Planer and Belt sander Worth it?

gucho · Post by **gucho** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:36 pm

I found someone willing to sell me a planer for the SS and a Beltsander for it as well. How good are they worth the expense?

Im wondering if its worth it, they are a $100 each. I already hae a 510 with a bandsaw and stripsander attachment.

so far I love my SS, I would be selling every other tool I own if I didnt need them for work.

Thanks for the tips!!!

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:08 pm

I think the Shopsmith planer is the best planer on the market. I have the pro planer that is close to 20 years old and works like new.

I like the belt sander a lot. I purchased it new about 4 or 5 years ago. I work with a lot of small wood parts I like to shape. I can slow the belt down so it will not rip it out of my hand. Impossible to do with any other sander. Non-shopsmith belt sanders run way too fast IMHO.

mbcabinetmaker · Post by **mbcabinetmaker** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:08 pm

Welcome to the forum. When you say planer I assume it is the jointer/planer and not the surface planer. Either way all the Shopsmith SPT's work very well and are great quality. I have both the jointer and belt sander and if they are in good condition $100.00 each is a good price.

On the other hand if it is the surface planer they are junk so just tell me where it is and I will go talk to the guy trying to rip you off!:D

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:11 pm

mbcabinetmaker wrote:Welcome to the forum. When you say planer I assume it is the jointer/planer and not the surface planer. Either way all the Shopsmith SPT's work very well and are great quality. I have both the jointer and belt sander and if they are in good condition $100.00 each is a good price.

On the other hand if it is the surface planer they are junk so just tell me where it is and I will go talk to the guy trying to rip you off!:D

Maybe he is talking about the jointer and not the planer. $100 for a planer is so cheap one would not have to ask if that's a deal.

gucho · Post by **gucho** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:47 pm

you fellas are right its the jointer.
Since im a new owner to the SS i might be getting a bit rushed. Would you guys say there is some tool out there that I should purchase ahead of these 2? there is always tools out there that only experience will tell you you need.

If I can get them both for 150 I will probably pick them up.

gucho · Post by **gucho** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:02 pm

maybe it would be better to ask what are some of the limitations of these 2 components.?

holsgo · Post by **holsgo** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:05 pm

I found the belt sander to be essential. The platen is large, the belts come in all available grits and, once you can dial it in, it trackes perfectly. Now the limitation is that belts would need to be ordered. Lowes does stock an 80 grit but no others that I last saw. Do not torque against the mechanism that holds it to the legs that go into the shopsmith itself. There are 2 things that should hold the sander into a half moon track. Overwhelming pressure can cause this connection problems. This is how I got mine dirt cheap by the way...previous owner did just thing and cracked the casting. I fixed but took effort.
Other than that I have no limitations to speak of.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:59 pm

The condition of them could be a kicker(either way).

If rust and wear are minimal they would be a good deal and they are appropriate additions to your stable at this point.

If condition is not so good or marginal, they are still appropriate at a reduced cost. The only really serious thing to avoid is broken castings. If you transport the jointer, separate the fence from the base. Makes each piece lighter as well as reduces chances for damage(cast iron will break)!

mbcabinetmaker · Post by **mbcabinetmaker** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:01 pm

gucho wrote:maybe it would be better to ask what are some of the limitations of these 2 components.?

gucho that is a hard question to answer. We need to know more about what type woodworking you plan to do and what materials you use. Your 510 with the band saw and strip sander is a good combination but I could not do with out a jointer myself. If you look around at machines for sale a lot of people opted for the jointer and the band saw. With those and the basic 510 you have a tool that can do most any type woodworking using S4S lumber. A few basic hand tools and small electric tools like a random orbit sander, jig saw and a router and you have a set up to build almost anything. However I would not pass up the belt sander at $100.00 because they don't come up for sale that often.

As to limitations all tools have them. Our Shopsmiths are limited only by size in my opinion. The jointer is only 4 inches with a short bed. It will edge joint boards up to about 6' long without setting up some type of infeed and outfeed support.

Of course a 16" jointer will not flatten a 17" board.

gucho · Post by **gucho** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:37 pm

well Im a ticketed carpenter so my abilities for carpentry are good. Now as far as joinery goes which is what I like to do, im just getting my feet wet. I want to start making furniture and take it into the art form.
I have a makita power planer that I could use in a pinch BUT its not my favourite.

Im really enjoying this tool right now just with what it has regardless of the extras, but the more I look the more I realize that these accessories do not come around that often.

Bottom line, I would like to build some entertainment units with some really nice details.

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Planer and Belt sander Worth it?

Planer and Belt sander Worth it?

Thanks!