Can’t say I ever really liked this planer but I have to say; It’s been an integral part of my trim carpentry jobs for 20 years! My Makita 1900B Planer has a permanent spot in my truck toolbox and has planed down enough interior and exterior doors to fill a dumpster with sawdust.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Experience:

I have lots of experience with this tool. I bought it new before I was really a carpenter at all. I remember getting a really awesome piece of burl and wanting to plane it down. I do still have that burl which I made in my apartment building hallway in 1989.

Fifteen years later, I used this plane to work on The Glass House in New Canaan, CT. I guess that makes it a famous plane since it was in a published picture.

Comments:

If you look at this picture of the base, you’ll see the Chamfer Groove. I’m sure I’ve used it to my advantage but it’s usually a worry. If you are rounding over and edge, just taking off a little little bit, you had better drive the plane close to one side because when the edge falls into the V-groove it’s all over. It takes 1/4″ right away. I’m sort of laughing now because it’s happened to ruined some work.

The model 1900B that I bought in 1989 still works. I bought new blades and replaced them over time but nothing to the motor. The cord is always a pain in the ass with this thing but it’s not a brand specific complaint. You should hear the screaming wail this thing makes. It has sounded sick for the last 10 years, certainly not what it sounded like new. It works and I use it and I see no reason to buy a new one until it’s dead. Then, I will cough up for the Festool EHL 65 E.

The depth adjustment knob pulls the plate upward into a foam pad. It really never worked very well and mine has been tightened to it’s max depth almost permanently. I rarely loosen it because this plane just doesn’t eat very much at a time. 3/64″? hmm…

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Links:

I’m shocked to see the Makita model 1900B in 2009!
Makita N1900B 4 Amp 3-1/4-Inch Planer
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Makita KP0810 7.5 Amp 3-1/4-Inch Planer
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I’m going to have to speak frankly about my foray into owning Festool because the tools are incredibly expensive. Until recently, I’d answer questions of ‘switching over’ with a barrage of expletives. An $800 router? A $625 circular saw? A cordless screwgun for $500. Who the F is going to pay $500 for a screwgun? My Panasonic drives screws and it was expensive to me at $230. Is there sanity behind the maddening prices of Festools? 

Further frustration will arise when you’ve got $2k+ into your complicated new matching table, fence, saw and vacuum system and some little screw keeps coming loose on every pass. You’d figure if you’re going to pay for the absolute ‘best’ then it had better be absolutely perfect! I will attest that very few tools are “perfect” and you may still face demons after paying for Festool quality.

It’s still just moving a tool over your material; same old, same old, right? Can’t I clamp a 4′ level to a sheet of ply, score the line and pass my crappy little Porter-Cable Saw Boss cross-grain to achieve the same cut in a fraction of the time it takes to set up a Festool plywood cutting system and all for less than $200? Almost.

In my direct experience the process is usually defined by the desired result.

As a carpenter of 20 years, my level of perfection hasn’t suffered for lack of Festool. Through hundreds of built-ins, shelving, end panels and more panels, I have provided consistent quality woodwork using ‘contractor grade’ tools. A bit of care, the proper blade and a little know-how will get fine results.

As a cabinet maker though, the ability to produce and reproduce precision is a feat of craftsmanship. Festool takes some of the manship out of the craft. You pay, you set it up and you cut; the result is damn near perfect every time. (and dust-free!)

I used a Festool system to cut custom, sequence-matched, 3/4″ plywood. I was making reproduction Frank Lloyd Wright furniture with exposed edges. The cuts were all beveled and the pieces were trapezoidal. The plywood was very expensive leaving little room for error. Each cut with the TS 55 EQ was finish quality; crisp, clean, smooth and straight. (and dust-free!)

Recently there was the cabinet I built to house an LCD TV on a remote-controlled lift. It was tall and thin and open at the top. Installing fixtures, switches and components later on required an unusually short screw driver OR the incredibly flexible $500 Festool C12 kit which is $300 more than a DEWALT DW960K or Makita DA312DWD for the same task but If I can start and screw in 20 screws by hand with a 4″ screw driver in about 20 minutes, then how much does the Festool C12 really cost if I can put in the same 20 screws in less than 5 minutes? The C12 is more versatile than both my Makita right-angle and any of my drill/drivers combined for cabinet work. I’m not going to drive decking screws with some fancy pants $500 drill. Application specific.

How many times have I taped off a portion of someone’s living quarters to rout a dado, cut a board, sand a panel or complete some dusty task with minimal invasion?

I guess what I’m getting at is: It’s not everyday that I need a Festool’s inherit qualities. But like I said, The process is usually defined by the desired result. If it’s a shelf in a shed, use a Skilsaw but if you fortunately find yourself restoring the plywood kitchen counters in Philip Johnson’s Glass House then you are going to need to come up with a not-so-simple arrangement or buy Festool.

If it costs me $100 to in labor and materials to protect a client’s master bedroom from my router, then how much does the $800 Festool router really cost?

I don’t know if I can charge more because my tools are connected to a HEPA Vac. but I am hoping that my future clients will pass on the good word that my work reflects the precision machinery I use, I left no dust and I finished in remarkable time. There is a lot to be said in favor of Festool’s effective dust control and therefore, my first Festool step toward my future woodworking begins with the CT33 Dust Extractor.

Who the F would pay $500 for a screwgun? I guess I will. I am contently hoping to own the C12 one day soon but I currently have 5 drill/drivers so my next Festool will be a sander, then their rabbeting planer with near total chip extraction. Can you imagine planing a slab without 4″ of sawdust on the floor afterward? I’m waiting on choosing a guided saw due to recent competition costing considerably less.

Cost of the Festool ETS 150/5 R.O. Sander – $285
Cost of the Festool TF 75 EQ Circular Saw – $625
Cost of the Festool OF 2200 Router – $800
Health benefits of Dust Extraction in the small home woodshop. priceless.

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