Power hand planers

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Rob

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Rob
Anyone have any experience with power hand planers? What to look for, pros and cons of various models?
 

froglips

New User
Jim Campbell
Some experience. They are really loud and can be fussy to set up depending on the model.

Work good for edges. Makita makes a monster one. Makita KP312 : 12-1/4" Planer

Depending on what you wanna do, a scrub plane or jack plane can be about a fast, and way cheaper. Nice thing about using a jack (stanley #5) or wooden plane 12" to 18" long is you don't have to bother with flat soles or precision. I just keep the blade sharp with a curved edge and it goes to town. It takes thick shavings, its a corse tool.

In the end, I find I go for a jack plane or my handheld belt sander w/36 grit belt.

But the Makita is certainly a bragging tool :)

Jim
 

Rob

New User
Rob
Reason I was asking, I was reading a back issue of a magazine about using a band saw for sawing lumber, the guy likes to cut his logs with a chain saw, then clean up the chain saw marks with a power hand planer to make a level side before re-sawing. Sounded like a neat idear. A flat side would make it easier to re-saw, and cutting bowl blanks. Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to buy another tool. :gar-Bi
 

FredP

Fred
Corporate Member
Reason I was asking, I was reading a back issue of a magazine about using a band saw for sawing lumber, the guy likes to cut his logs with a chain saw, then clean up the chain saw marks with a power hand planer to make a level side before re-sawing. Sounded like a neat idear. A flat side would make it easier to re-saw, and cutting bowl blanks. Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to buy another tool. :gar-Bi


:rotflm:My guess would be the latter!:rotflm: they can be handy if you spend the $ to get a good one. the small ones at the BORG are pretty much useless. makita used to make a very good one. the model 1100 but no longer made.:gar-Cr I have one that is 20+ yrs old and going strong. PC also makes a good one in the 4-500 dollar range with spiral knives. sweet plane but the knives are nearly 100 bucks and can only be sharpened a couple of times. not many places around are equipped to sharpen them either.:dontknow: I do door work so this tool is a must for me but I rarely take it into the shop and flatening logs would probly kill one in shorty order. YMMV.:gar-Bi
 

GeorgeL

New User
George
Reason I was asking, I was reading a back issue of a magazine about using a band saw for sawing lumber, the guy likes to cut his logs with a chain saw, then clean up the chain saw marks with a power hand planer to make a level side before re-sawing. Sounded like a neat idear. A flat side would make it easier to re-saw, and cutting bowl blanks. Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to buy another tool. :gar-Bi

OH, in THAT case get a 16" or 24" Northfield jointer! :tool:

George
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
A little off topic, but this has been on my mind for a while - I've see the "sleds" where you use a router and straight bit to flatten a board. Could you do something similar with a power hand planer?
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I got a Skill brand power hand planer in a big box of junk at a yard sale. I think I paid $30 for the box.

The planer was at the bottom of the box. I thought it was busted so I never tried it. Then one day i needed to flatten a bowl blank and I thought about that planer, pulled it out and it worked. The blades need to be replaced but for probably about fifty cents considering what else was in the box, i don't think I wasted my cash.

I thought about making some kind of rail system for it, maybe someday when I can afford a couple pieces of Bosch rail. I think that would be handy for flattening slabs, cutting blocks and bench tops.
 

nelsone

New User
Ed
I have the Bosch planer and it works well for what I have asked of it. I bought it mostly for trimming doors and studs. The only drawback I have is that it clogs pretty easily.
 

CaptnA

Andy
Corporate Member
I have a Delta and it works pretty well. I have had it for many years.
I usually use it for flattening the bottom of bowl stock to put on the lathe (I learned this years ago from Knud Oland). Just one way of many I know.
I've done some doors and other flatwork with it and had no complaints, except with no catch bag it can fling shavings quite a distance.. I did break the original drive belt - cost me $3 for a replacement, took 4 days to get and 10 minutes to install.
The knives are 'flippable' for a sharp edge, and easy to align I thought. Uses a hex key that was included and stored on the tool. Replacement knives were about $6 a set.
 

Trent Mason

New User
Trent Mason
I've had the Ryobi powered hand planer for about two years and it has worked fine for me. I've trimmed some doors with it and used to use it as a jointer before I got a jointer. Haven't had any problems with it and it was pretty cheap. But if you're looking for something to use on a daily basis, I would get a nicer one. :icon_thum
 

macdaddy

New User
Steve
Reason I was asking, I was reading a back issue of a magazine about using a band saw for sawing lumber, the guy likes to cut his logs with a chain saw, then clean up the chain saw marks with a power hand planer to make a level side before re-sawing. Sounded like a neat idear. A flat side would make it easier to re-saw, and cutting bowl blanks. Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to buy another tool. :gar-Bi
I have got a mostly flat surface after just splitting a log with a wedge by using a hand power planner. I am sure it would do great with the chain saw marks.
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Rob, I happen to have three. The first two I bought are Bosch, one still works and the other needs a new belt. Both of those are in my junk drawer as I now have the PC with a spiral cutter and it runs circles around the others. I will never go back. If you would like to see if the bosch will fill your needs you can have the one that needs a belt.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
I have an old DeWalt (about 15 yrs old), that works good, altho I don't use it much. It is very handy for cleaning up the top of a split log for a bench seat, etc. Setting the blades are a pain, its as noisy as a chain saw, and it throws a bunch of chips (no way to hook it to a shop vac/chip collector, so I hang us a sheet to corral the worst of them in one place if indoors.) Basically, I consider it an "outdoor" tool. Much quicker than a sander on rough cut lumber.

Go
 

Rob

New User
Rob
Thanks to Phil S I have a hand power planer, some new blades and a belt, and it will be like new.
 

Russ Denz

New User
Russ
Hey Guys,
We're moving and I'm selling almost everything I haven't used in the last year or so - that's our "move or sell" rule. I have a huge list in the classifieds, and one item I haven't added yet is - hmmmm, what could it be?! - a Dewalt DW680K hand planer kit. It's not more than two years old and I have never used it, but one guy doing some work for me did use it, enough to get it dirty and put a nick in the blades. I just plugged it in and turned it on; it hums and sounds strong, and all the parts are there including the rabbeting fence. I'll take $90 for it, and that includes a two week guarantee - see the ad. It will probably hit the list the end of the week.

I just took some pics of it, but can't seem to attach them here, so email me if you're interested - Onobeano@gmail.com
Russ
 
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