HL 850

[Birdhunter]

I have a project where a power planer would be helpful, but not really necessary.

I immediately looked at the Festool HL 850 and watched several videos.

Unlike most other Festool products, I don't see posts in this forum on the planer.

Anyone use one?

 

[VW mick]

I've got one it works really well

What was you thinking of doing with it .?

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

I use my HL850 on every project. It's a terrific planer!

If you use the "SEARCH" ...you will find a bunch of threads on it.

 

[Birdhunter]

I would use the 850 to do some trimming (planing) on the Ipe benches I'm making.

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I bought one and love it -- great little planer for lots of things. The bench unit is a great accessory too. I did some videos on it for one of the contests a few years ago.

Scot

 

[iamnothim]

Hummm.  Let's see.

I've had my eye on a Lie-Nielsen No. 7 joiner plane for some time.  $425.
Now that I've looked at this HL850...... for only $190 more I am wondering.....

Q:  Is this an apples v oranges situation?  I've never used a power planer.

 

[tbellemare]

It's common to use it around here as a fast way to achieve a distressed or hand-scraped look using the various uneven heads, as well as, normal hand planer tasks.

It has a center groove in the sole for chamfering and the cutter can be exposed for rabbeting.

As Scot pointed out, it also has an optional cradle that turns it into a small jointer.

Tom

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Hummm.  Let's see.

I've had my eye on a Lie-Nielsen No. 7 joiner plane for some time.  $425.
Now that I've looked at this HL850...... for only $190 more I am wondering.....

Q:   Is this an apples v oranges situation?   I've never used a power planer.

Different animals...but, you can get a good straight edge with the bench unit on pieces up to 36 - 40 inches long, or so. A long time member who used to be active (Per) has a post on here using it to surface rough timber. I have not done that, but in theory it should be possible with care and winding sticks. I have a #8 and would not consider having one over the other. They both have a place in my workshop. I do like the 850 very much and will add some new heads at some point in the future to get some cool textured affects in my work.

 

[Birdhunter]

The videos I've seen show a fence that would help in planing at 90 degree angles. What is that accessory?

 

[sancho57]

What Tom and Scot said

 

[tbellemare]

The videos I've seen show a fence that would help in planing at 90 degree angles. What is that accessory?

I'm not sure which videos but there is a nice "Angle Stop" accessory fence that can also be added.

Tom

 

[leakyroof]

I love mine, but it's the first power planer that I've owned, so I don't have any others to compare it to.
Do use the 36mm hose for it, the chip output from the tool demands it.
The Rustic Heads are fun to use. I have the Angle Stop and the Bench Unit but have not tried them out yet since all my work with the tool has been surface work with the Rustic Heads.

 

[iamnothim]

Thanks to everyone for the guidance/info.

So it's "kinda" apple v oranges with a bench plane.  That's what I thought.

My fear is this apparatus, in my hands, could do more harm than good.   I'm already very good at turning perfectly good lumber into sawdust.
I love the idea of the bench top adapter but a 36" length is limiting.  Perhaps I could rig some sort of extension or feather board.

Is it easy to make partial length passes?
With a bench plane I have a tendency to leave snipe on the sides.  Is that eliminated?  (Thinking out loud) The side fence is probably the ticket.

I just checked the product specs.  What is the overall length?

 

[iamnothim]

Hummm.  Let's see.

I've had my eye on a Lie-Nielsen No. 7 joiner plane for some time.  $425.
Now that I've looked at this HL850...... for only $190 more I am wondering.....

Q:   Is this an apples v oranges situation?   I've never used a power planer.

Different animals...but, you can get a good straight edge with the bench unit on pieces up to 36 - 40 inches long, or so. A long time member who used to be active (Per) has a post on here using it to surface rough timber. I have not done that, but in theory it should be possible with care and winding sticks. I have a #8 and would not consider having one over the other. They both have a place in my workshop. I do like the 850 very much and will add some new heads at some point in the future to get some cool textured affects in my work.

That #8 plane looks amazing.

 

[tiralie]

Hummm.  Let's see.

I've had my eye on a Lie-Nielsen No. 7 joiner plane for some time.  $425.
Now that I've looked at this HL850...... for only $190 more I am wondering.....

Q:   Is this an apples v oranges situation?   I've never used a power planer.

The 850 is a different animal than a hand plane.
A #7 is great on solid wood, on composite doors they struggle, dull quickly and produce a lot of tear out if you don't take light passes.
It's simalar to my Makita, in that they both plane wood and have a cord.
You can plane a solid wood composite door edge to fit in seconds. You can't with a #7. Well you can but it takes forever and you need to sand quite a bit.
You have a lot of control and the cut is very smooth.
Compared to my Makita, there is virtually no snipe and the dust collection is a great feature. The Makita throws chips every where.
Tim

 

[iamnothim]

Hummm.  Let's see.

I've had my eye on a Lie-Nielsen No. 7 joiner plane for some time.  $425.
Now that I've looked at this HL850...... for only $190 more I am wondering.....

Q:   Is this an apples v oranges situation?   I've never used a power planer.

The 850 is a different animal than a hand plane.
A #7 is great on solid wood, on composite doors they struggle, dull quickly and produce a lot of tear out if you don't take light passes.
It's simalar to my Makita, in that they both plane wood and have a cord.
You can plane a solid wood composite door edge to fit in seconds. You can't with a #7. Well you can but it takes forever and you need to sand quite a bit.
You have a lot of control and the cut is very smooth.
Compared to my Makita, there is virtually no snipe and the dust collection is a great feature. The Makita throws chips every where.
Tim

Thanks Tim,

I'm a garage woodworker.  The only work on entry doors I do is to open them.
I do make cabinet doors.  It looks like it would be good if I need to occasionally true up a door.

What about master planer Paul Sellers type of work?   (I think he's a rock star)
cleaning up rough lumber, removing bows, raising a panel smooth and such?

 

[tiralie]

What about master planer Paul Sellers type of work?   (I think he's a rock star)
cleaning up rough lumber, removing bows, raising a panel smooth and such?

Like Mr. Sellers says (in the first video), all you really need is a jack plane.

 

[fdengel]

Perhaps I could rig some sort of extension or feather board.

I believe I read somewhere that it is designed to be the height of a sys1 so you can use those as extensions.

 

[iamnothim]

What about master planer Paul Sellers type of work?   (I think he's a rock star)
cleaning up rough lumber, removing bows, raising a panel smooth and such?

Like Mr. Sellers says (in the first video), all you really need is a jack plane.

There are times when you can't substitute and power tool for a hand tool, no matter how tempting.  My gut (and Tim) is telling me this is one of those times.

 

[semenza]

Perhaps I could rig some sort of extension or feather board.

I believe I read somewhere that it is designed to be the height of a sys1 so you can use those as extensions.

That's the Kapex.  The 850 bench unit doesn't exactly match any Systainer height but is close to a Sys-III.

Seth