Latest reviews about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

cbensch says "Powerful. Efficient. Accurate. Affordable." about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

cbensch — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:59:10 GMT

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...

...

kameironin says "Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2" Bench Planer" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

kameironin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:39:27 GMT

I've had this planer now for about 6 months. I've used it almost exclusively with red oak I was using for a couple of furniture pieces, and it has done the job quite well. Sniping is minimal, and it handled boards up to ten inches wide with no bogging or slow down.

The machine is heavy for its size, which means minimal chatter as the boards feed through, but you'll want to have a dedicated stand (preferably on casters) to save some wear and tear on your back.

The included depth gauge is a hair off, so be sure to take small passes as you get to your optimal thickness. The dust collection port seems a little small, and has a tendency to clog and spit chips from the front of the machine. You definitely want to run this planer connected to a shop vac or dust collection system.

Overall, I'm pleased with the machine and would make the purchase again.

...

mmarlar says "Outstanding planer" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

mmarlar — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:01:03 GMT

My wife gave this to me for Christmas last year and I absolute love it. It makes nice, clean cuts and leaves a pleasantly smooth surface good enough for jointing. Both my father and grandfather have older models of this planer and they've lasted for years with no performance degradation. If you want a high quality planer for a good price, go with this one.

...

bakergore says "an extremely poorly design." about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

bakergore — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:49:52 GMT

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 unit should be embarrassing to Craftsman. It is out with the trash this am....

woodworq says "The Craftsman Bench Planer is O.K. for light work." about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

woodworq — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:51:52 GMT

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. This requires that I make sure to take very slight cuts when within 1/8" of my goal thickness. Even then I make sure that my work piece is at least 6" longer than I need in order to cut off the roller dips. This really is a waste of wood but depending on the wood and patience you will limit the amount of sanding afterwards. I have had to replace the gibs and blades twice already. The blades......

BradleyG says "Easily compaired to a more expensive tool." about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

BradleyG — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:50:57 GMT

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.

...

mscrossw8e says "12-1/2" Planer good for Home User" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

mscrossw8e — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:50:43 GMT

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 it from and had no problems returning it with Sears 90-Day no questions asked return policy after using it for 3 weeks. Overall I was happy with the product but because I work in an enclosed space in my garage, a working vacuum attachment was a must.

...

silverbulletr says "good planer-can't get replacement blades in store" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

silverbulletr — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:46:01 GMT

...

Pete70 says "For the price this ia a very good planer." about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

Pete70 — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:19:09 GMT

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 the throat ther's no pushing necessary. Overall, for the price it's a great product. Sears did well on the unit. I will update this review after more time and usage, but for now you can't go wrong with this planer.

...

KearneyBulldog says "Great planer, smooth cuts." about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

KearneyBulldog — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:10:40 GMT

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.

...

BLT says "Great tool!!!" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

BLT — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:10:00 GMT

...

alansands says "I'd spend more and get the Dewalt over the Craftsman" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

alansands — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:11:12 GMT

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 that weighs 30-40 lbs. The Dewalt weighs more and even though I feel like I am going to hurt myself every time I need to lift the Dewalt up onto a table, I don't feel a necessity to bolt or clamp it down before I use it.

The Craftman is fine for shaving boards thinner that are already squared up a bit, but you need to have the thing bolted down or held fast to the table and you will need to keep...

...

scorch says "outstanding value!" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

scorch — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:42:51 GMT

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.

...

accusick says "Great planer for the money" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

accusick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:49:42 GMT

For the price I have really enjoyed this planer. Chip collection is superb.

...

jeff284 says "weekend woodworker" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

sears-feed — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:30:03 GMT

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...

MilesWY says "Strange Noises" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

sears-feed — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:09 GMT

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....

Scrollin says "Thickness Planer" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

sears-feed — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:45:10 GMT

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....

jonnyo says "excellent planer!" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

sears-feed — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:00:30 GMT

I ran a few Red Oak 5/4 X 5 1/2 boards through and it handles it very nicely. There is a small amount of snipe on each end, but I think if the boards were supported better it would have reduced that. Also ran a 2 1/8 X 12 X 8 Hemlock through multiple times and is planed very smoothly at 1 7/8 now. Don't forget to hook up the shopvac, and empty it often, this little machine makes alot of chips!...

StevenA says "Great on old wood" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

sears-feed — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:30:17 GMT

I purchased this planer for the renovation of our 154 yr old home. It worked great on the old wood planks....

handyman100 says "Love it!!!!" about Craftsman 12 amp 12-1/2&#34 Bench Planer (21758)

sears-feed — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:30:04 GMT

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??...