Looking for the right Planer

[julief]

I have been looking at planers for a while and am having difficulty finding one that will plane down to 1/4 or 1/8.  The guy that planes my boards has one that the specs say 5/16 but he has no problem going smaller.  What do you use and how thin will it go.  Also, need to know the minimum stock length.

[kp91]

Julie,

I have the Ridgid Model # R4330 3 knife planer, and it I love it.  It will plane down to 5/16",  but If you put a piece on an auxilliary planer sled you might be able to go thinner.  You cannot plane anything less than 14" long safely.

If you're doing a lot of small stuff, you might want to look at a thickness sander.

[Russ C]

I have a Craftsman Professional 15 amp 13'' Planer. It will plane from 1/8 in to 6 in thick. Had it for several years and it works great. I also have an 8" joiner/ planer.

[dgman]

I have a DeWalt 733 which is not made anymore. It easily planes down to 1/8". The min. length is 12". however there are ways around that.
The Dewalt 734 has replaced the 733 and is basically the same machine but now has three reversible disposable blades as opposed to two blades that can be resharpened.

[Joesawdust]

My Delta goes  down to  1/8" no problem

[jimbo]

I have a Ryobi thickness-er and the min. thickness is 5mm, but if you want thinner you can put a base board in and go down another couple of mils. but for thin stuff keep you blades sharp as blunt ones pick the wood and judder, min. length is 6" and width is 12" length unlimited as some one is there to hold the wood as it is fed through, blades on this machine can be sharpened
Jimbo

[julief]

What I am finding in the specs is that Ridgid, Dewalt, Delta and many others state that they can only go down to 5/16.  Just because the specs say so, does not mean the machine is not capable of going lower.  I have even looked at higher price points, and they also state 5/16.  I have seen these same machines go down to 1/8 with no problem.  Also, lengthwise, I've seen shorter that 12 inches go through without snipe.  The dewalt is up to DW735 now, but the specs on line do not list the minimums.  I just wanted to know what your machines will do versus what they say they will do.

[jimbo]

Julie read my last reply, 5mm is the thinnest you can plane BUT if you put a base board on the bed of the planer you can get it thinner, BUT be sure you knives are sharp other wise you will get pick up from the cutters and may shred the wood you are planing
, on the Ryobi the blades can be sharpened with a diamond hone
Jimbo

[Terry Jackson]

The Makita claims a minimum thickness of 1/8", see http://www.cpomakita.com/planers/2012nb_spec.html.

Lumberjocks also rates a number of tools and had some good things to say about the Makita. 
Terry

[julief]

Thanks for all the replies - still doing my homework.