Craftsman  12 amp 12-1/2'' Bench Planer (21758)

I purchased this planer with the intent of planing rough sawn red oak lumber for a number of projects I am working on. As an ?after 5:00? craftsman with enough hours in the shop since I was a tot to know what to look for, I was able to identify enough features of this planer that were attractive to me; especially for the price (which was less than list). After bringing 5/4 (1.25?), 8? random width (average 6? width) red oak boards down to 4/4 (1?) I can now say I am quite satisfied with the purchase. Here are a few positive notes for those thinking of making this purchase.

1) The planer is very powerful and was not reluctant to pull in even a 10? wide board at a half-turn interval which planes exactly .03?. You cannot plane more than that as the feed tooth begins to scrape at the surface of the board and won?t allow it to pass through. Note: Many household circuits run at 15 amps over 14 gauge electrical wire. If you bog this down enough, while even having a few lights on, you may pop your breaker. Also be sure to mount this to a fixed surface.

2) The dust collection removes 95% (+/-) of dust when used with a shop vacuum. When you?re removing .25? of lumber over 8? you?re actually taking off a very large amount of wood. Prepare for frequent trips to the woods to dump your dust or consider a larger dust collection system. Note: Shop vacuums can run at 10+ amps. Be sure to verify your circuit?s breaker is enough to satisfy the requirements of 20+ amps before running a shop vaccum on the same circuit as your planer.

3) I was able to plane 25 8? random width (average 6? width) red oak boards from 5/4 (1.25?) down to 4/4 (1?) before I began to notice the need to give the board a bit of assistance to feed through the machine. If you read the instructions (and I suggest you read them twice!) the troubleshooting section suggests you clean wood chips from the roller chains or from the out feed roller if this is to happen. But what it doesn?t mention is that a more logical reason for the board not feeing is because the blades have become dull and it takes more time for the wood to be planed than the rollers can feed. What it also doesn?t describe in more thorough detail, is that the blades can be flipped once dull and the other side is sharp as new. You basically get a free set of blades with the machine. So use the amount that I just described as a starting point to keep an eye on the feeding lag.

4) Blades are inexpensive and quite easy to both reverse and replace. Other brands can charge a much more aggressive premium for replacement blades. I saved enough money buying rough sawn lumber and planing them myself over finished lumber than I was able to buy this planer and an extra set of blades and still have money left over.

Here are a few less than positive thoughts.

1) The blade access tray is tough to remove. It requires some muscle so don?t be afraid of pushing on it a bit to get it to pop out.

2) The two top screws fastening the top return roller on the power switch side worked their way out while in use and the machine nearly collapsed on itself. I also almost passed the screw right the planer. Be sure they?re tight.

3) One full turn in either direction of the elevation lever does not equal 1/16? as posted. Again, one-half turn is equal to exactly .03? so a full turn will give you .06?.

4) This planer uses brushes and they need to be checked frequently and replaced when worn. Most around-the-house craftsman will not be used to this feature.

5) It is very powerful therefore it is LOUD. Wear ear protection.