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<DIV> <FONT size=3><STRONG> Terry</STRO=
NG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG> I owne a ten inch ryobi (good Machi=
ne) & recently sold a 12 inch delta (also good) & neither =
could keep up with a lot of <U>wide</U> maple planning without bogging down =
on anything but small bites.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG> I recently purchased a =
3 bladed Dewalt 13 inch Its a new model under 500.00 & it is far more su=
bstantially built. You could call it portable but it's heavy. It has 2 speed=
s> One for hogging it off & the other for a fine cut. & it is fin=
e & smooth.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG> On the others I used them both a good dea=
l but did not ever have the bent blade thing just fairly quick dullness. The=
ryobi was a little work horse & the delta is a great machine for many l=
ighter duty type shops. The delta has a nice cutter head lock. The ryobi bla=
des are thicker than the delta but harder to change. The delta blades are tw=
o sided & easy to flip. It's better to discard & buy new ones than w=
aste time sharpening. They aren't that much.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG> The but is planing wide pieces of maple t=
ake its toll on any planer blades & a heavier machine will be required.<=
/STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><STRONG> Get out the check book. In fact a 15 inch=
would even be better & the new delta is about $1150.00 if I remebe=
r right.</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3> Dale</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue =
2px solid">
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a Dewald 12-1/2-inch electric planer=
. I use it quite a bit. I can plane Sitka Spruce all day with it. I can plan=
e narrow-ish hardwood boards all day with it. But, I have been making a=
number of pinblocks lately and find that when I run wide hard maple boards =
through the planer numerous times, it seems to take its toll. I suspect I am=
simply reaching the limits of durability with such a tool.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The blades are what seem to go first. I hav=
e enough power (unless of course the slower rotation when stressed contribut=
es to poor performance). The unit is wide enough for most of my needs. But t=
he knives get dull quickly. It takes a long time to sharpen them (I spent fo=
ur hours removing, sharpening, reinstalling and adjusting them yesterday). Y=
esterday I noticed that one edge was cutting deeper than the rest of the wid=
th. I found that one of the knives had bent at one end.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It seems that running wood through the plan=
er with the grain parallel to the knives is hardest on the planer. Are =
there any wisdom-type rules for such grain when planing with an electri=
c planer?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think this planer is just not heavy-duty =
enough for running lots of wide hardwood through it. Do bigger planers have =
thicker, more heavy-duty, knives? Are knives of higher-quality metals a=
vailable -harder (like for hand planes)? Anyone have a recommendation f=
or a bigger planer? How do others handle planer knife sharpening (I am sharp=
ening mine on my Tormek unit)?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oh, and here is a picture of my latest pinb=
lock. Quarter-sawn hard-maple epoxy-bonded with a Delignit cap. Operato=
rs are standing by......</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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