Hi all,
Gonna be shaping my first board soon. Was looking into getting a planer, and was wondering what you all thought of this one ($70 at lowes) vs. Hitachi ($100)
THanks
How does the adjustment knob work? Does it have a lot of resistance when you turn it? If it does, then the Clark modified Hitachi would be better, because Clark loosens up the adjustment knob for smoother depth transitions. I tried using a standard planer (Makita) and it just didn’t work.
Personally, I don’t think any of the newer planers are as good as the Skil 100, for three reasons: With Skil 1) The handle is low, as it should be, for a lower center of gravity giving better control. 2) The adjustment is ingenius. Smooth and logical. 3) The base is wider than most, giving better stability.
Clark has lowered the handle on the modified Hitachi, which probably helps.
The planer you are showing looks to me like it has a high center of gravity. That means gouges in the foam as the planer tips side to side. Doug
Go to ebay and get a chinese-made makita knock-off for $45 delivered. You’ll get used to it; it’s cheap enough; it’s all you’ll ever need; it’ll do everything you ask.
UNLESS (and only maybe) you plan to become some kinda wizard-shaper, doing ten boards before breakfast.
Maybe Harbor Freight has a deal on planers now; that 11-amp variable speed sander almost got me. But I have three sanders already including one from china, an old sturdy Black and Decker, and a Milwaukee, the beast.