Quality electric planer

I've used a festool planer and it was awesome.

Su do you think the festool is suited to site work or is it better suited to workshop use on a bench.
SBD I do have a large selection of dewalt tools and will have a look at that model.
Cheers Jim

Originally Posted by jimfish

Su do you think the festool is suited to site work or is it better suited to workshop use on a bench.
SBD I do have a large selection of dewalt tools and will have a look at that model.
Cheers Jim

The one I used was onsite but for fine work. I wouldn't want to use it for rough work and risk wrecking it, not at the cost of them but I don't have enough experience with them to know for sure. Definitely the one I used had a very fine adjustment. I'm assuming they all would. I wouldn't trust that my makita has that fine an adjustment.

Originally Posted by jimfish

Su do you think the festool is suited to site work or is it better suited to workshop use on a bench.
SBD I do have a large selection of dewalt tools and will have a look at that model.
Cheers Jim

I love Festool, but could not justify a $500+ planer onsite, unless you were only doing fine finishing work.
If your work involves everyday construction then a cheaper unit is the go simply due to the working environment, its going to get banged, dirty and possibly dropped, I dont like to see exceptionally made tools such as Festool get ruined onsite.

Inevitably someone else will want to use it for someting and this is when they usually get destroyed, chewing out a nail accidentally.

This is a different story for an expensive tool like a festool track saw, even though these are expensive, I would say these can be an in despensible tool onsite, and well worth the expense as long as you look after them.

I am currently using a Japanese made Makita onsite, this was a chance find at my local Green Shed one day, they must have got a mixup with the chinese version and a load of Japanese made ones turned up (these were quickly replaced with chinese versions), for onsite use it's fine, it has a nice depth adjustment and so far has performed flawlessly.

The only thing I dont like is the little pop down lever which holds the blades off the workbench when not in use, this gets in the way when you need to plane half way on a surface, and refuses to click down, hense it found its way to become disconnected one day.

If your work involved only fine finishing work then yes Festool is the one to get.

My mate spent the money on a Kapex SCMS and it ended up stuffed, it got the same treatment any site tool expects, a little bit of rain here and there, etc and ended up broken as any other one would have.

Plus the blades cost a fortune because they had a silly arbour size and just wasn't worth the extra money for everyday site use, it' didnt cut any better than any other SCMS, he replaced it with a Milwalkee and was very happy with the new saw, if it was in a confined workshop probably would be a different story.

Thanks Metrix, I really like the idea of being able to plane a corner stud or window stud if need be but the price difference would in all reality mean that the festool would live in the trailer and only come out for specific jobs, and I think that site tools need to be robust and as much as possible cover a variety of purposes . I think unfortunately this rules out a festool.
I currently have a Japanese makita and am having annoying issues with chip ejection which is driving me nuts . I am heading to Melb in a few weeks and will go to a proper tool shop( so lacking in Tas) so I can touch and feel before I buy.
Thanks for your input.
Cheers Jim

Originally Posted by jimfish

Thanks Metrix, I really like the idea of being able to plane a corner stud or window stud if need be but the price difference would in all reality mean that the festool would live in the trailer and only come out for specific jobs, and I think that site tools need to be robust and as much as possible cover a variety of purposes . I think unfortunately this rules out a festool.
I currently have a Japanese makita and am having annoying issues with chip ejection which is driving me nuts . I am heading to Melb in a few weeks and will go to a proper tool shop( so lacking in Tas) so I can touch and feel before I buy.
Thanks for your input.
Cheers Jim

Hey Jim,

Looking at the various models, I noticed the Festool EHL-65 is only a 65mm wide planer, as opposed to most others at 82mm.

This could explain why it would produce a better result, as its cutting around 25% less material with a higher rotation speed, this would also lead one to be a bit synical and say Festool are up to their old tricks of making their blades and every other consumable different size / shape so you have to buy their stuff which usually costs 4 times as much as anyone elses.

Checking prices to see if this is true, I found OEM blades for the EHL are $25 per blade, so $50 blown per hidden nail you hit OUCH.

As opposed to a set of OEM Japanese made TCT Makita $15, or I buy the IVA TCT brand made in Luxemburg packs of 10 for $65, this is where Festool always gets let down, if you can fork up enought courage and cash to buy the units, they beconme too expensive in consumables to run over the life of the machine, as much as they might be a nice machine, for site use you cant justify the cost because the machine is in an un controlled environment and used on a wide variety of materials / situations and sooner or later (murphy says sooner) your going to hit something you shouldnt.

Knife Tc Reversible 82mm 10pce Kf8210 I/N 6331065 | Bunnings Warehouse

Have you looked at the Dewalt D26500K, 1050W, just over $326 the speed is a bit low at 13,500rpm 3 year warranty
Bosch Pro GHO-40-82C 850W wood razor speed 14,000rpm $319

These both have chip deflection from both sides which Makita still has not discoverd this basic function, this is a real bonus when you can plane either way without getting a face full of timber chips.
The Festool only has a 710W motor but has a superior rotation of 15,600rpm, but with a smaller blade width can get away with a smaller motor.

Not that motor wattage has anything to do with performance, I had a 1000w Nilfisk shop Vac and it would suck the socks off almost every other vac that was rated at 1800w or 2000w, it was just a better designed unit with a more efficient motor.

G'day Metrix
I use HSS blades that I sharpen myself with a whetstone grinder. Not to worried about a fine finish as most of my fit out work is varnished hardwood that I use hand planes to adjust. My power plane is mainly used for rebating for tie down straps on frames and straightening walls.Once I get a new plane I am going to try and get this current plane modified to cut a 40 mm wide x 3mm deep rebate for stud tie strapping. I do like the idea of chip ejection from either side, will check out those planes you mentioned.
Cheers Jim

If your after one that uses HSS blades you might strugle to find this nowadays, even the entry level $99 maktec (low end makita) uses Tungsten blades.

In the days when HSS was the norm, you could buy conversion kits to put TCT blades in the planer as the TCT blades are only about 5mm x 2mm wide and you needed a special plate that would hold the tiny blades, the only planer I know of that still uses HSS blades is the Bosch PHO-82, this is a Green series or DIY planer $99 from the green monster.

Originally Posted by METRIX

These both have chip deflection from both sides which Makita still has not discoverd this basic function, this is a real bonus when you can plane either way without getting a face full of timber chips.

My Makita planer has an adjustable chip deflector. It's a pain to twist and pull it out and swap it over to the other side, definitely could be better designed but it works.

Originally Posted by shauck

My Makita planer has an adjustable chip deflector. It's a pain to twist and pull it out and swap it over to the other side, definitely could be better designed but it works.

What model is it ?, I have two Makita and are both fixed to spew from the right.

Originally Posted by METRIX

What model is it ?, I have two Makita and are both fixed to spew from the right.

KP0810

Sydney Tools - Makita KP0810 850W 82mm Planer - KP0810

Whilst we're on Planers...
I have my Dads old TOWA and its a beauty.
Recently I managed to find a conversion kit for it to TCT blades, and I'm looking for more blades to put away for the future...
Was getting bandsaw blades at an old sharpening business and on the wall behind the counter was the kit with one set of blades and a spare set.
Blister pack backing faded and the plastic on top nearly perished away, so been there a long, long time...

The challenge is it's a 92mm NOT 82mm wide cut. So putting it out there if someone sees any I'll have 'em...

I have a Towa as well. Had to by a makita because the blades were clapped out and couldnt find any blades to suit.

Cool looking unit though.

Originally Posted by David.Elliott

The challenge is it's a 92mm NOT 82mm wide cut. So putting it out there if someone sees any I'll have 'em...

What if you vice them up to 82 and snap 10mm off.

I'm looking for longer blades, not shorter?? Or in the (comparative) cold here in WA my brains not kicked in...

Went firewooding Sat, parked right next to an ants nest at about 8am, even they did not show 'till just after 10...

Originally Posted by shauck

KP0810

Sydney Tools - Makita KP0810 850W 82mm Planer - KP0810

Ahh so it does, I have the other Makita model with fixed ejection to the right.

Originally Posted by David.Elliott

I'm looking for longer blades, not shorter?? Or in the (comparative) cold here in WA my brains not kicked in...

Went firewooding Sat, parked right next to an ants nest at about 8am, even they did not show 'till just after 10...

That would be these.

10 X 92mm Planer Blades FOR AEG 450 Trend PB27 Hitachi FU30 FU30A Ryobi L120N | eBay

Have just bought a Towa mini of eBay . Was cheap so we'll see how it goes

If anyone is looking for quality made 82mm Tungsten blades this guy has them cheap.
Same ones at Green Monster $64, I use these blades and can testify to their quality.

Made in Luxemburg not China like most others.

IVA Universal Planer Blades | eBay

But I spent quite a while looking every where for these and...nothing! Thanks' I'll get on and order today!



10 X 92mm Planer Blades FOR AEG 450 Trend PB27 Hitachi FU30 FU30A Ryobi L120N | eBay[/QUOTE]

Just an update.
I have purchased the Bosch Gho 40-82 850 w planer.
I've had it for about a month now and am pretty happy with it.
I was a bit concerned that it only has one blade but it cuts well in hard and softwoods. I love the fact the you can alternate the dust port from side to side and the depth control is excellent.
Overall it's a very nice tool to use .

https://www.tradetools.com/product-r...ust-deflection

I have had this for 6 years and it's an animal. Love it. Good choice jimfish

Coolness. Hook in, you will like it. It's heavy but it's quality.

One of the things I really like is the rebate depth allowing me to plane window studs that the apprentices have sighted with the bow the wrong way

Originally Posted by The Bleeder

I have 4 Ryobi Towa planers. (One was my dads)

This is where I get my HSS blades from

Ryobi Towa Planer Blades

and if you ever need to get another belt this is the only place that I could get any from that would ship to Oz

Ryobi 5131012177 POLY V-BELT 94-H3 Spares 4 Me

Do you have a blade setting jig for the Towa, I'd love the measurements so I could make one .

Awsome, I should be able to knock something up.
Thanks Jim