iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Tool Reviews

Started by Radar67, March 18, 2007, 07:56:42 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Radar67

I wanted to start a thread for us to use to give reviews of the tools we use, so others can learn from us what is good or bad. So, if you have a tool you are proud of, or not so thrilled with, let us hear about it. Let's keep it honest and not get into any company bashing, just the facts from your use of the tool. I'll start it off with my most recent addition to the shop.

Grizzly 14" Bandsaw (3/4 HP) with 6" Riser Block Extension G0580

I recently purchased this saw to mainly saw bowl blanks and some light resawing. Here is my take on the quality of the saw and it's features. I'll start from the bottom and work my way up.

Stand - The stand seems to be well built. It seems to be a little light, but is more than adequate for what it is designed for.

Main Body - The main body of the saw is made of cast iron. It is heavy and stable. Very few casting lines appear, it was cleaned up very well, and a good heavy coat of paint applied. I also added the 6 inch riser kit which changes the max height of cut from 6 inches to 12 inches. The installation was quick and easy. NOTE: Read all the instructions first so you don't let 2 ball bearing pop out of the blade guide post, they are not easy to get back into place.  ;) More on the function of this later.

Motor and Switch installation - This was a fairly simple process with the exception of the lower mounting bolt, which by the way should be installed first. It is a little tight getting in behind the lower band wheel to start this bolt. The band wheels are machined aluminum with a wide rubber crowned belt. The upper wheel has a simple adjustment to help center the blade. Check your cord length between the switch and motor to make sure you use the right mounting holes.  :)

Blade Guides - The blade guides are made from aluminum and are plenty stout enough for their function. Each has a roller bearing for the back stop. The blade guide blocks (control keeping the blade straight) are made of a heavy plastic. I am not sure yet how they will hold up, but seem to be doing fine so far. Make sure you adjust them to manufacturer specs. Each adjustment point on the guides has a thumb screw. I'm not a big fan of thumb screws and plan to replace them with either machine screws or small hex head bolts.

Table - The table is made of heavy cast iron and the top is machined well. The alignment trunion is made from cast aluminum. The table connects to the trunion with 2 bolts and knobs for tightening. This makes it easy to adjust the table angle for mitre cuts. The table is easy to true up to 90 degrees and had a bolt for a postive stop that locks in place once adjusted.

Fence - The fence that comes with this saw is bare bones. It does it's job, but I see an upgrade in the future.

Overall, I am happy with this saw. It has done the jobs I want it to do. This is not a saw that is going to cut at lightning speed in the thick stuff. You have to take it slow and let the blade do the work. I am currently running a 3/8 inch 6 TPI blade. The blade guides do an excellent job if adjusted properly. It took about 3 minuted to make the adjustments and get straight cuts. The blade tensioner is so easy, you just tighten the knob until the indicator points at the blade width you are using. The extension kit does what it is suppose to do, but this saw is not going to cut 12 inch stock, unless you really take your time....sloooooooow. The extended blade guard has to be manually adjusted when you start sawing thicker stock, if you don't it gets too close to the upper band wheel and you start to hear a rattle. It is easy to adjust with the wing nut. The motor runs quiet and does not heat up excessivly. The saw is by no means a production saw. You are not going to be able to run it constantly all day long. It is a great tool for the hobby woodworker.

My rating, 4 stars out of 5. Well worth the price. I would eliminate the extension kit if I had to do it over again.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Troy

Nice review Stew!  I have been searching the archives for information about planers and use of shelix heads and have read a lot older posts.  This is a good place and time for anyone with recent experience to post similar reviews.  I am interested in the Powermatic and Woodmaster brands.  Would appreciate any and all help.
Peterson ATS 8" 27hp

Don_Papenburg

Troy , The powermatic uses the same castings as my old Harbor Freight -central machine planer ,made in tiawan.   Mine is  21 years old .  It will be recieving a Shelix head like the new Powermatics have as an option.  Review as news breaks.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

brdmkr

Troy,

I have a Woodmaster.  It seems to be a well built machine.  Although I have had it for almost a year, I still have not used it!!!!!!  It should not be long.  I'll post more when I actually get to use it.

Stew, I have the same bandsaw, minus the riser extension.  I have about the same impression of the saw.  However, I actually like the fence.  Mine locks up solidly and it is sure easy enough to adjust.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

Haytrader

I just purchased a Woodmaster 25" planer/sander/moulder maker.
It should get here the middle of April;
Now I can glue up cedar chest sides and run one piece through.  ;)
Haytrader

Justin L

Troy, it's not the brands you mention, but I have a Northtech 24" planer with a helical carbide cutterhead. I wouldn't go back to a straight knife planer(it replaced a Grizzly 20") unless a hand plane was my only other option!

They always leave lines where the knives meet, but they sand out with a 120grit beltsander. It rarely tears out when running curly, birdseye, or even knots(some explode but they don't tear out :) I plane about 15,000Bf before rotating the knives. It does a better job with dull knives than my old one did with new ones! I spend about two hours to rotate 144 knives about every six months. the bad thing is that the other adjustments get neglected since I do them whan I change knives. They used to get it every two or three weeks.

Our jointer has the same type cutterhead, with the same good results.
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant! :)

Troy

Seems like everyone I have talked to loves the helical cutter heads.  They sound like the way to go if you can get past the initial cost! 

Justin - Thanks for the info.  It would be great if you could give a full review of your Northtech and the Grizzly since you have used both.  I would like to hear more about them, and maybe Stew won't be mad at me for hijacking his thread! 

Haytrader & Brdmkr - Look forward to hearing your opinions on the Woodmasters and seeing some pics of those cedar boards.

That leads me to another question about planer width.  I am leaning towards a 20" machine just because I want to be able to plane wide on occasion and to offer that option to my clients I cut for as well.  For those of you who have 15" planers, how often do you wish you had purchased larger?; and for those of you using 20"+ do you find that the larger throat is more than you really need?
Peterson ATS 8" 27hp

TexasTimbers

You cannot go too wide Troy. Even if you find you only need and use it on occasion, you will be happy about the capability to do so. Go as wide as you can afford.
I want a 49" planer myself so I can run 4' wide table top glue-ups through it. ;)
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Don_Papenburg

 :DThat is one reasonI am rebuilding my 16" ,I could not find a wide enough one .   ;D
  I have found that my 16" could have been an inch or so wider many times. and that it should have been twice as wide a few times and thre times as wide a couple of times. I think that I would be happy with a 32" for 99.9% of what I run and only wish it was wider once or twice every 3 years.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

bedway

Ive had the woodmaster 18 inch for about 10 years. Rarely have i wished i had gone to a bigger machine. Ive been very happy with it and its been very relieable. Only mistake i made was getting all the accesories, gang saw, moulding head, sanding drum to go with it. I use it strictly for planeing and all the extras are still new in boxes. ,,,bedway

tcsmpsi

bedway

What would you say your reason for not utilizing the other capabilities for the 718?

Haven't needed them, or some other reason?
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

bedway

tcsmpsi, I guess i would say i just dont have a need for them. The machine itself does such a nice job of planning little sanding is required! I think when i bought it i was like a lot of other buyers. I figured , what the heck might as well get all the bells, whistles, and gadgets to go with it. With all the other equipment in my shop ive never found the need to utilize any of the accesories,,,bedway

Radar67

Quote from: Troy on March 24, 2007, 02:23:01 AM
I would like to hear more about them, and maybe Stew won't be mad at me for hijacking his thread!

Troy, that's one reason I started this thread, so everyone could talk about their tools and find about tools they might want to add to their collection. No way I can get mad about that.  ;)

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Justin L

About the Grizzly 20" planer... I bought it in 1995 and probably planed 20,000BF of KD hardwoods, and worked fine until it was sold in 2004. The table was warped when new, but they sent a replacement. I replaced the 3hp motor with a 5hp which helped (some). I didn't have much trouble with it for as much as it worked- I almost always cut 1/8" when I planed. I only sold it because of the straight knife cutterhead, and the s l o w feed rate of 20fpm. I have other Grizzly tools with no major problems, except for the 24" drum sander which had tracking problems on the feed belt. They are a good buy for the money overall.

The planer that replaced it is a 24" Northtech 10hp variable feed with a helical cutterhead. The main reason I bought this was the 60fpm feed rate. At least it was advertised that way :) I plugged it in and could tell by watching the board it was slow. 30fpm is as fast as it went. They sent replacement gears- faster but still slow. I went to a local motor shop for a bigger pulley on the feed motor so now it's about right. I probably have the only one that works as advertised!

The variable feed is nice, I run it fast until I have a wide or thick board, then slow it down so the motor doesn't stall. If the overload trips, you have to remove a panel cover and CARFULLY reach over live connections to reset it. Not very safe.

You can also start the cutterhead with the lid open and the cutterhead exposed.

It has segmented feed roller & chipbreaker, but they are attached to the lid that covers the cutterhead and the entire unit lifts up when a thick board is planed, so it defeats the segmented action.

The bed is also wider than the cutterhead so a board at the edge of the bed has a 1/8 strip unplaned. I could fix this one with a wooden guide.

The gears that drive the feed rollers also wore out after 1 1/2 years and 30,000 bf. $350. They should be in an oil bath to keep them lubed.

One good thing to say about the planer is it will make a thick board into a thin one, maybe thats all they expect.

Hope it wasn't too much of a rant. I wish I would have taken more time on my decision to buy it.  Funny, the salesman doesn't come around anymore...

Justin





I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant! :)

tcsmpsi

Thanks, bedway

I'm looking at the 718 because of the rip/moulding capabilities, as well as having another planer.  Though, the sander might be handy, I have (or, maybe he has me?) an old dog that I rub sand in his fur and lay the lumber I need sanded where I don't want him to be.   :D

\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

TexasTimbers

I think you'll be better off with the 718 it won't require near as much dogfood.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Engineer

I just sold my Woodmaster 718 with all the pro-pak accessories.  Could not justify keeping it when I have two table saws, a separate 18" drum sander, a shaper and router table, and two planers (including a Powermatic 180).  I bought it before I got either of the other two planers and the shaper, and I only used it for planing.  I foud it to be exceptionally SLOW.  I don't think I'd want another one, after building an entire house with half of my machines I am trying to downsize and get rid of the excess.   I don't ever use the drum sander either.

LeeB

Does any one have the Grizzly GO478 2HP hybred cabit saw? Thinking real serious about picking one up on my way home from the airport in springfield when I get in from work this time off. LeeB
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

tcsmpsi

Quote from: kevjay on April 04, 2007, 01:33:31 AM
I think you'll be better off with the 718 it won't require near as much dogfood.

Dogfood?  He's younger and better equipped for catching rabbits than I am!   :D

And, he's way far out of luck depending on any 'scraps' from the house.  I've got that market cornered.  Anything I wouldn't eat, he runs from.   :D

I've had to make a right turn, and the 718  (or any associate) is kinda on the back burner presently.

Only new woodworking tool I've gotten (since the new planer), is a Makita 12" compound miter saw.  Well, actually, got two of them.  I've only made small piles of dust with them both thusfar, but I like them more each time I use them.

One other new 'tool' I just got, isn't directly a wood working tool as such, but is something that most of us end up doing.  Cutting grass/weeds.  I don't have much grass, and most the weeds (that I have any notion of disciplining) are out along the roadside, 10-15' inside the fence line and a few random spots inside the compound.

I've been using a regular ol' gasoline, push lawnmower and string weed trimmer for these many years.   I had been giving the issue lots of thought for several yrs., and finally made to corporate decision to get one of the DR trimmer/mowers.

I'm as tickled with it as if I had good sense.  Cut the whole compound (mowing and weedeating) with the tool, using the string that came on it (still in excellent shape).   Made shorter work of the whole process, with less hullabaloo all the way around.



\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

Tony

       Well, I've been looking for a dust blower for the 718.While getting some guide bearings for the TK1600, I asked the salesman (a fellow woodworker club friend) about a blower. He pointed to a JET 1hp blower. All the posts about 2hp and 3hp popped in my mind and I balked. He said he'd sale it for what he had in it.

                                  Hey it works  8) 8) 8)

                                         Tony  ;D
TK1600, John Deere 4600 W\frontendloader, Woodmaster718 planer\moulder, Stihl MS461 Stihl 036 & 021 & Echo CS-370
"You cannot invade the mainland United States.  There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."  Adm. Isoroku Yamamotto ( Japanese

tcsmpsi

Lately, I've been in the process of replacing and adding to some of my larger woodworking tools.

I replaced my Delta 10" table saw, that had been hauled around from job to job, then spent a few years in a designated cabinet shop, been rebuilt and had made tons of sawdust.  Still works well, but am looking to recalibrate the process which largely pivots around the table saw.

What I got, is a Hitachi C10FL 10" contractor's saw.  It is rated at 3hp and is good and heavy duty.





It is a lot smoother and quiter than what I had.  And, even though I was incredulous of the 3 hp rating, it has more power than I had anticipated.   I like the rollers it comes with for moving the heavy thing, if necessary.  So far, the only thing I have found I am in 'disagreement' with, is the too small dust chute.   I haven't cut any dados with it, yet. 

I've done enough different cutting with one of the Makita LS1221 12" miter saws that I had gotten,  that I feel equipped to make honorable mention of it.  It's a good-un.  ;D  The one I've used most (I purchased 2 of them for different locations) is set up on the Grizzly miter saw stand.  I had looked at several, as well as making my own (as I had previously), but for under $100 I just couldn't justify building another.
This one is a pleasure to work with, as well as to move about as necessary.  I can plop treated 2X material up on it and go to work. 



Another new addition that I am quite pleased with, is the new router table/router set up I have.  I still have the old ones, but wanted a bigger, more powerful set up.  I have the Makita 3612 3 1/4 hp in a Router Table Depot table top. 



The top (with all the stuff) is sold as their table saw extension router table.  It comes with the base attached for attaching to the table saw.  After looking all that over, I decided to build a free-standing frame for it, instead.

I haven't really used it yet, only in trying out the set up with the Grizzly 1 5/8 " straight bit to see if and how it all worked together.  Impressive, is how.   :D
I built the router table to have the same surface height as the table saw and roller table.  They can all use one another for material movement. 
Yeah, the table saw and router table come with blade/bit guards.  I've never been comfortable with them, though.





Speaking of the roller table, it is a Shop Fox.  It is pretty good, though the adjustable leg-height apparatus is less than impressive.  In fact, after about 3 adjustments, I scrapped all the plastic parts (adjustment handles, etc.) and just use a wrench on the bolt heads.
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

thedeeredude

Well I got a router table from rockler that i love.  It was $159 including a fence miter track and an aluminum router plate.  I wouldnt trade this thing for a 400 dollar top of the line table.  the router I put under it is a hitachi m12sc, a 1-3/4 horse single speed.  It does a great job too, I dont use big bits so thats not a problem.

I also have a porter cable 4212 deluxe dovetail jig.  Great jig with many capabilities.  can make dovetails that look almost handmade.  The only caveat is the router bits supplied with the jig are junk.  Get a pair from whiteside, eagle america or price cutter.  I got a set from price cutter but havent had a chance to try them yet.

TexasTimbers

Engineer, do you feel that the 718 was slow because you had to use a slow variable feed to minimize tearout and to keep the motor from working too hard?

I have the 25" and have noticed the feed rate isacceptable except on figured and very hard woods, then I have to go real slow. So slow in fact that it does redue the tearout but burns the wood. That's why I ordered the spiral cutterhead. I might have to figure a way to up my feed rate with the spiral cutter though. On many woods I may want a faster feed rate than what the feed motor were designed to deliver with the straight HSS knives.

tcsmpsi (gonna start calling you MOMA - Man Of Many Alphabets) take care you don't make the same faux pas as me. Look at the picture below. But take note, not a single tooth was even chipped much less broken. That stock Makita blade is as good as any aftermarket blade as I have ever owned or purchsed for any tool. I don't know who makes the blade I doubt Makita but maybe. It cuts every bit as good as a Forrest and thats even after having cut through the aluminum fence. Maybe Forrest makes it ??? Still no tearout. Incredible. Maybe it can double as a chop saw for metal work. ;D


But our saws are not the same model mine looks like this.

Make sure if you are cutting a left side bevel that you flip your fence out of the way. Some people think they know it all and never read the instructions. ::)
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

tcsmpsi

Hello.  My name is Michael.  I am an owner's manual junkie.   ;D  There seems to always be at least a couple by my chair, in which I have been known to fall asleep reading them late at nite. 

Actually, there is a section in the manual on cutting aluminum.  Though, I don't recall the mention of utilizing the capability in self-mutilation.   ;)

I looked and thought about the slider.  It boiled down to not being that beneficial to my needs at present or near forseeable future.

I am glad to know you have one, as I can kinda keep updated as to any potential problems, in case I do swing toward investing in one.

Have an appointment to go a look at a used Grizzly planer and a stack of milled ERC in the morning.  I went and looked at a used 718 last week, but that poor thing had been used hard and put up wet tooooo much.  I watched as the owner demonstrated it for me.  I saw the problem.   :D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

TexasTimbers

What was the problem with the 718?
Don't get hasty on it if the price it right when also considering the worst possible scenario. IOW, if nearly everything had to be replaced.
The cutterhead bearings rarely go out and are probably good. I would nearly bet ther farm the cutterhead itself is fine as those things are nearly indestructible. You'd have to beat it with a sledge hammer to hurt it and then you better have eaten your Wheaties first.
The rollers might need to be replaced but they are not very expensive. If the motor runs strong and doesn't smell like an electrical fire it's probably fine. If the gears or chain are wore plumb out that's no biggie.
You got the curious cat in me stirred up what was the deal with it ???
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Thank You Sponsors!