Portable planers

[manowar422]

I work in new residential construction and have access to all the scrap
2 X 8 lumber I can carry ( I now use all medium supers )

I thought it would be cool to save some money and buy a 12-1/2"
planer and use this free stuff to make supers.

My question is, does anyone have a purchase recommendation for
a machine for under $400 ???

I was kinda leaning towards this one...

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=7584

[JWW]

I purchased a Ryobi 13" planer at Home Depot. It works very well and the price was around $200.00. I did a lot of research online and after reading several customer reviews on the Ryobi I felt like it was the right machine.

I believe I googled "planer comparisons" and found several sites that published comments about different planers. I also went to Amazon and found planers that I was looking at and read reviews from people that had purchased them.

[Robo]

I don't have any experience with a portable planer,  but do use rough cut lumber in my hive building.  I use 1" stuff and plane to 7/8" or 3/4".  Just that 1/8"-1/4" makes a lot of chips.  So if your starting with 2x8's be prepared for A LOT of chips and time.  Even though it says maximum cut is 1/8", that is probably with a narrow width board.  Do you have a band saw?  You might consider resawing.

Also look at this http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0505.  Although I don't own one,  I do have a Grizzly cabinet saw and a radial drill press. I am extemely happy with both, and they have excellent customer service. Just found some customer reviews HERE

I also have DeWalt tools that I am happy with as well.  Don't be afraid to buy the remanufactured versions if you can find them.  Every one that I have purchased appeared to be new (minus the "R" melted into the case).

good luck

[manowar422]

Thanks for responses fellas 8)

Robo, I really had not considered the thickness issue until
you mentioned it. A band saw would eliminate a lot of passes
through the planer and the chips resulting from planing down
1-1/2" lumber to 3/4".

Oh! Just realized that the leftover cut from the band saw could
be used for inner covers :D  now all I need is a table router to
cut that tounge and groove joint. :lol:  my wife is going to have
a cow!

[Michael Bush]

If you resaw the two bys on the band saw and go right down the middle you should end up with 11/16" boards.  That's good enough for a super.  But you could, as you say, cut them 3/4" and leave a 5/8" piece that could be used to build all sorts of other things.

[manowar422]

If you resaw the two bys on the band saw and go right down the middle you should end up with 11/16" boards. That's good enough for a super. But you could, as you say, cut them 3/4" and leave a 5/8" piece that could be used to build all sorts of other things.

I have a 10" table saw, I'm going to try today and see if I can rip a
2X8 with two passes (turning the board over on the second cut),
the material taken by the blade will eliminate the possibility of coming
out with two boards of 11/16", but that would end my having to
purchase a band saw 8)

This forum, and thus the people in it, are invaluable  8)  8)  8)  8)

[Michael Bush]

I've done it.  But it's harder than you think to cut it exactly.  :)  But it still may be servicable wood.

[don and emmy]

I just went through the process of planing down 2X8s    The local big home improvement store had 5 footers for 51 cents a piece so  bought all 14 and went to work.  The planer ( a Dewalt) would take off between 1/16th and 1/8th inch per pass, closer to the 16th then the 8th.  It took about 3 hours and made abut 4 trash cans full of shavings but in the long run It wasn't too bad.  I have perfectly flat/square wood to work with and kept me busy.  If i had to do it again I would cut it with a band saw and clean it it with the planer.

[randydrivesabus]

i have one of those portable ryobi planers and have been using it for many years...it does a good job of surfacing rough cut lumber. mine has lost the ability to feed itself (worn out i reckon) and the cut isnt as smooth as it once was (blades need sharpening).
if you dont want to go to the expense of buying machinery and you arent going to do a lot of resawing/planing, etc. then take your lumber to a local cabinet shop and have them do it for you.
i have a grizzly jointer (which can also be used to surface lumber) and i've had it for many years and its a fine machine.

[manowar422]

Won a Dewalt DW734 12.5" Inch Portable Planer
on eBay for $300 shipped today. :D
It's used but in brand new condition.
It's the triple blade model from last year,
(96 cuts per inch) but will more than likley do
a good job on short boards of 36" or less.

When it arrives, I'll bring home some of that free lumber,
crank everything up and tell ya how it goes.

Again, thanks for all the input/help with this one.

[Jack Parr]

I work in new residential construction and have access to all the scrap
2 X 8 lumber I can carry ( I now use all medium supers )

I thought it would be cool to save some money and buy a 12-1/2"
planer and use this free stuff to make supers.

My question is, does anyone have a purchase recommendation for
a machine for under $400 ???

I was kinda leaning towards this one...

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=7584

Now just say that you are tool guy and you want to buy yourself a planer.

To buy a cheap planer will be what you end up with. A cheap planer. There is no way that you can buy and operate even a " cheap " planer for less then buying standard sized hive lumber. For a few hive boxes :?:  :roll:

I perused your offered website and don't you know it, the planers I would consider are priced way up there but...

Planer blades dull rapidly and even more so if you plane salvaged, even " new " lumber. You miss some fine dust or small rocks embedded in your wood and you have  dull or chipped planer cutter blade, rapidly. Then your planed wood looks like crap. Dull planer blades require precise sharpening, which is  not easily done by the DIY'ers. While you are pricing planers, go a bit further and inquire about sharpening services or needed equipment to DIY. The alternative is to buy new blades whenever needed.

Not meaning to puncture your " plane " dreams baloon but... Personally, I would save my bucks, if I really could justify owning a planer I would buy the best that I could operate on SINGLE PHASE 220 Volts power. Remember 5 HP is probably the most powerful available in single phase, I think :?:  

Good luck.

[manowar422]

There is no way that you can buy and operate even a " cheap " planer for less then buying standard sized hive lumber. For a few hive boxes

Jack,

Thanks for the thoughts! Yes I’m a Tool Guy for sure and have been
building stuff since I was able to swing a hammer to drive a straight nail.

My needs are modest (clearly not on a commercial scale by any means)
but my purchase ($300) will pay for it self after the cutting of only thirty
eight medium supers. I can have all I need for personal use and trade or
sell some cut boxes to help pay for other stuff I might need.

The machine uses three easy to change double-sided disposable blades
that are available on the net for under $50 including shipping.

I obviously don’t know yet how many board feet the blades will surface
before needing replacement, but 38 boxes comes to approx. 230 board
feet. My guess is that if I don’t load up the planer with “dirty” lumber,
I should get 230 board feet (115 feet per side) planed with each set.

The free lumber in question is new house building lumber that is too
short for carpenters to do anything with, so it just gets hauled off and
thrown away, plus after ripping down a 2 X 8 board, there is something
left over to make other hive related parts as well. It’s too late to save
my money as you suggested, but perhaps by the end of the this year
I’ll make out in the long run.[/quote]

[Ross]

If you're having trouble getting small planers to feed, try cleaning and waxing the bed.  Johnson's paste wax works wonders.  Dull blades also contribute to feeding problems.

[randydrivesabus]

i think thats a good idea. one of the other problems with my planer is that the feeding rollers have become glazed with sap, etc. this was caused by running green softwood lumber through it.

[manowar422]

Nice tip Ross 8)
Thanks

BTW, did you get any good rain when the storm came through
back in March?

[Jay]

i think thats a good idea. one of the other problems with my planer is that the feeding rollers have become glazed with sap, etc. this was caused by running green softwood lumber through it.

When my planer gets gummed up feed rollers it doesn't feed worth a darn either. But when I clean the rollers with alcohol, it works like new again! :D