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I'm cleaning out my shop for the first time in over five years.... making room for some new stuff and found my Wagner Safe-t-planer and wondered what it was worth. I have not used it in years and posted on this forum years ago that I had an accident with mine where it launched a BRW bridge blank that hit me right in the mouth. I was so pissed and wanted to hit someone or something being a typical male....

Anyway I never used it after that and put it out of my sight... and never got to hit the thing back either....

Searching the web it seems that others have been hurt by these things too and I am not sure if they are even still on the market. LMI, stew-mac no longer sell them either.

What's the deal? Anyone know?

Thanks

Yes they quit making them. There is a company that makes a spin off of it but I don't think it is nearly as good (if you can call it good).

I thought about buying one because I don't have a thickness sander but you are correct that they are dangerous and I figured I could do without it.

Bob

Apparently, there wasn't enough interest to keep the item going after the makers retired. Or something. Hesh, I'll happily buy yours if you'll part with it.

Thanks guys, Bob and Med.

Med my friend I already promised it to another OLFer after he promised me that he would always wear a face shield and athletic cup..... I think that he really wanted it to thank it for hitting me in the mouth....

I have mine, and would be nice if I could find replacement cutters for it. It actually works quite well when the cutter is sharp, unfortunately it seems to dull quite fast. Problem is I can't think of any other way to thickness wood without the Safe T Planer... I do not have a thickness sander nor do I have space for one.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I have to say that's the scariest tool I have used in Al's shop. But then, Al's shop is pretty much child-proofed for newbies like me. I think i was too nervous about burning the wood more that anything else. If the wood had any bend in it, it was nervewracking to keep it flush to the table and not letting it rise and either score or burn the wood.

If i continue building, i'm likely to build one of the drum sanders I have seen online. The nice thing was it didn't create fine dust like a sander will. I don't have anything to compare it to except a big planer in highschool, but it seemed to work fairly quickly.

I think it's one of those things you need to use and get the feel of, although the feeling Hesh got was a bit too extreme for my 'taste'.

I picked up a couple of the leichtung branded safe-t-planers at a yard sale. How do they compare to the Wagner? I didn't have much luck getting them to work for me, so I must be doing something wrong, maybe not doing enough time to do a proper set up.

I was in the market for one, but it just did not look safe to me.
I made this router sled jig based on a suggestion from Alex Kleon.
The box is deep enough for an electric body, and I made an insert for surfacing thin stock.
This thing worked great for surfacing end grain.
I should be able to use if for step cuts for a carved top as well as cutting binding ledges.
Dan

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I don't use mine for a lot of jobs, but sometimes it's just the thing!

One of the guys in our shop just got one of the new Asian knockoff versions of the Wagner, and it looks to be every bit the same deal.

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Cheers,

Frank Ford

FRETS.COM
HomeShopTech
FRETS.NET

Just used one to thickness a poorly cut (too thick/thin) Bubinga Set, B & S to a more manageable thickness for my 10-20.
Worked a treat when I got it set up and sharpened properly, but still needed a shower curtain for the chippings!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I have a router sled .One needs a mortising rtr bit in the chuck and vy light passes .020 max. I have the wagner safety planer. For some jobs vy useful.But if your not paying attention vy dangerous tool.

Hesh, I remember the photo you posted with a bandage around your face after that little incident. I think it's a great little tool for lots of jobs. I use mine with a ramped sled to taper the thickness of necks and have also rough-thicknessed sides and backs with it. It's like any other power tool with teeth--you've got to respect it. The keys to avoiding grabs and kick-outs are pretty simple: Keep it sharp, make sure it's turning at a fairly high speed, always feed against the rotation of the cutters, always make light passes at a time and use a fence when applicable. Mine came new in the box with a detailed instruction book and a sharpening wheel with its own arbor. It is easy to sharpen--especially if you have a small drill press vise to hold the cutters. Yes, it generates lots of little chips, like a router, but it can quickly perform lots of tasks. Robbie O'brien has a good video on the use of this tool on his youtube channel. I did struggle with the tool grabbing my work one time, but that was my fault. I was spinning the tool at a lower speed than recommended.
Patrick

I likes me mine. If anyone has a spare, please advise....

I find it very useful...especially for rosewood that clogs up my sander...take most of it off with the Safe-T-Planer and then lightly sand and scrape the rest....

...Also use it for thicknessing the back of the headstock too....

John

Any machinists out there can make spare cutters for this thing? The knockoff cutters won't work in the Wagner brand.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I bought one of the knock-offs earlier in the year, but haven't had occasion to use it. I would think one of the most important issues to safe use would be having the cutter square to the drill press table. After Hesh's accident, though, I might put my old hockey equipment on when I do get around to trying it out! Especially the cup!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I'm contemplating thicknessing sides in a jointer... being careful to make sure material removal is consistent. At least jointer knives are pretty universal.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Sounds sketchy Tai. Safety first, ya know? Don't you have a plane?

I have hand planes, but it's a bear to plane hardwood by hand. The other problem is how do I hold it down while I plane it? It's much simpler to use a power planer.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I've wanted to make one using the round carbide inserts for a while now but haven't had the time. I do use mine (Wagner) once in a while and am glad for it when I do. For certain jobs it is just the thing. And, as mentioned, for taking a thicker rosewood plate down before sending it through the sander it is really great. I've never had a safety issue with mine. I did buy and fix up an older drill press that hit a higher than normal speed specifically with the Wagner in mind- They recommend (I think) 4000-6000 rpm which is faster than many drill presses run.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Ah, forgot to include the link - here's a current one, and an image of the $35.00 import version:



http://woodworker.com/drill-press-planer-mssu-24760.asp

Now that I see the photo again, I'm reminded that I do like the solid casting of the original Wagner unit better. . .

_________________
Cheers,

Frank Ford

FRETS.COM
HomeShopTech
FRETS.NET

I heard the replacement cutters for that won't work because it's a different size... can someone confirm that?

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Alex made a good point. Squaring up the cutter head with the drill press table is important. And it's easy. For anyone who has recently acquired a used Safe-T-Planer (without the enclosed instructions) you can do this with a simple feeler gauge made from a piece of coat hanger wire. Bend it into a "Z" shape, chuck it in the drill chuck and rotate by hand--with the machine unplugged--adjusting the table until the tip of the wire gauge just kisses the surface all the way around. Note that in Robbie's video (referenced above), he makes a supplemental table with a built in fence. He shims his table with sandpaper on the infeed side, so that only the leading or "front" of the cutter is engaged in his work piece. The fence then counters the rotational force and keeps things as safe as possible. Don't be scared to use the tool, but don't ever be complacent about it, either. Use appropriate caution, as you would with any rapidly spinning power tool.

Please don't send a thin piece of wood through a planer. It won't end well.

Here's a cheap and pretty effective alternative. I'll try to post a couple pics at the end.

I chuck a hole cutter into my drill press and cut disks from 3/4" mdf. The largest hole cutter I have is 2.75", so that's the size of my disks.

Enlarge the center hole to 5/16" and countersink a 1/4" recess on one side.

Drive a 5/16" x 4" carriage bolt through and tighten. Then hit the nut with thin super glue.

A couple coats of shellac go on the mdf, and the base assembly is complete.

Now I attach cloth-backed abrasive to the disk and chuck it into the drill press.



Obviously nowhere near as aggressive as a Wagner, but 36 grit abrasive still makes pretty short work of rough thicknessing. Follow that with a couple of passes of a 100 grit disk and you're done.

To glue the abrasive to the disk, I apply painter's tape to the face of the disk, and (important) wrap the ends up over the edges. Then run a single piece of tape all around the edge of the disk, which helps hold the tape more securely to the disk.

Squeeze a couple of beads of thick super glue around the taped face and clamp the abrasive until it sets.

Now, once the abrasive gets worn out, just peel the tape off, apply more tape and glue on a fresh pad of abrasive.

Sounds more complicated and time-consuming than it actually is.

Though for those who already have the Safe T Planer you could just buy the sanding disk from LMI...

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com