Mkita 15" planer model 2040 - should I grab it??

[nedL]

Yesterday while I was 'shopping' up at the town dump I ended up talking to a guy who offered me a 15" Makita planer for free (model 2040 I think). I just have to go pick it up & he is only about 5 miles from us. Anyone have experience with this planer? Should I grab it?? I already have a 10" Ryobi 'lunchbox' planer which suites 90% of my needs. He did say the neoprene rollers need replacing (I've checked & they are not cheap).

[Mrleft8]

I think you ought to...And then you could donate your 10" lunchbox to the Tobago project! :D

[kc8pql]

As I've said here before, I've got a 2030 that's given me great service for the last 26 years. Just be aware that both the 2030 and tha 2040 have been out of production for a while now. Parts can be expensive. On the other hand, it's free so a few hundred in repairs, if needed, could give you a first class finish planer. The most likely thing it would need are brushes for the motor and maybe new feed rollers.

[Jim Fitz]

Nedl,

I have a 2040 in the shop and I love it. I've had it for almost 10 years and I've run probably a hundred thousand feet of lumber through it and it has held up surprisingly well. I have to change the bearings periodically and the rollers once, but other than that no real problems. One note though is that this is really a dressing planer, not a heavy surface planer. It will take off no more than a 1/16" at a pass and even that is pushing it if you work with a lot of hard stuff. I seem to be bale to get parts without problem and we handle the repairs in house. This was the only planer for years in a shop doing a couple of million dollars in millwork annually, so it is a serious machine. And it's portable!

Hey, it's free. What could go wrong! Go get it.

Jim

[RodB]

After looking at all the 12 and 13 inch planers out there plus the cost of the new induction motor planers... I think you should grab it. I would in a heart beat.

RB

[Paul Girouard]

Don't even think about it :rolleyes: that thing will put ya in the poor house :( What did ya say that guys address was tongue.gif

[nedL]

Thank you for the comments everyone, it sounds like I shouldn't pass it up. Maybe I'll see about picking it up one evening this week. Now I've just got to figure out where to put it at home (It's like squeezing a quart into a pint container there). smile.gif
Paul- He said to get to his house you go past the Bungee fire station, past the four corners & his is a long dirt driveway on the left. tongue.gif ;)

[ 07-12-2005, 07:31 AM: Message edited by: nedL ]