Great Gear Review: The StewMac Safe-T-Planer

A drill press seems an unlikely candidate for planing a workpiece, but with a Safe-T-Planer installed, you can easily plane small parts accurately. Purchase the StewMac Safe-T-Planer here: www.amazon.com...
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[@mururoa7024]

Thanks for making this known. Exactly what I needed.

[@GraemePayne1967Marine]

I have a similar planer head that I use on my radial arm saw, with carbide cutters. Works great, and the way I use it, it is very safe. (I attach the workpiece to a sled and the push the sled under the planer. That way my hands are always well away from the sharp spinny bit.)

[@Thom4123]

Very cool. I can think of so many projects to use this tool.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

Thom spillane - Yeah, apparently it’s used a lot by luthiers (guitar makers), but we’ve found it useful in lots of applications. It sure helps shaping small scraps we would have otherwise tossed.

[@CindyL4261]

Awesome! Definitely ordering this product!

[@rupertblanche2254]

This can be done in a radial arm saw.

[@MyGrowthRings]

Great vid! One quick correction: At 0:45 you mention that it has carbide cutters. They are high speed steel. I've been using the Wagner Safe-T-Planer, which was the original, patented and trademarked "Safe-T-Planer" for over 35 years and have found it a real problem solver. I also own the StewMac and look forward to comparing them. Scott

thank you...

[@scorellis]

Is there a reason you can’t use a jig and run it through a circular saw?

[@HBSuccess]

It is a handy tool - but it’s certainly not the “only way” to plane small pieces LOL. A sharp #4 with some elbow grease will also get the job done!

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

Tioga Fretworks - Ha, Ha... you’re correct. I think Chris was meaning compared to using a planer (the power tool) but in that case too... there is always another way. The Safe-T-Planer is probably is a little easier to use than a hand plane and planer on extremely thin pieces though.

[@flashgordon6238]

As mentioned in the comments section, there is a version of this tool for Radial Arm Saws. I'll call it the Unsafe-T-Planer. I just picked one up for my Dewalt RAS, but it only has two cutters instead of three. I'm thinking I will need two-foot push sticks to keep my fingers intact. May need test the best method of two choices: 1. Lock the saw head and use a jig, then push the material along the fence. 2. Clamp the work and move the radial head.

[@GraemePayne1967Marine]

If you can find the original Sears Craftstman rotary planer head you may find that a lot better. I have seen them on e-bay from various sellers. It has three carbide cutters. When I use mine, I attach the workpiece to a sled and use that to move it under the planer head - keep fingers away from sharp spinning parts. I use both methods tou mention, depending on the situation. Generally longer pieces go on a sled; shorter pieces are clamped and the planer move as if doing a crosscut. Either way, never use more than half the width of the planer head; and my personal guide for lowering the head is to do it in 1/32" increments (one full turn of the elevation crank on my saw.) Been using the saw since the late 1970's and still have all of my original body parts.

[@JustAnotherDayToday]

That’s one hell of a drill press.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

LOL,Thanks... Powermatic has taken really good care of us as sponsors of the Woodsmith Shop tv show on PBS. We're pretty lucky to work with such a great tool company.

[@amftapper]

We just bought 4 of them at the High School where I teach. Within a month, the digital RPM readout stopped working. I don't like the keyless chucks. If you are using a 2" or larger forstner bit, even drilling something like poplar, it is very difficult to get it tight enough to where the forstner bit won't slip.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

A Fred - That’s too bad... We’ve had this one for 5-6 years with no problems. They’re pretty expensive tools, so it’s not a good sign if you’ve had issues that quick. Did you let Powermatic know?

[@scottlouis7785]

I have always wondered about them

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

Personally, I was always a little skeptical about attaching a spinning blade to the drill press, but honestly, it worked like a charm.

[@amftapper]

Interesting. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to certain things. "Flip it" implies that the top side now becomes the bottom side. What would be a better word, rotate? spin? bop it? lol okay, I thought that was funny. The other thing I noticed was the carrier board probably should have been a little bit longer, probably wouldn't have hit the other side of the arc of the fence. Otherwise, neat tool. Another little gadget to add to the collection of misc gadgets.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

LOL... we always struggle with word choices when trying to convey things like that in our videos. Plus, it's always harder to do woodworking on camera while explaining it than just working in the shop because we're trying to work like we normally would but also be positioned so the cameras can see, while also trying to think about what to say. You'll see there are a few times in this video where Chris's arms block the action. We'll get it right next time. :)

[@H3xx99]

Couldn't have planed it any other way... except with a hand plane and a shooting board...

[@imaginarypoint]

nice!

[@MegaGuitarpicker]

I have this and it works well for the sizes of wood shown. Trying to do a wide piece like a guitar top, not good. Save your money and use a hand plane. I have a milling machine that can do a much better job.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

We don't do a whole lot of guitars in our line of business, but good to know. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@huwdavies5264]

Does it work as well at slower speeds as I don't think my drill press will turn at 3000 rpm. Great tool though

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

Huw - They suggest running it between 2500RPM and 3000RPM. I've heard of people running it as low as 2200 RPM and getting good results.

[@huwdavies5264]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll see what max speed my drill press will work at

[@whansen65]

Why not just use a hand plane?? Much easier and faster...

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

whansen65 - yes, you could probably use a hand plane too, in most cases, but I think on extremely thin pieces this tool might be a little easier to use. StewMac has a video on their site that shows some scenarios that it would be nearly impossible to plane any other way. 👍

[@turningpoint6643]

@@WoodsmithShowandmagazine I'm using one of the original Wagner Saf-T-Planers in my milling machine to help reproduce the parts on a 1/6th scale Civil War Napolean 12 lbdr cannon. Some of the angles are extremely critical that they match the metal work attached to them. One area in particular has two opposing angles meeting at an exact point. A router with a straight bit and set up somewhat like a drill press with a decent XY table might be able to do the same work, but my milling machine does it better than any 10 of the very best routers out there. Some of the recessed angle cuts would be impossible with any hand plane. For the right work these rotary planers are well worth having.

[@indalcecio]

As much as I love hand planes I wouldn't say it's easier or faster. Also power planing is rarely a substitute for hand planing, more an adjunct to square as well as remove larger imperfections from lumber, which can then be planed smooth and flat by hand.

[@talltimberswoodshop7552]

This isn't any different than using a radial arm saw and a planer attachment to do the same thing. DeWalt and Sears made a carbide cutter planer very similar to the StewMac version. Most RASs turn at 3450 rpm, very close to what you used.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

Airborne Ranger - Ah, yes, the good old radial arm saw... they were like the Swiss Army knife of power tools. They could do just about anything... they kind of fell out of favor in last couple decades though. I haven’t used one myself in nearly 15 years.

[@HBSuccess]

I inherited my Dad’s RAS with every single contraption Sears sold including some incredibly dangerous moulding heads etc when I was 15 - and I used every single aspect of that saw Inc drilling, routing, ripping, rabbets and dadoes and of course cross-cutting all through HS and College and it remained my main shop tool when I started building houses after college. As I got older, wiser, and more worried about losing a hand or an eye I slowly gave up on it - but we had a great run LOL. I still have her - in storage with no top sadly. There are still a few things you can do easily om a RAS that are pretty difficult any other way - for instance drilling indexes ANGLED holes in a stair railing to accept spindles. The best way is a RA drill press but the arm saw with the right jig made quick work of it.

[@WoodsmithShowandmagazine]

Tioga Fretworks -That’s really cool. I wished I still had one sometimes just to play around with, but yes, they can be a little scary at times. 😀

[@MrHarvard88]

Airborne Ranger - The original Wagner Safe-T-Planer was available in two versions -- one for drill presses and one for radial arm saws. The direction of rotation on a radial arm saw is opposite that of a drill press, so the cutters face in the opposite direction.

[@talltimberswoodshop7552]

Yes, you're right as rain about rotation.

[@ccccen]

Around $25 for that sht I bet??????????