makita 12" beam planer?

hey you tool heads
i'm coming into some money after selling a bit of farm equipment and am looking at buying the makita 12" beam planer, anyone out there using one, and would you care to give me a bit of feedback on the machine?
we are also looking at buying a mafell circular saw, the MKS 125, I beleive the saw has a 5" cut depth, anyone using this saw?
Also i would like to buy a second 2" Japanese slick, and any suggestions would be welcome as far as where to buy and who makes the tool.
thanks,
-Mark in Ontario.

Mark,

I bought the Makita 12" planer last year and have no complaints. It is a solid tool, leaves an excellent finish, was set up accurately out of the box, incredibly quick to change knives, very long cord (unless you run over it). We've planed oak, southern yellow pine, cypress, walnut, and maple with excellent results. I recommend it.

Out of curiosity, why the Mafell saw? I am somewhat familiar with the German saw technology and have never wanted one. They seem too bulky and over-engineered (too many features I don't need) for a circular saw. What are you using now? I use a Bigfoot 10 1/4" and a Makita 16" and am pleased with both. Maybe someone has a German saw they couldn't live without and will give us the lowdown.

Gabel Holder

thanks for the info

i'm not familiar with the mafell saw, i was planning to pick up the 10" big foot actually, my co-worker suggested that we try for a saw that will cut at least 4" so we can cut most joists and braces in one pass and most principal timbers in two passes.......
mafell does have a good selection as far as depth of cut goes, but yes the saw i'm considering is 30 pounds.
How much does the big foot weigh?(i don't see a weight on their website)

According to my bathroom scale, the bigfoot weighs 20 pounds, and the makita comes in at just under 40. Big difference, which is why we got the bigfoot. The smaller saw is easier to steer, and for a lot of cuts, like tenon shoulders and cheeks, 4" is enough. Also, when cutting 10" timbers, one can cut full depth with the makita on one side, then roll the timber, and cut the other side with the bigfoot. If there's a chunk of 10x10 dropping to the floor, it's much nicer (and safer, IMHO) to be holding 20 fewer pounds in your hands.

That said, the bigfoot is not all it could be. The castings have some rough edges that need to be filed down to prevent minor cuts and scrapes to your hands. Also, the blade guard is poorly designed and is always getting hung up as you start your cut. That's my $.02.

Mark, regarding braces, I recently picked up a 5HP radial arm saw (on ebay, of course) with a 16" blade (5" depth of cut). With a series of stop blocks, we can cut a big pile of braces in short order with excellent accruacy. CB.

those radial arm saws give me the heebee jeebees!
my dad left one in the basement of the farmhouse when he moved out, and i wouldn't dare start the thing.
how do you work safely with the radial arm saw?

seems like the 10" bigfoot/16"makita saws are a common combination?

To use a radial arm saw you start by reading the manual that came with the saw. If that's not available then go to a tool store or a book store and get the book written about radial arm saws.
They are a very versatile tool and can be used safely and efficiently, once understood.
Good luck,
Jim Rogers

As for radial arm saws...I've had one for a few decades. I feel very comfortable using it for cross cutting. Radial arm is a bit of a pain setting miters...and even more so setting bevels. Have to raise the blade, set the miter/bevel, and than lower the blade.

As for ripping, I've never been comfortable with the radial arm saw. It does the cut...but scares the heck out of me.

I will be getting a table saw...with a sliding table if I can possibly afford it. As for the radial arm saw...I'll keep it for ever and use it for cross cuts. If I did not already have the radial arm, I'd seriuosly consider the table saw combned with a compound miter saw...mabe sliding if I needed it for wide boards.

Joel

what is the actual cut depth of the 10" bigfoot?
i had the impression that it is less than 4"?

and thanks for the radial arm feedback.
is there a 10 or 12 inch sliding compound miter saw on the market?

Regarding the safety of the radial arm saw - I agree that I certainly prefer not to use it for ripping. And even while crosscutting, I've had work pieces jump when not being careful enough. But with larger work pieces (like timber braces) and a larger saw, it feels more comfortable. As everything has more mass, things tend to move more slowly and deliberately.

As with any tool, if it doesn't seem safe before you start - don't start! Stop and figure out a safer way. One thing that can happen with the RAS is when you pull the saw through the timber toward you, the saw can catch, and 'jump' toward you, and wedge in the workpiece. If that's a concern, start with the saw carraige out, and push it (away from you) back through the workpiece. Again, with a larger, more massive saw, I find that this is not a concern.

My opinion is that for timber braces, the RAS is safer, more accurate, and more efficient than cutting braces with a hand-held saw.

Regarding sliders (the sliding compound miter saw, not the hamburger), there are lots of 12" models on the market. I have the Makita, but I've used the DeWalt, and it looks like it might be a better machine. I find that when cutting a tennon shoulder, the depth setting on the sliders is sloppier than on the RAS. Also, the slider cannot cut the cheek, but the RAS can, as you can set the blade parallel to the table. Finally, I've never seen a 5HP slider with a 16" blade .

Regarding the depth of cut of the 2 hand-ehld saws, I get 6-1/8" from the Makita, and 3-15/16" from the Bigfoot.

Greetings...

I have also experienced my RAS jumping towards me. It occurs when the friction aloows the blades torque to act like the driven wheel of a car! It is particularly a problem when using a dadoe blade or cutter very tough stock, such as aluminum. Recently a family member bought a Craftsman RAS that had a mechanism that limited this problem by limiting the speed the saw could travel on a carriage. It felt like a shock absorber...easy to pull slowly, much tougher to pull quickly.

I have never tried pushing my RAS in to make a cut. I think I'd securelt clamp the workpiece to the table...thinking the rotation of the blade would want to lift the workpiece off the table when making a cut from this direction.

Joel

Greetings...

As for the 12" planer:

I saw a timberframe where the Makita 12" was used on the timbers. I thought they looked great!

Not sure how much was the tool vs the experienced timberframer using it!

Joel

Hello,
One suggestion instead of the Mafell saw would be to try and find a 13" makita. Makita of US does not make the tool anymore but Makita of Japan does. It takes a little while to get it but I find it to be a well balanced tool. It certainly is much light in weight than the mafell 13" or the makita 16"...it does only cut 5 inches. I have that saw and a bigfoot and I love them both. Makita 13" is good for drop cuts b/c of its weight. It you wnat help finding a makita 13 drop me a line.
Brice

Well, the auction was last weekend and i'm afraid the farmers around my area don't have much extra cash. All the prices where low and we ended up buying back one peice of equipment....
So the bigfoot saw looks like the winner because it's the cheapest saw and close enough to 4" cut for me...
however, bigfoot doesn't reply to me, is there a better place to buy a bigfoot than from the makers?
also, does anyone have the 14" bigfoot?

I get the feeling that bigfoot is not a large company. They don't make the whole saw - it's just an adaptation of the skil 77 worm drive saw. Got mine at Amazon .

Mark, I have a used 12" Makita planer which I will be selling. It has a set of extra blades as well. I purchased it from Timberwolf Tools (used) about a year and a half ago for the purpose of doing my own frame. It worked quite well on dry hemlock (not my favorite wood). Let me know if you are interested. The planer has not been abused and works quite well.