Powermatic 15S Planer
Source:Tools and Materials
Surface Planers:
One of the Surface Planers that I like the best is the Powermatic 15S, 15″ Surface Planer with a Spiral Cutter. This planer has small spirally mounted cutter heads that smoothly chip off material and leave an extremely smooth cut. I also love the smooth and accurate adjustments that this machine offers.
Thickness settings are made with a digital readout so you can get micro-accuracy for the really fine details that you need with guitar building. By taking off just a whisker of extremely hard back or side wood you get almost a polished surface to the wood. This planer is really one to brag about.
Guitar Making Tasks:
Thickness Planing Tops, Back and Sides
Thickness Planing Guitar Necks
Thickness Planing Fretboards
Making Bridge Blanks
Thickness Planing the Headstock
Sizing Braces Exactly
Headstock Veneer Plates
Planing Binding To Thickness
Sizing Linings
Thickness Plane Nuts & Saddles
Very Useful For Making Jigs, Clamps, Molds Etc.
Tool Cautions:
This is a very powerful tool, as are most stationary tools. Once you start to feed the stock, it is hard to stop it. One quick way is to use the large Powermatic Magnetic Switch, which can literally be a lifesaver. Just a simple touch of the switch and you can shut everything down.
When you feed stock, do not try to take too much of a bit at one time. This will stall the machine, give you chatter marks and leave you with less than optimum results. Just take about 1/32″ to 1/16″ off at any one time, especially with hardwoods.
How To Operate The Tool:
This is a simple tool to operate, as it just has one operation that you can perform – take off material and make a piece of lumber thinner. I usually measure the piece to be planed with a Vernier Calipers and set the LCD readout to about 1/2 crank lower than the stock thickness.
Plane one side smooth first, before you attempt another surface.
I have made some handy jigs that I use with this planer too. One is a jig that holds bone nuts and saddles. I run it through the planer and “presto” I have a nut or saddle that is perfectly flat and ready to drop in the slot.
Accessories:
There are really no accessories available for this tool, but I will show you how to make a jig or two to enhance its performance.
Technical Details:
13,500 Cuts per minute
Spiral cutterhead
Digital readout
3-Horsepower (TEFC) motor
Kit includes planer, dust hood, handwheel, handle, knife adjustment tool, two extension tables, seven wrenches, three bags of fasteners, owner’s manual and warranty card
Alternative Surface Planers I Like:
Powermatic 1791296 Model 209 20″ Planer.Built more for heavier duty operations this Powermatic machine will hog through 20″ wide stock really easy.
What I like about this unit is the ability to thickness plane back and side plate after they are assembled. If you do not have a drum sander, this may be the best bet for you.
The reason I went with the 15″ is because I do use a drum sander to thickness sand my top and back plates.
Technical Details
Features powerful 5-horsepower motor, 1ph, 230-volt; 770-pounds
20-inch planing capacity; 5-inch dust port connects to any dust collector
2-speed oil bath gearbox transmits full power to feed rollers and facilitates fast speed changes at 24 and 31-fpm
Huge 55-1/2-by-20-inch cast iron table; integrated casters for mobility
Cutterhead includes four high-speed steel knives; turns at 5000-rpm, producing 20,000 cuts per minute
Surface Planing on a Budget:
If you are tight for money or for space, consider this little guy that is fully featured, yet stores under your workbench. The DEWALT DW735 15 Amp 13-Inch Benchtop Planer gives to 13″ of cutting width, three cutting heads and 2 speeds, so you can tackle most any guitar making operation you want. It only weighs 100 pounds so you don’t have to wrestle a 500# piece of equipment around the shop either.
Technical Details of the DEWALT DW735 15 Amp 13-Inch Benchtop Planer
13-inch bench-top planer with a powerful three-knife cutter head
A 15.0 Amp motor provides enough power for cutting up to 1/8-inch depths on 13-inch wide pieces
19 3/4-inch cast aluminum base provides a durable, sturdy foundation
A 2-speed gear box allows users to quickly and easily change feed speeds
Comes with a dust hose adaptor and a dust ejection chute
The Last Word:
A Surface Planer is a wonderful piece of equipment to have around the shop – but get a good one. An inexpensive unit will be hard to adjust, to maintain, and it will give you poor results. Then, you would be better off saving your money and sticking it into a good drum sander.
Please Share Your Experiences:
Do you have a favorite Shop Tool you would like to share with us? Just write a comment and we would all love to hear about it. I’m sure there are other tools that I have not touched upon that are equal in quality to my own experiences.
Tags: guitar tools, jet drill press review, powermatic 15s planer, powermatic drill press review, stationary tools for guitar making, surface planer reviews
