15 inch planer help

[simdave]

As a true Festool junkie,  I am convinced you cannot buy a quality well made 15 in planer that is easy to maintain, can be adjusted for no snipe, does not produce ridges, provides a finish that is equal to 120 grit sanding and doesn't require the same amount of time to hand carve a Chippendale chair as it does to change or adjust blades. It appears to me that most or all of these machines come from one or two Chiwan factories and that quality control is non-existent. Customer service from importers also appears to be poor at best.

It has crossed my mind that my expectations for what $3000 will buy are unrealistic and I'm just a whiner that has been overly influenced by bad internet reviews. Any recommendations/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm starting to lose it.

 

[Chris Hughes]

I use a 15" General Intl. that was made in Canada that does a decent job.  I think it was 1800.00 new but I bought from a buddy of mine for 600.  To be honest I don't use it much.  Between hooking it up to a big enough dust collector and that it can not go into the field easily, I lean more on my 13".

When I bought it originally I had a big shop scale project and needed to run hundreds of board feet but those jobs aren't around these days.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Have you considered a Hammer joiner-planer combo?  Here is a link to a review: http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=28321

I don't own one but I do have a friend who really really likes his and I am thinking seriously about buying one (afterselling my Delta 8 ionch planer and 15 incg planer).  If you really need 15 inches of width, larger Hammer models than the one that I pointed to are available.

And, I almost missed it, but I see this is your first post here.  So let me be the first to welcome you into the FOG.

 

[Frank Pellow]

I use a 15" General Intl. that was made in Canada that does a decent job.  I think it was 1800.00 new but I bought from a buddy of mine for 600.  To be honest I don't use it much.  Between hooking it up to a big enough dust collector and that it can not go into the field easily, I lean more on my 13".

When I bought it originally I had a big shop scale project and needed to run hundreds of board feet but those jobs aren't around these days.

General International machines are not made in Canada.  

General machines are made in Canada.

Hence the name difference.

 

[junk731]

If your budget allows a Hammer A3-31 is a 12" Jointer/planer that does not snipe and the A3-41 is the 16" version. Had mine for 3 years now with out a problem. If you decide to go with the Hammer get the cobalt steel knives, they cut great and last a long time. Resale is pretty good too.

John