Shopsmith Forums

I read a lot on other woodworking forums how the Shopsmith planer is good but very expensive.
This is the very reason I went with the Shopsmith.
WHY would you spend $520 for a Makita planer. or $600 for a Dewalt when the Shopsmith can be had on sale for around $1,000?
With all that plastic and a universal motor that if it burned out the planer would be shot.

Cinci:

I've said this same thing several times on this and other forums, sometimes ruffling a few feathers. I purchased one of the first MK5 mounted planers back in '85, and this machine is still "hummin along". It is now mounted on a power stand and I have planed at least 300 board feet of lumber with it this past summer. Being able to sharpen the knives on the conical disk sander is another money saving plus. If I amortize the cost of this planer through the years I have gotten a real bargan.

While I have often commented on the benefits of an induction motor apparently this has not interested many people. However, I have recently discovered the opinion of an expert:

On page 27, of "Sanding and Planing", by Nick Engler, I quote; "Motor type and horsepower - Give careful consideration to the motor type and horsepower: They affect the performance of the tool enormously. It requires a lot of power to make wide cuts, and if the planer is underpowered, it will bog down. Your thicknessing chores will take longer, and the motor may eventually burn out. You need at least 2 hp for a small planer; 3 hp is better. Additionally, you should look for an induction motor. Some small planers, portable models in particular, often have high speed universal motors. Although these may be rated at 2 hp, the rating is deceptive because a universal motor is rated using a different method than induction motors. They are actually much less powerful than similarly rated low speed induction motors. Nor will they last as long under continuous use. Furthermore, a universal motor is much louder than an induction motor-- no small consideration when you must spend long periods of time planing".

Those who compare the Pro Planer with the Dewalt, Makita, and others, and then complain about the Shopsmith planer being overpriced, are not comparing "apples against apples".

OUCH

"You need at least 2 hp for a small planer; 3 hp is better."

If I recall the shopsmith one is only 1-3/4HP.... worse yet the shopsmith mounted one is only 1-1/8HP!

Ed

I have a stand alone Pro Planer and even though I haven't overused it I have planed quite a few boards with it. I have never found it to be underpowered.
I also have a Dewalt planer, and whenever I need to plane a board I always go to my SS unit.

Bayside Bob

I had to do a cost justification. I bought the Delta planner below for $200 (inventory reduction) . That is one fifth the pro planner price. I bought mine 5 years ago and it is still going strong. I have no reason to believe I won't get many more years out of it. I would have to be planning for many years to justify the cost of a pro planner.

Oh yes I bought a $300+Sears 5 drawer ball bearing roll around cart for $110+ to put under it. Plus the dust chute from the Delta store when they were closing to move merge with Dewalt for $10 so total package is $339. Oh yes Lowes did a inventory reduction and I got three sets of blades for $5 a piece for it. I now have 4 sets of blades plus Chuck assures me I can sharpen them using the concal sander and sharpening jig. I should be set for less than $355
Needless to say I'm not an impulse shopper, I shop only bargains!!!!!!!
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Ed

I'm one of those guys that would have had a Shopsmith Pro planer if I thought it was reasonably priced. Having gone through years of dealing with 3/4" wood that was not truly 3/4" I knew I needed a thickness planer. I didn't really care for the Ryobi or the others sold at many outlets. I read and studied the magazine reviews endlessly. I was just about to buy the 2 speed 12" bench to planer (Delta) that Ed has, but then the DeWalt 735 came out. OH! I held onto my wallet and almost got the Delta again, but Lowe's put all of their tools on sale for 20% off. This lowered the price of the DeWalt to $400. I snatched one up that day, and haven't been sorry.

Features are a full 6" mouth that will close to plane to 1/8" thickness. Three blades with two sharp edges on each side, and produces minimal snipe. The only fault I can find after two years of service is the rubber pressure rolls need cleaned fairly often to make them able to grab the wood without slipping. I have found the blades which cost $50 for three can be successfully sharpened using the SS planer blade sharpening jig with the conical disk. I bought a second set of blades just in case the sharpening didn't work out, but I'm still using the first side of the original set - after sharpening. I think they can be sharpened twice without grinding them down too much to work. To sharpen the blades I had to put a shim into the sharpening jig because these blades are thinner than the Shopsmith ones.

I really don't know about Delta blades.

There is no doubt about it- The Shopsmith Pro planer is truly a very high quality machine!! If you have the wherewithal - I would recommend you get one. There is always Craig's list or E-Bay - need to add a couple hundred bucks for repairs on these. The good part is - They are repairable.