A_Vitale Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 So which planer should I get guys, I have heard good things about the 13'' ridgid?? However I also am wondering if I should go bigger, or if a table top planer like this should suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 The Ridgid is nice. I have the older model that now looks exactly like the Steel City benchtop. Speaking of Steel City, I think they have one with a spiral head. Buying one today, I'd seriously consider a model with a spiral. If you get a bigger one, you'll use it. I have a 20" floor-standing model as well. Because I have it, I'll glue up panels 18-19" wide then plane them. Otherwise, doing them in 11-12" widths before final glueup works just as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgfore Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 I have a Ridgid Tabel saw and I like it. It really will, like most everything else (at least for me), comes down to money. If you got the $dough$, and the room, go big. I have the Dewalt DW735 13" planer, and it works great. I really do love this machine. It has so many details, that just makes it easy. The only thing that I do not like about the DeWalt is that it sounds like a F-14 is taking off in my garage. It is by FARRRR, the loudest machine that I have every been around. However, when it is through planing the wood, you do not even need to sand it. It leavs it that smooth. Jeff F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Link Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Jeff, I think it would help to know what you plan to do with it. Are you thicknessing a relatively small amount of wood for small projects or are you planning to push hundreds of board feet of hardwood through this thing? The Dewalt 735 (used to have it) was a nice machine for its purpose. It had the advantage of being easy to store under the table saw and came out as needed. Loud as heck but left a nice finish. On the other hand, its a bit underpowered for hogging off material in big hardwood boards and the tables are a bit short. If you envision surfacing a lot of material, a floor standing model might be a better investment. Another factor is consideration for a spiral head. Several floor standing and at least the Steel City lunchbox planer have a spiral head, which can be a big advantage. Buyer beware, however, as "spiral" heads are not all created equal. A good one (ie Shellix) is a lot quieter, leaves a great finish and can go a long time without changing the carbide inserts. Like the others said: cost, space and your needs will drive the decision. If you are looking for a lighter duty machine that can be stored away when not in use, however, the Dewalt is a nice choice. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnice8 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 So the Steel City and the Ridgid are both very similar. What are the differences in the steel city that would make it worth the extra $100 to $150? Better spiral cutter heads? They both appear to be powered 15A 120V. 9000 max rpm for Steel City, 10000 for Ridgid Any other thoughts on a comparison? I have also thought about the makita but these two seem to be my front runners. -RB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab73180 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Dewalt is good too. Although i am a big ridgid fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 I opted for the DeWalt 735 because the table extended slightly beyond the base corners. I deliberately wanted something where the infeed and the outfeed had a chance at being at the same level of the base surface. yes, i know that the wings will dictate the angle the wood will be planed at. But I wanted a portable, due to space restrictions. Had I been able to afford the helical cutter, I would have purchased it as well. I don't have the space or power capability of running a floor model planer. I do, however, see the need for a larger than usual cutting area. So i opted for the 13" area of the DW735. But what works for me, will not work for everybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnice8 Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 So the Steel City and the Ridgid are both very similar. What are the differences in the steel city that would make it worth the extra $100 to $150? Better spiral cutter heads? Ok so doing more homework on this, the Ridgid uses a three knife cutter system. It used to be two, but newer models have been upgraded. The Steel City uses the helical cutting head with 26 or so individual cutters arranged on the head. Is there anyone out there that has the Steel City that can comment on the performance and noise level? Thanks -RB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 I don't have Steel City's planer but I did buy one of their cabinet saws a couple yrs ago and couldn't be happier. Both the quality and the customer service was outstanding. As for which planer, there isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said. I now have a 15" Grizzly and love it, before that I had a 13" Dewalt that always did the job and after about a decade and tons of boards it met it's match, great machine. Let us know what you choose and good luck. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhell Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 I have the 3 blade Ridgid. I like it a lot. It leaves a baby butt smooth surface. It seems like it bogs down when you shove a 12" wide piece of maple or walnut or whatever but it just powers on through. It is quite loud, I use shooting muffs while using it. For making guitars, I wish I had a 15" but thats a bit beyond my budget. The blades are 2 sided so you can flip them around when you dull one side. Pretty easy to swap them out and align them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 The Ridgid is nice. I have the older model that now looks exactly like the Steel City benchtop. Sounds like we have the same model. Out of curiosity does anyone know if the replacement blades for the current Ridgid model fit that older style one? I'm getting to the point where I'm going to need to replace the blades and I'm hoping I can just run to the Home Depot and not have to special order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab73180 Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 i do have a DW733. sharp knives make a big difference. if i was to upgrade, a 15 or 20 incher would be in sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorretta Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hi all, I recently upgraded my surface planer. My old 13inch surface planer to a 15inch HH surface planer. The old planer had three cutters. The replacement has the HH head. There is a noticable noise reduction. Bobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB1 Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I've had the Dewalt 734 ,which is the three blade 12 1/2" for about half the $$ of the 735, for about 3 -4 years now and like it a lot. The 735 has a more powerful blower for the chips and is a more heavy duty unit then the 734 or 733 but doesn't come with infeed or outfeed trays (separate add ons are available for more $$ ) I've used the 735 at Woodcraft a few times when I've been there for classes. It's a bit louder then the 734 but the 734 is still pretty loud. I can't see much difference in the cut quality between them but the 734 has a little more snipe then the 735 if I am remembering correctly. I don't recall having to do much by way of sanding at all on that unit. The 734 has a little snipe but most of the time so little I can hand sand it out, the cutter head lock helps this out a lot. Dust collection is really good on both. I just use a shop vac directly connected and it gets 90-95% of the dust and chips. I haven't used any other planers in recent memory so I can't speak for any other brands but the Dewalts don't even break a sweat for my hobby type work. I'm sure if you start putting 40 brd ft of hickory through them in a two hour period, they may start to complain (734 long before the 735) but overall I'm happy with my 734. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brtech Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Look on LJ, there is a review of the Steel City with the helical head. He didn't like it. I have an older model Rigid I picked up on CL. Works great so far, but I haven't pushed much through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 The byrd head that powermatic uses is the shiz nit from what I hear. As for the steel city, well, sometimes a copy is only a copy. You can make a fiberglass replica of a really awesome classic car, but its just not the same. If you are debating between the ridgid and the steel city, Id say go with the ridgid, unless you did extensive research on the SC and/or got your hands on one. The helical head sounds cool and all, but if its a cheaper version of one, it could prove to be disastrous. Sometimes you gotta just go with what you know, or....... you could shell out the extra bucks and get the powermatic and never have to buy a planer again. In other words, spend the money once, not two or three more times you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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