I’m sure this has come up before, but what kind of things need to be considered when buying a power planer for shaping?
Simple…look for a Skil 100
Look for something that’s not green or blue. Nothing with a knob that doubles as a depth contol. Something that doesn’t sound like a cheap blender when you pull the trigger.
Hitachi, Bosch, Makita?
You guys are evasive.
Look for ease of adjustment for the front shoe. Look for a long cord or replace the cord with at least a lenght of 20’. The more amps the better. Go with at least two blades and I would also concern myself with the ease of changing the blades, and the availability of replacement parts. Some people like the Bosch others the Hitachi. I’d stay away from the cheaper brands (Ryobi, Harbor Freight). The Clark modified Hitachi seems to be the choice since Skil stopped production of the 100. If you plan on doing a lot of shaping, plan on having more than one.
Thanks surfifty.
I’ve also read about grit drum modified planers. Are there any advantages over using blades on the foam?
You should probably stick with blades to start with, unless you want spend the extra $ for a drum.
And you don’t need a 100 or other big planer, unless you are focused on longboards.
I agree that the grit drum shouldn’t be a high priority.
I’m have a different opinion about the planer. My opinion is there’s nothing in the same ballpark as the Skil. Balance, durability, weight, will hold it’s value, etc. etc.
You could get a used one for a reasonable price. Here’s a link to sold skil 100’s in the last 90 days starting from the lowest, scroll down until you start to see planers. At this time it shows 6 that sold for between $225 and $300.
Here’s the game plan I’d use. Get an esnipe account and watch skil’s on ebay. Snipe the ones that are complete with low starting bids by placing a $300 max esnipe. You will score one under your max bid within a month. You’ll have something that will always be worth the money you spent on it or more.
If you can’t justify spending the 300 on your primary tool for shaping then that’s the way it is, but it’s something to consider.
I started out with a plastic planer and still have a slightly modified Hitachi. The Skill 100 is so far superior that I wonder how I ever worked with those others. If you are going to do more than a couple of boards a year and plan to stick with it by all means invest in a good tool. Even if you don’t stick with it you will get all or most of your money back if you sell the Skil. It is well worth it.
I was wondering about how long you plan to be doing this too. If you plan to be doing this a long time, there’s always the accurate planer. It would be like buying a brand new skill 100. It’s expensive, but I think the serious pro shapers are getting these. Probably last the rest of your shaping life.
I use a cheap bosch and it’s worked OK for me. I don’t plan to do enough of this to get into an old skill or a new “surfboard” planer. I’m sure that everything I know about shaping with my planer is wrong, but I’ve learned how to get what I want with the tools I have. I just fixed an old 3 blade planer my dad had, and I can’t wait to use that again.
Thanks all for your input. I’m only just starting out, I never envisage becoming a pro, but I like the idea of shaping my own boards and the whole creative process. My goal is to shape a few boards this year, just as a hobby and to learn something new. I love this DIY aspect of surfing and the idea of surfing a board I’ve shaped myself stokes me out.
A power planer helps make the work faster and easier. I find that they make scrubbing the outer skin easier than anything else I’ve tried. But, I’ve made more than a few boards without a power planer. Especially with EPS foam and no stringers. I’ll do those with cheese graters and sanding blocks.
You need a good small block plane for stringers. I have a couple that use flat blades that look like razor blades and they are really good. One can be used on curves, so I use that for the deck on the nose side. A big block plane will help you cut down the stringer if you are shaping without a power planer.
I like to work with hand tools that don’t require electricity because I can work anytime, anywhere.
Good luck.
Another question is What is your budget? If you have some mechanical skills there are a couple of threads here on converting a hitachi into one that funtions like the hitachi clark planer.
There are some who have posted about using the Versa-Plane… Just noticed one on CL from 1/2/13… $200 + cleaning it up may be a decent rig?
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tls/3468473237.html
$200 is a great price for a 653, but that’s a foam-eating beast; not a good choice for a first planer.
There are several points to look for:
- Depth knob rotation: This ideally needs to be less than 120 degrees from zero to full cut in order to properly do rail bands. On the flats, it doesn't matter. So if you shape your rails by hand this isn't an issue.
- Make sure that no part of the motor / drive is lower than the baseplate. Some planers are intended for surfaces narrower than the baseplate, and whatever hangs over will obviously drag on the blank.
- Handle: The more vertical the handle, the better for proper shaping form (unless you're acclaimated to ironing clothes).
- Baseplate and shoe: Check for any grooves, screw heads, etc. Fill these with bondo and sand smooth. Also remove anything else which may marr the blank.
- Vacuum port: I feel that this is a necessity, some may not.
- Blades: The best are the reversible 3-1/4" strip blades used in most modern planers. Cheap and no need to sharpen.
If this is just a hobby and you’re low budget, make it self-sufficient; it isn’t cheap to progress on this path. Sell your creations or do repairs to buy the right tools. After that, it’s just the cost of materials which are much more manageable than equipment costs.