# makita 12 1/4 power planer



## Nato (Jun 3, 2012)

hello everyone hope things are good. has anyone here used a makita power planer before. i'm looking for pros and con comments. even if you haven't used one let me know what your take is on one. thanks n8


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## qweesdraw (Jun 3, 2012)

Prior to buying my planer i was reading reviews, Makita was one of the top 2.
I ended up with a Delta off CL for $125 with dull knives.(the guy didn't know the are reversible and there were a sharp pair there).
It's been good to me very little snipe if any.
Mark


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## Nato (Jun 3, 2012)

i'm sorry, i wasn't clear.i'm looking for comments on the makita "beam" hand planer, not a bench style planer. sounds like you got a good deal on the delta. see what happens when you don't read the handbook......guilty!:msp_tongue::msp_tongue:


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## qweesdraw (Jun 3, 2012)

WOW That thing looks way serious!
For about 2K i wonder how long it would take to pay for itself?
I would go to a logging show and see if you may try one 1st hand.
I own 2 Makita hand planers the lil 3" and the curved one (no complaints) but that isn't any help! 
Mark


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## Nato (Jun 3, 2012)

mark your not kidding 2 g's isn't cheep for one. i want to see if they would be good to use on wide slabs. at least to knock the rough stuff off and minimize sanding.


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## Timberframed (Jun 3, 2012)

Might be quick and accurate if set up on a tramel like a router planer. I'd give it a go.


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## qweesdraw (Jun 4, 2012)

Delta makes a bench 18" model 220v very commercial they are about $900 used (CL) that would be my choice! (my dream planer).
In my world and what my Lt 10 will mill an 18" board is more than plenty for about anything most woodworkers will drool over! 
They make jointers and glue for the wide stuff!
I am not a master craftsman by any means and from what i have found the wider the board the more it is possible it will crack (check) in time,unless your milling a straight arrow tree like a lodgepole pine.
Heck i kind of thought you were trying to build log cabins and trying to do a 12" x whatever beam after looking @ that big boy!,what it was made to do, and would scare the hell out of me if your planing a wide board and you will never plane it right!
(Just my opinion and not an expert by any means)
Mark
P.S I sold a rocking chair today @ a bbq for 1K not built and will l loose my ass in labor,but i enjoy wood working ,My warranty is 200 years!.(USA )wood /Made that don't come awe the way flum Chinyu!


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## Nato (Jun 4, 2012)

yeah i didn't know if i could plane a wide board well enough to justify the cost of one of those. man you made laugh with that warranty. there is a custom cabnet shop down the street that can handle up to 32 inches on their planer. they also have a 48 inch sander. they said they would charge me 75 an hour to plane and sand any big stuff i have. i still would like to hear from someone in this milling forum who has used one of the makitas or one of the other brands.


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## glennschumann (Jun 13, 2012)

*Planers*

I've used the little N1900B too, and it is fine, but don't get the cord caught in the blades... quite a sea of sparks!

If you are planning on sanding in the end, you may consider a used floor sander. You may be able to find one cheaper than the planer, and they collect the dust fairly well too. Bits of dirt / nails etc are not nearly as damaging to a floor sander as they are to the blades on a planer.

If you are planning on planing, in the end, I would opt for the large planer... sanders always seem to leave some grit in the wood, and that is awfully hard on hand plane blades.

My two cents.

Schumann


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## Doss (Jun 20, 2012)

This may help you. I have the Makita 1806B (6-3/4" power planer) (and a tiny Bosch 1594). The thing is a brute and is massive. I have seen the Makita KP312 (12-1/4") and really can't imagine using it. Mafell and Hema make even larger ones.

Is the big Makita worth the money? That depends, are you milling a lot of beams on site or how wide are your slabs? If you're not, I'd suggest another route. 

If you didn't know, planers do not "flatten" pieces really. They make sides parallel. So, these power/portable planers aren't really planers so much as portable jointers (which do flatten things), but the short decks aren't super great for that either. Normally I'll use a router jig to flatten the slabs and the 1806B to "flatten" and finish the last 1/64" of the slabs I cut (up to 50" wide). Also, it is still reasonably useful as a portable jointer. It is also huge 21" long and 20 lbs. The KP312 is the same length roughly but double the weight... not something I'd like to lug around all day. 

Even with those tools, I still have a set of old Stanley hand planes and jointers around to help out. Those, and a Dewalt DW735 so when I get one side flat I can make the other side parallel (it's what a planer does).

Good luck on whatever you choose. Just know what the tool actually does before you buy it. Don't go in thinking these things are going to make a slab dead on level.


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