There is an ad in the paper for a 13" cast iron delta planer. I guess that is from before my time, as I haven't seen anything like that.
Assuming it is in good condition, is it superior to a lunchbox planer? My
12" Makita works okay, but it just feels so tinny; would this Delta be an upgrade? I don't have room or budget for a 15".
Try a search for "Rockwell RC-33" or "Delta RC-33" I have one and it is a beast. It weighs around 400 pounds and has a 2hp Baldor Motor. It is very similar to the current Delta 15" planer (except it is 2" narrower).
Mine works great. Andy
I don't know if it would be an up grade in cut quality but it would probably be faster.
400 pounds?! Sounds like a bargain at $250, but too much for me. Thanks.
And maybe a little quieter then the universal motors on the lunchbox planers.
Darrell
I had totally forgotten that. Cool.
Closer to 170, as memory serves, but mine came in held by the handles by two reasonably sized people with little trouble. It is a bargain if in good condition. Has bed rollers, all the adjustments, no "friable" white rubber roller like the Makita, and does as fine a job if comparison between mine and my neighbor's Makita with freshly sharpened - by me, BTW , blades. Assuming your Makita is of some vintage?
As others have mentioned, it'll work for hours without a problem with that induction motor, and it's a lot easier on the ears than a screamer. I'd FIND the money.
It is superior in some ways. The lunchbox planers will produce a "slightly" finer cut but the price of that is a LOT of screaming.
The 13" was designed for continuous operation and is gonna be around long after the lunchbox has gone to to tool heaven.
Toller wrote:
I've had mine for about 20 years and I've run a lot of lumber through it. We ran it continously for about 4 hours one day, and althought the motor got hot, it has run another ten years. I wish I had the 15 inch model, but I can't justify taking the hit just to gain the extra width. Mine had a recal once to replace a lever for the gear box, and except for knife replacements, there has never been anything gone wrong with mine. Not a bad deal for $250.00! I ran mine for lots of years without dust collection.
replying to toolmiser, StevenWoodward wrote: am 14 years late in joining this discussion, but the RC-33 (22-650) machine mentioned above lasts forever so there may still be some interest.
I purchased mine in 1984 and have had no trouble with it. Sharpening the 13 inch knives has been the biggest challenge. I used to get them done by a good sharpening shop, and they came back not only sharp but straight. Straight is important because you want all three blades to be cutting into the wood evenly. That sharpening shop went out of business in the 2009 recession and I could not find another local shop that would sharpen the knives straight. Straight means no light when blade is held against a steel ruler. I tried to sharpen myself with a Makita 9820-2 surface grinder. I could get them sharp but could not get the edge dead straight.
Finally decided to replace the cutter head with a Byrd Shelix helical segmented head. Glad I did: no more sharpening, no more knife setting, and much less tear-out when planing difficult wood. When the carbide cutters get dull, just rotate them 90 degrees to expose a new sharp edge. When all 4 edges have been used, then replace that cutter. Only the cutters which are chipped or dull need to be rotated, so no waste. It is a great system and cheaper than paying to have straight blades sharpened. As there were no upgrade instructions available for the RC-33, I created a YouTube video which also shows lubrication and adjustments of the RC-33.
StevenWoodward wrote in news:162a3f814bb82129$1$49193$ snipped-for-privacy@news.newsgroupdirect.com:
What is the final surface finish like? Is it perfectly flat across the board?
Puckdropper
replying to Puckdropper, StevenWoodward wrote: I found the Byrd Shelix cutter head does a better job than straight knives: perfectly flat across the board; the finish is smooth; and tear out on difficult grain is much less. Feels like I am using a different machine.
replying to StevenWoodward, StevenWoodward wrote: RC-33 Pictorial of tear down and restoration by Ed Hollingsworth
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