Best Value Benchtop Planer

[lowpolyjoe]

Hello

I've got some poorly cut (by me :-[) basswood boards.  I'm in the process of drying them but when they're ready I'm going to have to take a good bit of material off to get them flat and true.   

I don't have a ton of room in my garage and not a huge budget so i'm thinking a benchtop planer model is the only option.  Can anyone recommend a good value planer?   $500 or less range.  Probably won't need anything wider than 15" wide and maybe 8 or 10" high.  I need something that's going to be able to take off as much as possible in each pass to get the rough shape down before making the finishing passes.

Someone recommended a planer-jointer combo. Are there benchtop versions like that?

I was also wondering if you could 'plane' a board flat with a band saw.  I watched a youtube video a while back where a guy setup his bandsaw to cut his own veneer from a hardwood board.  Following a similar principle i was wondering if i could cut my boards flat on each side.  Anyone ever hear of that?

Thanks,
Joe

[WDH]

As to benchtop planers, there are several good ones.  The Rigid from Home Depot gets good reviews.  I had a two knife Dewalt DW 733 planer that I planed thousands of BF with.  These blades could be re-sharpened.  I think that Dodgy Loner still uses it.  The DeWalt DW 734 has three blades, costs a tad over $300 at Lowes, and is a proven winner.  The blades are two sided and disposable.  If you don't have the ability to sharpen your own blades, that might not be so bad.

[SwampDonkey]

Something with at least 2 HP, more is better if you plan on doing up ash or oak in the future.

I'm not sure if those chainsaw milled boards will smooth out with all the variation in thickness down the boards. Probably won't lay flat either. You could "plane" the boards flat with a jig set up on a router. Do a forum search for the process. ;)

[LeeB]

You can plain them flat by using some runners attached to the sides of the board.

[Tree Feller]

I was also wondering if you could 'plane' a board flat with a band saw.  I watched a youtube video a while back where a guy setup his bandsaw to cut his own veneer from a hardwood board.  Following a similar principle i was wondering if i could cut my boards flat on each side.  Anyone ever hear of that?

Thanks,
Joe

If you have a decent bandsaw and a good resaw blade, you could slice off enough from each side of your boards to somewhat straighten them up. Without a straight side to start with, you will need to strike or pop a line along one edge and then saw to that line. Depending on how good you are with the BS, the resulting edge should be fairly straight, but it won't be finish-stock straight. This is one of those instances where you need a jointer to flatten one side and then plane the opposite side parallel.

[thecfarm]

I have a Rigid,about 10 years old. This is really the first year I used it. Works good,I guess. Never been around another small one. Can't take alot at any one time. It's slow,but I only use it on a small scale. But mine will only do a piece 13 inches wide and 6 inches tall. I did plane a few almost 12 inch boards. It did it,but could not take off as much when I was doing the 4 inch boards. I have no idea how long it takes to plane down a 1 1/8" and maybe a little more,hemlock 4 " wide 12 feet long down to an inch. Maybe 15 minutes. Did I say it was slow.  ;D But I never tried boards that was as rough as what you have at this time. I feel you would have to plane a side flip it and just keep going back from side to side. May not even fed all that good if it's real rough or wavy either.

[lowpolyjoe]

Thanks for the info guys. 

A router jig is something i hadn't thought of.  I'll have to look that up.

[jueston]

I need something that's going to be able to take off as much as possible in each pass to get the rough shape down before making the finishing passes.

i have a ryobi one, when doing a wider piece of hardwood i turn the handle 1/4 turn... each turn is 1/16 of an inch. so thats 1/64 of an inch per pass... i think this is what most people using benchtop planers. the only way to take off a large amount of wood is to get a more powerful planer.

[lowpolyjoe]

Yeah it seems that removing a lot of material is a tough job for a benchtop setup. 

I think i found the router-planer jig referenced above.  Great option to have... it never ocurred to me.  Looks like a lot of work but a lot cheaper than a planer   

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,59260.msg868272.html#msg868272

[Ianab]

Looks like a lot of work but a lot cheaper than a planer

For oversize pieces it's one of the easiest methods. Once you have the jig set up, you don't have to move the work piece at all. just run the router up and down.

I do a similar thing by mounting the router on the mill carriage and running it up and down the wood. Can joint / plane a 4ft wide board if I need to. It's a bit more of a hassle to use on smaller boards, but still has it's uses. Gets around any limitation with the width of your jointer, and the router usually does a better job in curly grain or burls.

Ian

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Actually have two surface planers. The grizzly is a 220V unit with a 15 inch cutting capacity and spiral cut head. It is one fine planer and sees plenty of regular use in the shop.



 


But at home i have a small delta 12 1/2 inch planer and would recommend that any day of the week. I have owned this planer for over 12 years and have filled at least 60 trash cans with the shavings that have come off of it. Just this week alone i filled 4 trash cans. It is all original and a real work horse. Best part is you can find them all over craigslist for around $100.



 

[AK Newbie]

Just purchased a Steel City 13" planer with the helical cutter heads.  So far I have only run some Spruce boards through it in preparation for making a bench.  It did a fabulous job and the helical cutter heads reportedly last a long time and are easy to change.  It was $488 delivered to the front door thanks to Amazon.com.  It has very positive reviews from those who currently own one.  My understanding is that the cutter heads can be replaced with carbide cutters.  So far so good 

[jueston]

Just purchased a Steel City 13" planer with the helical cutter heads.  So far I have only run some Spruce boards through it in preparation for making a bench.  It did a fabulous job and the helical cutter heads reportedly last a long time and are easy to change.  It was $488 delivered to the front door thanks to Amazon.com.  It has very positive reviews from those who currently own one.  My understanding is that the cutter heads can be replaced with carbide cutters.  So far so good 

i didn't even know you could get a small planer like this that had the helical head...  ??? i looked on amazon and that one seems like a good model for a small shop.

[lowpolyjoe]

Busy Beaver - I've heard others recommend the Grizzly planers.  They look nice but they're a bit beyond what i'd need.

The helical option in a benchtop is good to know about too, thanks AK Newbie.

I'm going to put off my planer purchase indefinitely now that i've read about the router approach to planing.  I'm thinking i might try to get a bandsaw this year instead.

Great to have some references to help me narrow the search when it comes time.

Thanks,
Joe