Planing boards for cabinet rails & stiles

[nickao]

The CT is not handling either one of those planers more than a few minutes. Bench top or not I got horrible results using anything but at least a 1-1.5HP induction motor dust collector with a planer, min.

If you are buying a planer that is not a bench top(ie a 3hp 220 V 400lb machine) you have no business unless you have a real dust collector anyway. I would not base what planer I got on the vac, but the dust collector on the planer. If you get that Grizzly Planer you should purchase a little 1HP 4" dust collector dedicated to it at the very least.

So yeah, stay with a bench top planer if that is your mindset.

Once you get the knack for your machine changing the blades is not an issue. I change blades on a machine some people say is horrible(for blade changes anyway), I never noticed, you just get used to your machine.

 

[grobin]

Hmmm, want that sander make mega dust? Is it possible to suction it?

Does anyone have this planer or something similar? A friend told me he would go larger than his DeWalt 735, 13" if he was buying now..
675lbs, 42+ inch table & wings, 3HP, 15"x8" capacity, nice stand & roller system... under $1000, $1,139 shipped. Not much more than a DeWalt 735 with the extras to make it support longer boards etc...

http://www.grizzly.com/products/15-3-HP-220V-Planer-Polar-Bear-Series/G0453P

They have dust collection ports.  But if you are going to use either a planer or drum sander you must use something like the dust deputy else you will spend more time changing bags than working.  There is a model for the CT series which clamps to the top just like the systainers do but its a huge premium.

As for the grizzly I don't know anyone with one although I seem to remember some good write ups.  The larger plainer makes a big difference on what you can handle.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

The CT is not handling either one of those planers more than a few minutes. Bench top or not I got horrible results using anything but at least a 1-1.5HP induction motor dust collector with a planer, min.

If you are buying a planer that is not a bench top(ie a 3hp 220 V 400lb machine) you have no business unless you have a real dust collector anyway. I would not base what planer I got on the vac, but the dust collector on the planer. If you get that Grizzly Planer you should purchase a little 1HP 4" dust collector dedicated to it at the very least.

Same in my experience.  Penn State makes a nice small portable DC with a really good bag.  Others' bags just leach the dust back into the air.

 

[skinard]

hello, i have a 15 inch delta heavy duty plainer. i build a lot of faceframes, and i find that it is much easyer to plain all my boards, and faster. i would say if you have the time to sand or scrape your boards, then that is the way to go, but if you are in a hurry, like i am most oy the time, i would get a good plainer. some of the smaller ones are loud when running, but the 15 inch delta is not real loud. something to think about. also mine runs on 220 volt.

 

[grobin]

BTW the reason that I use the dust deputy and the CT is AFAIK none of those big DC has a HEPA filter available and some of the stuff that I wind up working is pretty toxic!  I have less HAZMAT to dispose of and it is much easier (costs less too)!

 

[tbellemare]

I have a DW735 connected to a CT 22. I use a 50mm hose and Long Life Bag. It fills up pretty fast, as noted, but does a pretty good job. That planer has a pretty good blower so the CT is mostly a negative pressure receptacle.

I wouldn't want to use this set up for production work, but for my pace of work, it does the job. I can usually get a finish right out of the planer that needs very little sanding.

Tom

 

[ccarrolladams]

As I have said many times, I built hundreds of cabinets before I bought a building to use as my shop.

In my shop we continue to use a lot of Festools, and for those we own and use many CT dust extractors. All three of the Kapex installed in the shop have dedicated CT22 hooked to then with 36mm hose. The 2 Kapex bolted to fixed benches also have standard miter saw shrouds behind them which are connected to the plant dust collection system. The rolling stand for another Kapex was designed so a CT22 fits in it and rolls with the stand where ever we need it.

Since common sense and many regulation mandated we use a permanent DC system, all of our fixed machines are connected to it, each with a powered dampner gate which opens before the machine reaches useful speed and closes after the machine stops.

Our sliding table saw, planer, joiner and tilting-arbor shaper are all made by Felder. All have large 480v 3ph and create dust and chips way beyond what can be collected by portable DC systems. In our city the Festool CTs, because of the HEPA filters, are permitted inside. Except for the duct work, our DC system must be installed outside our building. We are on a large lot in an industrial zone, so the noise of the DC system is not a problem. Our local air quality agency licenses our DC system and frequently takes measurements while it is in use.

Trust me, as much as I love a minimal dust shop, I would have preferred to spend the money on even more Festools than on the DC system and the permit/license fees. It is sort of like the forklift. We could not move as much material as we need daily without it, but with that money we could have bought many more tools.

Oh, yes, if you think a 20" planer kicks up a bunch of chips, wait until you use a CNC nested router with a 20hp router, or a beam saw with an 18hp motor.

 

[MacMitch]

Would a 1.5HP DC3 Penn State Dust Collector handle a 13-15 inch planer well?

My shop has a wall that is on the exterior of the house. Much of the shop is underground but the one wall has places I could run a hose outside. Maybe a 1 Micron bag would work too? I do have a General 2HP table saw, INCA Band Saw, in the room too and it would be nice to have a higher volume dust collection system for them too. I have ripped many a foot of trim board on that table saw and the air can get a little thick.

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DC3-1M.html

 

[Wonderwino]

A 1.5hp dust collector would work on any of those machines if used one at a time.

Another alternative for jointing and planing would be a combo jointer/planer.  I have looked at the Jet JJP-12 and it looks like a nice machine for a home shop.  The nice thing about these combo type machines is that your jointer capability is match to your planer.  I have a stand alone Jet 15" planer, but only a 6" jointer.  I have to rip wider boards down to joint, reglue and then plane to thickness.  That works okay, but the grain never matches perfectly due to kerf loss.

 

[grobin]

A 1.5hp dust collector would work on any of those machines if used one at a time.

Another alternative for jointing and planing would be a combo jointer/planer.  I have looked at the Jet JJP-12 and it looks like a nice machine for a home shop.  The nice thing about these combo type machines is that your jointer capability is match to your planer.  I have a stand alone Jet 15" planer, but only a 6" jointer.  I have to rip wider boards down to joint, reglue and then plane to thickness.  That works okay, but the grain never matches perfectly due to kerf loss.

This is a very good point.  The jet JJP-12 helical versus the regular is about $1,000.  I don't know if its worth that.  The only person I know with one is the local mill operator and he has two that he uses for "small jobs".  I think that they are 13amp so you might not need a 220 circuit.  They are big heavy and expensive.

As far as that DC goes I am not impressed.  If you work MDO it does nothing for the gasses emitted and if you work toxic woods like  Ipê it doesn't get all the dust so you still need a mask and have to get rid of toxic dust in your shop!  Yes a HEPA air cleaner would help get rid of the dust and if it has a carbon filter the gases; but that cost more than that DC does.  On top of which that unit will fill really fast without a cyclone separator.

 

[nickao]

Those are 16-amp, 3 HP motors that are  pre-wired for 230 volts. So that's 16 amp at 220, I believe 32 amp on 110.

Look at the specs here, it says different so I am a bit confused.:

http://www.tools-plus.com/jet-708476.html

I don't get why that page you linked to says 13 amp, that can't be right. If it is correct I would stay away from the unit.

Maybe there are two options?

13 amp 110 is a bench top motor for a planer, IMHO.

 

[MacMitch]

I was following a suggestion on a post above to a Penn State site, there are other units there. I started at the bottom cost wise. That unit sort of looks like the motor on a chipper/shreder, which also blows. It looked like it would be easy to move between tools in the shop. I was trying to avoid the whole issue of installing a complete dust collection system with links to all the major tools.

I was thinking about running a hose to the back yard and not even trying to bag the dust & chips. I seem to recall others doing that quite a while back. Since I am not sure how deep I will get into working solid wood I was trying not to break the bank immediately. I am also looking at: router table/router, more planes, planer, new sliding mitre saw & stand, sawhorse systems (more portable than my MFT, more for construction),more systainers.....

I thought many of the Festool guys use their plunge saw to make usable edges on solid wood lumber, making a jointer sort of a luxury??

 

[nickao]

Yes you can joint the edges, but with a a TS 75 is better for jointing though. In no way does it replace or make a jointer a luxury though.

Blowing dust out the house is against the law in most places and unless you live on a farm the neighbors are not going to go for that!

 

[MacMitch]

I live on 12 acres, AG1. Open land on three sides, 4 homes on 3.5 acres on one side of me.

How about running the dust & chips into a 1 micron bag or barrel outdoors or located in another room? I just enclosed an area under my porch, not heated, next to my heated shop. I was thinking about doing the messy dusty, painting, smelly, finishing work there anyway. At one point I was thinking about placing a fan in the wall to draw dust, odors etc. out of the room. Everything I do is for family or home based business, not commercial.

 

[grobin]

Something weird that I noticed is that the 10" joiner/planers are 1/5 to 1/2 the cost of the 12".  Do you really need a 12" capacity?  If so one of the drum sanders would be a cheaper, better solution.

As for just dumping into the outdoors that would solve the shop problems but you would not want it to dump near a garden, or where kids or pets would be likely to get into it.  If you are working traditional woods and no MDO, MDF, etc. then there would be no concern.

 

[tbellemare]

I agree with that one, Gerald. I grew up in Houston and left... I don't want that stuff in my water supply, fruits, vegetables, air, or hair. (I have little concern with that last one anymore.) The stuff you don't know about is bad enough.

When I'm working real wood, I use a long life bag and dump it in the compost bin. Otherwise, I capture it and send it to the city for burial. I'm counting on them to do what we've voted on. That could also be just silly hope? To my knowledge, the landfills are downstream. I feel sorry for those downstream.

Tom

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Grobin, I have one word of caution for you about leaving remnants of your woodworking spread around the outside of the house, DON'T.   TERMITES will love you!

Also, drum sanders and planers have two different functions.  Drum sanders are not meant to remove a lot of material per pass and planers are not meant to smooth out wood like a drum sander can.

 

[lumbajac]

A 1.5hp dust collector would work on any of those machines if used one at a time.

Another alternative for jointing and planing would be a combo jointer/planer.  I have looked at the Jet JJP-12 and it looks like a nice machine for a home shop.  The nice thing about these combo type machines is that your jointer capability is match to your planer.  I have a stand alone Jet 15" planer, but only a 6" jointer.  I have to rip wider boards down to joint, reglue and then plane to thickness.  That works okay, but the grain never matches perfectly due to kerf loss.

This is a very good point.  The jet JJP-12 helical versus the regular is about $1,000.  I don't know if its worth that.  The only person I know with one is the local mill operator and he has two that he uses for "small jobs".  I think that they are 13amp so you might not need a 220 circuit.  They are big heavy and expensive.

Another j/p option with a very appealing price... spiral cutterhead to boot - http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Planer-Jointer-with-Spiral-Polar-Series/G0634XP

 

[peter halle]

Continuing the posting about sawdust and shavings disposal, actually the sawdust and shavings are not good for the garden until they have decomposed.  While they are cooking, they are using up nitrogen and are a negative affect.  They cause more harm than good initially.

Peter

 

[tbellemare]

It's easy to make a (or many) cheap and effective compost bin(s). Just make a cylinder out of chicken wire. You can even disguise it if you want and it can look almost like art.

Tom