I just started shaping and only have one board under belt and it was shaped with borrowed tools and lots of supervision/help. It was definitely fun and I am looking forward to shaping my next board and accumulating my own set of tools. I have tons of questions but figured I would start with a planer question.
Here goes:
What planer would you recommend and why? keep i mind I am a beginner on a budget. The planer I used to shape the first board was a clark planer and I know those are quite pricey unless used ones pop up.
Also how important is a vacum attachement and do they really cut down on the mess?
Hey Mac, A vacuum attachment is almost vital if you plan on doing a lot of boards. They are real handy and save your planer and keeps the mess down when coupled with a cyclone accessory.
You can go to: www.reconditionedtools.com and they sell Hitachi planers. From time to time they offer a real deal on them. They come with the one year warranty from the manufacturer. You will have to modify yourself.
PeteC is the resident planer expert. I’ve read that he recommends the Makita (80?) Not sure right now of the model number but it is their newer one with the shorter shoe. Sometimes you can find them at: www.cpooutlets.com another re-con and new tool seller. ALWAYS opt for the sealed bearings in whatever your choice.
I wasn’t even close. The Makita is model #: KPO810 3&1/4 inch blade for $219.00. Of course these have to be modified too. May seem steep if you only plan to do one every now and then but well worth the investment. Harbor Freight sells cheapies, and you get what you pay for but they’ll get you through a few I’d imagine.
‘‘A vacuum attachment is almost vital if you plan on doing a lot of boards’’
Not true. I used one for awhile did not like em. Had to alter my technique too much. I do not think Becker ever used one and he shaped a few boards. Some guys like em some do not. Not vital. A broom and a snow shovel is what i use.
You got that right. We had some outrageously funny times in Baja. So many laughs our sides would be hurting.
Lungs are fine I always wore some kind of mask. Maybe being tall has kept me above the dust zone.
There are things I could not do with the planer with the vacuum hose in the way. Plus whatever we were trying to figure out kept shocking me. Something to do with static electricity. Or maybe it was the radio waves from my teeth fillings.
Here is my personal experience with using planers. I learned how to shape my first two boards under the watchful eye of a pro shaper and his skill 100 with grit barrel. Man that thing can eat some foam, im talking like 3/8" off a pass. Since then I barrowed my dads milwakee planer and shaped 15 more boards with it. It did a good job, but it only took 1/32" off a pass, which meant I had to do 8-10 passes minimum on the bottom and 3-4 on the top, obviously pretty time consuming. I just purchased a clark foam modified hitachi and shaped my first board with it, 1 bottom pass at full depth and 1 top pass at half depth-done. I pretty much make all my board 2.5" - 3" thick. For me the $380 dollar investment is well worth it. This planer is amazing.
From a production standpoint this planer is far from adequate due to its limited cutting depth. For a garage hack like me, making a couple boards here and there it does fantastic.
Not having the ability to take 1/8 inch off in one pass can be a huge advantage for a newbee. Mistakes take a lot longer to develop.