That was the one thing I noticed about the Bosch was that it did not look like it would be as comfortable to hold and that you would have to have your hand on top of the planer. In the process of follow Balsa’s link and looking for a 110V version of the planer he showed I made an interesting discovery of a Makita planer that looks remarkably similar to the Bosch, But the thing that was intriguing about it was that it has a lip much like the Skil at the shoe.
Also much like the European Bosch it appears to have an adjustment range that looks like about a 1/3 turn, which would make it more usable for surfboards.
I have attached a photo of it as extra fodder for this thread.
Hi Robin, I’m afraid they’re not making it in 110 V or it would be sold in the US… But I bet that they would make one if that “niche market” that Pete was talking about proved actually interesting. Also, getting ungrooved front shoes should be possible as I am sure they (the grooves) are routed in, not molded. I think you’re right about the 140° turn, I will go and check it out by my nearest Bosch retailer ASAP.
I was able to find 110V versions of the Bosch planer available from some companies in England, so it appears they do make them. But I have now become interested in the Makita that we both discovered as it is so similar but has what appears to be a better shaped shoe.
I look forward to hearing what you find when you get a chance to physically examine one of the Bosch planers, mahalo!
From the the French version Bosch website that Balsa posted, and also in the UK link I posted above. The GHO 26-82 looks almost identical to the 1594K sold in the USA. Except for the metric measurement depth knob, whereas the 1594K has a fractional measurement knob.
A few years ago I modified a 7 Amp Bosch. It is a much better machine than the Hitachi without doubt. On mine I repositioned the handle to an upright position (like a skil). I disarmed the trigger safety lock. Loosened the depth adjustment. I then filled the groove in the shoe with epoxy and rolled the edges of the aluminum. I still have it and it’s a great tool. (needs a belt now after I snapped it planing a piece of mahogany). I always thought that if a good tool guy could take my basic design and clean it up it you would have a winner. I am not good enough to change the depth of cut ratio. If that could be done it would be unreal. There used to be pics of my planer in the archives. I don’t know if they can be found or not. If you want I could post some pics maybe tomorrow. R Brucker
Yep…mine and the other guys (better adaption). The whole key to this deal is repostioning the handle like a skil. I really think it could be a great tool if done in a more professional manner.
“From the the French version Bosch website that Balsa posted, and also in the UK link I posted above. The GHO 26-82 looks almost identical to the 1594K sold in the USA. Except for the metric measurement depth knob, whereas the 1594K has a fractional measurement knob.”
There’s another model , the GHO 40 - 82 , that’s more comparable to the 1594 ( higher wattage than the 26 , and a couple of other differences that don’t spring to mind).
Not nitpickin , jus thought some might like to know.
From what I’ve see on the Makita KP0810 parts diagram, the shaft from the knob has an eccentric cam on the bottom which fits in a recess in the shoe. As the shaft turns, the cam pushes the shoe back and forth. To guide it, it looks like there’s two posts coming up from the shoe that run in slots cut in the body. What’s great about this design is that there’s no springs; so like a Skil the only tension on the shoe is a clicker. If this is disabled, the shoe should move freely. The travel angle of the knob looks like 90 degrees from the photos. But the best part about this one is that the handle is just bolted on and comes off! The retail price is about $300, but there’s distributors selling them for about $190. I’m going to see if I can get one on Fri. Balsa, I couldn’t find any links on the French Bosch page to any parts diagrams, is there one listed? I did see the manual - 231 total pages, 12 pages for each language.
But I think that the makita is maybe the better one for mods becuse its already really close to what we need IMHO,e.g. full depth in ca. 100°:and it exists also in a 1000 W Version.And here in Europe its sold (Consumer Price) starting at 215€ on the net.
The other intriguing thing I noticed from this parts breakdown is the way that the handle is attached to the body, there appear to be two posts to which it attaches. This makes me think it might not be that hard to design and make a completely different handle that meets all of the criteria desired by a shaper.
I think I’ll have to get myself one of these planers so that I can experiment with it.
I have always used Makita sander/polishers and they have been solid machines that have given me years of service, so I would expect these planers to do the same. I also had one of their 6 1/4" planers that worked really well.
Thanks Chene, the Bosch 4080 depth mechanism is same as the Makita. A similar design between major manufacturers like this means it must work pretty well or they wouldn’t do it. I’m trying to get the Makita today. With a new handle, loosened shoe/different knob, this one could be made to work just like a Skil. With it’s light weight and micro-blades, it just may even be better. I’ll mow some foam with the stock one when I get it, take it apart and see what’s going on. I’d rather put my resources into something like this if the outcome is a giant step beyond the Hitachi.
The guys at Tool Depot in Encinitas are getting me the KP0810 Makita, maybe early next week. This is a very new model, that’s why I haven’t seen it before. For the cost of a new shoe mechanism for the Hitachi or Bosch, I can make an aluminum handle to bolt right on this one. The big “if” is how that sliding depth adjustment works out. I can modify it if needed, but I would like to keep the cost below the current retail for the Clark-Hitachi if possible.
Sweet, pete, I’ll be watching to hear your impressions.
I just snapped to the same thing, Robin, the handle on the Makita is actually bolted on to the body, rather than molded on like the bosch 1495. That could definitely make it relatively easy to come up with an aftermarket or home meade handle in a more vertical position.
I’m about ready to buy, just need to hear the report from pete.
I’m getting really excited about this planer and I really like the idea of a custom handle out of aluminum. I had thought about designing a handle on my CAD system and then investigating either having it molded or made on an FDM machine. Someone like Protomold could do this relatively inexpensively. But I must admit I really like the idea of the aluminum handle as I know if it is anything like your shoe for the Skil it would be awesome.
What kind of price were you able to get on the Makita as I would like to order one?
The nice thing about the Bosch is that the edge of the cutting drum aligns with the edge of the shoe so you always know where the edge of your cut is going to be. It doesnt make much difference if you are just stripping foam but if you are doing more precise cuts (like shaping an “edge bottom”) the Makita is worthless.
THis image is on the makita brochure, says it’ll do shiplapping up to 1" deep. So, judging by that I’d say the blades go all the way to the edge of the shoe on at least the right side.
