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RBI Planer --- Any good?

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gary curtis

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159
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Trinity County - 160 miles north of San Francisco.
I have a chance to get a nearly new 12" RBI planer. It has a 3hp, 220v Baldor motor. That's great. But what about the machine overall?

I'm not too excited about the 12" capacity. I posted earlier under the title HCI Planer. The correct manufacturer is RCI. It looks pretty industrial-strength to me.

Gary Curtis
 
50% of new would be fair...if it comes with profile knifes add 35$ per lineal inch accross the moulding face for each pair of knifes.
 
It oughta be a pretty good planer. As for the 12" 'limitation', how often will you be planing stock wider than that? Unless you're buying your wood directly from a mill, most of what you get is 12" or less, so the planer will do nearly all of what you find. Also, many of us end up ripping our wide boards down anyway, to minimize warpage waste.

That said, I do have a 15" planer, but can honestly say that I can't remember ever having put a 15" board through it. I do/did have some 12" cherry and walnut, though.

Figure about 50% of new as a decent price. If it's in 'Like new" condition, maybe 60%, but no more than that unless there are a lot of extras - blades, molding cutters, etc. - thrown in.
 
here`s a link.....
http://www.rbiwoodtools.com/woodplaner2.html
it`s an alternative to a williams-n-hussey or woodmiser and in my opinion vastly superior to the tai/chi planer/moulders offered in an assortment of colors......it`s not a shaper and it`s not a hussey......but for hobby to light production use i think you`ll be tickled......and if you`re able to pick it up for a reasonable amount you`ll not loose money later.
 
I can't speak directly about that unit, but I have RBI's G-4 Scroll Saw and am very happy with it and the attentive customer service. As for 12" limitation, I suffered through four years with my 12" J/P on my first combo and only once did I need more capacity, and I planed quite a bit of lumber through it on a weekly basis, so I never missed my 15" planer, which I sold when I got that machine.
 
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