Are you looking to use a thickness planer in your home shop or on the job site? Here is a down and dirty review of the portable Makita Thickness Planer 2012NB.
This review will be short and generally informative. However, if you would like to see more detailed information, whether it is the Makita or other brands like Dewalt or Ridgid please see the link information below that will take you to our review site.
The Makita 2012NB Review:
The Makita 2012NB is a relatively compact thickness planer. It is light weight compared to other brands, which makes it easy to transport to and from the jobsite or just around your home shop- not to mention the ease of storage.
The Makita cutting blades are dual sided, as is common with most brands, but are very narrow. They are intended to be used for cutting until dull and then tossed out and replaced. And since the cutting head has only 2 blades vs. the three blades on other models- replacement may be cheaper (if they in fact last as long as a three bladed system). The changing of blades on the 2012NB is pretty easy and shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. The cutting head moves up and down, thus allowing a permanent feed table and rollers to handle longer lumber.
This tool has a 15 amp motor with a no-load RPM of about 8500. It is actually very quiet when compared to other brands like DeWalt and Ridgid. It runs quietly at a low 83 decibels. One nice feature is the indicator light that shows when the machine is plugged in (this is a good safety feature to alert you prior to changing blades).
The Makita has about a 12 inch width capacity and a little over a 6 inch depth range. Using the clearly illustrated cutting depth gauge is a must. Because the tool is based in the metric system the adjustments are about 2milimeters instead of the more standard 1/16th of an inch.
As another important point, you should look into using a dust control system. This will help keep your tool and your shop much cleaner and thus safer and better quality work.
If you are doing any sort of fine woodworking like cabinet or furniture building, you really need to consider using a thickness planer. With the help of jigs and a few other hand tools like a router, it can even substitute for a jointer. There are a number of brands out there that give you different options and value so do a little research before you buy a thickness planer.
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