I purchased this 13″ Delta planer (built in the 1980’s) with an extra set of (honed!) knives, setting jig, manual, and big honkin’ 2×6 stand on August 11, 2009. For less money than I could buy a cheap “lunchbox” portable planer for.

To use it, I’ll have to run 220v outlets to the garage, which will be a good thing in the long run — since I’ll also be able to convert the heavy power-tools (jointer and table saw) to run on 220, and I’ll have a dedicated, big circuit.

The planer has minor surface rust (nothing a little time with the wax and steel wool won’t fix), a little sludge (nothing a little cleaner won’t fix), and needs the rollers cleaned up a bit. Other than that, it’s in really really good shape. It runs like a top, the belts are in good shape, and I’m really looking forward to getting some lumber run though this thing.

The gallery below shows it’s condition at the time I purchased it.

Advantages over a modern “portable” planer:

• Quiet, heavy-duty induction motor made for continuous operation
• Stable, heavy machine, which means very little (no) vibration, less chance of snipe, chatter, etc.
• It can take a 1/8″ thick cut out of 12″ wide hardwood.
• Did I mention that compared to a whiny universal motor this thing is quiet?
• No one is going to walk off with my planer if I leave my garage door up and go inside for a “break”. It weighs more than I do.
• Serrated infeed roller.
• Outfeed roller that won’t “burn” into the wood.

Disadvantages over a modern “portable” planer:

• It’s heavy.
• It’s heavy.
• It’s -really- heavy.
• Ummm… I can’t think of any others.

Update 10/29/2009 – Cleaned, Calibrated, Lubricated!

I went to drain the oil from the gear box. It was dry. This led to a major clean-up of the entire drive-train, re-lubrication of the chain, gear-box, and calibration of all the rollers, cutter head, and chip breaker. This machine now runs like a top! The last three photos in the gallery above show the difference.