For anybody who is unfamiliar, the first lunchbox planner was the Ryobi AP-10. As the name suggests, it can only plane up to 10 inch wide boards. I bought one used about 20 years ago and even though I could afford to replace it, I have not. Why?
The 10 inch capacity is rarely an issue. For example, there are 6 cherry boards in the top of my dining room table and only one was over 10 inches. By the time I straightened it with my track saw, it was under 10 inches wide. So it really wasn't an issue even for this board. But on rare occasions, I do have to deal with an additional glue line while sanding. But the issue is so rare it doesn't justify a new planner to me.
A feature I really like is the blades are intended for resharpening rather than one time use. The fact that most if not all the newer planners use replaceable knives is an indication most people feel otherwise. But I much prefer to just sharpen and reset the old knives. My planner would not plane when I bought it. The previous owner did not know what was wrong with it. When I got it home, I knew pretty quick. The knives looked like they had never been sharpened. Dull as a butter knife. Once they were sharpened the planner worked great. I bought a replacement set but didn't initially use them. Today I sharpened both the originals and the replacements (by Freud).
Ryobi includes two plastic jigs that really help with blade sharpening and replacement. They are a setting jig and a sharpening jig. The setting jig allows you to set the blade relative to the blade holder that then slides into a groove of the cutter head. It's just a matter of loosening two phillips head screws and sliding the butter to the jig and then tightening the screws. To sharpen you put both knives into a plastic jig that holds them so the edges are parallel. I then run them over my Worksharp and in a few minutes they are sharp again. The added time versus replacement is minimal.
So it boils down to it works for me. I'd replace it if it didn't work well but it does. So far this year I have filled the 70 gallon collection box on my dust collector at least 3 times mainly with planner chips. I don't use the planner every day or even every week but it gets a fair bit of use. It snipes some but less if the outfeed rollers are used and you lift the end of large boards as they come out. It is a key tool that allows me to use rough sawn lumber.
The 10 inch capacity is rarely an issue. For example, there are 6 cherry boards in the top of my dining room table and only one was over 10 inches. By the time I straightened it with my track saw, it was under 10 inches wide. So it really wasn't an issue even for this board. But on rare occasions, I do have to deal with an additional glue line while sanding. But the issue is so rare it doesn't justify a new planner to me.
A feature I really like is the blades are intended for resharpening rather than one time use. The fact that most if not all the newer planners use replaceable knives is an indication most people feel otherwise. But I much prefer to just sharpen and reset the old knives. My planner would not plane when I bought it. The previous owner did not know what was wrong with it. When I got it home, I knew pretty quick. The knives looked like they had never been sharpened. Dull as a butter knife. Once they were sharpened the planner worked great. I bought a replacement set but didn't initially use them. Today I sharpened both the originals and the replacements (by Freud).
Ryobi includes two plastic jigs that really help with blade sharpening and replacement. They are a setting jig and a sharpening jig. The setting jig allows you to set the blade relative to the blade holder that then slides into a groove of the cutter head. It's just a matter of loosening two phillips head screws and sliding the butter to the jig and then tightening the screws. To sharpen you put both knives into a plastic jig that holds them so the edges are parallel. I then run them over my Worksharp and in a few minutes they are sharp again. The added time versus replacement is minimal.
So it boils down to it works for me. I'd replace it if it didn't work well but it does. So far this year I have filled the 70 gallon collection box on my dust collector at least 3 times mainly with planner chips. I don't use the planner every day or even every week but it gets a fair bit of use. It snipes some but less if the outfeed rollers are used and you lift the end of large boards as they come out. It is a key tool that allows me to use rough sawn lumber.
