Do I need a Planer

[jsburger]

I guess my point is that since I already have a jointer and two ways to plane with the Drum sander and the Conical sander, I'm not sure the planer is that much faster/better than the two ways I have to sand the lumber.

OK, first a jointer will make both surfaces of a board flat but, will NOT make them parallel. Same way with jointing on both edges of a board. They will be straight but not necessarily parallel.

How do you plane with a drum sander or a conical sanding disk? A planer removes materiel from the wide surface of the stock. If I have a 4" wide piece of stock how do I "plane" by sanding? Are you talking a horizontal drum sander like a Jet? Yes you can thickness with it but it is not designed for that. It would take for ever to go say from 7/8 to 3/4. It is not a planer.

OK, maybe an explanation of the relationship between the jointer and the planer is on order to understand why they are needed.

You want a piece of stock to have two surfaces parallel and the other two surfaces parallel and at 90* to each other. This is true regardless of stock.

So how do we do that?

First, we want one wide surface flat. We do that on the jointer. Joint one face until it is flat.

Second, we want one edge straight and 90* to the face just jointed. So we put the flat face against the jointer fence and joint the edge until it is straight. It will be 90* to the first surface if your jointer fence is 90* to the table.

Third, we run the stock through the planer to make that surface smooth, the piece is the correct thickness and that surface is parallel to the surface in step one.

Fourth, we cut the width of the stock slightly oversized ((1/16 +-) on the table saw with the jointed edge (step two) against the fence.

Fifth, joint the edge to final dimension.

Can you do all that without a planer? Of course. If you want to do it by hand get some hand planes. You don't want cheap hand planes, you want quality planes (new or used is OK). Hand planing is physical work and takes a long time. To get a nice set of hand planes will set you back more than a nice used SS planer.

Again, it depends what you make and that will change over the years.

[putttn]

Yes, I have a Super Max 19-38 drum sander. I agree it's not as fast but since I have it and the jointer what's the advantage of the planer over the drum sander (other than speed)?

[jsburger]

Yes, I have a Super Max 19-38 drum sander. I agree it's not as fast but since I have it and the jointer what's the advantage of the planer over the drum sander (other than speed)?

Drum sanders require sanding belts. If you are going to use the drum sander all the time (many many hours) for thicknesing then I would think you will replace the belt fairly quickly. Those belts are not cheap. A good set of planer blades will last you a life time. With the SS sharpening guide you can sharpen them yourself (added savings).

I use my SS planer on almost every project. I would never be without one.

IF you regularly need to thickness stock, the planer is the proper tool.

[charlese]

Yes, I have a Super Max 19-38 drum sander. I agree it's not as fast but since I have it and the jointer what's the advantage of the planer over the drum sander (other than speed)?

The choice of a thickness planner is completely up to you, my man. I will post no additional advantages than have already been posted.

[JPG]

Often in the past I have been frustrated by only having dimension lumber sizes(3/4 ...) to make things from. Sure saw them down and try to clean them up with a jointer with varying degrees of success.

Wide boards - fagetaboutit.

The planer makes non-standard thicknesses easily obtained. Rough sawn was not an attractive option then either.

[BuckeyeDennis]

Before I got my planer, I had a large and growing pile of assorted lumber scraps. Once I got my planer, that pile started dwindling, and is now pretty much gone. A planer makes it easy to turn the lumber you have into the lumber you need.

[putttn]

OK...now the question, which Planer. I have a Ridgid 6" Jointer in my garage crammed with 3 cars and woodworking tools so room and maneuverability is really important. I've hear a lot of guys like their combo machines but I really don't have room for that.

[dusty]

So it appears that you "need" a planer. While I have used others, my only real experience is with the Shopsmith planer. I have had mine for over 25 years and it has served me well. I would not hesitate to recommend the Shopsmith planer.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/catalog/planers.htm

[reible]

I have not shopped for a planner in a long while so I have very little idea of what is out there. I do see the Dewalt ones getting some good press and I think a few people here have them so perhaps they will add some good information.

I had access to a professional 15" planner for a while and one of the things that always bugged me was changing blades. Trying to get all the blades set was never an easy task with the tools at the time. Yes it got done but it was never fun and I grew up with a jointer that looked a whole lot like the shopsmith one and it was a pain to adjust the knives because they left out those setscrew height deals. So from my younger days on this was a task I'd rather not do.

So when it came time for me to buy one I made a list of things I wanted it to have and a few things I did not want it to have. I went with 13" but to this day I have never put a 13" piece through it. I looked for one with replaceable knives, yea that is against the gain for a lot of people but no matter how easy you think you have it I have it easier. The blades have two cutting edges and there is no and I mean no adjustments. Yes you will have to replace them at some point but with the lighter use I give them they last for years and years. I did not plan to do ruff sawn wood so that also played a part in that decision and I'd do it again today.

I also like nice long beds on infeed and outfeed, some planners came with short beds and made you buy extra add-ons to get what you wanted so beware of the price and the price of the add-ons.

If you are going to move it around and it will not be on its own stand then weight can be a factor. I thought I would not be mounting mine to a special stand when I got it but even my planning of a lighter weight model was flawed so it got its own stand which takes up extra space but that is how it is.

The biggest mistake I made was not getting the dust collection system. It was an extra cost option and so I wanted to save the money.... then when I went to buy it they didn't make it anymore. So I bring out a big tarp and sitting the planner in the middle and then clean up later.... I would like to make a shoot for it but so far I have not got to that and like I said I should have just sprung for it when I got it.

So start making a list and deciding on what you want out of this planner and take a chance you are right.

I'm sure the shopsmith one is nice but it is not something I have on my list nor I have I ever thought about adding it. For how I use mine it is simple a waste of money, now for others they may feel they need it. I'm not even sure I would get one if I came across a "deal".

Ed

[algale]

Well, since reible mentions the DeWalt -- I have the DW735 and while I have nothing else to compare it to, I do like it very much!

What I like best about it (and what reible says he didn't like about the 15" planer he had access to) is the blade changes! The blades are indexed. They literally snap into place and then some hex head bolts are screwed down to hold them in place.

I just changed the blades a couple of weeks ago. I had the old blades out and the new blades in the DW735 in about 20-30 minutes and that was not rushing!

Dust collection is also superb; I connect it to my DC3300 but I don't even need to turn the DC3300 on because the DW735 has its own chip blower that is very powerful.

The only thing I don't like about the DW735 is that it is very loud! But most planers are.