StewMac Safe-T-Planer – Drill Press Planer for Precision Thicknessing – 2-3/4" Cutting Width – High-Speed Steel Cutters - For Guitar and Instrument Building

Good planer head, works as good or better than the original Wagner unit, plus has reversible cutters for longer life.I started using these as a wood pattern maker decades ago for sand castings. I use min in a milling machine, although they are used a lot in a drill press. In the drill press, make sure the quill (spindle) is securely locked, as well as the table.when planing. Watch your fingers..

This tool does a very nice job of planing small pieces of wood to reasonably precise dimensions. You MUST read the instructions and follow them. Watch the StewMac video on Youtube paying attention to the base and rip fence on their drill press. Vacuum chips as you cut.. It is easier to move the DP spindle down than to precisely move the DP table up. If your DP doesn't have a spindle position lock, look at the DPs that have them, then fabricate one that will work on your DP. I made one from wood and a 1/4" -20 bolt. Works great. 1 flat=0.008". Makes precision planing with this tool a piece of cake.

Planar is a nice addition to a small shop with no room for a full-sized tool. Results are reasonably smooth, although workpiece does require some sanding afterwards to remove swirled grooves. In one case, I pushed it pretty hard, taking of >1/8" of walnut in one pass, and it was up to the task.

I have owned just about every type of rotary planers made. Wagner, Kindt Collins, Freeman, Craftsman, etc. Hard to find replacement cutters for the others. I use a Walker Turner Radial Drill Press with a Laminate surface to surface my wood. You have to have a locking option on your drill press to use these. This one cuts great, and replaceable cutters are priced very reasonable.

Cuts wood nice. Must work it slow. I had a problem getting my table set up to a level position. I cut down back, sides and top wood for a guitar build. You have to check the level each time you make a pass. Still have to sand out planer marks. It also worked best on cutting down the guitar fret board.

I bought this to make my knife scales perfectly flat before assembling my custom knives. It works great!

It was delivered on time. Great quality for the price.

This tool is easy to use with a little practice on some scrap pieces. It does not leave a polished finish like a surfacing sander, but doesn't cost several hundred dollars. Best on narrower pieces of 2"-10" width using several shallow passes. I mainly use it to remove wood from wedge cut pieces of maple and spruce used for the tops and backs of violins and other stringed instruments.