Popular Woodworking 2004-02 № 139, страница 61

CRAFTSMAN 21743

This is a pretty good planer with nice features, but it also has a couple of things that curb our enthusiasm.The powered height-adjustment feature lets you quickly raise or lower the head without making yourself dizzy turning a handle. It's nice, but not really necessary. The built-in dust-collection fan, however, is functional, necessary and pretty darn cool. It might sound gimmicky, until you consider that this machine doesn't need to be hooked up to a dust collector to remove the chips. You just saved $150 and some floor space. This also is the only machine with fold-up extension tables that allow you to close the outfeed table with the dust collection device still in place.

The motor is sort of a good story/bad story. Running at the slowest speed in the test

(8,000 rpm, which is bad for cut quality), it actually appears to be an efficient motor when looking at the amperage spike during operation. Closely related to the rpm is the cut quality. The Craftsman is tied for the lowest cuts per inch (50) in the test. Happily, the finish is within an acceptable level.The blade change is acceptably easy, though there are springs under the cover plate that were a nasty surprise, popping loose and heading toward the interior of the planer. The height scale is located horizontally across the top of the infeed side, an unusual location. It is in both English and metric, and is difficult to read. As the second-highest-priced model in the test, the Craftsman had a couple of good points, but not enough to warrant the price compared to the competition. (craftsman.com)

One of the "old guard" in the test, the Delta performed admirably against the youngsters. Priced in the middle of the pack, the two feed speeds provided a quality finish. The amperage draw also was in the m iddle of the pack, and well below a 15-amp circuit concern. Snipe with the head lock in place was less than .001" - good enough for us. The head-lock lever is mounted on the right side and is easier to access and engage than others in the test. The full-height depth stop is a nice feature, but we're a little conflicted about whether having the ability to set only one stop at a time is a limitation. It will probably depend on your woodworking habits.

While the Delta has what can be called a wood-removal gauge, it's more of a contact indicator rather than a scale and does not tell you

how much material will be removed in a pass.As with most of the dust diverters in the test (available as an accessory on the Delta), this one impedes the outfeed table closure.The blade-changing system on this model is one of the best. The pop-top access is an excellent feature, offering lots of room and light. The head can be turned to the correct position from the exterior of the machine by using a tool, so there's less chance of getting nicked. Not having to take out the cutter-head screws is a strong plus in our book.The height scale is graduated in V32" and is fairly easy to read. When we ended up tallying the numbers, the Delta's cut quality (owing to the two feed speeds), motor performance and price were impressive enough to give this planer our Best Value award. (deltawoodworking.com)

DEWALT DW735

The DeWalt is the leader of the pack. It's the most expensive, but only by $50 and we think that's justified. It stands out for a number of reasons, the obvious one being visible. The motor and head are mounted side-by-side rather than on top of one another. There are no standard infeed or outfeed tables, but the 19V2" table is larger than the more-standard 9"- to 13"-deep beds. Most importantly, it uses a three-knife cutterhead that, in conjunction with the two feed speeds, offers an excellent finished surface. Because of the extra knife, each is working less, extending the life of the blades. Also an important part of the "finish" process is the lack of a head lock. Rather than being immobilized, the DeWalt's head is under constant pressure to counteract the movement that causes snipe. It's always on and it really works.

Other features include a wood-removal gauge (running the full width, not just measuring at one

point as with the other machines in the test) and a clear height scale graduated in V32".The height adjustment moves smoothly, and the integral dust-collection fan leads to a snap-in port with two sizes (4" and 2V2") for hose hook-up or attachment to an optional garbage-can hood accessory. Access to the blades is excellent, with the whole top coming off via four screws that stay attached to the hood. Inside there are bright red, easy-to-reach finger bolts to release the head cover. The rest is pretty simple, but it's still the same cover with hex-head screws that have to be fully removed. On most of the planers it is noticeably harder to raise the height of the head than to lower it. But this is fluid in either direction. Amperage spike during operation was decent, but we did notice higher amperage draws in general, so make sure it's on a 20-amp breaker for best performance. This is a well-engineered and thought-out machine. (dewalt.com)

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