Delta 12" Portable Planer Model 22-540 Type 2 vs. 22-540???

Al Launier

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Bedford, NH
Am looking for a bench thickness planer & have read that the Delta 22-540 is a sniper. What is the difference between the 22-540 & the 22-540 Type 2? And, are they both belt driven & loud?

Thanks for any information.
 
I have a Delta planer like the one in the attached picture. Mine is noisey, but I am not sure they are not all noisey. As for sniping, it happens occasionally and I'm not sure they don't all snipe occasionally. I find it is important to hook it to the dust collector and keep the rollers as clean as possible. If I am doing quite a bit, I will keep a brush handy and after 5 or 6 passes, I will stop and brush off the rollers. I've had this planer for quite a while and have been happy with it. However, if I was to get a new one, I'd give a real good look at the DeWalt. I think it is a little more heavy-duty. And if I had the room/money, I certainly would love to have a much bigger one.

delta5800-y.jpg
 
I haven't heard a quiet planer yet :eek: By far the nosiest tool in the shop.

I'm of the opinion that all lunchbox planers snipe. Some more than others and some more often than others. It's all a matter of learning to live with it and be willing to lose a few inches of wood at each end of your board.

I spent an hour the other day working on my 735 and reduced the snipe to where I feel it's manageable. It does still snipe though.

If you are searching for a small planer that doesn't have snipe issues than you will never have a planer.

In searching for snipe issues on the 735 I found that the Delta was mentioned quite a few times. The general consensus was that the planer is a decent one. Not sure which model though.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure Bob which you are referring to as a decent planer, I'm assuming the DeWalt as I've read a number of reviews that state the Delta is a sniper. I was wondering if the Type 2 may have corrected the sniping problem???
 
The people who were talking about snipe on the dewalt also spoke of the delta.

I'm not saying they compared the 2 planers and like the delta better. I'm saying the folks that had the delta were happy with it just like Paul is.

Search snipe issues on the dw735 and read some of the forum (not sure which one but you will find it) responses and you will see what I'm talking about.
 
Thanks Bob. I followed your suggestion & found this (http://lumberjocks.com/topics/14726) to be interesting. Hadn't thought about setting up the I/O tables to a "V" to eliminate snipes. Looks like it works for some. Also, this I/O table (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/25782) looks interesting, plus it can be stored "vertically" to save space.

PS I've always though that Delta was a good tool "name" to buy, it appears my search will include both DeWalt & Delta.
 
I have the older Delta lunchbox planer and use the old trick of hot gluing a couple of 1" strips that stick out front a few inches, to the sides of something that I want to eliminate snipe on as long as the width allows it this lets the scrap strips take the snipe. This works well for me YMMV.
 
Well I don't think mine creates snipe any more than others will in that size range. I planed down all the wood for my organ pipes plus a bunch of extra to cover my mistakes, and I'd say 10% had snipe. I also think the type of wood has something to do with it and the adjustment of the in/out feed tables is important. Sharp blades and clean rollers is a must also. Like I said, I do think the DeWalt may be a little better machine though. I have no bases for this other than what I have read about it. I think it has 3 blades and maybe that is a help. It just looks like a heavier built machine to me. I also found it helps to make more passes, thinner cuts. I have also found that the direction of the grain can have a bearing on it.

Never thought of glueing extra wood on. Good idea.
 
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I have the Delta TP305 Snipemaster, which is the model below the 22-540. I've tried every adjustment and technique in the book, and still it is guaranteed to snipe. Both ends of the board. Every. Single. Time. I do the same thing Chas does...I temporarily glue scrap strips on either side of the board that extend 3 or 4 inches beyond both ends of the board.

I don't know the differences between the 22-540 and the Type 2 model, but it wouldn't surprise me if the revisions were to address snipe issues.
 
I'll just chime in to say that once setup the DeWalt DW734 was snipe-free. In all fairness I think the machine having a carriage lock had more to do with it than anything but, I set the tables so that a straight-edge placed through the machine and resting on the outer edges of the tables was about 3/16" off the platen under the cutterhead. We have done the same to a lesser degree on dad's DW735 with equal success.
 
I'll just chime in to say that once setup the DeWalt DW734 was snipe-free. In all fairness I think the machine having a carriage lock had more to do with it than anything but, I set the tables so that a straight-edge placed through the machine and resting on the outer edges of the tables was about 3/16" off the platen under the cutterhead. We have done the same to a lesser degree on dad's DW735 with equal success.

That's how I finally got mine adjusted. I think I need an infeed table or rollers at the minimum for heavy long boards though.
 
The 22-540 was my first planer right after they came out. Yes, they are loud. Yes, they snipe a lot though it can be (sortof) controlled. My snipe was always on the trailing end and I could usually reduce it a lot be lifting the piece at the leading end. That said, those are old model and finding parts (like blades) might be a problem. But I thought mine was the cat's meow when I got it. I'm not sure what difference (if any) there is with a type 2, but I am sure it didn't cure the sniping problem.
 
I just replied to a CL seller of a Delta 22-540 Type 2. Once again the description was inaccurate. Made an offer that I doubt will be accepted; not a low-ball, just what I was willing to spend on it given the condition. Will keep looking, no hurry, still have an intuitive preference for a DeWalt.
 
From Delta (http://www.deltamachinery.com/contact-us) I contacted their Tech Dept & was told the following re: the difference between the Delta 22-540 & the 22-540 Type 2:
  • Different color
  • Folding, removable tables instead of the fixed table
  • That's all I could get. He didn't know if the Type 2 had a DC port or # blades.

I did find from pictures sent to me from a CL seller of a Type 2 that it operates at 8000 rpm, which seems a bit slow compared to other planers???
 
The type 1 didn't come with a DC port, and it had 2 double edged resharpenable blades Don't remember the cutterhead speed. 8000 RPM would be 16000 cuts per minute, seems plenty adequate. Changing colors in one of Delta's promotional gimmicks it seems. Not being critical, but my Unisaw is a "Platinum Edition", as opposed to the "Grand Edition" (ivory). With the colors changes they sometimes shifted the included accessories, but the basic tool was always pretty much the same.
 
Well, forget any comments I made. I looked at the online manual for the 22-540 t2 and it didn't look like mine. So I dug out my owners manual. Mine is a 22-580. It has 2 speeds: 20 fpm and 30 fpm. The cutterhead runs at 10,000 rpm. It's a 13" planner, must have come out after the 22-540.
 
My first planer was lunchbox style. I figured the manual was wrong when it wanted the infeed and outfeed "tables" sloped up compared to the table under the cutter, so I aligned it flat and got great snipe. Finally I went back and sloped the in and outfeed tables up as recommended and the snipe was dramatically reduced.

On my MiniMax (commercial grade) planer, I get snipe if the first side isn't flat (as it should be coming off the jointer), or if the board tips down on infeed or outfeed. I simply hold the in or out feed end up slightly and the snipe disappears.

Think about what produces snipe. When you just have one roller holding the work down, then any flex will tip the board into the cutter and create snipe. If you lift the end while only one roller is in play, you tip the board into the table, away from the cutter, and no snipe.
 
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