Pete C is close to completing the Bosch conversion. I think it’s going to sell like hotcakes. I did the first Bosch conversion years ago and posted it on Sway. A lot of people used the design. Mine was kinda hacked together but I bet Pete’s will be nice. Can’t wait to get mine.
I’d like to see that Bosch setup.
Being a VW guy, I appreciate Bosch stuff.
Ich liebe deutsche Werkzeuge.
(I love German tools).
Consider that it has been a 49 year run with that tool, and all I’ve done is replace triggers, brushes, cords, and sharpen blades. The motor runs WAY more, when shaping, than it ever does when hanging doors, or trueing a joist. Yes, it has been used in general carpentry too. I’d say a Skil 100 is pretty much bombproof. Did I forget to mention that it has been in service for 49 years? Think about it, 49 years!
Hard to argue with that.
It’s true, the Bosch 1594 kits will be ready by end of Aug. There’s going to be 4 kits: (1) 90 degree sweep precision depth control kit, (2) Upright handle option kit, (3) Replacement shoe option kit, (4) Long/wide base option kit. Each of these is a stand-alone item and a simple bolt-on. The only cutting is removing the center stud from the shoe and removing the stock handle (handle kit only). The Bosch costs about $100-150 US and is available worldwide (GHO 40-82 in Europe) and is in my opinion the best planer for shaping. I don’t have pricing yet as we want the best possible design first and will figure out the margins after that is acheived. Including the cost of the planer itself + all of the kits, it will be somewhat more than the Hitachi but less than market price for a restored Skil.
I had been talking about modification kits for years, but it will definitely happen this time. The CNC machine shop is driving this project more than me this time. For those of you who bought the Makita KP0810, hang on to it; we will be doing those kits next. As the saying goes “always late but worth the wait”. I put the kits up on the surfshop with photos as soon as they’re ready.
awesome. Looking forward to seeing this in action.
@Nico_Sealbeach: my budge railband profiler, costs about $0-3 if you can find some 20 grit abrasive and a little leftover tacky epoxy in your bucket. I build w/EPS right now, so my sureforms are sitting in storage. I use it to clean up my outlines, rails near steep rockers on shorties, what have you. Can’t tell the diff in the end if a $1K planer or a packrat subtracted the foam:
best of luck on your shapes, throw up some pics when you’re done.
New picture. The three planers in this picture cost me a combined total of $120.00
Skil 100: $20
Hitachi: $40
Porter Cable: $60 Over payed a little for the Porter Cable.
Here is my original Bosch conversion and a pic of how someone did a better job on their conversion. I bet the one Pete C. is doing will be unreal.
[img_assist|nid=1075864|title=bosch 2|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=251|height=331]
Prototype development. The top is missing from the front handle, and the aluminum rear handle frame is minus the side/top covers + the switch cut out, and the front mount to the base. The depth handle has a clicker which is a spring-loaded ball that runs along some grooves. This doesn’t create any resistance but gives a nice tactile feel and combined with the indicator line on the top lets you know visually and by feel where you are on the depth. The whole mechanism is extremely smooth, much more than a Skil. The top of the rear handle is rounded like a knob, so that when skinning you can push it with your palm and trigger with the index finger. This is an older photo and we’re much farther along today. The straight cut width is 3 -1/4" and the weight will be about 6 lbs when finished (Skil is 3" and 10.5 lbs).
Further along…
[img_assist|nid=1075923|title=Bosch proto 4|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=297|height=391]
Pete,
You are a mad inventor! Looks really good.
Just for safety, are you going to put a trigger guard on it?
Pete, looks good.
Are you selling it as a upgrade kit or as a fully built planer?
Any prices yet?
“Necessity is the mother of invention”.
Good one.
I use a Black and Decker. Bought the last one for about 30 bucks on Amazon. They’ve improved them a lot over the years since I bought my first one 20 years ago.
I’ve tried the Bosch and the Clark Foam and a few others. But I just always go back to the B & D. It’s small, light, easy to handle.
I only do two or three boards (only balsa) a year so the durability factor isn’t an issue.
For the hobbyist looking for an inexpensive planer I don’t think you can beat this.
No more Popeye arms!? Nice rework. That’s definitely cool…
PeteC do you recommend using a screen or filter around the motor/brushes, etc. on the bosch 1594?
It will be sold as 4 separate kits: Depth knob and mechanism, rear handle, new shoe option, long base add-on. Each of these can be used separately, and everything is a bolt-on except the handle (saw off old one, drill 1 hole). The switch, cord, and everything except the stock depth control parts are reused. This planer is intended to be used with a vacuum system, and as such doesn’t need to have the air intake filtered. Any filter is pretty dicey, since it can restrict airflow to the motor. The built-in vac port allows for either right or left hose connections, and we’ll be offering an elbow fitting for a straight-on hose connection. The power cord easily can be dressed from the handle to the vac port without interfering with the handle. We left the handle design same as stock around the trigger (no guard), and we also removed the stock red trigger interlock button. Almost all Bosch users we talked to hated that interlock.
We haven’t even looked at the pricing yet, but have kept costs in mind by minimizing machine times and materials. We feel that by offering incremental kits without the cost of the planer, it would be more accessible. This project isn’t about trying to get rich, since that’ll never happen working on planers. It’s about making and supplying a tool that will be more readily available than a good Skil and operates at an improved level. Of the two choices available today for shaping (and with huge price differences), one could be considered a garage-design and the other (although very nice looking) doesn’t offer any functional improvement over a Skil. I love the Skil design and working on it, but after restoring as many as I have, it’s getting more like archeology. Some that I’ve had to rewind motors and replace everything on really aren’t Skil’s anymore except for the metal frames.
As soon as we have a couple of completed prototypes, several well-known local shapers are going to test drive them and we’ll change things per their feedback if needed.
Looks really good Ptec. Looking forward to hearing the feed back from the test pilots
Pete,
I would love to add one of those to my line-up.
Missing from photo is my first Craftsman planer,(which I still have),
and all my other Hitachi’s.
Keep us up to date.
Barry, if you would like to try it when it’s ready please PM me. We need input from more Hitachi users.
Both handles completed, all that’s left is the new front shoe. The front handle may seem strange to Skil users, but it has a lot more control than with a lever. It is so light (6.5 lbs) that a big mushroom front knob wasn’t needed, the rear handle supports 90% of the weight. You can hold it like a Skil, or you can turn it with just your palm on top for flat surfaces.
[img_assist|nid=1075997|title=proto 5|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=333|height=277]