New Tool Day: PC305TP
 

Finally got a thickness planer.

I picked this one because it was priced about where I could afford it, and it wasn't from Harbor Freight. It is an Asian Import, but it works very, very well.

It's a Porter-Cable PC305TP. It's a 12" thickness planer, 2 blades, 15 amps.



The knives are high-speed-steel and of the quick-set variety, so you don't have to do a lot of dicking around with adjustment wrenches. They're are also double-edged and reversible, so when you wear one edge out, you just flip it to the other sharp edge and you're back in business.

So far, I've made a few neck blanks and planed some hickory down to thickness for bow making.

It seems to be a good, solid tool. It came highly recommended by a few local cabinet makers and a couple of non-internet luthiers I know personally.

Incidentally, I got it at Lowes for $269.

Oooo, I need one of those.

lowsound

I bought Ridgid 13" planer, but it doesn't see much use since I got the riser block on my band saw. I usually just resaw and run it through my drum sander. If I am doing a one piece body the planer isn't big enough anyway so I just use my drum sander.

Yeah, I need a drum sander.

I was holding out for a 15" thickness planer for a long time, but they're so stinking expensive, I was just tired of waiting and paying other people to thickness stock for me.

Yeah, I got a really good deal on mine. Its one of those tools that once you have one you don't know how you got by without it.

Yeah, I'm looking at the 18" open-ended Grizzly sander. $994 shipped. :(

Ouch, I guess I got really lucky. I got an 18/36 USA Delta that was almost new for $350 on craigslist.