Small Planer

  Here is a small planer I got used at the tool store for $80. Its small and compact to get into the rocker better with its 3 5/8" blades. But it only has a 3.7amp motor, so I dont see it lasting for too long. It will nice to use an old tool to make some boards. It's a Montgomery Ward brand? Thnx for looking. R

009-1.jpg picture by neptune1970007.jpg picture by neptune1970

That's actually a Ryobi.  I had one for years.  I'd rate it as poor compared to the Hitachi I bought for $40 off Ebay and horrendous compared to my Skil 100.

Well, ok, I thought it was a Ryobi, but who cares? And who cares if  "you" think its poor and horrendous? I have two Skills and a Hitachi also!!! Who cares? Id like to think its the soul and love you put into making a board. Such as when use old tools and equipment to build something with your own hands! NOT what tool you use! Either way I already have two boards in mind for this poor little planer. Thanks for lookin! R

   Howzit neptune, If you don't put to much strain on the motor it will last a while.I don't but ryobi tools since in my mind they are hobbiest tools at best but if used properly they will last a while to make the purahes worth it cost.Aloha,Kokua

Kokua, A friend of mine that is in the tool repair biz told me to steer clear of all Ryobi tools because they use the same gauge wiring throughout and, when they first came out they used one color of insulation on their wiring! Over the years his warning proved out. Also if someone is looking for planer alternatives they have to keep in mind that SEALED bearings are a MUST! You got it right about da tools Bruddah!

 

ps. how you getting on these days?

Good luck with it.  ; )  It might be useful to know its a Ryobi since I don't think you will find a Montgomery Wards when it comes time to replace the blades or belt.

  Ya, I get the Ryobi thing, Im a Carpenter by trade and I know its a crap brand so when it breakes it will just toss it if I cant find the parts. Either way it will be fun to see how long it lasts, I can switch between it and my Hitachi. Thnks for lookin! R

Hey Neptune, Check out www.reconditionedtools.com

i have seen ryobi tools over the last 25 years on building sites and sheds all over new zealand and australia,never heard any complaints. i think i managed to kill a random sander but then again i can kill any sander

google ryobi, been around for nearly 70 years so they must be doing something right

http://www.ryobidiecasting.com/

 

 

 

 

My planer is bigger.

i have a small planer but a big sac

Mr. Cannon, I have the exact opposite experience with Ryobi tools. Every time one shows up on the job, the owner usually is sold on another make when trying other brands. I was on a job right on the water. The house was sided with beautiful 5/4 Alaskan Cedar. The painter was to put an opaque stain on the cedar and went out and bought Ryobi vibe sanders for the crew. Probably 5 or 6 of them. All but one failed by the end of the task.

hey thats what is said. i burned out a sander but the rest of the tools i have owned and own have been fine. i have also burned out a high end bosch sander in no time flat . have a look at the link ryobi are a great company that make all different stuff

its a bit like a pair of ski boots . brand is completely irelevant . its how the boot fits. i personally prefer my cheap chinese planer to the dewalt hitachi or ryobi and to be quite honest it makes no difference what planer u use unless your doing longboards and in that case im sure the overpriced skill100 might come in handy. every blank i gotten needs about 3mm off the bottom 3 mm off the top and a bit of foiling in the nose and tail. i could do it with any planer with true blades and shoe. high end tools are are a bit better. but like audio cables they are not that much better imo. they are trying to sell me a festool grinder for concrete and that thing is expensive, but sorry a makita is industry standard for a reason. cuz its cheaper and better. im currently using the cheapest 9inch grinder i could buy on ebay and its all ready done 30 hours hard grinding. thats 30 hours mate like 3 or 400 square meters and it cost 50$us. thats like 10 cents a meter and its going strong. even if it died tomorow id still be better off then the makita which is already a better tool then the festool that the rep is trying to sell me.

plenty of houses built with ryobi tools and they would be no worse or better then a house built with skill tools because it aint the tool bud. its the craftsman. so they are not crap. they are good tool for the price and serve a purpose for people that dont have a lazy 1500$ to spend on a planer that makes a board that earns them bugger all

Mr. Cannon, “It aint the tool bud, it’s the craftsman”. Well said absolutely right no argument here. The true craftsman can get the job done from his skills. Just like you can do boards with a surform or block plane and have them turn out as good as any. It is when commerce enters the equation that tools and time saving techniques come into consideration. When money is involved, expediency is paramount. It is important to the customer as well as the craftsman. Do you want to take a week to do a board and sell it for $500.00 or do two a day and sell at the same rate. Is that justice serving you? No you will be making very little to live on. When the Accurate planers were introduced I thought, very nice but overpriced compared to the Hitachis or Makitas or what have you. But I had to admit, there is no ONE tool I use every day, day in, day out, ALL DAY LONG. Pro shapers use the plane like this for YEARS!! A tool with this kind of reliability is key. You can’t mow the foam and keep up with a down tool.This paradigm behooves them to get the best there is. I don’t do boards for a living so I’m very happy with my Hitachi, but I have to admit this tool will last only so long. Unfortunately, the saying is true in business, “time is money”. Of course we all have to strike that balance between a timely product and utmost quality. There is no perfection and the craftsman knows this. 

      Howzit tblank, Don't mean to break in between you and Paul but I have an outlook on tools myself. When I got back into doing construction work things had changed a lot. The main thing was cordless tools were the tools to own and I love them. I had to start buying new tools and needed a drill/driver as one of the first ones. Sears had a sale on their 1/2" cordless drill and cordless driver combo set for about $130 so I bought it. Then about a year later lithium battery tools came out and all the guys on the crew bought the Makita sets. They all started in on me to buy the same set up. The way I look at it is when my craftsmans die I would buy the new Makita since if it ain't broke don't fix it. That drill/driver set never let me down and I bought a couple extra batteries so I always had charged batteries. The set was still working just fine and I used it about every day on the job but when I was packing to move I gave it to my Chinese Doctor friend because hers had died and she needed one and never charged me for all the help she gave me. Now I didn't have a drill/ driver when I got here so now I needed one and went and got the makita and not the cheap set but the better ones in the Plastic case since it is a higher amp tool than the ones that come in the bag. Bottom line is the Craftsman was a good tool and didn't need the new set till I needed it not just because they were the latest and greatest. Now in my mind ryobi is not a quality tool( sorry Paul) so I don't buy them. Had a great Bosche table saw Hitachi sliding compound saws ( sold them when I moved)and I like Rigid brand tools since they come with a lifetime warranty which I don't think any other brand has plus rigid is a good quality tool. Buy for quality not just because it's the newest thing on the market, I am not a tool wo'. Aloha,Kokua

all good kokua. we all have prefererences. just check the link and see what ryobi make. your maybe driving around on one of there US made alloy castings. they employ 600 americans. i think there saws and drills are fine tools. sanders not so good.  i have killed a bosch grinder and sander as well. both were the industrial rated ones. my italian made rupes sander however is bloody amazing qaulity, but yeah they are about 800 bucks. i spent the money where i felt it neccesary in the finishing aspect!  but didnt feel the need to spend huge on a planer that was only skining 3mm of foam as long as the thing cut straight

i think this planer was about 15$ US and worked fine . it did about 25 or 30 boards. i think the little ozito i got for 45 $ us is hopefully gunna do a 100.

you can see that planer cuts true and no tearout and as a bonus, its light

    Howzit Paul, I know some of the boys have the Bosche orbital/rotary sander and they have worked pretty good and Bosche also makes another one that you doesn't have the switch to switch between orbital and rotary and I have used both but thought the the second one worked best. As for their grinders, the on/off handle switch is junk. Had a friend who was going through the switches every few months so I took one(switch) apart and the metal contacts were like aluminum foil so they were not made for a lot of on/off feathering. Makita grinders are what I use and it really surprized me to find out they were made in the USA. When it comes to tools, to each his own. I have a Rigid 6" orbital that works great and a Rigid digital camera that you use for looking inside walls and down drains,has a 3' flexable lens on it. Now that one the boys really want to borrow but I won't loan it out.Aloha,Kokua