Planer

[tomMarty]

I am interested in buying a planer. Is it best to buy a bench top model or a hand held model? Which brand would be the best to go with? Thank you.
Tom

[Rolf]

It really depends on what you want to do.
If you are planing the edge of a door or other small projects then a hand held will suffice.
If you want to prep wood for scrolling, then you need a biger one . I have the Dewalt 735 and am very pleased with it.

[ASDLF22]

I have a DeWalt as well, mine is the 734 and I'm fairly happy with it, in hind sight I should have gotten the 735 - or a comparable brand. I've purchased some Ridgid tools lately and have been happy with them as well... you may need to consider a jointer as well.

[oily]

I have the cheapest Delta 121/2" two blade I could find on Amazon.
Even with blade that need work does what I need a planer for perfectly.

[lobudugas]

Hi

I recently purchased a Ridgid R4330 13" planer and I am very happy with it. It was quite a bit less expensive than the Dewalt model (I got it on sale at Home-Depot). Up to now, it has been a great addition to the shop.

Alain

[Jim Finn]

I have a well equipped wood shop and I do not have a hand held planer and have no plans to get one. I do have a DeWalt 735 thickness planer that works well.

[Bill Wilson]

As mentioned, a hand held planer isn't the proper tool for dimensioning lumber. Bench top planers by DeWalt, Ridgid and Makita generally get positive remarks on other woodworking sites and are usually at the top of the WoodWorking magazine reviews. I have a Delta planer and for a no-frills, budget conscious woodworker, it does pretty well. Most of the other top brands are more pricey, due to the added features, such as dual speed, 3 blade cutters, etc. but my Delta has served me pretty well for 10+ years or so.

[NHokpic]

I'm with Jim. I also have a well equipped workshop, but I don't have a hand held planer and don't intend to ever have one. If I need to do edge work, I have an assortment of manual hand planes and a jointer. Before you buy a planer, do your research. For instance, Sears Craftsman used to be a good tool many years ago but they are junk carpsman tools now. Recent tool reviews point out the fact that Dewalt is following Craftsman lead - their older tools are good and their newer models are crap. As for Home Depot's Rigid brand, they're made by the same company that used to make the good Craftsman tools. Do your research and don't buy cheap!

[tomMarty]

Thank you very much for the advice. Right now I can afford a Porter Cable from Lowe's but I think I'll save a little more money and get a Delta or Dewalt.

[Ramjet]

Make sure you get one that locks to prevent snipping.
Roger

[Hawaiilad]

I have had two Delta brand planers over the years and in both cases they lasted about 5 - 7 years each. When the last one froze up I looked at the 13" DeWalt and heard from many that owned them, but also talked to many that owned and used the Rigid. I liked the dust collection on the Rigid and ended up buying it on sale. I love the Rigid. Hooked up to my roll around dust collection, I do not have any shavings on the floor. It seems the Rigid is not as loud, but I do wear hearing protection. I have used it for about 6 months cutting Koa, Oak, Mango, Monkey Pod and lots of other woods with no problem at all.