Hey everyone...
I was just wondering the difference between the planers you can get at home depot ext. and the clark foam or other 'surfboard' planers. I know that the cut depth on the cheaper ones is a lot smaller, but are there any big differences in performance between the cheap brand name planers and the more expenseve ones?
It’s not so much about the actual cut depth, but rather about the possibility to make this depth vary WHILE doing a pass. Most (pretty much ALL, actually) planers were designed to take out a precise wood thickness upon each pass and thus they are equipped with clicking set-up devices that are not really practical to change during a pass. Whereas “pro” shaping planers can start a pass at, say, zero depth, move it progressively to the max and back to zero at the end of the pass. Very, very useful but also takes a hell of a time to master.
Add to that the fact that an expensive planer will usually last longer than a cheap one but I’m pretty sure you knew that…
I have a cheap one that has "evolved" from clicking depth adjustment to a smooth. I figure a little more use and it should be operating perfectly for the shaping room.