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15" thickness planer

884 views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  CaptainKlutz 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am involved in a retirement community's community woodshop. We have a 13" DeWalt planer which is great, however it's on loan to us from a resident and we need a new 15" planer to replace an old ShopFox model. We want the features of the DeWalt but with 15" capacity. I would appreciate hearing the opinion of others relative to brand and features. The internal fan of the DeWalt greatly helps chip removal through our central vac system. Thanks for your responses. Marlin Burkholder
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
Marlin, I haven't seen every 15" stationary planer, but I suspect you'll have a hard time finding one that has a fan like the benchtop models. That said, they (the 15" )clear the chip really well and with a reasonable dust collector the chips get collected. If you're truly using a "central vac" ( I think of household vacs when i see that phrase) you might want to pass on a stationary planer. As for brands, they are pretty much alike for the most part. But a good choice would be a Grizzly, they are substantial planers and Grizzly has (IME) good customer service if there's a problem. If money allows, consider getting one with the insert cutters (sometimes called a helical head), it will lower the noise level considerably and you won't have to worry about sharpening/resetting knives. Be sure to include a mobile base, these things weigh 400#+.
 
#5 ·
Welcome to LumberJocks!

Have rebuilt several different brands & models of 15" planers in past. IME - The old models are ALL the same. There are very slight differences between the Taiwan and Chinese made models, but they are still basically the same.
Taiwan released a new cost reduced design of antique 4 four post planers; Grizzly sells it as G0890/G0891 models and Jet has similar version. It has much lighter head, lower overall mass, and fixed tables, which is nice when using feed extension tables in small shop.

None of the 15" planers I have seen have an internal chip blower.
IMHO - if your shop dust collection is not adequate for a planer, that is different problem to solve.

What is wrong with current 15" ShopFox planer?
(Post some pictures, maybe I can help?)

The Taiwan 4 post planers are hard to kill, easy to fix, and parts are easy find. I would be trying hard to repair it; before considering a replacement. Some repair examples?
One can completely replace EVERY bearing (~22 if memory serves me), both oil seals, belts, with new gear box gasket and oil; for well less than $200. A new rubber out feed roller even with today's inflation is only $115 at Grizzly ATM. Couple of abused machines I rebuilt had broken speed change levers that leaked oil; and those can be fixed for less than $75 in parts. Add a new set of T1 steel blades, and you have brand planer that can run for another couple of decades.

Bottom line: It is rare that a mechanically inclined person can not put a 15" planer back in service for well less than $400, unless you need a new motor. Even with a new motor, rebuild costs are well less than half the current new machine price.

PS - Where is community shop located approximately?
If nearby, I could likely be convinced to advise/assist with ShopFox repair for gas money.
Which is good reason to put your approximate location in your profile. ;)

Cheers!
 
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