Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)
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Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758) Reviews


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4.31 of 5 (by 36 reviewers)
Rating Summary | 86% of reviewers recommend (31 out of 36)

Pros
  • price (8)
  • craftsman (8)
  • durability (7)
  • smooth cutting (5)
  • 5 star product (5)
  • nice clean cuts (3)
Cons
  • None
Most Helpful Favorable Review

“12-1/2" Planer good for Home User”

I bought this planer to plane rough cut lumber. Although it did a fine job with minimal snipe, I was not satisfied with the vacuum attachment. It clogged time and time again with wood chips. Once removed I had no issues except lots and lots of chips to clean up.

I returned the planer to the store I purchased...

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Posted on Sep 01, 2010
Most Helpful Critical Review

“an extremely poorly design.”

I have had this for approx 3 years and have gone through 5 drive gears for the guide rollers. Do NOT use with any heavy or sizable lumber. Never before have I seen gears simply sheer off or better yet, snap into metal pieces. Perhaps it was too light of a unit for my needs, but the engineering of the... read full review »
Posted on Feb 08, 2011

Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer ... Reviews

Displaying reviews 1 - 13 of 36 in total

“The Craftsman Bench Planer is O.K. for light work.”

I mostly purchase Craftsman for my woodworking power tool needs. This planer does have the width and height I need for what I do. There is very little bog even when planing cherry. The dust collector port is in a convenient place and the unit leaves very little to clean up afterwards. Accuracy is extremely important to me. The Craftsman Planer leaves a very even surface, even out of the box. i have not had to adjust the side to side levels yet and have planed at least 300 board feet so far. On the downside though, the rollers leave deep indentations in softer woods. More than perhaps other brands.... read full review »
Posted on Jan 13, 2011

“Easily compaired to a more expensive tool.”

I have used more pricier planers and the first time I used this one, I fell in love with it.  This one works just as well as those priced much higher with the same dimentions.  the pull drive is very smooth and the micro adjustments are very clean and true.  I made several cuts to match my exact specs and the dust it produced was in large enough scraps to be reused in filler projects.  Very good tool for the money.
Posted on Oct 14, 2010

“good planer-can't get replacement blades in store”

Posted on Jul 05, 2010

“Great planer, smooth cuts.”

I have had this planer for about a year. Works great.  No problems, does the job like advertised.  No set up problems, A little sawdust comes out the front, nothing else wrong.
Posted on Mar 24, 2010

“For the price this ia a very good planer.”

I have not had this planer for any length of time so I don't know what it's longevity is. I've used it to plane maple boards.One note of caution. Make sure your vacuum is powerful enough to pull out all the chips. I have a pretty strong dust collector but it clogged up and I had a few boards with scratches due to the chips. Once I cleaned it out, it was fine. The boards were nice and smooth but don't expect miracles. The feed system is very good.with no slippage. One reviewer said it wasn't heavy enough to hadle pushed through. I don't get that because you don't have to push. Once you feed it into...

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Posted on Jun 30, 2010

“Great tool!!!”

Posted on Feb 20, 2010

“Great planer for the money”

For the price I have really enjoyed this planer. Chip collection is superb.
Posted on Nov 22, 2009

“I'd spend more and get the Dewalt over the Craftsman”

Don't get me wrong, I own both a 12-1/2" Dewalt and a 12-1/2" Craftman model thickness planer - and the difference is two things:

(1) the Dewalt comes with this nifty little gauge on the front that tells you how much you are shaving off. It isn't a huge difference in operation, but it is like your care coming with a gauge that tells you which gear you are in, or not. You can drive just fine without that gauge, but it sure does make life more pleasant. Ya know?

(2) Weight - I have found that I like HEAVY tools.  Light is not better when you are 

p-u-s-h-i-n-g as hard as you can against a plank...

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Posted on Feb 11, 2010

“weekend woodworker”

bought this beauty to fix trim boards throughout house damaged by cat claws. Works excellent. The only complaint is the snipe issue on both ends. To ease it, use a companion board. this will help. I find as long as there is a board end to end there is no snipe
Posted on Feb 09, 2009

“Strange Noises”

I have had this planer for 8 months or so. I've used it on several different types of wood including exotics. The other day it started making a horrible grinding noise. I immediatly shut it down and removed the wood it was working on. Turns out the bolt that holds the blade lock in place came out. That let the blade lock slide against the key in the shaft and has made quite a mess out of things. All in all it's not a bad planer but before you use it make sure all of the bolts are tight.
Posted on Nov 20, 2008

“outstanding value!”

After reviewing many planers, I settled on this one, because of the features, the price, and Craftsman quality. I wan't wrong, this planer has server me well, doing everyting I've asked of it excellently,

As with any tool there is a learning curve, but this unit made it easy to get up and running.

 
Posted on Dec 01, 2009

“Love it!!!!”

I have wanted a inexpensive planer for a long time, but being a weekend warrior, I couldn't see spending a lot of $$$$, then I saw this planer for less than $200, and I was interested. I have used it a few times, and it worked great. Virtually no snipe, and a very smooth finish. I do wonder about one feature...in the middle of the feed side, there is a small notch that protrudes down toward the table not allowing you to take much of a cut. If you have smaller boards, you can go on either side of it and cut a full 1/32". Anyone know if this is a normal feature??
Posted on Nov 22, 2007

“Thickness Planer”

Very nice economical planer for the money. little bit of snipe when trying to take too much stock off, keep your cuts light and works just as nice as the much more expensive planers out there.
Posted on Feb 08, 2008

Reviews of Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

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