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Re-outfitting Shop - Debating On A Planer


DC Ross

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Hey all,

I'm going to be upgrading my shop soon, and I'm debating whether or not to get a new planer. I have a 12" that's okay, not great. Since I just bought a Jet 16-32 that I wasn't planning on getting just yet, now I'm not so sure I need a planer (I was planning on a 15"). I could definitely stand to save the money and the space.

In lieu of using a planer, here's my thought to surface and square rough stock: face & edge joint the body halves, resaw to approximate thickness, run that new face on the jointer, glue the halves, then run the whole mess through the sander.

Does anyone see an absolute need that I'm not thinking of for a planer?

Thanks!

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A 12" planer is fine for almost everything - the only thing you can't do is some 1-piece bodies.

The planer takes the thickness down WAY faster than a thickness sander - you will want to use it for quick dimensioning of wood, then use the thickness sander to sneak up on the final thickness after glue-up. I use both regularly - I have my planer on a cheap mobile base made of stacked 3/4" ply and some locking casters, so I can move it out of the way when I don't need it.

Also a planer can save you some money in wood costs if you can find a place that sells lumber in the rough - always cheaper than S2S.

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Ha, I guess I didn't explain that well :D

I currently have a Shopsmith Mark V with the 12" planer attachment. It's not great, it's a pain in the arse to move and set up, but it more or less does the job. I was planning on getting a 15" Grizzly with a Byrd Shelix cutterhead -- light years ahead of the SS, but also a $1500 investment. Before I got the 16-32, I was planning on giving the body blanks a light pass through the planer after glue up to give them a perfectly level surface. Now that I have the 16-32, I've been using that for the same purpose. It seems that I won't be needing a bigger planer. Or possibly any planer if I follow the process I outlined above.

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A Grizzly with the Shelix cutters is a VERY nice planer - it will indeed make a nice surface, and shave off thickness in amounts almost as fine as the drum sander - but I have never heard how well they do on figured woods (a straight-knife planer will cause tear-out on figured wood). That's one reason I personally went with a cheap planer (RIGID) and the 16-32 drum sander.

The other reason is that I find that drum sanders gum up really badly on oily woods (cocobolo, bocote and ziricote are especially bad for me when trying to plane back & side sets for acoustic guitars). I have heard this can be overcome by using a hook & loop system on the drum, but I've not tried this - these days I just send the oily woods on a pine sled (100 grit sand paper on one side) through the thickness planer.

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Unless you have a great need for anything larger, I would stick with a 12" or 13" planer. The main goal will be to flatten and thickness the lumber. The drum sander will be perfect then for the final leveling after glue ups. If everything is even, you should not need much work after glue up. I would love a larger planer, but for the cost I would rather save up a little more and get the drum sander in addition to the 12". I actually had a chance to get a 36" planer from a high school at scrap cost, but I had no way to get that monster home, no where to put it and did not have 3 phase electricity. But ohh the mess I could make with a 36" planer.

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16-32 is the most useful tool in the shop... With 50 grit paper it can rip through leveling a body blank. Then you only need a small Jointer like the Delta table top unit.

Also it does not tear-out expensive figured wood.... I hate planers and routers. :D

Edited by RestorationAD
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16-32 is the most useful tool in the shop... With 50 grit paper it can rip through leveling a body blank. Then you only need a small Jointer like the Delta table top unit.

Also it does not tear-out expensive figured wood.... I hate planers and routers. :D

Ditto! I use my Delta 18-36 with 60 grit to thickness my glued up boards and then 120 grit. I can see how a planer would do this quicker but since you already own the drum sander you're good to go. You get a sanded finish with less chance of tearout and much quieter then a planer. I love mine.

Edited by Stratman1966
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16-32 is the most useful tool in the shop... With 50 grit paper it can rip through leveling a body blank. Then you only need a small Jointer like the Delta table top unit.

Also it does not tear-out expensive figured wood.... I hate planers and routers. :D

Ditto! I use my Delta 18-36 with 60 grit to thickness my glued up boards and then 120 grit. I can see how a planer would do this quicker but since you already own the drum sander you're good to go. You get a sanded finish with less chance of tearout and much quieter then a planer. I love mine.

+1

With a heavy grit paper you can thickness and any wood without fear of buildup or burn lines on a thickness sander. I have even used 36 grit to thickness exotic grain woods that would be torn up on a planer. As long as you know you will need several passes with a 120 grit paper to remove the surface lines, even this grit is useful. Just did a maple drop top using 36 grit to start.

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16-32 is the most useful tool in the shop... With 50 grit paper it can rip through leveling a body blank. Then you only need a small Jointer like the Delta table top unit.

Also it does not tear-out expensive figured wood.... I hate planers and routers. :D

Ditto! I use my Delta 18-36 with 60 grit to thickness my glued up boards and then 120 grit. I can see how a planer would do this quicker but since you already own the drum sander you're good to go. You get a sanded finish with less chance of tearout and much quieter then a planer. I love mine.

+1

With a heavy grit paper you can thickness and any wood without fear of buildup or burn lines on a thickness sander. I have even used 36 grit to thickness exotic grain woods that would be torn up on a planer. As long as you know you will need several passes with a 120 grit paper to remove the surface lines, even this grit is useful. Just did a maple drop top using 36 grit to start.

Plus you can do other things while it is running through really slow...

Also I don't think a drum sander has ever given anyone stitches...

I have been working late at night and I can still run the drum sander

Edited by RestorationAD
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All excellent points, I think I'll forego the planer and save the cash, space and the resulting aggravation :D

BTW, my other goodies arrived from Lee Valley that I ordered at the Seattle woodworking show:

Veritas big-ass Spokeshave:

05p3390s6.jpg

and Low Angle jack plane:

05p3401-dsp.jpg

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