Customer Reviews

DELTA 22-680Y 15D Planer and Extension Rollers

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I ordered my Delta 22-680K Planer from Amazon.com on Friday and it was in my garage the following Wednesday. Can't beat that. The planer, mobile cart, and stand came on one pallet. All items were in perfect condition. I built the stand on the mobile cart. The instructions say that the bolts in the stand should not be fully secured until the planer is put on it. However I found that the assembled stand was square and thus I secured the bolts and I did not have to redo them. The planer itself weighs 340 lbas. The entire motor assembly can be removed with the removal of two heavy bolts, with tools supplied by Delta. This reduced the weight by about 100 lbs. Best move I did. This allows full access to the workings of the machine. The planer sits in a Styrofoam box with a cardboard outer box. The whole top part of the box lits off leaving only a bottom section, which allows full access to the machine. The planer then lifts right out of the box. Being my shop is in the basement, I threw a pizza party with a string attached. Delta recommends that you use two 2x4's to move the machine. Works great. I added a couple of pieces to keep the planer from moving on the 2x4's. We had no problem putting the planer in the shop on its base. Alignment to the base was perfect.

The polished metal surfaces of the planer had an oil wax mixture on them for moisture protection. I was able to use paper towels and an old cloth towel to remove it. A final wipe with turpentine took care of the residue. The machine had no chips or dings on it anywhere. Not having the motor on the machine allowed full access to the blades and clean up was a snap. I recommend that you buy 3/8" external tooth lock washers when putting the roller extension tables on the planer. I had trouble aligning the roller tables, as they kept moving while I was securing the flange bolts. Placing the lock washers between the table parts and the planer resolved this problem and made alignment a breeze.

I found that the machine was in alignment. The moment of truth had arrived. I sent a board through and out came a oily wax covered thing. The moisture protection gunk down in the planer blade wheel flew out. A good wipe down of the knives, rollers, and table top removed what was left and the next board came out clean.

The Payoff: I have been using a portable planer for 3 years and I expected this machine to make considerably more noise. To my surprise, it is much quieter. The 22-680K will take off 1/8" of a 9" wide piece of walnut with ease. Removing this much material on the old planer required 4 passes. The finish of the planed board is very smooth and I found the accuracy of the thickness gage to be right on. I have seen almost no snip. I got about 5 mils with a 10" long board when starting from a rough sawn state. Once the back side had been planed, I got very little snip. I debated between two machines before I finally chose the Delta 22-680K. I have "Blue" and "White" machines int the shop, thus I had to really think about which way to turn. The faster cutter tip speed and the polyurethane out feed roller figured into my final decision. Results obtained indicated that I made the right choice. This is a great machine and it will save me a lot of time and improve the quality of my work for years to come.

My trust in the Delta name has not gone unrewarded. I bought this machine to be able to use timber thats just not available at the lumber yard. How did I ever get along without it. Assembly out of the box took about three hours to get everything set correctly. Instructions are clear and accurate. All the parts where included. This is a heavy monster so get a friend (four) to help get it out of the shipping wrap and in place. The blades where set accurately out of the box. The roller extensions tables never seemed to be perfectly level with the bed but this has not been a problem. The two speed auto feed works great. I have run everything from pine to green heart. Clean, smooth and no snipe. The motor never seems to have any trouble with the cuts but I do tend to be kind and keep my cuts lean. The only trouble was the power circuit for this tool. I ran a dedicated 240 volt circuit. The book said to use a 20 amp and there is a sticker on the stand that says 15 amp. I went with the 20 but the motor trips the breaker on the second or third start. This motor is a direct start ( no capacitors) so the power on startup is high. I had to go to a 30 amp breaker. If you have the space and the money get this machine, You will not be disappointed.

I've recently upgraded from a ten year old Delta bench model planer. Most of my other machinery is Delta and I have been very satisfied with their quality and customer service.

I agree overall with the other reviews I have read for this machine. If you are considering purchasing one, take the warnings VERY seriously on this machine's weight. Get at least three buddies to help you get it moved and assembled. My workshop is in the basement and it was very precarious bringing the machine down the outside steps. I removed the motor and probably saved 100 pounds on our backs. Even with the motor removed, the machine probably weighs close to 300 pounds. Placing two 2X4's through the cutter head and table worked well to provide adequate lifting points. The 2X4's combined with a couple of saw horses allowed me to roll the base under the saw and get it positioned before lowering. If you are considering getting this planer without the mobil stand, think again! With the money you'll save planing rough cut to finish, it will well be worth the investment in a mobil base.

If you remove the motor, take care when re-assembling. There is adequate play in the belt tensioning bolts and if you are not careful, the inside belt will rub against one of the bolts. This is easily corrected by rotating the motor housing on its bolts. Someone to hold the motor and pry bar will make aligning the motor much easier.

Plan on spending a few hours with rags and about a quart of kerosene cleaning the shipping grease from the machine. The up-side of all the grease is that there was not one spec of rust or other moisture related intrusion.

I have only run scrap through it at this point to get a feel for its capabilities. It has power to burn. Even on high speed, the planed surface is smooth and in need of little work. I had a little snipe initially, but after I took the time to fuss with the outfeed table, the snipe was gone. I have no fear of running my first piece of furniture grade lumber through it.

I was initially leary of purchasing this machine being that it was made in China. I have a three-hourse Unisaw made in Mississippi and have had absolutely no problems or complaints with it. This planer is not quite the same level of quality as far as fit and finish are concerned - but I didn't buy it to enter in a woodworking show, I bought it to plane wood. I initially considered Jet and Grizzly. Even though the Delta cost more, I feel it was worth it for the performance. The others just didn't seem to have the same heft and power.

I found the planer to go together easily except for the infeed outfeed rollers. They would have been easy for two people however. The oil film was all over but there certainly was no rust as a result. The first board I planed was perfect. No adjustments needed. I have pushed a bunch of oak through it and it dosen't seem to care if it is high or low feed rate. It just does the job. I bought it over the Jet because the cutter head moves rather than the table so I am more able to work with warped boards. Happy so far.

Recently purchashed this planer, the DJ-20 jointer and Delta dust collector. Same time I picked up a fold-up engine hoist. These guys are real heavy. Assembly was easy, with the hoist & nylon straps to do the lifting.
The Planer works flawlessly after futzing with the roller table assembly/alignment. The largest I had to give it was 12" black walnut and it came out beautifully and without straining. Only Thing I don't like is that the dust collector (optional) port is like 5" so my hoses don't fit. And I think you really need dust collector with this thing, unless you don't mind being up to your knees in chips. Had to modify the dust collector (cut the crossbar out of inlet), either that or change it's name to insta-plug.
I was woried about the steel feed roller leaving marks but it doesn't unless you don't cut, then their minimal
Saw minimal snipe once but not since, go figure.

Received lots of rough sawn wood from my father-in-law. Debated long and hard over portable vs. full size. Ended up, like the rest of my shop choosing Delta. The unit came delivered in about 10 days on a large pallet. Broke down the little stuff and broke my back getting the unit (took off the motor) down into my basement shop. Once everything was back together I was rewarded with a machine that did exactly what it was supposed to do. I was originally disappointed to see the unit was now made in China (I guess I knew it after reading others reviews) but I can honestly say it seems to be built well. Kind of a pain adjusting in/out feed rollers, but a small price to pay. Works great so far.

I picked up this planer in August and have since used it several times preparing wood for many projects. As advertised, it is very heavy and takes a number of hours to set up. Once the machine is assembled and adjusted, it does a wonderful job planing woods. It must be used with a dust collection unit as you will soon be in a mountain of chips! The two speeds are nice - you can buzz through a pile of wood in short order and then finish the boards on the slower setting - although with sharp blades, it is difficult to improve on the finish at the faster setting. The maching and parts were nearly flawless - the only fault I have observed is that one of the screws that fastend the oil gear box leaks a small amount of oil.

My experience is that this is a very good quality machine.

Bob

I just unpacked my new Delta planer and discovered that it was made in CHINA. Rough castings, and a jammed blade positioning mechanism. The planer is useless in its current state. ... for a useless piece of junk! The whole carriage will not budge. I made the mistake of purchasing a Delta Platinum Unisaw (bowed table that had to be remachined), DJ-20 Jointer (Taiwanese but pretty good machine) and the 22-680K planer all at same time. Had I only known that Delta's quality has gone to the dogs! I will be selling the tablesaw and the planer ASAP and replacing them with General or Powermatic. After waiting 10 years to upgrade my Delta portable planer I am extremely disappointed and can't recommend Delta or its customer non-service.