Hey!
I used my planer today and thought it would be a good idea to introduce that fine tool here.
I know most of us do not have a big electric planer to prepare their wood. Also is a band sander/table sander not the first tool one buys.
I for my part like to use my hand planer. It's a fine tool with which I can achieve slick surfaces and straight edges. Also is it a quite tool, which is important when I'm in the shop on Sundays or in the evening.
My most used planer is a Rali 220 Evo:
It's build up like a compact classic universal planer which one would also expect to see at construction sides. It's build really heavy to be handled easier. But it's more than just that.
This planer doesn't have the classic blade. It's got changeable blades, which is easier to use and doesn't require any sharpening. The ones who have tried sharpening a planer blade will know that it is a difficult thing and much easier to sharpen it sloppy than to get a square sharp blade.
Also does it have a lever for the blade, which makes it easy to adjust it. The blade is always perfectly set, no matter how much the planer is set to shave away.
The blade is hold by a simple mechanism. The blade adjustment is made with the little red lever, with which I can adjust it from bold shavings to the most light shaving. And that is really useful!
So when I need a really straight edge, I simply cut outside of the line. Afterwards I clamp that board and run the planer on a really light adjustment above. I can see when I touch the line and get a slick, absolute straight edge.
When I buy rough cut boards or just some simple lumber from the home store, I also clamp it and run my planer across the wood. I get a slick surface, bumps and marks are off - even price labels can be planed off really easy!
This planer is swiss made and one of the more advanced versions, costs in Europe 92 Euro(~117$) and seems to be sold in the US from 139$. There are blue and orange versions - I guess they simply changed colors. Mine is about 2-3years old.
I also own a second planer from that company the Rali pocket. It's a classic one hand planer for edges and has a fence to limit the wide of wood that is touched. I can also plane bevels with that one. But it's much more difficult to work with.
Rali 220Evo @ samvaz.ch producing company, with
videos to introduce the system