In a woodworking shop where the largest piece made is a dresser or desk, is there any significant advantage to an 18" planer over a 12"?
Please remove the spambusting 7, so my address is calbert at mchsi dot com
Thanks
In a woodworking shop where the largest piece made is a dresser or desk, is there any significant advantage to an 18" planer over a 12"?
Please remove the spambusting 7, so my address is calbert at mchsi dot com
Thanks
I just measured the side panel of the dresser next to me. It is 17" wide. Since it won't fit through a 12" planer easily, the 18" may have some advantage. Of course, if you have a 48" wide belt sander, it does not matter.
Not a lot of domestic wood in dimension over 10" any more, and, as Ed said, after glueup it can be sanded.
I don't own a big planer but here is what I understand:
Advantages:
1.Wider capacity (duh)Tradeoffs:
The > lunchbox planers are really a production tool. The tradeoff of finish quality is not really a big deal for a pro cabinet shop as they are likely to have a big drum sander to finish that off anyway.
18 vs 12 is a convenience, but it's still not going to let you plane a full-width desktop to I don't see it as anything more than a modest improvement. It does not eliminate a step in making all but 12-18" panels.I came to the conclusion that there is no point in *me* as a hobiest, to move beyong the lunchbox.
YMMV.
Steve
Gee, I have a shop full of 12-20 inch walnut, local cut. I'm sure not ripping it just to plane.
16" jointer, 18" planer.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.