DeWalt Planer from Lowes

[hunterridgefarm]

I need a portable planer and was looking at these two from Lowes. I read all the reviews and still not 100% sure this is what I want. Blades don't seem to stay sharp very long. I have a larger planer, a old Craftsman that is 40+ years old but need one portable.

Anyone have one of these or have a recommendation? I would like to stay around $500.00 or less if possible.

Thanks,
David

 

[gilsimp]

Check out grizzly.com. I bought one there a few years ago for around 475. It's a great machine

 

[handymansvs]

Hello,

I do not know about the DeWalt, but I have a great deal of experiance using a Delta 12' thickness planer Model 22-540. For ten years I went to Romania on a two-three week humanitarian mission where we worked on improving the lives of orphans. In Romania, there is no such thing as 2x4's, or 2x6's, etc, all the lumber comes from the sawmills rough. We brought a Delta 12 inch portable planer Model 22-540over on the first trip and used it to plane lumber for ten hours/per day for two weeks solid. Absolutely zero problems.

After out third trip our contacts asked if they could use the tools to start a cabinet shop. They have used the planer for ten plus years with zero problems. It just keeps planing and planing and planing and planing!! I would highly recommend the Delta 12 inch thickness Planer Model 22-540!!

Hope this helps,

Respectfully,
Benjamin J. "Joe" Browning

 

[engine29]

I have the planer to the right. Have used for 3 or so years to plane poplar and red oak. Actually this is my second one, the first one did very well on walnut, cherry and other hardwoods.
But I went to rotate or reverse the blades I stripped some of the heads on the screws. Asked Lowes about it and they said bring back and get a new one. Didn't really want to do that but that is their (Lowes') form of repair or warranty. The only thing about the planer is that issue. Other than that it does a very good job. Bought a Rockwell Vortex dust sperator to use w/ it last year
but haven't used that yet. I only get to use it during the winter.

 

[Code54]

Have the one on the left and it works great - no issues at all. I would buy it again!

 

[studor]

I have the three blade model on the left -- it has been a good planer . I have fed it a lot of wood including chainsawed cherry and with care it will plane just about anything that will fit in it. Even though the blades are supposed to be disposable they can be resharpened if not nicked. I have broken one feed gear on it but that was my fault trying to force it -- replacement cost a couple of bucks. I think it is one of the bettter portables around. It does genereate a lot of chips though so if you actually use the portablity feature be prepared to either have some sort of dust collection or a place to blow the chips that can be easily cleaned up or ignored:2cents:

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

I will check out Grizzly, I had forgot about them. I have their catalog and get a couple of emails from them each week

I would like to get carbide blades to replace the steel ones in the Dewalt if I go that way.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have the one on the right, my biggest complaint is that I plane a lot of hardwood (White Oak) and if you expect it to feed by itself, you must take very small bites, othewise, you have to pull the boards through...and it tends to retain a lot of the chips internally and clog up sometimes unless you have it hooked up to a vacuum source.

 

[sawduster98]

I also have a Delta 12" planer Model 22-540 which has served my shop well for many years. They're readily available on craigslist and ebay usually around $150 in my area. If and when I replace it, I would considered the DeWalt(on the left).

 

[ray66v]

I suggest avoiding Black and Decker/ DeWalt tools.

Their policy is to not supply ANY parts for their tools once a specific model and type number are out of production, for 10 years.

They got me a few times over the years. You pay good money for a tool, you don't expect to have to throw it away later, because something simple like a switch failed. I have never had this problem with other brands.

Sure, if your using it commercially you will probably use it up in 10 years. You got your money's worth, just go buy another one. But, if your a homeowner, or you use it only occasionally, 10 years worth of use is often not very much. And, 10 years can go by fast. :thumbsup:

 

[ttriff]

Benchtop Planers

 

[handymansvs]

Hi,

I found the Carbide Blades did not last nor cut as well as the cheaper Steel Blades! I bought one set of the Carbide Blades and quickly threw them away!!

Joe

 

[Charlie Packwood]

I have the one on the left and have had it for about 4 years, planed a lot of Maple and oak 5 and 6 quarter stock and still have the original blades. I have not had any feeding issues, like others have stated you need some sort of chip collector. Setting the thickness is easy and accurate. I would buy another of these any day.

 

[studor]

I have never had this problem with other brands.

Where can I begin -- Craftsman, Honda, Briggs & Stratton -- just to name a few. Those that don't just plain discontinue have a tendency to either start selling whole assemblies (so you pay $80 to get a $3 part) or just plain rule it obsolete. JMHO
On the planer -- the other important thing is to keep the feed table slip coated and clean -- it is amazing how much it improves the feed and planing quality

 

[hunterridgefarm]

The main purpose will be to use this planer at our other farm that has no power. I will use a generator to run it. If you need dust collection to keep the shavings clear I guess I can hook up the shop vac to the generator also.

 

[studor]

The DeWalt planer comes with a fan and ejector attachment that really blow the shavings out the back -- it comes with a warning not to stand in the way cause they really blow out of there. A shop vac will not be big enough to keep up with the chips generated. I tried it and ended up using a cyclone attachment on a big garbage pail and even that had trouble. In the end I now use a 4" hose to a dust collector. As I said you either need to blow them to someplace you don't care about or have some way to collect them -- in your situation I would just blow them into some area where I could spread them out and use them as weed control:thumbsup:

 

[skipmarcy]

I have the model on the right and have run a couple thousand feet of sawmill lumber thru it - white oak, red oak, beech, poplar, cherry - most of the boards were 8" to 10" wide. As stated it generates alot of chips and a large shop vac won't keep up with it, I just let them fly and clean them away when they get too deep to work in. With the white oak & beech you do have to help the feed get the boards thru some, especially if it has much moisture in it still like I've done. The beech I planed was quite wet still but the planer did a great job for what it is. I'm on my second set of blades and I think I'm going to try and touch-up the edges on the used ones as they don't have any chips in them, just lots of use. I bought this planer just slightly used from a friend for $200 and I consider it a bargain. The replacement blades (3) cost me right at $54 shipped. I had no problem changing the blades and there is no aligning or anything to do, very simple task.

 

[EddieWalker]

Every DeWalt tool that I've ever bought has let me down and left me with a bad taste in my mouth for being so foolish to buy it. They are middle of the line, minimum use, home DIY tools at best. What I don't get is why the home improvement magazines give DeWalt good reviews, but consumers and the trade magazines don't.

My brother has bought a lot of Grizzly products and he kept telling me how great they are until I tried them. His standard of great isn't the same as mine, and after moving here to Texas and using my Makita and Bosch tools, he's now spending a little more on what he buys and throwing away broken Grizzly tools.

Having said that, about 8 years ago I bought a Rigid portable plane very similar to the one in ttriff's link. It was either Fine Home Building or Journal of Light Construction that gave it great reviews. The ease of changing the three blades, the smoothness of the feed and accuracy of the cuts put it above all the others. I don't have any complaints, but don't have any experience with any other small planers. I've changed the blades a few times and it really is very simple. My favorite thing is to cut a board with my chainsaw and plane it down into something nice. It's really exciting to see it go from rough to smoth!!!

Eddie

 

[Pops15]

It seems as though DeWalt tools are either very good or crap. Their miter saws and cordless drills are very good. Reciprocating saws, drills, hammer drills and drywall screw drivers are crap. I don't have any experience with their planers but the commercial construction contractor my BIL works for has one and they are happy with it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I think mine is makita, similar to the dewalt. very good planer.