Tool Opinions?

Re: Tool Opinions?

John Foster

I have owned a Makita for twenty years, I have not used it for ten years. In my mind it is a "hack" tool, Maybe I never got sufficiently adept using it. The last time it was used was to level the beams in a 100 plus year old building before putting down new floor boards. It works for something like that, not for fine wood working.

Check out Makita, too

Re: Tool Opinions?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I borrowed one once and upon returning it I allowed that if I was hired to make a mess this would be the tool I would choose to achieve the goal. Whatever version I borrowed spewed shavings over a vast area.

Re: Tool Opinions?

Barry Irby

I have had a Makita for maybe thirty five years. I like it and agree with the others who pointed out it's not for fine wood working and makes a tremendous mess, and it only sprays out of one side. Also has no option for dust collection.

I also have a...wait for it...Festool one. Got it at a tool auction and cleaned and tuned it and added a straight cutter head. It belonged to a timber framer and had a head that left scallops from gently curved knives. Good for faking adz marks. I also added the dust port and it will blow out either side. It would fill up a shopvac in short order.

The Festool one has shorter bed length than the Makita. I have never tried using either one for joining boards with a glue line.

Very old Ryobi

Tim Greif - West of Chicago™

I've had a Ryobi planer for probably 30 years. It has never done anything but rough finishing. Good for planing the edges or ends of wooden doors, leveling extremely rough boards, and not much else. I agree with others -- it excels at making a ton of wispy shavings all over the place. I keep it "just in case", but am wondering exactly why you think you need one.

Reason

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

have rough lumber that's way wider than either the jointer (6") or the planer (13"). They will fit in the Performax, but have to get one face reasonably flat first. I can do that with a belt sander and a straight edge, but it takes a while. With one face flat, the P-Max does a good job as an abrasive planer. Borrowed a friend's Bosch and it worked to knock down the high spots.

Re: Tool Opinions?

Mark Nowicki

Own and have experience with the Bosch.

A very useful tool; fitting doors, rough lumber prep, rabbeting, etc.

Very good chip pickup with the supplied bag, precise depth adjustment.

Re: Reason

Barry Irby

I made myself a slab flattening gig/contraption. Cobbled together out of junk and a router I bought to two dollars. Sort of a poor man's CNC, except there is no Computer, nothing Numeric, and not a lot of Control.

Something like that would work well for what you want. OTOH, It makes an unbelievable mess. It would be better to do it in somebody else's shop, in another county.

Router Planes Are Great

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I have 2 that I use with slab stock.

Way too much work doing 7 and 8' long boards