Reviews about Jointers, Planers & Shapers

Ralph007 says "Planer/Molder Get the extended warranty!!!" about Craftsman Professional 15 in. Planer/Molder w/Built-in Dust Collection, 15 pc. Picture Frame Bit Set

Ralph007 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:48:12 GMT

I have been purchase Craftsman tools for over 40 years and never had any issue. I bought this planer thinking it would be a great addition to all my other Craftsman tools however; it has spent more time with the service technician than me using it. It is poorly made and unlike most of my other Craftsman power tools Made in China. I know if it was made in USA it will be working 40 years from now like my other Craftsman tools. I would not recommend this machine...

woodmanrazorback says "Manufacture will not stand behind their product" about Craftsman Professional 1-1/2 hp 6-1/8&#34Jointer/Planer (21705)

woodmanrazorback — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:35:57 GMT

One word of caution on any product manufactured by ORION International. Product codes beginning with 152.xxxxxxx. This company redesigned their product within a 5 year window and then stops making parts. Leaving you with a virtual BOAT anchor. I purchased one 6 years ago and now can not get the parts I need to fix my machine. The Trunnion setup is made of a very cheap pot metal and will brake under stress. Sears says to bad parts aren't available and ORION International will not respond to my emails. Sears better look at who they are doing business with as people like myself make future investments in tooling....

waltben says "Great tool when I bought it!" about Craftsman Professional 13 in. Bench Top Planer

waltben — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:30:39 GMT

I've had mine for over five years. It's mostly been used for planing poplar slabs, but also for some harder woods. I've had to replace the blades (reasonably priced) two times, but their reversable so they do last well. It's been a good tool and I'm not replacing it until it wears out!

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TheBigSearsManager says "Not a better tool on the market, It can do everything!!!" about Craftsman 1 hp CompuCarve Computer-Controlled Compact Woodworking Machine (21754)

TheBigSearsManager — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:37:18 GMT

This is the most increadible tool ever made! You can't own to many of them. The people who have had a bad experience with it can't really blame the tool because they are a bunch of mouth breathing, nail bending, wood scrapers. Some struggle to get it out of the box and think the can program them, OH PLEASE, most can't fiquire out which end of the cutter goes where. Most need to go back to carving with chisels (not to sharp tho) maybe just get a crayon and color a block of wood. Hope this was helpful to all of you....

RNC says "Good Jointer At Excellent Price" about Craftsman Professional 1-1/2 hp 6-1/8&#34Jointer/Planer (21705)

RNC — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:32:02 GMT

While purchasing several tools to set up shop at the beginning of this year, made a last minute decision to purchase the Craftsman 6 1/8 inch Professional Jointer over the 6 inch Jet. I was able to catch it on sale, $150 off, which simply made it too tempting to not at least give it a try. I'm very happy that I did. It was easy to put together. It definitely takes two people to lift, but was able to assemble on my own using a hydraulic engine lift. The jointer is easy to operate and I've had no issues getting square and straight boards. I was able to use the extra money I saved towards a band saw which was a double win for me. A good sale tempted and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. So far, this has been a solid, reliable tool.

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cbhwoodworking says "DeWalt 2 speed planer. Began to loose parts after 15 minutes." about DeWalt Heavy-Duty 13 In. Thickness Planer

cbhwoodworking — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:19:03 GMT

While I had high hopes for this planer it let me down. After only 15 minutes of use parts wiggled off and the blades began to drag. If you want more performance than a "just for fun" woodworker this is not the planer for you. I returned mine with no hassel.

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Jonboy1274 says "Dewalt Planer...So far so good" about DeWalt Heavy-Duty 13 In. Thickness Planer

Jonboy1274 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:54:32 GMT

I've had this product for about two weeks, used about 3 times. so far only on pine. works as expected and easy to use. there is some snipe but nothing detrimental. (I personaly have not ever used any planer that has no snipe) I have not bought any of the excessories avalible, like the extention in and out feed tables. Heard they help reduce the snipe, but i can't say if they will help or not. I'm sure the more I use it and get comfortable with the planer I may be able to reduce it myself. This is my first time using a planer of this size (portable), I've only used comercial large planers in past employment and come to think of it ths has less snipe than those ever did, only differance is size of width and portability. Overall happy so far and hope the blades at least last a decent amout of time before replacement....

HWLH says "Dewalt DW735 2 Speed Thickness Planer" about DeWalt Heavy-Duty 13 In. Thickness Planer

HWLH — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:36:36 GMT

I have been planning to purchase a thickness planer for a while. After researching various brands and models I decided to give the DW735 a try. Assembly was simple and the required tools were included, always a plus. The exhaust port was a little finicky but loosening the screws and realigning the halves took care of the problem. First task I needed to make a few treated filler boards that ranged from 1/2" to 5/16 so I used the depth of cut indicator to remove 1/16 per pass. The cuts came out clean even on the high feed speed. So far that is the extent of the use but I was impressed with the first results, especially when using treated lumber. One of the complaints on this unit was that carbide blades are not available, not so they are available from several aftermarket manufacturers. My only issue is the weight. I usually work alone and moving the 92 lb unit any distance gets old real fast, but for the job it does I'll suffer. I have ordered the folding in feed and out feed......

Finewoodworker86 says "Great Jointer for the DIYer" about Craftsman Professional 1-1/2 hp 6-1/8&#34Jointer/Planer (21705)

Finewoodworker86 — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 03:22:57 GMT

I bought my Jointer online about 9 months ago. The day i got it took myself about 2.5 hours to put it together, the hardest part was mounting the motor. Just fallow the instructions and its really not that bad to do. Since that time I've used it on a regular bases, im talking about 2-3 times a week for the past 9 months never once has it giving me a problem although once you take the blades out the sharpen them its does take some time to get the blade back right. This tool if use correctly will do a pretty good job. First of all dont use this to plan all four sides, you'll never get a perfectly square piece of wood, get one side flat, and then get an actual planner and do the top side. then go back to do the sides. If you do that, you'll have yourself an almost perfect square piece of wood. Now Snipes this is an area that i found to be mitch match depending on the type of wood i was using and how sharpe my blades were. Freshly sharpened blames with softwoods would almost never snipe the...

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vsp900 says "Nice jointer" about Craftsman Professional 1-1/2 hp 6-1/8&#34Jointer/Planer (21705)

vsp900 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:34:30 GMT

I got this on clearance for $79 a year ago. What were they thinking? It was like having a license to steal. This is a great tool.

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bertoline says "Awesome Planer!!" about DeWalt Heavy-Duty 13 In. Thickness Planer

bertoline — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:23:45 GMT

I have been doing woodworking for 15 years as a hobby and used many different tools. I have used the Craftman, Delta, and grizzly planer which all worked very well, so I was apprehensive about using another brand. The Dewalt planer delivers exceptional quality boards with no low spots on the boards that I run through the planer regardless of the wood. I really like the fact that the blade changing is really easy. I like the more cuts per inch feature than the older model and it has a great dust hood system.

The blades seem to wear out faster than other planers I have used.

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Forty9rFan says "Good planer, smooth cuts except in cold garage" about DeWalt Heavy-Duty 13 In. Thickness Planer

Forty9rFan — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:16:27 GMT

I found this to be a great planer but live in Montana and in the winter in the cold garage the feeder rollers won't pull the wood through. As soon and it warmed up, it worked fine.

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CharlesNelsonReilly says "Great tool if you don't like straight edges." about Craftsman Professional 1-1/2 hp 6-1/8&#34Jointer/Planer (21705)

CharlesNelsonReilly — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:57:54 GMT

I've had this jointer for well over a year now and can't get a striaght edge out of this machine. The outfeed table has a lot of play in it and sags so the tables aren't coplanar. I found out that you can prop a board under the end outfeed table to the floor, so it forces the end of the table up. It helps, but it doesn't fix it. I've tried many many times to plane two board to glue them up long grain and there are ALWAYS gaps at the edges. I guess that's the quality we can expect out of the Craftsman brand, now that it is a Kmart brand.

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RedCarMusic says "Great product but has quirks" about Craftsman 1 hp CompuCarve Computer-Controlled Compact Woodworking Machine (21754)

RedCarMusic — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:02:39 GMT

Had mine for a few weeks now. Software is simple as in drag and drop, but perhaps too simple as it doesn't convert DXF files - the user must input lines and shapes, and can be slower than normal CAD programs. There is an STL file converter for $300 more, that I have not tried yet. Also, the unit is very loud (like a router). Possibilities are endless though - but you will need to be creative sometimes, as it has limitations that sometimes need to be worked around.

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NetRaven says "Brings out the wood worker in everyone!" about Craftsman 1 hp CompuCarve Computer-Controlled Compact Woodworking Machine (21754)

NetRaven — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:08:10 GMT

I am a I.T. professional, (computers) and never really had any woodworking talent. The CompuCarve enabled me to apply my computer and artistic skills while allowing me to watch them become wonderful wood crafts. The support is awesome and while the machine takes some time to learn, it is time well spent as it will save you some frustrations down the road.

The online tutorials are awesome and give you a chance to do some hands on learning. The support is wonderful! They are attentive, kind and love to share their knowledge. You get the two most important bits to start. As your learning grows, so will your designs which will require additional bits. So you don't have to spend a lot right up front.

Overall, it has been a pleasure working with this machine and CompuCarve professionals. It is indeed a very well rounded product and manufacturer.

Bravo!

Stephen

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