Well I have looked over the reviews of 12" planers. They all were dated around 2002 reviews. I wonder it opinions have changed. It looked like Makita, DeWalt, and Rigid were in the top. I am about to buy one, just looking for latest thoughts on 12" planers.
Thanks, NickNack
Second try. Something ain't working right. Anyway, look for 13" planers now, not 12".
Good luck.
Look for tests and opinions on 13" planers now.
Is 13" a new standard size?
I have a 13" Rigid that I purchased a little over a year ago and I've been very happy with it.
I have to agree. I am very happy with my Rigid. I've only had it for about 6 months. No complaints.
Many have been replace by 13" planers now. Delta 580 and the DW 735 seem to be the most popular around here lately. I have, and like, the Delta.
My guess would be that 12" is a commonly used width when constructing many projects and planing something of that width would require a blade a little bit wider, thus the need for 13".
And marketing gurus are always looking to one-up the competition. Thus we have progressed from 12" to 12.5" to 13". And with cheap labor/offshore production, expect to see it rise even more - to a point. The design limitations of uni-motors, aluminum cutter-heads and such will restrict this width eventually. We're probably very close... It will be exceeded on a few models, they will be disasters, and the market will then back off and settle on some reasonable industry standard for lunchbox portable planers.
FWIW,
Greg G.
Sears has the Craftsman 15" planer/moulder, steel head, belt driven, that uses a universal motor. I've had one for a bit, and it works well in light cuts (but none of these universal motor planers will take anything approaching a heavy cut). It also hogs out some sizeable molding patterns without any trouble, except for getting the alignment correct. I would say, though, that 18" is not likely with a universal motor.
On 11/8/2005 2:47 AM Upscale mumbled something about the following:
or 12 1/2" like my DeWalt 733? I was looking at the BORG, and the price difference between the 12 1/2" vs the 13" was almost $100 for almost every brand.
FWIW, I've had a DeWalt DW733 for a few years, and I'd buy it again.
The 733 became the 734 with some changes.
If you have the room, consider also the smaller stationary planers. I would probably put another $ 300 with the money that would buy an expensive portable and go with a stationary.
Thanks every one. I am going to get the DeWalt 13". It has alot of good reviews.
NickNack
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