# Planer Recommendation



## gerryr (Mar 22, 2006)

I want to make some segmented blanks and Ron Mc confirmed that I need a planer to do it right.  What's a good small planer?


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## Dario (Mar 22, 2006)

Never done any glue ups but I always thought you can do better with a good sanding station than a planer.  I thought wrong then []


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## Ron Mc (Mar 22, 2006)

Gerry,
Please keep in mind that a planer is only part of it and a sander is also a good idea. I have made segmented bottle stopper blanks with only a miter saw and sander and they came out marvelous if I may say so.
[]


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## gerryr (Mar 22, 2006)

I already have a sander, but no way to make two sides flat and parallel.


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## Dario (Mar 22, 2006)

Gerry,

Can't that be done with a disk sander with a good miter and a square push block?


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## gerryr (Mar 22, 2006)

I want to be able to make my own blanks similar to Ron's that have 3 strips of maple and 3 of bloodwood, but with different woods.  He told me I would need a planer and it makes sense to me.


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## tipusnr (Mar 22, 2006)

Be aware that planer/joiners are expensive.  I've been watching them on Ebay for a while now and can't get one I can afford.  I have a Delta thickness planer but it doesn't help me much with glue-ups as the wood has to be a minimum of 10" long to safely go through it. (My pen blanks aren't anywhere near that long.

Read an article about joining using a spiral bit and a router table and might try that.  Has anyone else tried it on a router table?


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## Doghouse (Mar 22, 2006)

I have the dewalt planer, and like it.  I would go with the 3 blade for the best finish.  That being said, you may want to look into the Performax 10-20 wide body sander.  This is a drum sander over a drive belt.  it can be used to "plane" small pieces if you put them on a sled.  I have the 16/32 and after adjusting it, it was working fine.  (Small accident since) it will produce a fine finish rather quickly and can be used to SLOWLY finish plane a series of strips of wood into an even thickness.


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## dfurlano (Mar 22, 2006)

wouldn't a drum sander make more sense then a planer?  let me also say you do not need either. but if I had to choose to buy just one item it would be a drum sander.


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## alamocdc (Mar 22, 2006)

I have a Delta 12 1/2" planer and love it. But I think a thickness sander is better suited for what you want to do. Unfortunately, they are about 3 times higher than a good planer.


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## esheffield (Mar 22, 2006)

I have the Delta 2 speed planer - wonderful machine, though I haven't gotten to use it much yet. But the cuts I have done are smoother than anything I've ever been able to achieve by sanding. At the time I got it I was debating between the Delta and the DeWalt 2 speed, but I came across so complaints about a gear breaking or something along those lines, and no real complaints with the Delta.

Incidentally, if you're so inclined, the latest ShopNotes magazine has plans for building your own small thickness planer.


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## gerryr (Mar 22, 2006)

Since I don't need to work with pieces more than 2-3" wide, what about something like this

http://vanda-layindustries.com/html/the_hog_.html

or this

http://www.preac.com/thickness_sander.htm


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## dfurlano (Mar 22, 2006)

for not much more you can get this one from grizzly http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0459 

I would be concerned about getting belts for the preac.  The vanda looks like a manual feed that may be difficult to control.


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## Rifleman1776 (Mar 22, 2006)

You asked about planers. After comparing with others on the market I recently purchased this Grizzly  http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0505
It has 1/8" thick blades compared to 1/16" on many (all?) other models in the same size range. A very useful machine. Yesterday I sawed some slices off a hunk of walnut with my bandsaw then planed to desired thickness and 'voila' I had walnut boards. Good machine.


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## dfurlano (Mar 22, 2006)

thats a great price too!


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## Rifleman1776 (Mar 23, 2006)

> _Originally posted by dfurlano_
> <br />thats a great price too!



I had just been paid for a magazine article I wrote, the money was in and out quickly. So, on my limited budget, it was like getting a new toy for nothing.


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## davidrei (Mar 23, 2006)

I haven't tried this, but it sure looks interesting, esp for pen blanks.  Nice & small, for those of us without any real shop space.  A little pricey though.

http://tinyurl.com/ncp9v


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## gerryr (Mar 23, 2006)

A lot cheaper than a surface planer.  Looks pretty good to me.


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## Doghouse (Mar 24, 2006)

Shopnotes has a build it yourself drum sander.  Only major cost is the time to build it.


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## Rifleman1776 (Mar 24, 2006)

> _Originally posted by davidrei_
> <br />I haven't tried this, but it sure looks interesting, esp for pen blanks.  Nice & small, for those of us without any real shop space.  A little pricey though.
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/ncp9v



  I don't see the attraction. At double the money, compared to the Grizzly, it is only 1/5 horsepower, 6000 rpm compared to 10,000 rpm for the Griz, the Griz is 1/2hp; it only planes 3 1/8" wide compared to 12 1/2" for the Griz. Yes, it is a "mini" except in price.  My Grizzly sets on a shelf and takes little space. I have a torn up shoulder, otherwise it would sit in a shelf under the workbench and be placed on sawhorse for it's occasional use. Lessee, sum up: slower cut and rougher finish, teensy horsepower for tiny pieces of wood (I have to wonder how it would handle Osage Orange, not very well, I would guess) and $499.00 compared to $225.00.  While we are at it, I have this bridge for sale........[]


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## alamocdc (Mar 24, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Rifleman_
> <br />
> 
> 
> ...



I agree, and I only spent about $200 on my 12 1/2" Delta at Lowes last year.

I do have to say that I was impressed with the Hog miniature thickness sander posted above and with Grizzly coming out with a relatively inexpensive thickness sander, HF will be before long. AND it will be even less! []


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## gerryr (Mar 25, 2006)

Yes, the Proxxon isn't cheap, but consider this.  From what people have said, you can't use something like the Delta 12.5" planer for pieces that are only 5-6" long and that's really all I want this for.  I've always been a miserable failure at flatwork and don't see any reason why that would change just because I've learned something about using a lathe.  Buying a full size surface sander certainly doesn't make sense, so that basically leaves something like the Proxxon, or the Preac or the Hog.  Or am I missing something?


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## Rifleman1776 (Mar 25, 2006)

> _Originally posted by gerryr_
> <br />Yes, the Proxxon isn't cheap, but consider this.  From what people have said, you can't use something like the Delta 12.5" planer for pieces that are only 5-6" long and that's really all I want this for.  I've always been a miserable failure at flatwork and don't see any reason why that would change just because I've learned something about using a lathe.  Buying a full size surface sander certainly doesn't make sense, so that basically leaves something like the Proxxon, or the Preac or the Hog.  Or am I missing something?



  I use my Grizzly for pieces that long, er: short. []


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## gerryr (Mar 25, 2006)

Someone had posted that you can't put short pieces in a regular size planer.  If you can do that with a Grizzly, that's probably what I'll buy.


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## AdamB (Mar 25, 2006)

I just read a magazine artical in one of the mags I have laying around the house about a "jig" that would allow you to send small pieces through the planer with any problems.

I have to find it...


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## jdavis (Apr 4, 2006)

if i were to buy a planer for a home shop, i would buy the Delta 12 1/2


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## Rifleman1776 (Apr 4, 2006)

> _Originally posted by gerryr_
> <br />Someone had posted that you can't put short pieces in a regular size planer.  If you can do that with a Grizzly, that's probably what I'll buy.



That wuz me. Six inches, no problem. Of course, if you are doing a six in THICK hunk, keeping fingers out should be considered as a safety priority. But when cranked down under 2" one would have to work at putting fingers inside.


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## Rifleman1776 (Apr 4, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Always Practicing_
> <br />I just read a magazine artical in one of the mags I have laying around the house about a "jig" that would allow you to send small pieces through the planer with any problems.
> 
> I have to find it...



My "jig" is a piece of scrap wood.


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## RogerGarrett (Apr 8, 2006)

> _Originally posted by jdavis_
> <br />if i were to buy a planer for a home shop, i would buy the Delta 12 1/2



Speaking of which,I plan to upgrade my Delta 12 1/2" planer (in great shape) to the newer, two-speed 13" planer.  I'll probably ask $145 for it if anyone is interested and lives within driving distance of Bloomington, IL.

Best,
Roger Garrett


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## KingBubbaTruck (Apr 11, 2006)

For small stuff, and special things, like ukelele finger boards, I've used this with some success:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Planes/Wagner_Safe-T-Planer.html

It looks scary, but it really works well.  It mounts on your drill press  and you can build a jig for running things through it.

I've recently gotten into pen turning and tonight I'm going to use to to build up some segmented pen blanks...

Brent


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## gerryr (Apr 12, 2006)

Brent, thanks for the link.  Let us know how it works for segmented blanks.  And, welcome to the IAP.


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## crashgtr (Jun 21, 2006)

When I first started to take up woodworking, I was told by some professional carpenters that a planer will only make both sides of the wood parallel but will not make wood flat- that is what a jointer does. I wonder if the drum sander would be any more effective that the smooth setting on my dewalt 13" planer.

I am curious to hear about other woodworkers techniques for getting the small cut off squares 3/4 or 5/8  that are as thin as 1/8" thick or long narrow veneer like slices flat for gluing up into something like those diamond wood designs. 

Thanks,
Liz


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## Daniel (Jun 22, 2006)

Liz,
 I get those little slices with my radial arm saw. I've tried it with a miter saw but for some reason the pieces get broken and often get shot around the shop. the radial arm saw slices through and leaves the pieces just setting there. I've even changed blades and still get the same results. I didn't buy the saw to cut accent bands for my pens and it would be real expensive to do so. but if you know someone that has one you might try and use it. to have a nice flat piece requires two cuts. one to trim the blank square to the blade. the next to cut the width you want the band to be. this makes a nice flat parallel waffer. just toying around I have gotten a slice thinner than 1/16th of an inch but various woods will render various results.
for flat work. such as furniture making etc. the process to get a piece fo wood that will make a nice tight joint is to cut the wood on a table saw a bit larger than you want it to be, 1/16 to 1/32. and then use a jointer to plane it to the exact size you want it to be. how to translate this to the tiny pieces of wood we deal with would be dangerous without some sort of blocks etc to hold the pieces, but it could be done.


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## crashgtr (Jun 22, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Daniel_
> <br />Liz,
> I get those little slices with my radial arm saw. I've tried it with a miter saw but for some reason the pieces get broken and often get shot around the shop. the radial arm saw slices through and leaves the pieces just setting there. I've even changed blades and still get the same results. I didn't buy the saw to cut accent bands for my pens and it would be real expensive to do so. but if you know someone that has one you might try and use it. to have a nice flat piece requires two cuts. one to trim the blank square to the blade. the next to cut the width you want the band to be. this makes a nice flat parallel waffer. just toying around I have gotten a slice thinner than 1/16th of an inch but various woods will render various results.
> for flat work. such as furniture making etc. the process to get a piece fo wood that will make a nice tight joint is to cut the wood on a table saw a bit larger than you want it to be, 1/16 to 1/32. and then use a jointer to plane it to the exact size you want it to be. how to translate this to the tiny pieces of wood we deal with would be dangerous without some sort of blocks etc to hold the pieces, but it could be done.



Thanks for the info. I do not have a radial arm saw but I do have a jointer. I have a small tradesman jointer but I am still unclear how to run these small slivers accross the jointer without them falling into the blades and without chopiing my push handle to shreds?


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## rgundersen (Jun 28, 2006)

When I first started to take up woodworking, I was told by some professional carpenters that a planer will only make both sides of the wood parallel but will not make wood flat- that is what a jointer does. I wonder if the drum sander would be any more effective that the smooth setting on my dewalt 13" planer.


For longer boards this is correct in that a surface planer presses down on the wood and forces it flat rather than taking of a slice that is to high.  A Jointer is used to make a piece of wood flat while a surface planer aka a thickness planer is for getting a specific thickness.  All that being said with blanks the size used for pens, there is not a lot of flex potential for the wood and overall you will get a fairly flat piece of wood as well as a particular thickness with a planer.

I had the Dewalt 13" planer prior to getting a combination machine and I loved it.

Another option for planing is to use a router riding above the material on two rails.  by setting the depth of cut on the router you are going to remove a consistent layer of material.  For pen blanks would seem like a very small jig to make up and reasonably quick and safe.  I would say use a 1" or better bowl bit.  The rounded edges would help keep from digging into the material.

Seems like this would also get the wood flat, since the router is not going to be pressing the wood flat as it cuts it...

Anyway just some ramblings from a general woodworker, recently on a bent for learning and turning pens


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## Jerryconn (Jun 28, 2006)

Small pieces such as pen blanks should never be run through a jointer or a planer without a larger support piece (jig). To do so is danagerous, especially on the jointer ( I am fond of my fingers). There have been articles written in nearly all the woodworking magazines on how to properly & safely run stock though each of the machines.  To get a truly flat/square stock piece requires a jointer, planner, and a table saw, all properly adjusted.  Just my 2 cents worth.


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## rgundersen (Jun 28, 2006)

Agree in that pen blanks are to short to feed through a planer on their own, but even with the sled designs I have seen the blank itself is still unlikely to have any significant flex during the feed process and as such wil get some flattening as well as the thickness adjustment.

-Robert


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