# Need soap planer/beveler - any suggestions?



## grammy1954

I am trying to find a good planer/beveler for a decent price. I am not getting good results with online search.  Each time I find something the complany is out of stock or out of business. Any suggestions?


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## tlm884

Just a thought would a mandoline food slicer work?


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## paillo

i've heard rave reviews about this one, but it's a little spendy. http://www.lotioncrafter.com/best-ever- ... eller.html

i've been using a carpenter's mini-planer from lowes or ace hardware. it's about $8 and a dandy little tool - can adjust the thickness of your bevel. only downside is it rusts after about 6 months. but at that price i just replace when it starts to get icky...


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## grammy1954

Thanks!  I had not thought of either of these alternatives, but will try.  I appreciate your responses.


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## Soapy Gurl

I was just going to ask this question!  I am glad to see it.  I also wondered if I could make one.  I have seen them with paint scrapers as the cutter.  But the carpenters tool is a great idea!


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## DottieF.

I use this for beveling the edges. Mine is the 1/16".

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,230,41182,41200&p=45501


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## Soaplady22

Mine came from here:

http://www.forcraftssake.com/shop/index ... 8b7d20e961

Works great for small bevels. For bigger cuts and shaving off an edge (like for ash) try this one:

http://www.soap-making-resource.com/soap-beveler.html

They have great reviews and are still in business!!


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## IrishLass

paillo said:
			
		

> i've heard rave reviews about this one, but it's a little spendy. http://www.lotioncrafter.com/best-ever- ... eller.html



I have that one, but it is not a planer, just a beveler (but a very nice one, though. I found the outstanding quality of it to be worth the price). 

If you want something that planes _and_ bevels, I just recently purchased this one about a month or so ago:

http://www.soap-making-resource.com/soap-beveler.html

I was kind of hesitant to buy it at first because it's made of 100% acrylic, which means no replacement blades and no way to sharpen it (that I know of), but like you, I was having no luck finding any US suppliers that were still selling a planer or had not gone out of business, etc.., and was I getting desperate. 

Well, anyway, I am very happy with my purchase, so far. It planes my soap beautifully, shaving off only the thinnest layer you can possibly imagine being able to shave off of a bar of soap- it's as close to paper-thin as a layer of soap can get and still remain in one piece. I was very impressed. I'm kinda concerned about the sharpness of the 'blade' going dull over time, but at least for now it is very sharp and shows no sign of wearing down. I should probably mention that I'm not in business and my batches are on the small side (1lb to 2.5 lbs mostly, and on occassion 5 lbs.), and I don't need to plane _all_ my soaps, so it's not getting a _huge_ amount of wear-and-tear use. 

IrishLass


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## Soapsugoii

Yea, I have the one at this link too: http://www.soap-making-resource.com/soap-beveler.html

I agree with IL - it's a great little piece of equipment. The acrylic is easy to clean and it performs wonderfully. There's a slight learning curve, but once you get the hang of it it's SO easy to use.


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## debbism

I have the lil shaver from forcraftssake.com  

http://www.forcraftssake.com/shop/index ... 8b7d20e961

It is OK but it scuffs up the flat surfaces of the soap as it bevels

---------------------------------------------

BUT I recently purchased this one from the TOUGHTIMBERS etsy shop and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it  

http://www.etsy.com/listing/26724406/ne ... d-bar-loaf

It planes beautifully and the beveler is much better as it does not mar or scuff up the surface of the soap when it bevels because nothign touches the surface as is slides thru....just the corner sits in the groove.


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## grammy1954

You are all very helpful.  Thanks so much!


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## Donna

I also have this one and LOVE it !

Is it possible for an acrylic blade to dull?


http://www.soap-making-resource.com/soap-beveler.html


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## Soapy Gurl

debbism - what is the blade on the Tough Timbers one?  I noticed they sell replacements.  I am wondering if I can get a family member to make one.


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## Lindy

paillo said:
			
		

> i've heard rave reviews about this one, but it's a little spendy. http://www.lotioncrafter.com/best-ever- ... eller.html
> 
> i've been using a carpenter's mini-planer from lowes or ace hardware. it's about $8 and a dandy little tool - can adjust the thickness of your bevel. only downside is it rusts after about 6 months. but at that price i just replace when it starts to get icky...



I have that one and love it.  I've been using the same one for about 2 years and I clean it with a metal brush as well as hot water.  I bought mine from Lee Valley Tools and it was a good purchase....


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## melstan775

paillo said:


> ...i've been using a carpenter's mini-planer from lowes or ace hardware. it's about $8 and a dandy little tool - can adjust the thickness of your bevel. only downside is it rusts after about 6 months. but at that price i just replace when it starts to get icky...



Paillo do you have a picture of what this looks like? I didn't find it at my local Lowe's today but I didn't really know what to look for either.


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## SwiftRuby

For my Australian friends who are looking, I got mine from here, works smoothly and perfectly 

http://nizzymoulds.com/


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## Ange647

Wow, Swift Ruby

That looks perfectly like I am looking for, but I am in the USA.


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## Tiqwa

Have you tried a vegetable peeler?


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## Marieke

I use a Dutch "kaasschaaf": http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaasschaaf. Works fine for me but I'm not sure you can buy them anywhere else than in the Netherlands and Scandinavia.


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## DeeAnna

"...Have you tried a vegetable peeler?..."

I use a veg peeler too, but a beveler is designed to give more control over the depth of cut. If you are looking for a super consistent look, a beveler is your best bet.

Marieke -- it's often called a "cheese planer" in English. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008SD40N4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## soapguy

You guys are too high tech for me. I use the side of my nail thumb to bevel the sides and corners. Before then, I used a potato peeler.


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## melstan775

soapguy said:


> You guys are too high tech for me. I use the side of my nail thumb to bevel the sides and corners. Before then, I used a potato peeler.



Lol. I think it's amusing you switched from a peeler to your fingers. You must do it before the soap gets too hard?


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## DeeAnna

As far as the folks who are asking if a plastic "blade" will become dull -- I would not plane or bevel soap that has any kind of seriously abrasive stuff in it -- pumice, coffee, whatever. But with basic, fresh soap, I think the blade will be good for many, many bars.


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## soapguy

melstan775 said:


> L You must do it before the soap gets too hard?



Yes, I cut my soaps as soon as possible and do the edges the same day or day after if soap is still too soft.


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## melstan775

I finally just ordered one on Etsy. It has a single blade on the box, and I think a couple grooves for beveling. I would have preferred no grooves but we will see how it works.


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## mel z

melstan775 said:


> I finally just ordered one on Etsy. It has a single blade on the box, and I think a couple grooves for beveling. I would have preferred no grooves but we will see how it works.



Do let us know! 

I've tried the veggie peeler, let's just say, me and that thing never got along with its intended use anyway. The cheese planer looks okay, but the tool from the hardware store actually looks more my mind/hand connect. However, the actual soap planers look very simple and idiot proof. Yeah, I need idiot proof, but, they also just look like large mandolines to me, but, I don't have a mandoline.


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## melstan775

I looked at mandolins and in the end it was less expensive to buy the planer. Also tried my cheese planer but the wire wasn't strong enough. Soap planer it is!


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## GreenAcreHomestead

I want to ask those of you who purchased the SMR acrylic beveler/planer... are you still using it (after all these years)? Did you find a better one? Build one?  Thanks!


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## IrishLass

GreenAcreHomestead said:


> I want to ask those of you who purchased the SMR acrylic beveler/planer... are you still using it (after all these years)? Did you find a better one? Build one? Thanks!


 
I have the SMR acrylic beveler/planer (bought it around 2012 or so) and it is still working great.  

I should mention, though, that I only use it to plane the face or the flat sides of my soap on those rare occasions that my batch comes out with unwanted, unsightly blemishes or craters on those parts of my soap.

For beveling the sharp edges of my soap, I instead use my Kakuri radius plane- a Japanese woodworking tool for beveling or rounding over the sharp edges of wood. I like the contoured/rounded-over look of the bevels it gives me compared to the more flat 'jewel-like' bevels that the SMR beveler/planer gives me.


IrishLass


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## Soapsense

IL I bought that about year and a half ago, and have beveled and planed about 2000 bars of soap, and it still works as it did the first day I bought it.

I love the SMR beveller/planer, and will probably purchase a second one, just in case it ever does get dull.


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## debbism

I'm still using the bevever/planer I got from Tough Timbers on Etsy back in 2011. After heavy use for 6 years, I still have not needed to replace the blade. I don't know what voodoo black magic was summoned in the making of this but I'm not complaining


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## aihrat

I tried to get the SMR beveller/planer but it looks like they're closing down and no longer had stock.

I ordered a beveller/planer from http://www.lilusoaptools.com instead and it is SUPER spendy but really really well-made and a pleasure to use.


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## Omneya

I got mine from Custom soap stamps. Alex is really nice guy. I got the package deal, which included and 12 wire cutter and the planer/beveler. I also had a coupon code. It is maid out of acrylic and rinses of nicely. It will never rust either
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CustomSoapStamps?ref=pr_faveshops


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