fyb Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 I presently have a $200 Ryobi planer which I picked up about 6-8 months ago, and I think it's time to upgrade. It has no infeed/outfeed tables, I get a crazy about of snipe on longer boards and it makes alot of tearout on sapele and mahogany even with brand new blades I saw this planer recently at Woodcraft and it seemed like a heck of a deal for $400. it's got a 3 knife cutterhead, 2 speeds, and infeed/outfeed tables. Anyone have any experience with this or any other Steel City tools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 No idea, but I've read great things about Steel City in a few woodworking magazines. I'd definitely love to try one out, seems like a great price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyM Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 I would question whether that planer is really that much different than your Ryobi. It does have a lot of cuts per in. It doesn't mention a cutterhead lock. I did read a review about the Dewalt 13" planer when it came out. The writers liked it very much. It is about 150 more than that steel city and has a proven track record I guess. I'd like to get rid of my Jet planer/molder and buy the DeWalt and save some space in the process. I'd say planers are an example of another machine where you get what you pay for. See if you can dig up a review somewhere on the steel city. Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyb Posted July 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 I would question whether that planer is really that much different than your Ryobi. It does have a lot of cuts per in. It doesn't mention a cutterhead lock. I did read a review about the Dewalt 13" planer when it came out. The writers liked it very much. It is about 150 more than that steel city and has a proven track record I guess. I'd like to get rid of my Jet planer/molder and buy the DeWalt and save some space in the process. I'd say planers are an example of another machine where you get what you pay for. See if you can dig up a review somewhere on the steel city. Marty What do you mean by a cutterhead lock? Also, like the Dewalt for the most part but no infeed/outfeed tables makes me a bit worried. My cheapo Ryobi can make the first and last 3" of most boards unusable with snipe but maybe there are other factors too. And the Dewalt's pricey but I know that the saying 'you get what you pay for' often holds true. Thanks for the help folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyM Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 The Dewalt and some others that I've seen over the years have a mechanical device to keep the cutterhead from moving after you adust the thickness. This was a" fix" to some degree in an effort to stop the sniping. That movement of the cutterhead contributes to the snipe, as does a lack of support at the outfeed/outfeed. Small planers sometimes do not contain pressure bars that you would find in a more commercial model. I had your Ryobi when if was a 500 dollar machine years ago. It was actually the first entry level planer of that type. My father in law has it now and it still works well ( still snipes though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyM Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Also check this link out that I just found: http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/dw735rvu.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougP Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 i recently bought the 735 and it has been great. infeed/outfeed tables are available for it for around $50. i was told that DeWalt didnt include them because they expected more people to build larger more permanent tables for it. its a "portable" planer but it does weigh about 90 pounds. i dont currently have any infeed/outfeed tables on it and i get a slight amount of snipe every now and then. i attribute that to operator sloppiness more than to the machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer7440 Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Do you guys find a 13" planer to be big enough? I know for my LP top the glued up blank needed to be about 13 1/2". Or are you guys not cutting things that big? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 I've been really happy with my $349 Ridgid planer. ($379 now I think.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougP Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Do you guys find a 13" planer to be big enough? I know for my LP top the glued up blank needed to be about 13 1/2". Or are you guys not cutting things that big? for the most part 13" is enough. i have to send the bigger items through before i glue them up. the jump from 13" to 15" is more than i could afford right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyM Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Whatever the 13 doesn't cover, my open ended Delta drum sander takes care of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjhalsey Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I have the new Rigid 4330 and I like it, but I have only had it a month so time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
low end fuzz Posted August 12, 2007 Report Share Posted August 12, 2007 steel city IS awsome; but i wouldnt spennd that much on a new planer if the other one can cut at all; i got my crappy mastercraft 12.5" thicknesser; which i se to rough up lumber; and the steel city 16" (i think) thickness sander to do all the post glue thicknesses; when things get too wide it cost me 1600 cdn$ and was worth every penny; cause i use everyday and my joints have never looked nicer w/o any tears in any figure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted August 12, 2007 Report Share Posted August 12, 2007 Steel City is a newer company, but the people running it and designing the tools are not new. Every tool I have seen from the company has looked to beef up the weak links that are found in other tools on the market. Little things that may not even be noticed by a person that has not used the tool regularly have been reinforced, modified or made to work in a more reliable manner. When I was looking for my new bandsaw. I compaired brands, really looking at the areas that were critical to me(I had plenty of experience to tell me where weak links would be). The simple mods they made make all the difference in the world, and the machine is rock solid reliable. I don't place a lot of blind faith in any company, but these guys know what they are doing and their lines are aimed at the experienced hobbiest. They have the right approach IMO. I would also add that a drum sander is a great solution for wide work. It is a versatile tool. It may not remove material as fast as a planer, but it is very well suited to figured woods, produces a smoother surface, can be used for extreamly thin(my Performax makes my .02" fine binding) work and most handle wood up to 3" thick. I use my sander regularly and am always finding new uses. I would also add that you can target tolerances in the thousandths with a well tuned drum sander. Good luck with your search Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Steel City happens to be comprised of the old Delta engineers that left after it(Delta) moved operations overseas. These guys know there business and from what I have seen the tools reflect the quality of the OLD DELTA brand. MK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 (edited) I just want to point out that if you are just looking to replace a portable planer with another you wind up with the same issues regardless of who makes it and if it comes with infeed or outfeed tables. Its small made for on site or hobby use and if you run a long board through it you will have snipe regardless. You may want to look to a low end 15" stationary planer. A stationary planer can provide enough force to hold the board down tight while it cuts; where as a portable unit cannot apply the same amount of force. We are talking 400 lbs vs 40 -90 lbs of tool. Snipe is inevitable in almost all machines (even the sanders), the degree of snipe it leaves is the issue. Unless you have big bucks or lots of time to devote to perfecting your setup expect some snipe. I also have the delta sander and with a heavy grit paper you can do some limited planing, but its slower going over all. Better left for the final thickness sanding stage. Of course if you have a wavy grain figured wood a planer no matter how good, may chew it up and a sander comes in very handy. Edited August 13, 2007 by Woodenspoke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 What Woodenspoke is saying makes good sense. One thing I would add. If I have a board that needs more than 3/16" removed to get it to the proper thickness. I will use my bandsaw to claim veneer or thicker depending on how much is to be removed. This of course can be a non option if you are dealing with a wide one piece body(but I rarely use one piece). If you are dealing with large, long boards you should certainly consider a larger machine. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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