I ordered the hitachi-clark from foam-ez it seems like a really good and comfortable tool.
before using it for the first time ( it was also my first attempt with an electric planner),
I sat in front of it and stared at it for about an hour, trying to understand how to use it properly.
watched some 101’s and after I got the point I started shaping.
it was quite easy , but i’m glad i took the time to understand the tool before using it.
if u can find a nice shaper who can help you and teach you the basics ( just theory ) it might help you.
the big difference between the modified hitachi-clark and the other planers, is that the modified one has a full cut depth of about 6mm ( 1/4 inch)
and the knob turns only 1\4 revolution while the regular planers cut between 1.5 to 2.5 mm ( 1/16 - 3/32 inch) and the knob turns about 1.5 revolutions.
this means that u can’t change the depth on the fly ( during the cut) and this means that u can’t really “sculpt” the surfboard out of the blank.
Get the Bosch and do the modifications that are in the archives. I’ve both used and repaired those models you’ve listed, and almost all but the Bosch have inherent problems. Bosch has a very good motor, and more importantly, the plastic used for the housing is much more stable and heat-resistant than the others. The quality of the plastic housing is also important because the alignment between the base and the front shoe (same plane) is determined by this. In addition, the bearings can very easily melt into the housings of lower quality plastics. Seen many Hitachi’s that this has happened to. With this in mind, you can see how the aluminum Skil’s have lasted for 50+ years. The current Skil label tools are really Bosch.
I’d stay away from the Ryobi. If you are only going to make a few boards it may be OK, but that is rarely the case with most Sways. Most of there tools won’t last for the long haul. Check out Rachel’s post on this matter. Hardly worth the effort if you ask me. My Grandmother would always say…“The tools make the man”.
Howzit Pete, A little OT but it’s funny you mentioned Bosch. I have a Bosch 4000 table saw that was given to me because the shaft bearing had frozen up. I took it to Tool master to be fixed and when it was done the repair man told me the bearing had a plastic housing that had melted. He also told me he had fixed at least 75 of these saws with the same problem. Before fixing mine he contacted Bosch and they told him to use a different bearing with a metal housing, now the saw just keeps on ticking with no problems. Seems to me that any power tool that heats up needs metal housings and why don’t the manufactureres install them in the first place. Aloha,Kokua
Same old story, profit. No money in something that lasts forever. Hi im John and new to shaping, in the middle of turning my garage into a workshop, stands all ready to go into buckets in the morning, finish painting the walls and away we go. Happy days
I still use the Bosch I converted many years ago.How I did it and some photos are somewhere in the archives.I set the handle in an upright position like a Skil and loosened the depth knob.You can cut on the fly and the dust ejector is reversable and has a vac nozzle.The blades are easy to change out also.You can get them on ebay pretty cheap as there are lots of them out there. rb
Hi Kokua, All bearings that are in a dusty area must be shielded (sealed) as all most good tools use. Unsealed, the balls in the bearing seize and the outer race spins which melts plastic or grinds away metal of the motor housing. On metal housings, you can drill out the bearing seat and install a bushing to repair. On plastic ones you throw the tool away. The days of metal housing tools are gone. Nobody can price a tool competitively if they have to make a die casting and do post-machining (tapping, surfacing, etc). The plastic ones are ready for assembly right from the mold; sometimes it’s all done via robot, and nobody even touches it. In the 80’s the cost of plastic was lower than metal, in the 90’s they were about the same, today aluminum costs 5x what it was 7-8 years ago, and plastic is again cheaper.
The Bosch planer is a different animal than the usual drills, saws, orbital sanders, etc that they make. Most of those tools will vary in quality and there are better ones (Dewalt, Makita) depending on the tool type. If a manufacturer has enough quantity, they will always go to Asia. The design often gets compromised when they revise it to fit the factory. This is why each type of tool must be evaluated on its own merits today, and no particular brand can be trusted for everything. The current Bosch planer 1594, was originally made in Switzerland and has had several changes mostly in the depth adjustment. It is presently made in Asia, but little has changed from the original Swiss made version (lot’s of parts, more than a Skil). Because the planer market is not high-volume, I suspect that they are using the original Swiss molds still. Bosch has another planer, the 3365 which will probably replace the 1594 in the future since it has an obviously lower cost. The 3365 sucks for shaping because it is a single blade and will cut too slow for production work. The future of planers will be cordless, and they will be designed for their most common use - trimming doors.