Opinions on portable planers and sanders ?

[Charlie_1]

Will be picking up a portable planer and sander in the next 2 months and looking for input on which ones are better and as well trying to decide which would be better between a belt , disc, or drum sander ?
All Comments and suggestions welcome :-)

[Steviegwood]

Hi Charlie, I have two thickness planers and both are craftsman. One is a 12" and the other is 13". I am not saying craftsman is best but the 13" has a lock down feature and the 12" doesn't. Having compared the two I would not have one that did not lock down, There is a big differance. Steve

[Marcel in Longueuil]

Hi Charlie,

I have the DW(735?) 13" planer 3 knives 2 speeds. It's great! I love the smooth finish, no snipe to speak of, and adjusts easily. All in all, a nice purchase and well appreciated by magazine testers too.

And as far as the sander is concerned they each have their utility.

Belt & disk can often be found combined, and the drum sander is another beast in it's own category.

Belt/disk is more for shaping, where drum is more for surfacing. I hope I'm making myself clear in my descriptives.

[lucky788scroller]

I have the Ridgid 13 inch. I love the planer, and would recommend it to anyone. But, yes, heres to but, I would actually opt for one of the 2 speed models over the ridgid. The Delta one is a sweet machine. I dont have a belt/disc sander, someday. A performax drum sander is a priceless tool though, if you can afford one. Watch for deals. Dale

[Charlie_1]

Thank you guys for the info the planer will probably be a 12in cause I shouldnt need any more than that for now , and the sander will be the belt ,disc combination and as well will be picking up a small benchtop drill press and a new scrollsaw and as long as everything goes right ill pick those up in 2-3 months , maybe I can start making some decent work lol

Thank you ,

[MikeDingas]

Epinions has three reviews that may help you. Click here.

[Rolf]

I also have the Dewalt 13 inch I absolutley love it.
The day after you get the 12 inch you will need the 13.

[Greenfield_Bob]

I have a 12" Delta, it planes OK but snipe is bad.

Bob

[BirdOasis]

Harbor Freight planer.

I bought a cheep harbor freight hand planer to help smooth out some cedar fence board I use to build birdhouse. It's great! Don't remember what I spent but it's got 3 blades, 2 speeds, and I can even use it as a jointer.

Harbor freight is the place for cheep tools. Mostly cheep manufactured as well, but this planer was a pleasent surprise.

[Charlie_1]

Thank you All

The planers Ive been looking at is a craftsman 12 1/2 in and a delta 12 1/2in and kinda leaning towards the craftsman so far ..

very true Rolf lol

[William Young (SE BC)]

I have a Delta 22-580 two speed 13" finishing planer.

At the time I bought it , that model had the best snipe lock feature bar non of all the bench top planers.

Before that I had a 12" Delta 22-540 which was a workhorse but a snipe hog and before that I had a DeWalt 12.5" one which was the worst of the bunch. It was not only terrible for snipe but it was a dangerous planer to use. I understand their later models are better after they discontinued that one but I have no experience with them. I have just not had good luck at all with any DeWalt power tools.
W.Y.

[kofte]

I've got the dewalt 734 (like the 735, but one speed only, looks like a benchtop & is a bit cheaper). Haven't had any trouble with it (of course YMMV). One thing about the dewalt's, they are *LOUD*. I wouldn't even run them for a few seconds w/o ear protection. I can usually hit 1/4" within .005" just from the crank position, which speeds things up (don't have to use calipers all the time). Blades are NOT resharpenable. They do leave a good surface.

[Rivari]

I too have a Dewalt 734 and it has done a fine job with everything I have fed through it. The price is right and the quality is there, I would recommend it to anyone.

[Capt Weasel]

I've got the DeWalt 735 and would highly recommend it. 13", 2 speeds, easy adjustment gauges and very simple blade changes due to convient access. It's compact, uses 2 sided blades,planes down to exact thckness.
I did some reseach before buying mine last spring and settled on it due to the reviews and ease of operation. I'd forget everything else and go with it. Like some one posted earlier, the minute you buy a 12" you'll need a 13". That extra inch is a nice cushion.

[Charlie_1]

kewl ,thank you all :-) Ive still got a bit before I get them so ive got a little while before I make a definete choice , Thank you all for your help and advice I greatly appreciate it In the meantime I have a lot of work to do with getting everying ready for the new tools (to bad I have to clean first) lol


No wonder why I love this place so much
Thank you