Popular Woodworking 2005-02 № 146, страница 87
SPIRAL-HEAD KNIVES The Powermatic's spiral head is designed to cut wood in a shearing motion rather than chopping, making the motor work less hard, and reducing noise and tear-out. Shown at left below is the flexible steel blade removed from the cutterhead. The actual cutting edge is the slim V4" edge at the left of the blade. The fins (to the right) are for aligning the blade in the cutterhead. The tabs on the fins fit into the center channel shown in the head. The gib plate is then placed over the blade and screwed in place. There are four plates for each blade and the only alignment necessary is orienting the holes in the gib, blade and head using a tool similar to a nail set. The blade is twisted into position against the head as the gib plates are secured. At right, the blade is shown in place and ready to use. The blades are not able to be resharpened and cost about $130 for a new set. BW-15P One of the three motor-mounted-below machines, the Bridgewood gains points for ease of access to the blades and the rolling bars that let you pass lumber across the top of the machine. One difference from the other moving-table machines was a smaller hand wheel (6" vs. 73/4"). During testing the Bridgewood showed perfect head parallelism to the table and registered negligible snipe. While not the quietest of machines overall, the Bridgewood planer registered the least amount of increase in noise level during a cut, which is significant in a planer. The tables moved very smoothly, and the integrated mobile base was a pleasant accessory. It's performance during cut evaluation was good. In the end the Bridgewood planer proved to be a good machine with a good cut, priced toward the upper end of the scale. Wilke Machinery: 800-235-2100 or wilkemach.com 22-780X One of the two unconventional machines in the test, the Delta offers an open stand that felt more like an enclosed model, but actually did something with the space underneath. The oversized, four roller tables collapse flat to the sides adding some very useful space to your shop. The tables were also a lot easier to adjust than on all the other models. Add a mobile base (not included) and you've got a very space-friendly machine. The Delta also stood out as one of two machines to offer a 30 feet-per-minute feed rate, compared to the standard 20 feet-per-minute (high speed). This means less time standing at your planer and more time building your project because of this increased feet rate. The cut performance was quite good and the head parallelism was nearly perfect. Another difference is the 6" dust port located center-line on the machine. We noticed some increased noise because of the larger port, but if you have a large enough collector to handle the capacity (and use a 6" hose), it should prove more efficient. The Delta is priced at the higher end of the scale ($1,100), but with all the above-mentioned features, as well as a five-year warranty, at least you feel like you're getting something for the extra cash. Too bad the motor's not mounted below the table. Delta: 800-438-2486 or deltawoodworking.com 82 Popular Woodworking February 2005 |
