The Ridgid R4330 Planer is a 3-blade Cutter-head Thicknesser That is Perfect for Making Beautiful Woodworking Finishes
What We Like
- 30,000 cuts per minute
- 10,000 RPM from 15 Amp motor
- A simple depth adjustment knob
- Three double edge reversible blades
- Tool storage and dust extraction system
- Large Infeed and outfeed tables
- Precision Lead-Screw System
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
- Finding replacement parts is difficult
Bottom Line
The Ridgid R4330 Planer review shows that it is a good thickness planer but it isn’t the best in the market. The 15 Amp motor is great thanks to the 10,000 RPM no-load speed.
The cutter-head speed is impressive at 30,000 per minute. The 3-double edge blades are reversible and sharp. They always give you a great cut.
The adjustment knobs allow you to make the necessary changes and this helps you get precise cuts. The cutting capacity is great and there is a depth gauge on the machine.
However, this planer is expensive. You will need around $480 to $500 to buy one on Amazon.
As if the price for purchasing isn’t high enough, buying replacement parts of this device is difficult because it is an old model.
Planers come in different shapes and sizes but they all have the same purpose. Everyone who buys a planer buys it because they want to trim wood into the right shape and size for their projects.
With the Ridgid R4330 Planer, you can get consistent thickness from the top to the edge of the board. The Planer can be used to thin out thick and rough wooden surfaces including raw lumber.
In our review, we are going to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of this planer by Ridgid. This Planer is designed in a way that allows you to use it to smoothen and flatten rough wood for small-scale projects.
The 3-blade cutter-head ensures that every cut is smooth even when the texture of the material is hard. What else does this Ridgid R4330 Planer have that makes it a good option for woodworkers?
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Features of the Ridgid R4330 Planer
30,000 Cuts Per Minute
The Ridgid R4330 Planer has a cutter-head that gives you 30,000 cuts per minute. This translates to about 96 cuts per inch. Most benchtop planers of this size don’t offer this much speed.
The higher the cutter-head speed, the quicker the planer will cut through wood, and the faster you’ll complete your projects. Most thicknessers come with cutter-head locking systems.
This cutter-head locking system helps promote precision by ensuring the blades don’t go out of alignment when you’re cutting.
With this Planer, you don’t need a locking system for the cutter-head because it comes with a precision lead-screw system that keeps the cutter-head in place while the machine provides consistent thickness throughout the wood.
10,000 RPM from 15 Amp Motor
Without the motor, the blades and everything else on the planer will be useless. It is the power of the motor that will determine how fast the cutter-head will move.
For a portable thicknesser, any motor that ranges from 10 to 15 Amp would work just fine. Only handheld planers work perfectly with less than 10 Amp.
With a 15 Amp motor, the Ridgid R4330 Planer offers more power than many other portable planers of this size. It is a corded planer so you’re going to need a 120-volt powerline to make it work.
As long as there is uninterrupted power in your workspace, the motor will run just fine. However, you may experience overheating with the motor.
If this happens, switch it off and let it cool for a while because using the motor when it is overheating can burn it. So, save yourself money and a trip to the hardware store by being attentive.
Some planers off automatically when the motor is overheating but this case is different from the Ridgid R4330 Planer.
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Large Infeed and Outfeed Tables
The infeed and outfeed tables on a planer help you make smooth and precise cuts when you’re trimming lumber, timber, or any other type of wood.
The infeed table supports the wood when you’re feeding it into the planer and the outfeed table supports the already shaved board after it moves through the thicknesser.
Without a proper infeed and outfeed table, you may need to become more productive and create your own infeed and outfeed tables. Apart from providing support for the board, you’re cutting, good extension tables also help to eliminate snipe.
Snipe can be annoying especially when you’re in a hurry to get the job done quickly so you can handle other parts of the project.
Dual Edge Blades and Dust Collection Ports
The three blades on the Ridgid R4330 Planer are dual-edge blades. This means that there are no dull edges on the blades.
There is a quick chance feature of the device that helps you remove and reinstall the blades quickly and efficiently within a few minutes. They are self-indexing blades so we didn’t expect anything less.
Like many other popular planers, the blades on the R4330 Planer are reversible. It’s also important to note that there is a top-notch dust collection port that will keep your environment clean no matter how many woods you shave in one section.
There is also an on-board storage tool that can be used to store the tools you use for changing blades and extra blades as well. You will rest assured that all your tools can be found in a single place.
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Ridgid R4330 Planer Review The Verdict
From this review, you can see that it is one of the most common benchtop planers out there. However, it is an old model so finding the spare parts might be difficult.
If you need a spare part when the product is still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, it would be a good idea to contact customer service.
If the customer service agent gives you the green light, you can request for replacement of that part. We should also note that the planer costs twice as much as some other thicknessers out there.
