobbyist so mine does not see use on a daily basis.
Mike
Well, it figures they changed it. After using the original, it just seems obvious the cutterhead should move, not the table. Add it to the list of things I found out the hard way.I'm also a hobbyist, so all I have to do is wait another 20 years for mine to break...
Ive had a 733 for at least 10 years and have run thousands of board feet of hardwods. Never a problem. Planing some old pine it gooed it up. Cleaned the rollers and back at her.
Blades last well, easy to change . I paid $450 and saved a ton of cash milling rough instead of buying S4S.
Joe ,
here's a small item that will make your blades last a little longer. I use mine frequently to reduce down time sharping/changing blades.
View Image
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2419
Have fun !!!
Bill D.
I too have a DW 733 and a couple hundred board feet of oak is just another normal job for that tool. The newer DWs should handle that with ease.
The newer 734 and 735 have 3 blades instead of two, so they should be able to do the job even easier than the 733. DW was having problems with premature dulling of their blades on the newer models, but I understand that's been solved. The 734 is around $400 and I just saw a factory reconditioned 735 for $500. Me, I'd go for the reconditioned2 735 since it's beefier and has better dust handling capabilities.
Just an FYI, although the specs say you can go up to 1/8", I find that a bit too much to bite off at one go. I'd plan on limiting cuts to 1/16" at a time. And making sure you get clean wood goes a long way to keeping the blades sharp.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have used planers before, but never owned one, and so wanted to get some solid response from users in addition to the magazine recommendations. You have done that and more. I appreciate your time and effort.Joe
Joe,
I've had my DW-735 for several years and well over 1,000 bf of mixed species (no pine) through it and it's a horse. One blade has a nick in it from, believe it, a white cedar knot.
The knot in the board had a slight crack in it and when the planer hit it it shattered half the knot with a slight ridge following to the end of the board; I heard the other half hit the impeller in the DC, yes you do need DC or plane the boards outside.
Hey, white oak and the neighbors will think it's snowing! 'Course if yer up at camp the beavers might get a bit perplexed........
I just haven't gotten around to shifting the blade(s) to eliminate it. I handplane everything after the planer anyway so it doesn't really bother me.
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 11/7/2009 7:37 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
No mention in your post about flattening one side before planing . . .
Will one side first be jointed flat and then the 2nd side made parallel with a planer? If the planer is used on both rough sides, the result may not be as flat as you'd like.
Bob:I hand plane everything, too. The planer is just to get it relatively smooth and relatively of the right thickness, without killing me in the process.Don:Yes, the stock will be jointed. I plan to build a jointing sled as shown in FWW so as to get double duty out of the planer. But I am well aware of the problems inherent in planing un-jointed stock. Thanks for mentioning it, though.Joe
Joe,
In my experience with the DW735 I have foung it to be a wondereful tool. It cuts beautifully and is amazingly accurate, easy to read, and is very repeatable. (quite important!)
In order to insure good blade life and consistant results there are some things you need to do to ANY PLANER. # 1 IS CLEAN YOUR WOOD. Use a metal bristle brush (brass or stainless) to get the heavy crud, belsand to cut through lightly and possibly show metal, then blow it off. Wax the planer table with Johnson's Paste wax, and clean the preassure rollers with mineral spirits. Take light cuts=don't try to hog it off. You'll actually progress faster with smoother results with light cuts (1/32") and you'll make less noise and put less strain on the machine.
I've had mine since late '04 and am still using the original knives. I'm going to flip them at the start of my next project; two mission couches, one matching chair, a Morris recliner and footstool, tables, bookcases, entertainment center, etc. I expect these blades to last through this project and beyond. As I said, It's a really good tool.
Steve
There are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
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