My CNC is homemade, My channel has a CNC build playlist if you want to see how I made it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zmL_njU9u7g.html
sorry to be so off topic but does anybody know of a method to log back into an Instagram account? I was dumb lost the password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.
@Xander Alijah I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
My 2 biggest surprises this week: This video is embedded on the Harbor Freight product page, and How much everyone loves my "Pot/Kettle situation" Comment. It's nice to meet you all, thanks for the comments and views. Good luck!
Dude... That line legit cuts straight to the heart of the matter. Like, how you gonna be looking at cheap tool reviews and hate on somebody who just doesn't like wasting money? (me personally, hearing that you kinda had to waste $16 worth of wood made me wince. I'm with ya, bud.)
Cee Jay maybe he hates wasting wood? I’m personally in that camp. Hardwood lumber is expensive, I hate turning usable lumber into sawdust, in fact that’s one of the main reasons I upgraded my bandsaw, for resawing.
Speaking about Harbor Freight... I bought one of their cheap welders at their parking lot sale for 60$ and told my self when it broke I would buy a Lincoln or Miller. 7 years later, the dang thing won't break! It's strong enough for most of my projects and I can usually preheat the stuff at the ends of it capability to make it work (nothing structural of course).
I'm on my second year with this planer, and also no complaints. My strategy with HF is to buy tools I'm learning to use, or not sure how much use it will get. I go to the online reviews to see beforehand if any issues are consistently reported (some users share neat work-arounds) - it really helps to make an informed choice. Many of my "test tools" have lasted many more years of hard use than I imagined at purchase! Very useful video, keep up the good work.
You can simply visually inspect the tool. Some Harbor Freight tools are not good (as he said). The way you can tell is that the metallurgy and the fit and finish is extremely poor, like porous cast iron that isn't milled very smooth, or soft looking metal that might bend easily or snap off. When you look at their ratchets, and their sockets, they are literally the nicest hard metal alloy and their fit and finish is as good as a $200 Snap-On product. Their ratchets are so good, I've purchased about 5 different ones. Their new line of power tools appear to be just as good as Dewalt or Milwaukee, as you can visibly see just by examining the fit and finish. If you can't determine the quality of a tool by looking at it, then you probably should just stick with Dewalt tools. The downside to cheap power tools is the foot plate on saws are more "wiggly" and the motors have less power, and the sliding parts are not as precise. Although, from what I can tell, Harbor Freight has finally decided to step up the quality dramatically, and their circular saws are at least as good as the major brands. On their cordless tools, there is no way the batteries are going to last 10 years like on a Milwaukee. I have some Milwaukee batteries that are going on 8 or 9 years, and show no signs of damage. But for some people, they don't need batteries to last decades.
I like your attitude. This seems like such an honest, informative video. I don't put much stock into review videos because they are just one-offs of a brand new product. Doing an update after a year of using the product tells me more than any unboxing review ever could. Well done.
I have this planer and absolutely love it to be honest. Only thing I would say is to make sure you keep regular maintenance done on it, oil/lubricate clean your blade, make sure you don’t run any wood with nails or anything like that through it and you should be good. I’ve been using this after breaking down pallets and using it to make them (of course) all the same thickness for wood flooring. Saving a lot of money and it’s turning out great so far.
And why would you oil/lubricate your blade? Makes zero sense to me. Oil/lubricate and clean the gears, chains, and other metal to metal moving parts, but the blade?
@@coloradomountainman8659 Yeah I am not sure why she says to apply a heavy coating of blade lubricant to the dry blade? It's not good for the blade to be oiled, because it contaminates and ruins the wood.
I’m a contractor that focuses on remodels. I don’t plane all that often, usually just making my own shims so I think this might be perfect for me. Thanks for the videos brother.
I wood work as a hobby, I have a CNC, table saw, belt sander, oscillating spindle sander, router table, band saw and a lathe. I don't have a planer I don't really need one either, not yet anyway. The fact that you took the time to review the tool a year later is awesome!
That looks just like the planer I had many years ago (under a different brand). I built a lot of projects with that thing. The snipe on the ends was tolerable, but still a little frustrating, but otherwise, the power it delivered wasn't bad. Since then, I've upgraded to a 15" grizzly, 3hp, helical cutter head. If you have the space and budget for such a machine, it's fantastic. I can take double the cut at a much faster feed rate than I could before and the finish is fantastic. If you're just starting out, that little 13" planer will get you where you want to go.
Thank you for doing a honest straight forward review without all the cinematic bullshit. These types of reviews are exactly what's missing from youtube these days. Earned a sub and a thumbs up from we.
Just bought one today based on this review. Picked it up second hand, but unused new out of box for 200 bucks, so I really can't complain, looking forward to trying it out.
Thanks. I’ve been eyeing this planer. I like your nuanced and balanced review; the balance of cost to quality (durability, performance…) is best way to look at purchases. And, excellent presentation.
I was talking about getting a planer with my wife and I am glad I came across your video. I am new to wood working so I don't really want to invest in a high dollar (I know someone will say you get what you pay for or something like that) planer in the beginning and it just sit there. I am definitely going to check this planer out ( I use a DA buffer/polisher from them and I love it, does everything this I need it to do) thanks again!
Ok...the suspense is killin’ me...you were engraving “Eat My A....” Avocado? Armadillo? Aardvark? Abominable Snowman? Algorithm? Astrophysicist? Algae? Ankle? Acorn? Aioli? Aphid? The board was too short for Anthropocentricities... SHOW US THE COMPLETED SIGN, MAN!! 😂😂😂
I have need for lots of things like this in my hobbies so thanks for the long term review. Much like you, I'm not a woodworker but I do work with wood often.
I purchased a Bauer impact drill driver, was about $100. Put it through hell for a year. Did remain virgil about keeping clean grease in pivot box. Still runs and works like first day. Thinking the Bauer line of tools is HF hidden gems. Thanks for video Bro.
I've owned the same one for 2 years. Does great for the money. Prepare for snipe thou. I use a longer "throw-away" sister board on wood that is already cut to length.
@@SmDJeremy Sure. I don't want to build a planer, so buying a cheap planer for basic projects is what I need, so this video was very helpful. It saves me money (GOLD). :)
As a carpenter for a couple decades I have used plenty of Ryobi tools with no complaint. In fact I like my palm sander better than my Porter-Cable one. It's all about the tool. And how much you use it. There are certain things I don't skimp on such as saw blades and hand tools, and I'm not a big Harbor Freight fan, but they do have some great prices for tools you might not use a lot
I try to research before making a purchase. I watched your original review before buying my planer when it went on sale. I'm no professional woodworker and primarily using the Bauer Planer from Harbor Freight on pallet wood. Works great for me. I really appreciate your review and the information shared. Like others, I'd like to see you review other Harbor Freight tools.
Good accurate vid regarding this planer. I've had mine for 4yrs now and put roughly 100-150 hours on it. It's completely paid for itself ten-fold. Only true problem that has arrised is that the left side will slowly start to plane off slightly more and needs to be re-adjusted. This is most certainly the best product of all my purchases from Harbor freight.
It's rare someone takes the time to film, edit, and post a follow-up review of a product. Thanks! As much as I have worked semiprofessionally doing home repair and small renovation, I mostly do any of this work for myself or family working full time in health care. So, adding a planer to my workshop in lieu of the more time intensive nature of flattenening boards with a router flattening jig or hand planing, has been on my list. A planer may not have much use for general home repair and renovation, but it does in woodworking. Watching other but multibrand planer reviews, some of the advantages of the Bauer is, of course, the low price of approx. $270-300(?), the blades are double-sided, and the unit framing is a 2-bar (on top), making it more stable. However, I do not recall whether it is a 2 vs 3 blade unit. If it is a 3-blade unit, this is definitely a steal. It's never going to compare to the durability, precision, and quality of an industrial/commercial Jet or Grizzly...especially those that have spiral, let alone helical blades, but for a small home workshop, those units are completely unrealistic (not to mention well over $1K.
This was helpful, that's a pretty good value! Love the engraving setup too. You're totally right too, $16 is a lot of oak to throw out. I have a hard time chucking the offcuts...
Thx for long term post...anything can work a little while, it's the down the road performance that interests a lot of us. Btw, my buddy has a semi-pro shop and has this for small jobs, told me he uses it far more than his big boy planer because it's much easier to get in and out without a full blown orchestration. Nice video
Very glad to see a review on this planer and you did and excellent job! Like you, I am also a home hobbyist and cannot justify laying out a few hundred bucks for a planer. I have a lot of HF stuff and for the most part, I have zero complaints.
A very informative review. Had been wondering about worthiness whereas I am one of those who doesn't have the scratch for the better stuff but this unit seems quite adequate. Being a cautious "grampy", I noticed the little one's box. I respectfully suggest a cabinet lid support for the lid to save little fingers. Lowes has an economical fix. Item # 311978 model# 3890418 $3.97 thanks
I've had one of these planers for a couple of years and used it A LOT while rehabbing my last house. I thought it was fantastic for the price. It's still running strong. I don't think I bought the warrant for it (I wish there was a way to look that up on the HF website), but it's been working like a champ, so no reason to take it back.
Appreciate the video. I am going to grab one of these today I think. Personally, I have been pretty fortunate with HF tools. I have built cars, homes, etc with them. I have actually broken more Snap-on and BluePoint than I have HF tools. The thing I like about HF most is I do not have to wait for the truck to come by.
@@1pcfred have you seen or can you recommend any RU-vid videos or plans for building such an outfeed in feed table? I am considering this planer. For our occasional use oh, I'm having trouble justifying the nice DeWalt although I like their tools.
@@rwind656 I made my table before I was on the Internet. There isn't much to it really. I used some 3/4" plywood that I spray glued a piece of sheet metal to. Although I've seen people make theirs out of melamine sheet too. Like a piece of shelving. Anything slippery. The trick how it works is there's a hook made out of wooden blocks on the bottom. It just hooks on the infeed table. So it can't get sucked through the planer. I put some guide rails on the side of mine too. Because there's guides like that in the planer. Keeps pieces on the table. But if you aim pieces they stay on the table anyways. I'm not sure how much the guides on my auxiliary table do. Guides reduce capacity a little. I never max my planer out anyways. Not even close. I've run my planer without the table and with it. I'd never use it without now. It is a pain for me to dig my table out too. Because I always bury it with scrap wood. I still always go through the trouble of digging it out. It lives on a scrap wood pile. Or in.
@@@1pcfred , thank you very very much. I will take a close look at this planer. ( I had only looked at the DeWalt. ). And if we do go for it, or the more expensive one, we will definitely then look around for ideas online and build an infeed and outfeed section. I've not seen the Edge guides to them would have never looked at planer in feet and outfeed. The way you are describing it, makes me think that I might be able to combine the idea of infeed/outfeed wings for a miter saw station we are planning on creating with infeed/ outfeed surfaces for a planer. We were already thinking about making them modular so that they could also be used as an outfeed table on the table saw. ( Getting tired of using the roller bearing type separate little expandable stanchions we've got. So I was thinking let's get everything up to the same height, and make two general use modular table surfaces that could be used for multiple purposes, since in our garage, they will have to be taken down and stored against the wall or hanging on the wall. ). Thanks! In the next few days we will be resawing ( using the table saw ) three quarter inch stock in to half inch stock -- because it's just not available here. But I would also like to avoid borrowing a friend's planer and workshop when we need to do this type thing and I'd like to be able to buy my wood from our local hardwood provider instead of The big box store.
@@rwind656 It is just one board that you pass through the whole machine. I don't know how long mine is. It is as long as the scrap piece of wood I made it out of. Probably 4 feet? It looks about the size of all the other ones I've seen. A few inches longer than the stock wings makes a big difference. The guides in planers are hard to see because they're only on the middle inside section. There's one other feature of my auxiliary table that I don't usually talk about but I kind of like it. Being as I made mine out of scrap wood it had something glued to one side of it at one time and the glue residue is left over. That's on the bottom. And it is kind of a rubberized coating. Gives the board more grip. Whoever sprayed it did a really good job because it is nice and even. Once my table is slipped into the machine it stays there. It fits right inside the machine's guide rails. The other problem I had initially was wood getting caught under my steel cladding. I put a bevel on the leading edge of my auxiliary table and bent the sheet metal onto it. You need a bit of a roll going on there to avoid that happening. So plan on doing something like that when you make your table.
You should review the tools that are garbage, or at least have 1 video showing all the junk and why it's junk. I shop at harbor freight and would love to know what to avoid.
@@jasonfryer7002 I didn't even know they had anvils. Now I wonder what it'd take to make that piece of garbage usable.... I have an idea, but not a lot of budget(too much at the house needs to be taken care of first and I doubt I'll have much left after.
I appreciate the update. I have had my eye on it for a while and like you it would not get every day use with me. I am just tired of projects not being as nice cause even so called premium cut wood can be out of square.
I recently borrowed my brother Bauer planer for a Christmas project. I’ve used various planers over the years and found no faults with the Bauer. In fact it’s the spitting image of name brand planers on the market. Fact is I may even throw down the money to purchase my own.
Thanks for the great information. I’m into wood turning and I need a planner. I purchased a wood lathe from Harbor Freight. Couldn’t be happier. It does everything I need it to do. Got it for $324 with coupon.
Years ago I would hustle signs and stuff when I needed the money, and those trees were on the menu. Now days I make way more money just working a little OT at my day job. The CNC is really just to make whatever I feel like making now.
Same...harbor freight tools are perfect for odd tools that really help, but may only be needed a few times. Bought a wet saw from them...used it twice, and a buddy used it. Now it sits. Still functional, but i doubt ill ever use it again.
I appreciate the video and your conclusion very much. I think it's worth adding that when you get a junky HF tool then your audience would also like to know about it to avoid a similar purchase mistake.
Nice little tree, but great video! It's good to see an honest review about something. I've heard and seen so many videos about people whining about the quality of the things they bought for next to nothing and then compare them with products that cost 3-5 times as much. Based on your review, I might actually buy a one of these planers as I'm just getting started in wood working and may move up depending on how far I decide I'm going to pursue this hobby. Look forward to seeing more of your videos!
I bought several power tools from Harbor Freight (because I’m not a pro). I have had no problems with any of them. So for the cost savings, it’s been surprisingly great.
$32 for a pc of 6"x6' oak is over $10/bdft. One of the main advantages of owning a planer is buying rough lumber like oak at $1/bdft and planning it to 3/4".
Great review, I am a professional carpenter and expect my tools to perform. Now that I am retired I cannot spend the bigger bucks it's nice to see I can get one that will just do the job if need be my Sanders can so clean up.
Same here Jeffrey when they Dewalt send the Makita‘s and Skil saw‘s from 20 years ago broke down now it’s hard to replace that same round some of the harbor freight stuff it’s OK I’ve had pretty good luck with most of it
@@scottward1002 i try to find a few guys that have spent the money on anything that costs over $150.00 just because i don't have the money to waste anymore. I haven't personally bought or used much harbor freight stuff but what i have bought has done the job. I used to always buy Milwaukee first with the exception of the worm drive circular saw Milwaukee worm drive (sidewinder) is just to bulky and heavy have always preferred the Skil sidewinder and these days they are cheap enough to buy besides they last forever my last one was dropped off several roofs before i finally had to just replace it. Nowadays my tools will last me the rest of my life and ny battery drill/impact set with a 6" Milwaukee saw will definitely last the rest of my life. Most Dewalt tools with a few exceptions of course are cheap enough these days to just buy. I bought a brand new 10" Dewalt table saw a year or so ago for a couple hundred bucks the guy used it once then suddenly passed away his daughter sold that to me a fairly new router table with the router 24 bits an electric hand held planer all kinds of tools i walked away spending $345.00 even though i was very honest with her told her the true values and prices she just didn't want to look at the stuff it bothered her i felt bad about how much i paid her anyway i point is if we buy when we don't need the tools we can take our time and find great deals. I love building my own stuff but i have half century experience ans already planned on building new cabinets for my house after that purchase i had everything i needed am starting this spring been taking my time building my new shop its almost done. Thanks for taking your valued time respond to my comment may you and your family always be blessed. Jeff
@Ross McKenzie I bet so as well I am dying from a terminal lung disease I have lots of excellent high quality tools I want them to go to people that will put them to good use and not just let them sit and rot that would break my heart I care about my tools and take great care of them
Thank you you made up my mind I'm adding this machine to my work shop . My girlfriend has been trying for a couple of years to comandeer the niche I've been saving for the planer .
The Bald Handyman I wholeheartedly agree. Do I need a planer? Nope. Do I want a planer. You know I do. Why? Because I don’t have one, damn. I’ve found that it does not matter if I really have a need once I buy the tool I use it. Never owned calipers. HF had them for under $10. Bought em and use them all the time now.
I found one at our Harbor Freight for $ 227.00. It was out of the box so they put it on sale cheep. I am very happy with it. Thanks for your re-view on this. I went and bought it because of your re-view. happy with it.
So about two years ago I bought a similar Rigid planer. I maintained it properly and didn't abuse it. About 3 months ago the motor just burned up on me in the middle of a project. Wanted to just replace the motor but couldnt find anyone locally who could/would replace it (or even call me back). Just bought this one as a temporary sub, and as a card-carrying harbor freight junky, I'm definitely feeling positive after seeing all these reviews.
The Bauer, ICON, and other higher end branded tools in Harbor Freight are usually pretty good quality. Their Chicago or Pittsburgh brand stuff is hit or miss. The cheap air tools work great. The cheap electric tools suck. Hand tools are good. Mechanical tools are good.
Harbor Freight tools are hit and miss, even their hand tools. But it is also the first place I go for project specific tools when I can't rent them. Sometimes you find a gem. Sometimes they end up in the trash. Sometimes you learn that now that you have the tool, it is more useful than you thought and wish that you upgraded to better quality tools but it never breaks.
Looks similar to the Performax one I bought from Menards 2 years ago. Mine is still working fine, although I do need to replace or flip the knives as I am starting to see "streaks" in the wood. Oh yeah, and at the time of this comment., the Menards one is a little over $80 cheaper than the HF one.
Thank you ! I'm in the hunt for a decent planer. YES I'M CHEAP, I'll do Harbor Freight all day long !! As you know, not everything in the store is great quality and I stay away from the junk. I get a LOT of free lumber and reclaim it into some GREAT projects. I just finished a nice large flower box for the guys wife that gives me all my wood. I'm bringing it to him tomorrow morning. I'm sure he'll appreciate it and it let's him know I appreciate him !! Used lumber is already dried and "is what it is". I'd rather see the twists and turns before I finish a project !! I call it being smart, not cheap !! I'm impressed with my wallet being a little fatter, not someone's "opinion" because I have a "name brand" tool. .... I'm going to check out Menards planer right now ! Thanks again !!
6:00 It might be interesting to see the HF tools that you have found to be not that great, so others can avoid them. Maybe condense them into one video?
i'm a professional carpenter....on a job my milwaukee saws all died....HF was a block away...i bought a HF saws all for 20 bucks just to get through the job....if i burned it up no big deal...i had a 30 return or swap....10 yrs later its still used almost daily...and the handle pivots out of the way....no complaints from me
@@tiptip5921 Yeah, some of the stuff at harbor freight is good value for the money. That's how they stay in business. If all of their stuff was trash, they'd be gone. If you go in with low expectations and they're met, you're fine. If they're exceeded, then even better.
@@@tiptip5921 , which recip saw at Harbor Freight was this? I have been looking at the reviews... I'm looking at them for a wedding present (we usually give a toolbox tailored to their needs) and I don't want to give one to this young fellow/couple who are going to remodel their beater home if it's going to fail immediately! But I'd rather include a few other tools as they are really strapped. And if I go out and buy a name brand more expensive recip saw, I won't have the money to include some other goodies. Would appreciate your feedback.I had almost eliminated the current Harbor Freight models although we are big Harbor Freight customers...
@@rwind656 its maroon in color and the handle unlocks and rotates left or right....maybe i got one that was built on a wednesday by 2nd. shift...the abuse this thing has seen should have killed it by now....but still works fine
Nice video... I'm thinking about a purchase soon and this helps me decide. The perspective about 'value vs quality' gives a lot of food for thought. Thanks again
