Need advice on these planers plz !!

Hi, I’m looking into other power planers besides the Hitachi one… I found these at Home Depot and was wondering if they were still good to use to shape surfboard blanks. Please give me any info you have. I don’t want to buy the wrong one or one that is hard to use or shape with. If there are features that the Hitachi model has that these don’t, I would also like to know. Thanks… Dewalt - Model No. DW680K Makita - Model No. N1900B Bosch - Model No. 3365 BTD - Model No. 7696 --NM

I have the B&D 7696 and its good for skining but that’s about it. the foot adjustment is to tight for rocker and railbands. I’m currently borrowing a Clark Hitatchi from a friend and it’s the best for the job because it’s made for the job. wish I’d saved my money to put toward the Clark instead of the B&D, but then at that point I had no idea I’d soon be foam junky. Hey,if you get the Clark and don’t like it I’m in the market for a used one.

I have the B&D 7696 and its good for skining but that’s about it. the > foot adjustment is to tight for rocker and railbands. I’m currently > borrowing a Clark Hitatchi from a friend and it’s the best for the job > because it’s made for the job. wish I’d saved my money to put toward the > Clark instead of the B&D, but then at that point I had no idea I’d > soon be foam junky.>>> Hey,if you get the Clark and don’t like it I’m in the market for a used > one. I agree, you probably will end up getting a Clark modified Hitachi, so save yourself the hassle and money and get the Clark. The only thing I dont like about the Hitachi is the angle of the handle. Its not as upright as some others so its a bit ergonmically uncomfortable. I cut off my handle, ground off a bit off one side of the bottom of it, then epoxied back on so it sits more upright. Way better feel.

i started off with a b&d. the hitachi seemed like it would be too aggresive of a planer for starting out. but now that i look back i wish i used a clark hitachi. get a clark and get used to how it works,it will save time. i still use my b&d for rails. buy this stuff called JB Weld. fill in the bevel grooves on the front shoe. grind or sand them flush, then you have a lesser chance of catching or ripping the foam. good luck…

thanx for the help guys [smile]

thanx for the help guys [smile] these guys are right ! wow, the clark mod. makes it soooooo much faster. i finally made the switch($$) to the clark/hitachi. i had been borrowing a makita, with which i shaped ~10 boards over the last couple years. the makita worked, but it took fooooreeeever because of the slow cutting depth adjustments required, like all standard wood planer use(i believe). it’s a little scary at first with the new one, you can mow a lot more foam in a lot less time. i just finished my 2nd board with the new planer, and i am stoked on it. one thing i’m not used to is: the makita seemes to have the cutter more centered on the body, so i could get a pretty similar cut depth going both forward and backward with it. the clark/hitachi cuts a little deeper going forward than backward, at a given depth setting. (the blades are closer to the nose ?) QUESTION: has anyone switched the standard blades out for those “barrel” cutter things ? what are the results ? (pro’s/cons of them ?) brian

thanx for the help guys [smile] these guys are right ! wow, the clark mod. makes it soooooo much faster. i finally made the switch($$) to the clark/hitachi. i had been borrowing a makita, with which i shaped ~10 boards over the last couple years. the makita worked, but it took fooooreeeever because of the slow cutting depth adjustments required, like all standard wood planer use(i believe). it’s a little scary at first with the new one, you can mow a lot more foam in a lot less time. i just finished my 2nd board with the new planer, and i am stoked on it. one thing i’m not used to is: the makita seemes to have the cutter more centered on the body, so i could get a pretty similar cut depth going both forward and backward with it. the clark/hitachi cuts a little deeper going forward than backward, at a given depth setting. (the blades are closer to the nose ?) QUESTION: has anyone switched the standard blades out for those “barrel” cutter things ? what are the results ? (pro’s/cons of them ?) brian

these guys are right ! wow, the clark mod. makes it soooooo much faster.>>> i finally made the switch($$) to the clark/hitachi. i had been borrowing a > makita, with which i shaped ~10 boards over the last couple years. the > makita worked, but it took fooooreeeever because of the slow cutting depth > adjustments required, like all standard wood planer use(i believe).>>> it’s a little scary at first with the new one, you can mow a lot more foam > in a lot less time. i just finished my 2nd board with the new planer, and > i am stoked on it.>>> one thing i’m not used to is: the makita seemes to have the cutter more > centered on the body, so i could get a pretty similar cut depth going both > forward and backward with it. the clark/hitachi cuts a little deeper going > forward than backward, at a given depth setting. (the blades are closer to > the nose ?)>>> QUESTION: has anyone switched the standard blades out for those > “barrel” cutter things ? what are the results ? (pro’s/cons of > them ?)>>> brian Brian, I have a Hitachi with a carbide drum on it, it just isn’t made for taking 1/8" passes, but for the fine tuning, great. If you have a blank that the planer chipped up, this is the way to clean it up like it was a belt sander.