StewMac Safe-T-Planer Video

Dan Erlewine shows how to create smooth, planed surfaces using your drill press. Our Safe-T-Planer is the affordable way to add a planer to your shop. In your drill press, it planes wood to any thickness, leaving it smooth and ready for sanding.
If you have questions, please contact us through our webpage www.stewmac.com... or visit our Facebook page / stewmac
For more information on tools and parts:
StewMac Safe-T-Planer
www.stewmac.com...

[@johnford7847]

Great introduction to the Safe-T-Planer and an elegantly simple drill press table design. Thanks for sharing.

[@IAmSippycup]

The only experience I have working with wood is from a high school class about 10 years ago, but I find watching these video so cathartic.

[@NMranchhand]

I was wondering when someone was going to knock off the old Wagner. Glad you did. It was a great tool they never should have stopped making. Good job.

[@chrisgeo1642]

This is a nice update of the drill press planer. the original design was notoriously dangerous. this version makes it truly "safe"

[@MrUltracoin]

You guys are so innovative, you truly deserve to be marketleader in luthery tools.

[@Aristocob]

@RDE Lutherie There was no "buying of the rights" involved. Wagner's patent expired in 1974 so it's been public domain and free to copy ever since.

[@Aristocob]

RDE Lutherie It certainly does not.

[@Aristocob]

RDE Lutherie They aren’t unlike a lot of modern companies. Marketing departments seem to think they they have to use hubris to sell. I remember a quote from the founder of the company’s here I work that said “Only the truth inspires trust”. Sadly, we’ve come a long way from those days.

[@Aristocob]

RDE Lutherie Well said.

[@mrpbody44]

I have been buying tools from them for over 30 years. Every tool that I bought from them has been great. The only one that was bad was a diamond fret file that the diamond coating flaked off and they replaced it.

[@juliantaylor7663]

I wonder if they’ll make a sanding disc attachment to the planer like lmii did Cause not only would you be able to plane the surface but sand it smoother

[@juliantaylor7663]

when he demonstrates the Gibson neck taper, could you thickness the Peg head the same way without the taper to a scarf jointed neck instead of a one piece neck or is that too risky

[@markmelville6670]

Well, my first go at this set up was a failure. You have to make sure your table is super flat. My plywood table has a bit of a bow to it and the results were disastrous.

[@odlaaleuz6415]

Hi, good info. Quick question, What are the RPM of the drill press to run it well. Tku.

[@php9646]

3000 RPM

[@tomalexiou9573]

Hello Dan,please show us more with a new video please?

[@FreeOnGoal]

Drill press are not designed to take a Lot of lateral forces!

[@MyGrowthRings]

There's not a lot of lateral force with a sharp rotary planer. I've been using one for over 35 years on my Shopsmith with no discernible issues. And when you consider that I also run a 10" circular saw blade on that same spindle, run-out would be pretty obvious.

[@followyourbliss101]

nice tool. Definitely requires some learning to know how to safely and effectively make this tool work for you. Definitely not something you come at halfassed or carelessly

[@roontunes]

love to adapt that for my radial arm saw

[@tMatt5M]

Absolutely genius.

[@dlapp14]

This thing doesnt work nearly as well as this on my drill press.

[@waynechurchill7212]

🇨🇦👍as always great tip how much

[@pearltiger2003]

All I'd like to add is be careful using this tool. I have one, and retired it to a bottom shelf, probably never to come out again. Did you notice when Dan was using the planer on the headstock, that they cut away as soon as he neared the neck piece? I'd like to know how he was going to cut to the neck stock line safely, and square, wouldn't you? Also, did you also notice that after the cut-away, the very next shot was Dan holding the finished headstock/neck with a "Ta-Da" flourish and saying, "And here is the finished piece" (or something to that effect). Did you notice he was holding it upside down and showing you the side that DID NOT get cut? I have a feeling Wagner stopped producing this tool for a reason (which I believe I found when I was using it). Please be careful if you are using it.

[@1777DK]

Lynn Livingston The guy who made the originals died, is that reason enough for you?

[@woodsprout]

I'm not worried about it. Watch some other videos of this planer. Must be run at proper high rpm, on a smooth surface, and with sharp blades.

[@billkaroly]

Fix the link It's broken

[@Yosser70]

Would this fit and work in a router? I’ve got a good router sled that I use for flattening and if this worked, it’d be very handy.

[@robertsgearoutlet810]

No, it would be very dangerous (I’ve seen that covered in other guitar building forums).

[@iwokeupthismorning2]

@@robertsgearoutlet810 even at super low speed with a well design jig?

[@ScreamingEagleFTW]

hello Stew. I was wondering what rpm the safetplaner must turn at? I thought it would go nice on my radial arm saw attachment. I think it turns at 3750rpm is that fast enough. My drill press has different speeds and I could use a jack shaft to get more speed. What do you reccomend for rpms? thanks

[@stewmac]

We recommend running the Safe-T-Planer between 2500 and 3000 rpm.

[@handmill2]

you absolutly need a good press drill without any run out

[@grzegorz16100]

And if you can afford that you can afford a real planer. Catch 22

[@ThePillenwerfer]

THAT is one impressive tool.

[@Rottwiler44]

What's the max amount of material you can take off with that? A quarter of an inch?

[@bluehornet6752]

+Gregg Carter Yup, 0.005" at a time. But I suppose if you are surfacing the entire board (like a finger board, for instance), then you could take it all the way down to nearly nothing...0.005" at a time. Seems like it would take a while to do though, at that rate.

[@turningpoint6643]

.005"???? where did you pull that imaginary number from? My Wagner rotary planer that this one is copied from will do a full depth cut of at least .230" since the step in the tool is the same depth as the cutting teeth are and that's .250". Years ago I had a long conversation with the original inventor of these rotary planers and they were designed to only take so much for a maximum cut and that was the tooth depth. For best results I take a light finish pass of about .005" but they'll certainly take almost 50 times more than your estimate.

[@waynechurchill7212]

That is great ,

[@massmanute]

Is this planer free of snipe?

[@MyGrowthRings]

Yes, these cannot snipe.

[@mediumstudio]

wow!

[@Andyjpro]

Or just use an old #4 hand plane and have zero chance of losing a finger, as well as having more control over the finished product.

[@sirswift23]

+Andy Prokopyk Or a safe-T-planer

[@Andyjpro]

+sirswift23 $50 plus shipping for this thing, or probably $20-30 for a locally purchased #4 plane that has much more versatility.

[@sirswift23]

Andy Prokopyk I get hand planes for free and I still want this! 50 bucks plus ain't shit for good equipment. Versatility? come on man.....

[@Andyjpro]

+sirswift23 this is a completely superfluous piece of equipment. most of what stewmac sells is unnecessary. I'd respect them more if they manufactured nicer essential things, like nut files. A well tuned hand plane is incredibly versatile.

[@sirswift23]

+Andy Prokopyk I suppose if you have unnecessary and superfluous in one sentence, then you must be right!

[@griffinbogwill9252]

2:00 woah no way! Dan predicted covid 19!

[@edadpops1709]

haha all of my hand tools have power cords