Alright, I know this has been beaten to death and beyond before, and yes I’ve read everything on this subject so I apologize for the redundancy. I’m looking for some solid and fresh opinions on two “lunchbox” planers: The Makita 2012 and the DeWalt 735. Both have their pros and cons, but I’m really, really split between the two. Most of the recent reviews say that the Makita is underpowered, while in an older review in FH, Michael Standish called it a “beautifully finished gem.” I’m usually not a big fan of DeWalt but I do like the looks of some of the 735’s features such as the chip fan, the 3-knife cutterhead, and the longer, solid base. Makita then comes back with a better price, cheaper knives, lighter weight, and my own personal preference for blue tools. I’ve heard DeWalt’s knives are garbage and at almost $60.00 a set that’s just not going to work. I don’t have dedicated dust/chip collection in the shop so DeWalt’s chip ejector would be a nice feature.
I can get a 735 locally for $450.00 plus tax. There’s a sale this week on the Makita for $369.00 plus shipping at 7 Corners.
Basically, aside from buying both and trying them both out I’m on the fence and have been going back and forth almost daily for the last week or so. I’ve already gone to buy each one several times already and keep having second thoughts. I don’t do any high-production planing and I definitely don’t have room in my shop right now for a proper floor model so a portable “lunchbox” unit is my best bet.
So, any thoughts?
Nick
Replies
I spent 4 hours running the 735 today cleaning up 2" thick by 10" wide Ginko lumber..didn't miss a beat. Had it for a year abouts, its been great..a little feed roller slip, I solved that by adding a waxed sub bed of 3/4" LUMCORE Plywood.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
cleaning up 2" thick by 10" wide Ginko lumber
I know this is off the thread topic, but Ginko lumber caught my eye. I didn't think we had enough of those trees in this country for a long enough period of time to have harvestable timeber.
"I know this is off the thread topic, but Ginko lumber caught my eye. I didn't think we had enough of those trees in this country for a long enough period of time to have harvestable timeber."When people first started planting them in the US, nobody took into consideration that the rotting of the fruit every year smells so bad it's almost nauseating. Maybe they are already cutting them down. Now we know to plan non fruiting Ginkos.
Just have to get rid of the female trees, then there's
no rotting fruit.Ginko trees are not bothered by polluted city air, which
is why they have become very popular in cities.
I agree that they make excellent trees for urban areas. They were planted in Philadelphia for that reason, however many (females) were removed because of complaints over the smell. However I am disappointed when designers overlook native species that tolerate these conditions just as well.
There was an interesting story on NPR a while back, about just this topic.The side effect of planting so many male trees is the high pollen counts in cities. Combined with the air pollution, no wonder I don't want to live in them any more.
Did you ever see those pictures of Japanese wearing white
masks on the streets of Tokyo? Actually, those masks are to
ward off cedar pollen rather than air pollution. All the
forests in that whole region are pure stands of cedar, and
the TV stations issue pollen alerts in the spring just like
weather reports.
total hijack here... but some real genius planted a ginko with the stinky berries on school grounds, and I managed to convince all the kids to traipse through the poopy berries on a parent visitation day... I never saw administrators get to a classroom with a cease and desist order so fast in my life, but, it was too late!!!!jmmmm
You didn't happen to go to Del Val did you?
nope did this all in nj...
jmmmm
I'm fron South Jersey my self, but I went to Deleware valley College in Doylestown PA. It must be a College thing becasue the same situation occured there.
Well things did take a turn. I had a Delta DC-380 3hp, 15" planer follow me home the other day. So far I've just had enough time for a tune-up and the little bit of cleaning that it's needed. It's an awful lot of machine for the money though, six or so years old and $500.00 cash. Not bad. When all was said and done I figured having a larger, more capable planer in the shop is more valuable to me than having a portable unit. If the need really arises I can always borrow a smaller one to lug around.Thanks guys, I appreciated all of the responses. That ginko looks pretty nice too.Nick
FYI...Amazon has the Makita 2012NB Planer for $385 with free shipping if you are a prime member.Brad
Yeah, I was waiting for that. Sit down and lemme tell ya about that.
I am in Central KY, not far from Lexington..where Mary Todd Lincoln house is..nearby is an Estate. The estate was the home of a dude named Henry Clay, and Ol'honest Abe was a big fan of Mr. Clay..Clay was some kind of high up statesman or some such level of royalty in the folks eyes.
It is said that Mr.Clay had imported the first Ginko trees ( in this area, if not the country) during his and Abe's time..sooooo..this would be a decade or two before the war.
Some of these Ginkos that are still standing ( one I know for certain is on the estate, cuz I was just there a week or so ago) are well sized, at 12-16-18" diameter. The guy who runs the arborist service that cares for these trees is a friend of mine and also a customer..his tree service has felled just about every species that grows here.
He has a Lucas sawmill, and he had one of these Ginko logs sawn..all of it right at 2" thick. His wife wanted a bi-fold door for thier "various and sundry types of wood" log home. And I scouted the pile and chose afew planks for the 4' wide opening.
A first for me too..and probably the last..it is about as hard as tulip pop, and has a wierd hue of yellows and creams...many inclusions from pruning scars. It also stinks to high heaven..like some kind of U-r-i-n-e ( can't say #### or piss) .
Light and strong, non descript grain which is diffuse porous as near i can tell.
We'l see how stable it is, it was AD and I knocked it down quite a bit to 1 7/16 not all off one side, but not balanced either. I'll let it rest at its new thickness and then rejoint and plane to 1 5/16 or less, if needed.
Oh, and the doors are to have wood burning pen type art work on the panels ( done by the HO's wife). not I.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Got any pics of the ginko?
ditto. I'd love to see some pictures. I mean of the tree, not the lumber. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what John is referring too.
oh.., I'm looking for pics of the wood as it came out of the planer. I've got several young ginkos growing here so I know what the tree looks like. Have always been impressed with the Ginko since I 1st recognized them 25 years ago at a school I went to. There were probably 20 of them planted along and amidst the parking lot.
I love the trees, and there are many on campus here. We are considering putting one in our "curb strip" (where some idiot ran over one of our canadian something or others and knocked it down) but I'm concerned that they are too slow growing.So anyway I wanted to see a picture of a really mature one, and see how big it got.
The ones I recall were in the 20ft range. Definietly a slow grower.
Curb strip... mayb an American Elm (princeton) that are either tolerant of or immune to the Dutch Elm beetle. I've got several of those here and they grow pretty fast but seem strong like Elms of old.
American Elm (princeton) ... I've got several of those here and they grow pretty fast but seem strong like Elms of old.
Do you think that the form of the Princetons seem to resemble the Elms of old?
I gave up years ago looking for an elm substitute. Nursery catalogues and plant writers were promoting various kinds of trees as being the "perfect" substitute. I even bought a couple of Japanese Zelkova trees in response to what I had read. So now I see Zelkovas every day. They are not visually interchangeable with the Elm.
>...resemble the Elms of old? <
As I understand it, it is the Elm of old and not a replacement. Read about & order them at http://www.americanelm.com/index.htm Lucky for me that the farm is not too far from here so no change in ag zones for the plants I got.
I grew up with Slippery Elms so the leaf of the Princeton which is an American Elm is larger but the tree shape/form is the same so far, nice vase shape. I'm pretty happy with the 3 I've got going now, 3" dia & 20 ft after starting with 4' tall containered plants. I prune annually so I'm sure that assists the vertical growth a bit. They're not cheap but I think they're worth it.
Well, things have taken a turn for the better. I found a lightly used Delta DC-380 planer on CL this week for a really good price. If things work out this will be finding its way back to my shop either tomorrow or Monday. I originally didn't want to get something this large, but I'm really just not impressed at all with the lighter planers. Usually I'm much more easily satisfied. I'd much rather have something heavier and more reliable in the shop that I can work a bit harder and borrow a lunchbox or pick one up used later on as needed. I'm also getting to the point where prefabricating as much in the shop as possible is making much more sense to both myself and my work. We'll see what happens, hopefully I'll hear back from this guy again tonight and head out tomorrow morning after work to check it out.
Thanks for all the replies,
Nick
I'll throw another plug in for the Makita. Leaves a nice surface finish, quieter than the DW (the noise from the DW will raise the dead- over 100dB), more portable (the DW is a hernia creating 90+ lbs iirc), and by most accounts including mine, dead nuts reliable. imho the DW 735 seems designed by marketing guys where as the 2012NB seems designed by someone who uses tools for a living. As for the DC 380, no question you'll be able to hog off more in one pass but I suspect the surface finish will be no better than the Mak.
I wanted to see a picture of a really mature one
There a few mature ones near me. I live in an area that has had woody-type plant nurseries since late 19th century. That brought some of unusual trees to the area.
The two I can think of are visually different from most local trees. Less heavily branched. But instead of "sparse" think "elegence." To me they resemble a huge conifer with leaves substituted for needles.
One funny characterstic of the Ginko is the leaves sprout out all over the primary branches...kinda like a tree wearing a fuzzy sweater...could be called a Chia tree. Even the main trunk has leaves on it.
I have heard that sprouting leaves like that can be a bad sign - that a tree is near the end of its life. But I imagine that is species specific.
I think it's the nature of the tree since all the young Ginkos I have have are all like that.
Ginkgos are so different from every other living plant on the planet...they are difficult to compare with those we are familiar with. They are living fossils that predate dinosaurs by millions of years.Leaf veins do not branch, but rather each vein runs from stem to leaf margin in that fan shape. Like the veins that lack branches, the primary branches of the tree seem reluctant to form secondary branches. It seems to me, that the tree just covers its' primary branches with leaves, rather than adding more branches for leaves (so it gets the fuzzy sweater look).
That's really interesting, about how old ginko trees are. I had no idea. They will look different when I see them now. We're going to play tomorrow night, and I think I will be close to a stretch of them on campus. Provided it isn't so cold I run from the garage to the theatre.
It has been suggested that there are no remaining wild populations of Ginkgo...they may have gone the way of the dinosaur, were it not for a "captive breeding" program conducted by Monks in China.Evidently the Ginkgos were grown at a few monastaries and nowhere else, for about 1000 years. Kinda crazy. The Ginkgo was thought to be extinct and only known to Western botanists as fossils, for several hundred years.
BTW, I'll have these Ginko doors insatlled end of next week. The stuff does behave nice and works easily.
And < yes ,everything you have posted so far agrees with the Arborist who's home these are being made for.
Looks like I'll have one rail about 2x6x6'6'' left over, with one big honking knot full width at about the 4' mark.
He also has a few 2x10x6' in the loft yet..but were too short for the doors stiles. Maybe another project for them.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
No can attach at this time, Prospero is glitchin out on me..page expires.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
It may fly now..here is what I got.
View Image
That is the stiles...I had to really sneak up on them..the planks were knotty and exactly 6'6'' which I needed for the doors. I culled and crosscut the rails ( 7") from the shorts.
View Image
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Damm Duane, do you really trip over all tha DC hose? Annd air hose, and extension cords?"
Yes,,I do.
LOL.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Looks nice!
It does plane up nice, little tear out even around the upgrain at the knots..but the smell is to kill ya.
About like basswood or cottonwood / willow but w/o the aspartame scent.
Side effects so far are sneezing, cough and runny nose..or I still have a head cold..LOL.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Just got down to the wood photo posting. Yes, strange hues. Otherworldly.
Here's a pic of a roughly 35 y.o. Ginko
Hey Thanks!! I forgot all about the side thread in this thread.
Mine are only about 3ft now and still in pots; slow growers. Hardly a branch on any of them yet, mostly look like bottle brushes with cool looking leaves. I'm a fan of pruning the lower branches & moveing the crown up, that example in your pic could've used a lot of attention a while back IMO but to each his own I figure.
I have the 735 and love it. I am not a pro and use it as a DIYer/hobbiest. So far with just a few hundred feet of maple and some oak and walnut it has been flawless.
I picked up a couple of extra sets of knives because of the distance I have to go for a supplier. Bad if I'm in the middle of something and have to wait.
I also bought a metal detector and clean the stock of possible imbedded junk with a scraper. I just drag it lightly once or twice on each face.
Check over in the KNOTS forum. There have been many threads on this subject in the last 2-3 months. Pay special attention to what some say about the torque on the allen head hex screws.
...The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home....aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
I've heard that about the torque required and the ease of stripping the screws. How have you found the knives in regards to holding an edge? That's the biggest complaint that I've heard from people over in Knots. Lately that has been my biggest push towards the Makita beyond my personal preference for their equipment. I'm hearing a lot of good things about the 735, wish this was an easier decision just like the old Festool versus Easysmart debate ;-)I'm hoping to hear a bit more about the Makita, I think I'm going to post this over in Knots as well to see what I can draw in.Thanks guys,Nick
The edges seem OK to me, so far. A beautiful , smooth finish with a low feed rate, small bites and doing the higher speed. Just remember than anytime you lay a piece down somewhere to give it a quick swipe with your hand. You'll most likely feel anything that adheres to the surface that might mess up the blades.
I haven't worked anything that had what you might call real figure yet. Nothing like a bird's eye or curly grain.
I'm already thinking about saving for one of the helical cutterheads with the carbide inserts. I've heard nothing but good about them but they are pricey. Don't know if I do enough to justify the purchase yet. It would be more of a want than a need. Some (the DW in particular) might say I'm nuts for considering it on the lunch box models. I only pass this way once and another improvement for a nice toy is probably in the near future. This is one reason I retired, to play....The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home....aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
bought a new 735,the first 50' it was outstanding,by the time i got thru the next 50' the rollers were slipping, i had to push the wood through. and believe it or not the blades were starting to get a little nicked up. so i loaded it up and took it back,got another one.
then i read everything i could find on them.seems as these 2 problems were very very common,so i didn't even un box the second one just took it back bought a set of blades for my old delta 12.5 and called it good.
what i don't understand about this planer,100% of the people that own one talk about the blades not lasting,why can't dewalt make a blade as good as anyone else? the roller problem seems to be livable if you make a ext. table and polish the heck out of it. so dewalt can't throw in a couple of extentions with a 500.00 planer?
oh did i mention the snipe,figure to lose 8" of each end of every board. when my delta was new it would so out shine this dewalt it wouldn't even be funny.
i don't know what a guy should buy,thats why i still have my old one. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
All this talk about planers makes me quite happy i still have my old AP-10 Ryobi. Still cuts nice, and runs as sweet as the day I bought it.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I finally bought the extension tables for about $50. They do reduce snipe to a very small amount for about 3". I agree they should be a part of the bargain; but DeWalt is well-known for squeezing more money out of you for anything extra.
For $50, I was disappointed to find that the adjustment for the extensions really stinks. I have had to fiddle with it several times to get the plates in the right plane. It is hopelessly underengineered.
I guess anyone who has had experience with DeWalt batteries should not be surprised that the planer blades are substandard.
Nick.
In general I've seen a preference for the Mikita over the Dewalt tools because of superior reliability. (personally I have about 50-50 of each)
As to the power thing.. I think that's a good thing. It forces you to take thinner cuts and that means you are less likely to make ugly hog out mistakes..
(by the way, you'll probably note that you can remove a lot more material with really fresh blades than when the blades are slightly dull).
That's a bad thing.. because you'll be tempted to replace the blades too often.
Oh well, Sigh!
I have the Makita. It works great for me and is in no way underpowered. It is also lighter than the DeWalt, if that matters to you. It leaves a beautiful finish.
I have the Makita as well, and have for a number of years. It is an excellent machine and leaves a beautiful surface. One of the things I love about it is the ability to take exceptionally light cuts. You can bump the depth lever a bare 1/8" and the planer will take cuts so light the shavings float in the air and the rubber feed rollers leave no telltale marks behind. Many of the other planers I've used require you to take a certain amount off or they leave feed roller marks on the wood.
I have not used the new dual speed Dewalt, but I did have the older 12 1/2" model. I used it as my shop planer when I was teaching. I ran thousands and thousands of feet through that thing and it was a reliable machine except for the gears. I broke three during the five years I owned it. To replace one is an easy fix and it was worth keeping a spare on hand. They were made out of some cheesy pot metal. It was still working fine when I sold it about six months ago. I replaced it as the shop planer with a Ridgid.
I can't remember if your hauling it to jobs with you or it's for a shop, but the Dewalt is way bigger. I wouldn't really consider it portable. The Makita folds up fairly small and I can carry it with one hand if needed.
- Kit
i just checked 7 corners and the makita is $469 plus shipping. where are you located? i have a makita 2012nb about 2 yrs old with extra knives and dust hood, never used i'll sell for $375 plus shipping.i'm in ct.
Where in CT are you?I'm up by Worcester, MA.
I appreciate what you are going through. I went through the same research and selection process. I must have dithered between the Makita and the DeWalt for six months before I finally bought the DeWalt. They had dropped the price to $450 at Lowe's and offered a free mail-in coupon for the chip collector. I really like it, and with the chip collector attached to a trash can, it has awesome dust collection. Couldn't agree more on the cost of the knives. I'm babying mine. I may still buy the Makita at some point for general work, although I have heard it does a nice job.
I'm real happy with my Delta 13" 2 speed planer. End snipe is minimal and I get a really smooth finish even with figured woods. The trick is to take just a little off at a time. The only problem I've run into is the rollers started slipping when they had a coating of saw dust. But I cleaned them up with paint thinner and it was like new again.
I've had mine for about 4 years now. Still using the original blades, having sharpened them a couple of times.
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Did you send them out to be sharpened?
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