1st Planer

JonathanH

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As the woodworking hobby develops the need for a planer has grown. After watching prices of new & used lunchbox portables climb during the shortages of the last year i finally pulled the trigger on something a lot less portable, a Delta DC-380. I'm very fond of classic American power tools and cast "arn". This one is made in Taiwan but I can compromise vs a made in China product. My son and I made the 1.5 hour drive to bring it home. As my body ages I've come to appreciate trailers with ramps and equipment mounted on sturdy casters for ease of movement. It really makes loading/ unloading easy. What were we thinking when we were younger and felt the need to prove our strength by moving everything with muscle power?

It needs a little love but the price was about the same as a used Dewalt 735, with wider capacity. Not sure if the width will be needed, but will be nice to have.

Note, when you bring a new power tool home give it a thorough check prior to powering up if it wasn't under power when you looked at it. After looking this one over in the garage it needed a much deeper teardown than initially thought.

The previous owner said that he had hit a screw last time he used it and put a groove in the knives. An extra set was included. What he didn't mention is that all 3 knives had sheared about an inch off the end. One knife still had the 2 loose pieces in the channel. This is a lot different scenario than a grooved blade from hitting a screw. It had to have had a hard jam to break the knives this way. I'm very glad we didn't start it up with the 2 loose pieces of knife inside. At best it would have made a hell of a racket.

The planer was stored in a metal building without being used for at least 5 years. During that time very unpainted surface has developed surface rust but it should clean up nicely. There was a large dirt dobber nest on the motor fan and another on the drive chains. That would have been messy if started that way.

Obviously, the best scenario is to never purchase machinery that isn't able to be inspected while running but power isn't always available. Usually I would avoid this situation but some research indicates that these are robust, reliable machines that run without many issues for decades.

I enjoy doing light refurbishment and excited to finally have a planer in the shop.

Pictures upon arrival arrival:

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Mike1950

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I had a delta model x 15" planer. It was a beast. I have a set of sharp knifes. somewhere.
 

JonathanH

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I had a delta model x 15" planer. It was a beast. I have a set of sharp knifes. somewhere.
If you come across them and decide to part with them send me a message. I'll be ordering another set soon to have a set on hand.

After pricing a carbide cutter head I'll be sticking with blades. You can get sticker shock just shopping for those things!
 
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Nature Man

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Appears that you did rather well! Upgrading from a bench model to a floor model is a very costly upgrade when buying new. As much as I wanted my next planer to be a floor model, I just could not bring myself to spend all that extra money, so ended up buying another bench model planer. Most of my equipment I have purchased used, for the same reason. Economics always rears its head... Congrats to you, though! Chuck
 

JonathanH

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Thanks, Chuck! The decision to buy and later upgrade or get the beast the first time is a struggle. Budget is always a concern but spending the coin twice costs more in the long run.

The portable would have worked fine. Ultimately, my preference is to get the heavy tool from the beginning.

Still need a jointer and hope to make the same decision. Space, or lack of it, is a big factor.
 
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Tony

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Nice buy, seems like a stout machine! You will like the width, it does come in handy even if you don't run boards that wide. Gives you more space to spread out the wear on the knives.
 

Mike1950

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The x was newer version of same machine. It had plenty of power. Had it for 6 years. Replaced start capacitor. Probably $10. And sharpened blades. You will like it.
 
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