How to choose an electric plane - which one is better

Electric planers appeared on the market in 1958( Makita) and since then have not changed in a constructive way. Of course, some functions have been added, more powerful and light electric motors, electronic control systems and other improvements have been installed. But no fundamental innovations have been invented yet. The electric drill remains a powerful and productive tool for processing the surface of a tree, chamfers and selecting a fold. Before choosing an electric hook, you should familiarize yourself with its design and application features.

. From a hand colleague, electric guns differ considerably in productivity, quality of work and, most importantly, almost do not require physical effort from the master. Who has ever worked as a hand plane, knows how much effort this seemingly simple work requires - leveling the surface of the board or timber. Reciprocal movements with considerable effort are able to tire for an hour or two even a very developed person physically.

The creators of the electric ball went the other way - the reciprocating motion of the blade was replaced by a rotational motion. Naturally, the muscular drive is also replaced by an electric one. It turned out to be a compact powerful and productive tool, without which it is difficult to imagine any carpentry workshop or construction site. To date, many models of electro-banks for household, professional and industrial use have been created, so it is rather difficult to give unequivocal advice as to which electrolocks are better to buy. First of all, it follows from where and with what intensity it will be used.

Species and features of the construction of

electric guns As already mentioned, the main working part of the electric gun is a rotating with high speed drum with horizontal blades mounted in it - knives. Blades can be several, usually two. But there are models with one, three and four. The quality of the surface treatment depends on the speed of rotation of the drum and the number of blades. Practice shows that the speed should be in the range of 10 -12 thousand per minute. As a rule, most household electric banks provide this figure.

In addition to the drum, the electric cutter consists of the following parts:

• body with handle;
• smooth base( outsole);
• electric motor;
• lockable start button;
• softstarter;
• chip depth control;
• lateral stop;
• chip removal hose;
• belt drive, closed with a side cover.

Qualitative models can be equipped with electronic control over the number of revolutions depending on the load.

Household and professional models - how they differ and what to choose

With all the diversity of models of electric cars, they can be divided into two very conventional groups - domestic and professional. Why conditional? Nobody will argue that when working in a home workshop, the quality of processing can be obviously worse, and a professional when planing racks should use a most powerful stationary tool, worth several hundred dollars, because only amateurs are less powerful and convenient.

If you are thinking about which electrolube to choose for your home, you should proceed from the position of expediency and choose a medium-price tool, designed for relatively short-term work. It is not too heavy, it is quite economical, and it is not much more expensive by function. The electric hose for the house should weigh 2.5 - 4 kg and have an engine power of 600 - 1000 W.

There is one comment on power - some manufacturers in the passport indicate two capacities - maximum and effective. The latter should exceed 350 watts. If it is smaller, then hard or knotty wood will be difficult to handle.

The speed of the engine is also important for ease of surface treatment and overall tool efficiency. Household electric banks operate at 10 000 - 12 000 rpm. It is not necessary to strive to buy electric plugs with a large number of revolutions, practically enough for all the work done in the home workshop or when building a house. For professional work, heavier instruments are selected - up to 9 kg or more and weighing 1.2 - 1.5 kW.

Household electric guns are regulated by the depth of planing in the range of 0 -2.5 mm, less often up to 3.5 mm. Professional - up to 4 mm. The adjustment step is from 0.1 to 0.25 mm. The smaller the step, the greater the range of settings and, correspondingly, the higher the quality of material processing. But the reserve of adjustments to 2.5 - 3 mm is quite enough for amateur and professional work. If you choose, keep in mind that every millimeter is 100 watts or more of additional power and several kilograms of weight. If a 3 kilogram electric grinder with a power of 600 W is equipped with a regulator of 0 - 4.5 mm - do not believe it. This is certainly unattainable indicators.

Professional electric guns are almost all equipped with an electronic system to maintain a given number of revolutions. It provides maximum performance on all types of wood, regardless of its hardness and knot level. In household tools, this system is rarely present. Its presence is the prerogative of expensive models of famous brands.

Household electric guns are sometimes equipped with tools for permanently securing the tool in the sole position upwards. A professional tool should have this capability without fail. This makes it possible to use the electric cutter as a machine for processing large quantities of wood with specified parameters.

How much does an electric household appliance cost? Good models can be bought for 3.5 - 5 thousand rubles. Excellent - 6 000 - 8 000 rubles. Professional tools are much more expensive, but they have a higher safety margin.

Electro-cutter of which firm is better to buy

The demand for electric cars in household and production is so high that almost all well-known companies produce several models of these tools. It is not necessary to stop at each of them - the number of them exceeds a hundred, we confine ourselves to the most reliable manufacturers.

In the rating for quality, electric cars should also be divided into professional and household. Too they differ in quality and price. Among the professional tools are the Japanese company Makita, German Bosch, American brands DeWalt and Skil. Also very good is the tool Mafell, Hitachi, Hilti. These companies produce a very high-quality, but not cheap tool.

But look only at the brand is not enough. Many, if not most famous companies have production in many countries, including China. It can not be said that the Chinese assembly is inferior to the original in all cases, but a persistent prejudice towards Chinese goods is not unfair. If you are going to use electric cutters for professional work - better to overpay and purchase the original.

For household use, pay attention to Black & Decker, the same Skil and Bosch( household Bosch green, professional - blue), Blaukraft, Interskol, Fiolent, Energomash. When choosing an electric tool, remember that there are many companies that masquerade as European and, oddly enough, Russian brands. For example, pretty well-known Sturm, or Stern have nothing to do with the European assembly.

Most of these sonorous brands are registered in Europe at most, and even in the late 90s and early 2000s. All production is concentrated in the countries of Asia, and the development boils down to copying of well-known brands, but using less quality( sometimes second-class) materials. Before choosing an electric plane, do not be lazy to get acquainted with the history of the company, the assortment of its products and reviews on it.

Some fears are caused by models under Russian names, known to have been made in China, for example, "Grad", "Zubr", etc. Many of them differ among themselves only with the label and color of the case. If you are limited in funds and use the plane once or twice a year - then the purchase of such a model is fully justified.

While they are relatively new, they work quite well and do not cause any complaints. But their resource is limited to several tens of hours of work, and maintainability is practically zero. As a rule, you expect a rapid blunt knife, failure of the mechanism for adjusting the depth of planing, stretching the drive belt, and even burn out the engine at a moderate load. This applies to almost all models, cheaper than 2,000 rubles.

Than guided by the choice of the

plane. We choose

in appearance. If you do not know which electromachines are better to choose, focusing only on appearance, and not delving into technical details, the following information will be very useful for you.

1. Firstly - the housing must consist of at least two parts - the main one, covering the motor and the sole and / the removable cover of the belt drive. The main body is made in one unit with a handle and a chip removal branch. If the lid of the belt drive is not removable - this will cause a lot of inconvenience when replacing the belt and, at the same time, is a sign of imperfection of the design of the electric gun. As a rule, this is a feature of cheap models of unknown manufacturers.

2. Secondly - the plane must be balanced in weight and comfortable to hold in your hand. In this case, pay attention to the location of the start button - it should be pressed with a finger in the working position of the hand with full grip of the handle. If you need to intercept a handle or use another hand to turn it on or off, do not buy this model. Even if it is quite powerful and productive, it will be inconvenient to use it, and you will quickly become disenchanted with the choice, especially if you need to process a large amount of material.

3. Third, what you should pay attention to during the external inspection - the presence of a groove on the sole, which serves to process chamfers and drain air from the working area. Chamfers to you, may have to be treated less often, but the presence of an air cushion somewhat worsens the quality of surface treatment. We do not even mention the regulator of planing depth - it should be for every model. Two types of knobs are used - pushbutton or rotary. They are equally effective and easy to use.

The presence of a chip extraction chute is also mandatory. There are models with a branch in one direction, but there are also two-way ones. For all other equal parameters, select the plane with the possibility of tapping in two directions( of course, there must be a switch).Some models are also equipped with a bag for collecting chips. From experience I can confirm - a very convenient thing, especially with small repair work inside the house. Yes, and in the workshop quite justifies itself - it is not always possible to connect a branch pipe.

We choose according to the technical parameters

From the list of models of electric planes, choose the one that you need is not easy. But, if you divide them into several categories, by the most essential parameters, then the field for selection will narrow to several models. Among them, it is much easier to navigate.

For convenience, we will compile a list of the most important qualities in the work, which should be taken into account:

• engine power;
• shaft speed;
• planing width;
• planing depth;
• weight;
• price;
• configuration;
• availability of options.

Engine power

By power it is necessary to select a model in the range of 600 -1000W.This is in case you buy a plane for household chores and work with a tree in the form of a hobby. For repair work and, even, the construction of a garage, dacha or a small extension - this is quite enough. It should be noted that the power of domestic planes can reach 2000 watts.

Increased power is associated with increased weight, power consumption and is justified only when there is a need to handle large quantities of material in a limited time. In other cases, excess capacity is simply not needed.

Shaft Rotation Speed ​​

The shaft rotation frequency, which is optimal for working with a medium density wood and structure, must be within 10 000 1 / min. This frequency will be ensured if the passport specifies a maximum value of up to 12,000 revolutions or more. With load, the shaft rotation speed decreases, sometimes quite significantly. And if you buy a plane with a maximum frequency of 10,000, then the real speed will be within 8,000 revolutions. Some models are equipped with a frequency control system depending on the load, but in household models it is rare.

For working at home with a small load, the nominal shaft speed in the passport is indicated in the passport at 10,000 rpm almost always. But, if you are going to build a house with your own hands or organize a small production of carpentry, you need to acquire a tool more powerful.

Planing width

The choice of planing width directly depends on the purpose for which the tool is purchased. But all can not be foreseen - if you plan to plan boards tomorrow with a width of 50 mm, there is no guarantee that after a week there will not be a need to prepare a material 100 mm wide for installation. Typically, a power reserve of 1 000 watts is enough to work the planer with a width of the sole 80-110 mm. They also need to be bought. Narrower planes are more convenient for working with small forms - they are easier, more convenient for planing edges and narrow rails. But to plan a wide board with their help is more difficult - it is necessary to make a passage in two steps, which requires skill and experience.

Depth planing

The depth of planing in most models is in the range 0 - 4 mm. Practice shows that even 3 mm is rarely used. Therefore, the choice of a plane with an adjustment of 0-2.5 mm is fully justified for the household model, but, nevertheless, it is better than 0 -3 mm. The stock is small and affects the weight and power of the instrument is not very significant, and can come in handy at any time.

Weight of

The weight of the electrolink affects the efficiency of the work only when the tool is used intensively. If you plan one two boards per hour, then the weight of the plane is 2 kg or 4 does not matter much. But with hours of work, the difference in weight is already becoming palpable. In reality, a medium power plane weighs 3 - 4 kg, this weight should be chosen when choosing.

Being guided by these parameters, we should not forget about the price of the instrument. The more authoritative the manufacturer, the higher the price. But even higher is the probability that the declared parameters correspond to the actual ones and the planes will last much longer than the warranty period.