planers

[Ron Nossaman]

> I need to buy a planer mostly for bridge work--preparing cap material and
> planing bridges prior to notching and attaching to the soundboard.  Not
> heavy use but I need something accurate with easy to change blades and not
> too expensive.  Anybody have anything they really like?
> 
> David Love


How would we know? Most of us who own a thickness planer have 
only bought the one. Mine's an old cast iron 12" Parks, and 
has enough mass and adjustments to be useful and maintainable. 
In general, I'd recommend at least 12", heavy over light 
(frame and blades), bed rollers, at least three blades, 
pressure bar adjustments, minimum planing thickness of around 
2mm, and probably a couple of other things that will occur to 
me in an hour or so.

Ron N