Customer Reviews

Hitachi P12RA 12-9/32-Inch Planer and 6-1/8-Inch Jointer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This machine is pure joy. I bought one to replace my Delta which was an O.K. tool. It doesn't hold a candle to this beauty though. No portable even comes close. In fact , most stationary units wish they could perform this nicely. I've never used a planer or a jointer that produces smoother finishes than this machine. Usually in a combo unit you lose to compromises. Not so here . It has plenty of power to do anything you want to. It runs quieter than some of the other portables I've used. The one piece table is something others should copy in their designs.Since the cutter head is stationary ,it doesn't need a lock. Snipe is almost nonexistent. It makes for some of the smoothest surfaces I have ever produced. Even highly figured hardwoods are no problem if you keep your blades sharp.The height adjustment is the smoothest on the market. Many high end woodworking tools come from Japan and this is no exception. If you are willing to pay the little bit more that this tool commands you will be rewarded by years of precision cutting you won't find anywhere else.

The P12R planer is at the high end of the portable planer market. It's better than twice the price of Taiwanese manufactured models. I purchased the Hitachi P12R planer about 18 months ago and it's performed very well. I've run several hundred linear feet of Oak and Maple, many boards at the maximum width, and board thickness as much as 4 inches. All this without significant drag on the motor. I was considering a 15 inch floor model machine, but shop space is an issue. The Hitachi gets the job done and packs away under a worktable. Changing the blades was a big fear, but it couldn't have been easier. Access was easy, the instructions very clear and adjusting the blade height very simple. This machine is worth its price, especially if you value quality tools.

I bought the P12R Hitachi Planer in 1994. Without a doubt it is the best planer for the money on the market. I looked at several different models before deciding on the P12R. Besides just looking better than the rest, it has a feature not found on many other planers. The cutterhead remains stationary while the stainless steel planer bed moves up and down on four columns. I think this makes for a much smoother cut, virtually snipe free. I use mine on a regular basis, and after 6 years, have never changed blades. I've never even sharpened the original ones and it still makes exceptional cuts. It does cost a little more than the others, but believe me, it's well worth it.

I've had my Hitachi P12RA planer for 8 years and couldn't be happier. Originally, I wanted to buy their F1000A cast iron planer/jointer but discovered Hitachi no longer exports it to the USA. Since the F1000A is SOOOOOOOOOOOO remarkable, I took the chance on this "little brother" and was very pleased- with the planer.

The quality of cut is outstanding, and boards come out dead accurate. In fact, I go to this planer over my 2 year old Jet 15" stationary planer almost every time. The Jet is a workhorse so that should tell ya something! Setup is simple. The knives are really beefy and all the other parts (castings, chains, bearings, adjusting screws) are heavy and well made. I get "slick-as-glass" results even on ebony. Since most of the components are aluminum alloy or stainless steel, I don't even have to fight rust.

Though the jointer is powerful and gives a fantastic finish to the wood, it's just too simplistic. There isn't a way to align the infeed and outfeed tables, which makes getting a flat board almost impossible. They are fixed except to adjust the depth of cut. In fact, holding a straight edge to the length of the jointer bed reveals both tables angle away from the cutterhead. Since I make guitars, this sort of thing drives me bananas. I actually sent the jointer portion back to the dealer for a partial refund.

My advice is to buy the planer portion only. Spent the money for the dust hood too. It's well put together and very effective. This planer has been featured in several books and magazine articles over the years, and for a good reason. You will be amazed with the results!

I lived in Japan for 4 years. Even there where so many high quality tool surround you, the Hitachi name stands out. I owned this jointer/planer for 5 years when I sold it in '95, I moved to Japan. More than any other tool in my shop, I was sad to part with it. It was heavier made then, (about 375 pounds). But if this model is of the same quality as it's former self (despite it's lighter weight)it's a fantastic tool for the smaller shop. It has an extremely high rate of cuts per minute and if you keep your blades sharp you can produce almost glass smooth finishes requiring almost no sanding. Sheer joy! Although it is not targeted for the pro shop, I used it in my small cabinet shop because it is a great bargain for the money. It is 110 volts so you can place it in virtually any garage or basement and not require 220 power. The only one thing I did not like with my Hitachi was the high pitched motor. It uses high RPMs so you can make some pretty heavy cuts for such a small machine. However the motor used to let out a annoying high-pitched whine that required wearing ear muffs during operation. I have read somewhere that since then Hithachi has quieted the motor down a bit somehow, so that should be a non-issue with this model. Now that I look back, I relied on that machine an awful lot to do a bunch of heavy duty work and it never skipped a beat. Although I have a small professional cabinet shop now, with other, larger jointers. I plan on buying one of these for the small jobs and maybe... for sentimental reasons?

The jointer bed is too small for this to be the perfect machine. The planer is excellent, but the total length of the infeed and outfeed bed is very short and makes it difficult to accurately joint long pieces of wood. The first thing that I did after buying this was to buy a 71" powermatic jointer. It is not the most economical way to go.

The exhaust tends to get plugged in both the planer and the jointer with wood chips.

THIS PLANER IS A TOP QUALITY TOOL THAT I HAVE OWNED FOR YEARS AND USE OFTEN IT IS PORTABLE BUT OFFERS RESULTS OF A STATIONARY TOOL

The blades for the P12RA are what in trade referred to as "specialized" blades because they have custom slots and holes. Consequently, you are tied into the manufacturer for blades.

Despite reports to the contrary and the failure of these blades to appear in the documentation as parts or accessories, Hitachi does offer carbide blades for P12RA planer and the jointer. The Hitachi part numbers are: planer - 200001 and jointer - 401000. I just ordered both sets from an authorized Hitachi parts supplier, be ready for sticker shock, the MFG list price for the blades are $448.71 for the planer and $224.35 for the jointer as of April 7, 2006. The vendor I purchased from discounted my price to 80% of the list price.

The toll free number to Hitachi Power Tools Customer Service is 800-706-7337.