Alternate Planer

The Safe-T-Planer has been around for many years. It works great. Just make sure it is square to the drill press table, and use a fence. I use mine a lot.
Regards
Ed
 
I never tried one. They just always seemed too unsafe to me...
 
I have an original Wagner STP. The one above is the Stewmac version. I used to use mine before I had a drum sander, and still use it now and again. It frightens me every time I do.
 
I’ve got 3 of em on a shelf in the workshop...only used one once, it worked OK but I found other methods worked better.
 
I only use it to thin the headstock. Face down, shaves off from the back. Gets it to a flat, even depth. Or creates a subtle taper if you shim the end a little. I don't use it for anything else anymore. A drum sander would probably work just a well, maybe slower.
 
The knock against the knock off safety planers has always been the quality of the blades. Cheap soft metal blades that quickly get dulled and the manufacturer would recoup their loss by selling you new blades. Sort of like the printers they sell so cheap and then make their profit by selling you ink cartridges. It's a business thing.

I once bought one of these things, took it out of the box, looked at it and then put it back in the box where it sat unused. Never got around to building a fixture. Can't say whether they work good or not since I never used it. But they obviously do have potential. I guess. There are other ways to thin wood.
 
Someone who owns a drill press is likely to also own a router and I see a router achieving the same results, perhaps more safely as your hands are nowhere near the spinny bit! By the time you've built a fence and locked the quill on the drill press, you could have built a little jig to do the same thing with a router.
 
I own both an original Wagner and the stew Mac variety. I think they are great for a small shop. There is a good Robbie O'Brien YouTube video on using them. Thicknessing back and side with a router would not be as easy as with one of these. Use mine on every instrument.
 
I see Amazon has similar items for lower prices.

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=rotary+planer&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

I haven't looked at the offerings on Amazon, but I will say you may not want to chase the cheapest example of this kind of tool. You really want it to be accurately machined, and you really really want the blades to stay fixed in the cutting head at the proper adjustment they were set at. And as someone else noted, the quality of the steel in the blades may be variable.

I don't have a drill press version of this tool, but I do have one for my radial arm saw. I've used it a couple of times over the past 20 years. It did work ok, and I did avoid harming myself while using it, so I've been considering whether I should try it during my next instrument-making endeavor.
 
I haven't looked at the offerings on Amazon, but I will say you may not want to chase the cheapest example of this kind of tool. You really want it to be accurately machined, and you really really want the blades to stay fixed in the cutting head at the proper adjustment they were set at. And as someone else noted, the quality of the steel in the blades may be variable.

I don't have a drill press version of this tool, but I do have one for my radial arm saw. I've used it a couple of times over the past 20 years. It did work ok, and I did avoid harming myself while using it, so I've been considering whether I should try it during my next instrument-making endeavor.

I believe they were originaly designed for the Radial Arm Saw ..but these are left handed versions and cant be used on a pedestal drill unless you can run it in reverse..the thing that i dont like about them on the pedestal drill is that they load the bearings sideways causing premature wear.
Here is a video of one in use with the Radial Arm Saw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiJuKVuC-Cs
 
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I believe they were originaly designed for the Radial Arm Saw ..but these are left handed versions and cant be used on a pedestal drill unless you can run it in reverse..the thing that i dont like about them on the pedestal drill is that they load the bearings sideways causing premature wear.
Here is a video of one in use with the Radial Arm Saw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiJuKVuC-Cs

You're correct. The one I have is specific to the radial arm saw and can't be used on a drill press. The rotation is opposite, and the one I have is designed to screw onto the saw arbor. Nevertheless, it works similarly to the drill press version.
 
I could see a very useful tool for ukulele building that ran three of these at once doing what a planer will without the risk of tear out.
 
I have used a Safe-T-Planer for years, and have done good work with it. For someone with limited space it makes it possible to plane things you would otherwise have to do by hand. If you follow the instructions and use the tool within it's limits, it will produce good results. In this YouTube video you can see how I will use the planer to do a neck. Many years ago when I had neither the space nor funds to own a planer or drum sander, I made many clock cases using the Safe-T-Planer.

Regards
Ed
 
As I said earlier the original safe-T- planer put pressure sideways on the pedestal drill bearings..but the Stewmac version is quite a bit smaller in diameter and this should help reduce the pressure quite a bit.

131F1164-F820-4DC5-BF08-15224EDFB9CE by Ken Timms, on Flickr

My Wagner Safety-T-Planer looks more like your Stew-Mac version, except the SM planer cutters have two teeth. My Wagner one had the same pat. no. as yours. Isn't yours one of the ones made for radial arm saws? Mine has the round shank for mounting in a chuck, just like the SM version.

I used mine for thicknessing thin wood and it working pretty well but I always felt nervous using it. Chip collection was a problem too. I haven't touched it since I got my thickness sander.
 
I have the original Safe-T-Planer and have only used it a couple of times. There is another version out there that I have heard very good reviews of. It is called the Super Six Planer and it is sold by Miguel of Musictools out of Brazil. He is a friend of Robbie O'Brien. Robbie did a YouTube video review of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZlUmP91pnQ

Their catalog is in Portuguese, but the translated description says: "This is our exclusive version of the high-performance Safe T Planer - the 6-insert model. The doubling of the cutting efficiency provides a better finished surface, smoothness in operation, less heating of the inserts and sharpening longevity. They are 300 cuts per second generating micro chips. For professionals who demand extreme cut quality and precision."

I believe the price is around $100 US, but you would have to confirm.

http://musictools.com.br
 

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