Black & Decker Planer

It looks cheap… but it is on sale and I’m tempted. Does anyone have any experience with B&D planers? (from memory) the model # is 7696 I think this may be one where the motor housing rides lower than the shoe/bottom on the outside edge… not sure. If you know about these let me know. Thanks, Eric

I bought a chinese made knock off from ebay for $27. It works decent and probably will save you some cash, especially if you’re just starting out. I actually like the bevel in the center, helps a beginner like me stay on the rail bands. Good Luck…>>> It looks cheap… but it is on sale and I’m tempted. Does anyone have any > experience with B&D planers?>>> (from memory) the model # is 7696>>> I think this may be one where the motor housing rides lower than the > shoe/bottom on the outside edge… not sure. If you know about these let > me know. Thanks, Eric

Eric, Thats the one I bought. First planner for my first boards. For me, it has worked fine. I don’t worry much about adjusting the depth, I just set and go. After a few more boards I may take the plunge and go with a mod.hitachi. If you are just starting out, I say go for it, especially if the price is right.

Thanks for the replies AKA and ed. What about the motor housing - the picture on the box makes it look like it hangs lower than the blade? The store I saw them in does not have a ‘floor model’ - all are boxed up and I cannot tell for sure from the picture on the box. I thought I had seen this planer at Home Depot for about $80, here it’s under $50. can you put my fears to rest about this? Thanks again, Eric

What about the motor housing - the picture on the box makes it look like > it hangs lower than the blade? The store I saw them in does not have a > ‘floor model’ - all are boxed up and I cannot tell for sure from the > picture on the box. hey eric, i think you are right about this little detail with the b&d. you want only passes where you are removing an equal amount of material (depth) along the entire width of the blades (and who wouldn’t). with this b&d, you will be required to: 1)do all of your passes with the depth-of-cut set greater than the amount of the underhang, 2)to start at the outside edge with the housing completely off the blank, 3)and to keep the belt-housing on the outboard side of your passes at all times. this is pretty restricing, so it may be worth your while to research other economical planers. been there! ramon

Thanks Ramon. I’m gonna hit the store again in a day or so to check it out again. I’ll just ask to open a box and look. If it’s the ‘low housing’ model I’ll forget it. I still have access to a little (2-1/4") Rockwell that I can use. The thing is almost the size of a palm sander and kinda hard to control - but it mows foam. Eric>>> hey eric, i think you are right about this little detail with the b&d. > you want only passes where you are removing an equal amount of material > (depth) along the entire width of the blades (and who wouldn’t). with this > b&d, you will be required to: 1)do all of your passes with the > depth-of-cut set greater than the amount of the underhang, 2)to start at > the outside edge with the housing completely off the blank, 3)and to keep > the belt-housing on the outboard side of your passes at all times. this is > pretty restricing, so it may be worth your while to research other > economical planers. been there! ramon

Say, Eric…did that black and decker plane have a RED housing?! If it is, take a look at the side…is it manufactured in ENGLAND?!

Yep - Typical B&D red/orange color. I’ll check the mfgring country… but England would not bother me much as long as it worked.>>> Say, Eric…did that black and decker plane have a RED housing?! If it is, > take a look at the side…is it manufactured in ENGLAND?!

Yep - Typical B&D red/orange color. I’ll check the mfgring country… > but England would not bother me much as long as it worked. Hey Eric, You mite wanna consider getting the modified hitachi. I went thru a lower priced economy planer when I started out and ended up getting the Clark modified Hitachi anyway. So if you start out with the Hitachi youre actually saving the fifty or bucks that u would have spent on the B & D. Just a suggestion…

It’s a thought… I’m deciding between going cheap and just sucking it up and buying a Bosch for about 2x as much. The Bosch seemed to have the only depth adjustment knob that went through the full range in less than a full rotation of the head. and - I have an excellent Bosch sander which is very well put together so I’m I won’t ever be shaping a lot of boards so spending the cash for a planer is a luxury. That said, I do appreciate good tools. What about the Bosch planer? It’s a bit cheaper than the Hitachi. Anybody have insight into these? And… the B&D was made in England I checked today on my lunch hour. Eric>>> Hey Eric,>>> You mite wanna consider getting the modified hitachi. I went thru a lower > priced economy planer when I started out and ended up getting the Clark > modified Hitachi anyway. So if you start out with the Hitachi youre > actually saving the fifty or bucks that u would have spent on the B & > D. Just a suggestion…

It’s a thought… I’m deciding between going cheap and just sucking it up > and buying a Bosch for about 2x as much. The Bosch seemed to have the only > depth adjustment knob that went through the full range in less than a full > rotation of the head. Eric, If I am not mistaken, Herb recommends the Bosch. So, going on just that, it is probably a good investment.

ed - I found those threads in the archive. thanks for the tip. Now I just bought a little Delta table saw… how the hell am I going to rationalize (to my wife especially) another $100+ on a tool?!? Who knows… maybe I can sell a board (winter in NY, yea OK) to finance it. Eric>>> Eric, If I am not mistaken, Herb recommends the Bosch. So, going on just > that, it is probably a good investment.

Now I just bought a little Delta table saw… how the hell am I going to > rationalize (to my wife especially) another $100+ on a tool?!? Who > knows… maybe I can sell a board (winter in NY, yea OK) to finance it.>>> Eric tell her you cant shape a board with a Delta table saw [smile] hehehe

yea… but I CAN use the planer to build the shelves, cabinets, the coffee table, the deck, and the new shed… hmm, maybe I’ll just leave surfboards out of the entire discussion…? 'Hello Home Depot!">>> tell her you cant shape a board with a Delta table saw [smile] hehehe

It looks cheap… but it is on sale and I’m tempted. Does anyone have any > experience with B&D planers?>>> (from memory) the model # is 7696>>> I think this may be one where the motor housing rides lower than the > shoe/bottom on the outside edge… not sure. If you know about these let > me know. Thanks, Eric Buy the planer from clark foam they are cheap and work great I usually get 300 boards out of one then get a new one. The bearings start to go bad around 300