I have pretty much narrowed my search for a new planer to this machine. Does
anyone have any experience with this machine? pros cons? Better
sugggestions?

Upgrading from a portable delta, 12 1/2"

SteveA

"SteveA" wrote in message
...
I have pretty much narrowed my search for a new planer to this machine.
Does anyone have any experience with this machine? pros cons? Better
sugggestions?

Upgrading from a portable delta, 12 1/2"

SteveA

I'd be all over that machine if I had the cash. I especially like the
spiral cutterhead feature which is bound to be better than the century old
straight knife set up that we all love to replace and set up properly -
Yikes! Go for it and then report back.
Best of luck,
Chuck

I'm sure this will be a fine machine. The real trouble with the
consumer and lower end units is the way they handle the bed rollers.
They are only adjustabable with a wrench and a screw driver. They have
an ecentric coller at each end and you have to twist it with a screw
driver to adject then lock it in place with a tiny little allen head
set screw. It is like this all the way up to 24" machines. The set
screws will dig in to the coller the firsttime you really crank them
down and you can then never make a fine adjustment near that location
because it just falls back to the detent you create.

Set up the bed rollers for smooth stock (stock already flattened on a
jointer or hand plane). I think the docs will say like 10 thousandths
above the table or something like that, maybe 18, can't recall. Just
take some time and get both bed rollers set nice and even across the
bed, then lock those suckers down good.

This will serve you well. If you try to plane rough lumber, you need
to raise the bed rollers. I personaly would just avoid doing that. You
need a Jointer to flatten on side first anyway to do proper squaring.
These planers will never really manage rough stoock well on the bed.
So setup for smooth stock and it should be a dream.

P.S. the reason to get the bed rollers well adjusted is for smooth
feeding and to minimize snipe.


On Oct 6, 11:56*am, "SteveA" wrote:
I have pretty much narrowed my search for a new planer to this machine. Does
anyone have any experience with this machine? pros cons? Better
sugggestions?

Upgrading from a portable delta, 12 1/2"

SteveA

Your description is causing me some dismay, as I was planning on planing (no
play on words) some rough red oak and soon to be purchased red cherry for a
first-time kitchen project (mine, not a client). My lunchbox had been doing
ok with the oak, with some minor exceptions on long wide boards( 8"+), it is
the snipe that drives me a little crazy.

I just got off the phone with grizz, having ordered the spiral cutterhead
for my 6" jointer. Having nicked the blades a couple of times, and offset
the blades to the point that I can no longer cover another nick, and
considering the project before me, I thought it was a good upgrade. The
company has been nothing but helpful during the machines initial purchase,
and bent over backwards to help me with the set-up and several very minor
problems.

A 20" is on the edge as far as what the wife would allow, but I can't bring
myself to part with 2500 for the pm 15HH, considering that a lot of owners
think it is underpowered. The thought of spending that much and not be happy
would drive me to find another way to spend my free time.

I looked at the Delta 790X, but since I have not see one, I can't imagine
that the folding in/out feed tables are very stable especially since they
have rollers instead of a solid wing.

Guess I am not as ready as I might have thought, but I certainly appricate
the input

SteveA


"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in message
...
I'm sure this will be a fine machine. The real trouble with the
consumer and lower end units is the way they handle the bed rollers.
They are only adjustabable with a wrench and a screw driver. They have
an ecentric coller at each end and you have to twist it with a screw
driver to adject then lock it in place with a tiny little allen head
set screw. It is like this all the way up to 24" machines. The set
screws will dig in to the coller the firsttime you really crank them
down and you can then never make a fine adjustment near that location
because it just falls back to the detent you create.

Set up the bed rollers for smooth stock (stock already flattened on a
jointer or hand plane). I think the docs will say like 10 thousandths
above the table or something like that, maybe 18, can't recall. Just
take some time and get both bed rollers set nice and even across the
bed, then lock those suckers down good.

This will serve you well. If you try to plane rough lumber, you need
to raise the bed rollers. I personaly would just avoid doing that. You
need a Jointer to flatten on side first anyway to do proper squaring.
These planers will never really manage rough stoock well on the bed.
So setup for smooth stock and it should be a dream.

P.S. the reason to get the bed rollers well adjusted is for smooth
feeding and to minimize snipe.


On Oct 6, 11:56 am, "SteveA" wrote:
I have pretty much narrowed my search for a new planer to this machine.
Does
anyone have any experience with this machine? pros cons? Better
sugggestions?

Upgrading from a portable delta, 12 1/2"

SteveA

SonomaProducts.com wrote:
....
This will serve you well. If you try to plane rough lumber, you need
to raise the bed rollers. I personaly would just avoid doing that. You
need a Jointer to flatten on side first anyway to do proper squaring.
These planers will never really manage rough stoock well on the bed.
So setup for smooth stock and it should be a dream.
....
Surely aren't many home shoppers w/ jointer big enough to handle 15"
rough stock so I'd certainly not be at all happy w/ limiting myself to
only pre-surfaced stock thru a planer.

I've not actually had hands on w/ the Grizz but if the bed rollers can't
be adjusted to accommodate rough stock it would be a killer in my book.

Although I follow the description of the problem, surely there's some
provision for a clearance adjustment?

The old Delta heavy duty of mine (out of production lo! 30 years now, I
suppose) has a design that lets you slip a piece of shim stock under the
supports which I use for rapid changes between "high" and "low"
positions. I'm sure that wasn't a designed in feature, but it's surely
handy.

--

Maybe I am overstating it. The rollers can be adjusted, it is just a
somewhat labor intensive effort and like I said the cams do get sort
of set into one location. Steel city is the only ones who have tried
to do something here and they addedd little wings to end of the cams
so it is easier to get them where you want.

I think you can just set up for rouger stock, maybe split the
difference between the suggested settings for rough and smooth. You'll
just have a bit more snipe but that is pretty easy to deal with in
various ways (cut off or sand out, etc.).

Keep in mind, if you are starting with rough stock, you must joint one
face flat first or you are at risk of a few problems. So that said, in
your case you will be limited to 6" wide rough stock because of your
jointer.

A planer has strong hold down wheels so it will flatten out any twist
or bow in your stock. So if you just plane both sides, then you'll
have a bowed and twisted board with flat faces. Proper approach is to
use of a jointer to do the first face and one edge, referenced from
that face to get squared planes to work from. Then plane the other
face, then use the Table saw to square the other edge to the first. On
the jointer, you don't force out the bow or twist, you let the knives
cut it away. So lenght matters and it is most common to cut down the
rough stock to rough lengths as a first step. You can joint 6" of bow
out of a 20' board but you can take 1/4" out of a 2 footer.

Finally I LOVE GRIZZLY. They have sent me very expensive replacement
parts just on my word that the one I have is bad. I got a complete
outfeed setup for a 20" planer with a 2 minute phone call.


On Oct 7, 4:41*pm, "SteveA" wrote:
Your description is causing me some dismay, as I was planning on planing (no
play on words) some rough red oak and soon to be purchased red cherry for a
first-time kitchen project (mine, not a client). My lunchbox had been doing
ok with the oak, with some minor exceptions on long wide boards( 8"+), it is
the snipe that drives me a little crazy.

I just got off the phone with grizz, having ordered the spiral cutterhead
for my 6" jointer. Having nicked the blades a couple of times, and offset
the blades to the point that I can no longer cover another nick, and
considering the project before me, I thought it was a good upgrade. The
company has been nothing but helpful during the machines initial purchase,
and bent over backwards to help me with the set-up and several very minor
problems.

A 20" is on the edge as far as what the wife would allow, but I can't bring
myself to part with 2500 for the pm 15HH, considering that a lot of owners
think it is underpowered. The thought of spending that much and not be happy
would drive me to find another way to spend my free time.

I looked at the Delta 790X, but since I have not see one, I can't imagine
that the folding in/out feed tables are very stable especially since they
have rollers instead of a solid wing.

Guess I am not as ready as I might have thought, but I certainly appricate
the input

SteveA

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in message

...
I'm sure this will be a fine machine. The real trouble with the
consumer and lower end units is the way they handle the bed rollers.
They are only adjustabable with a wrench and a screw driver. They have
an ecentric coller at each end and you have to twist it with a screw
driver to adject then lock it in place with a tiny little allen head
set screw. It is like this all the way up to 24" machines. The set
screws will dig in to the coller the firsttime you really crank them
down and you can then never make a fine adjustment near that location
because it just falls back to the detent you create.

Set up the bed rollers for smooth stock (stock already flattened on a
jointer or hand plane). I think the docs will say like 10 thousandths
above the table or something like that, maybe 18, can't recall. Just
take some time and get both bed rollers set nice and even across the
bed, then lock those suckers down good.

This will serve you well. If you try to plane rough lumber, you need
to raise the bed rollers. I personaly would just avoid doing that. You
need a Jointer to flatten on side first anyway to do proper squaring.
These planers will never really manage rough stoock well on the bed.
So setup for smooth stock and it should be a dream.

P.S. the reason to get the bed rollers well adjusted is for smooth
feeding and to minimize snipe.

On Oct 6, 11:56 am, "SteveA" wrote:



I have pretty much narrowed my search for a new planer to this machine.
Does
anyone have any experience with this machine? pros cons? Better
sugggestions?

Upgrading from a portable delta, 12 1/2"

SteveA- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -