Planers

[Norm St.Onge]

Another vote for the TS (55 in my case) and guiderail for trimming doors. All of my work is in older homes, generally 1700's-1800's, and I'm either trimming an existing door to fit it's opening or I'm trimming a salvage yard door to fit an existing opening. Very little casing and jamb work, just get the damn door to open and close again!

The bevel is easy, I can trim a paper thin sliver or something meatier, and there is literally zero tearout, burning or blade marks. I'll run a sandpaper block over the cut just out of habit but it certainly doesn't need any real touch-up. I'll clean up edges with a round over bit on my Bosch Colt.

If the weather doesn't cooperate and I'm working inside the dust collection with the TS and vac is priceless.

I've lusted over the 850 planer but can't justify if it for the door work I do.

-Norm

 

[Dave Rudy]

I have only just noticed that the EHL 65 planer is not on the USA Festool site.

Would someone kindly compare the EHL 65 and the HL 850?

Thanks

Dave

 

[joiner1970]

Dave take a look in Tool reviews I have posted some photos of my EHL65 I cant compare as I dont have the huge 850.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I am questioning whether you can take a 45mm ripping cut down the hardwood edgeing strip of a door and get a perfect finish yet only take 0-3 mm off and also why you would want to when a planer is the obvious tool for the job. Any HHCS is going to make a monkeys lunch of that deep of a cut on a proper hardwood and a skim will just make things worse. The fine tooth blade will just burn aswell. Why not just use a planer that is made for the job and what if the door needs another mm off, another cut with the saw ? Come on, horses for courses.

TC,

I don't own a power planer, and I am not very good at using handplanes (but have never had a high quality, properly tuned plane to try).  The very first use I put my TS 55 saw to was to fit 3 new oak framed (1 3/8 inch thick), glass-paneled doors into old existing frame, reusing the old hinges, too.  On most of these doors, I had to trim all four edges, and I beveled most of them.  All of the cuts came out quite well using the standard 48 tooth blade supplied with the saw and a pair of guide rails coupled together, but they needed a little sanding before staining.  Based on discussion on this forum, Rick Christopherson's TS 55 manual, and direct communications with FestoolUSA's technical support personnel, I learned that my saw as delivered was incorrectly set up with blade "toe-out" rather than "toe-in."  Even with "toe-out" the quality of the cut edge was not at all bad, and quickly sanded out.  Cut quality improved since I recalibrated the saw, but I always get some blade marks.  I did not experience any burning of the oak wood while cutting.  I think cut quality even with the 26 tooth general purpose blade is quite good.

Dave R.