Wagner Safe-T-Planer

I was sorry to hear this tool is going away! My students and I have used it to thickness backs and sides for well over 500 guitars. We recently used the replacement to thickness about 12 sides and backs and it worked but I will miss the original.

If you build guitars you need one of these. Too bad they are no longer available. I don't think the replacements are as well built as this one.

If you are thicknessing tops or backs, this is the only tool to have. If you try to do it by hand or try to use a drum sander or a planer, you will not be a happy luthier. You may not think it, but this tool is very easy to use, safe and very accurate.

simply the best tool that I have to do this job... it's fast to plan the sides and tops!

Excellent tool!!!
Very useful!!!

Thank you stewmac

I read about the Safe-T-Planer on Kathy Matsushita's site and decided to give it a try. Terrific little device. It works great on my little countertop drill press and is a tremendous time saver. Very easy to control and leaves a fairly smooth surface that requires less sanding than I was expecting. One issue for me is that the wood chips fly pretty far and they go everywhere. I have to set up sort of a barrier around my bench when I use it otherwise it throws a lot of chips down behind my bench. This of course has nothing to do with how well it works, it's just a note. The most important thing when setting it up is making sure your drill press table is perpendicular to the chuck. I would definitely recommend it for a small shop like mine that doesn't have room for big tools. I haven't tried sharpening it yet but it comes with a little sharpening wheel for touching up the blades.

Really cuts down on time spent with a hand plane. Wish StewMac carried the sanding disc for it, though.

Used to plane the backs of necks and headstocks as well as the beginning topography for arched tops. Works flawlessly.

I've known about this planer for many years but always thought it would be too dangerous to use. Not So! As long as you use reasonable care and keep the cutters sharp it is quite an amazing tool. Cutter marks are easily cleaned up with a few handplane passes. I even used it to make some walnut veneer strips 1" wide and 1/42" thick by first planing the edge of some 4/4 stock, ripping on a bandsaw and then passing under the Wagner.

I used a broken piece of granite counter top for my table and waxed to make it slick. Hold-downs were a must for the veneer but thicker stock can just be passed through freehand. I wish I had bought one years ago!

A good tool for small jobs, does a passable job, and you can't beat the price! Indispensable if the piece of wood won't fit in the planer!