On 3/23/2018 8:55 PM, Meanie wrote:
I'm contemplating the purchase of a bench top planer. After looking
around for a used machine, I often thought about a vertical drum sander
instead. Obviously, I know the difference between the two but they
basically do the same thing. Therefore, seeking the sage advice, could I
get by with a sander instead of a planer?

I'd go for the planer. Moreover, I would go for one with a spiral head
segmented cutter. Grizzly sells them rather cheap, and they work well,
much better than a 2 or 3 knife cutter. A bit louder than a sander but
still very quiet. Like a sander, they cut smooth regardless of grain
pattern/direction or knots. You can finish sand with a hand sander in a
minute, even large surfaces. About no need for a drum sander if you
have one of these as they come out ready for a quick finish sand.

Rough cut lumber is one use, and planing glue ups smooth another, but
they also make sizing dimensional lumber a breeze. For example, drawer
sides are 1/2" or 5/8" thick. 5/4 stock is good for brick moldings,
storm windows, and all sorts of stuff. In fact, most everything you make
just looks better in other than dimensional sizes. Sanders are not made
for this, period, and IF you can find other than dimensional lumber at a
store, it will be expensive, real expensive.

The advantages of a segmented, spiral cutter head are numerous:
Grain pattern/direction and knots negligible
Dust collection simple (small segmented chunks instead of long clogging
chunks.
Carbide knives have 4 sides that stay sharp 4 times longer than carbide
blades because you can rotate them also good if you nick a blade, just
rotate the blade.
No adjustments needed when replacing one or all knives.
Noise level is very low compared to long 3 knife cutters. For example,
my 6" jointer makes 5x more noise than my 15" planer when face jointing,
and the finish is not as good.





--
Jack
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.
http://jbstein.com