Best Wood Planers - Top Picks, Reviews & Complete Buying Guide
by Scott Miller Updated on
Being that planing your lumber is not an easy job, especially if you do not have the right and quality tool for that.
People who are in this field know how important it is to have in mind the fact that buying a wood planer online would not come out as successful, as producers would do their best to convince you that their product is the best, even though it is not.
In order not to regret your purchase, we have decided to compare tools for you and make a list of planers that you will love and will be satisfied with.
Now, get ready to find out both the best and worst characteristics of some of the models currently offered on the market.
The reasons why this is our favorite wood planer are numerous.
Let’s mention a few.
Firstly, it has two speeds, which makes it the best thickness planer and a three-knife cutter head, designed to lessen the stress on each knife.
These two amazing characteristics would allow you a finer finish.
Furthermore, it has a wide base so that you can work with wider and longer pieces and while in operation, it is quieter than all the majority of other wood planers.
This model is designed to be a portable planer, but have in mind that it weighs more than 100 pounds, and many people would consider that too heavy to move.
However, there is no better quality machine which would do the same job and be a lighter option.
In order to present why we positioned them this way, we will compare the first two models on our list.
The biggest differences between the DEWALT DW734, which is our second choice and the DEWALT DW735X, the previous one are that the DEWALT DW734 is just one-speed, and it is lighter than DEWALT DW735X, as it weighs 80 pounds.
In case you do not need a two speed wood planer, you can save a lot of money buying the DEWALT DW34.
What you get with this model is 96 cuts per inch and the three-knife cutter head.
This provides a longer life-time of the tool.
Furthermore, this DEWALT’s model offers an extendable and wide base so that you get the opportunity to work larger pieces.
Being that it is lighter than our top pick, it makes it more portable, so if portability is significant to you, it might be a good idea to get this one.
Even though it is not our top pick, the WEN 6552T planer deserves attention.
It is a model with a fast feed rate, which can handle 26 feet per minute.
This proves that it is one of the fastest planers.
It is designed for a work which involves a lot of raw stock, since it has a three-blade cutter.
Its durability is not questionable as manufacturers made sure that the tool would last long time.
Additionally, this model also comes with excellent fine-tunable depth adjustments improving the precision and making your work more efficient and successful.
The cut can be set at 1/64th of an inch for extreme precision.
Now comes the bad part.
This model is far less expensive than then the previous two and its great price combined with quality makes it the best planer for the money.
What can be taken as a drawback is the poor dust collection system, which causes mess around you.
As we go down the list, we have to say that you cannot expect as great planers as the above mentioned models were, but these are also worth mentioning, such as the Cutech 40200H-CT.
There are some features which are positive about it and its greatest advantage is that it uses spiral cutterheads which are considered better than the multi-knife cutterheads available on other planers.
Spiral cutterheads have longer life and produce a finer finish.
They are usually found on models that cost thousands of dollars.
Another advantage is its weight of 88 pounds, making it possible for you to move it around.
Additionally, it has a built-in dust port, which is not a characteristic of some other planers.
However, the Cutech 40200H-CT is among the most expensive models on our list and it is quite noisy. Those who are not limited by the budget and know that would have more benefits with the spiral cutterhead should go for this model without doubt.
If you do not want to waste thousands of dollars, you should think about so other model.
This model is the one that works fine, but its performance is not ideal.
The Delta Power Tools 22-590 planer has a three-knife cutterhead.
Now, for those who do not know the difference among these cutterheads, we can say that this one is better than a two-knife cutterhead, but worse than a spiral model.
Its speed is up to 26 feet per minute, making it neither the fastest nor the slowest available.
This model has a cutterhead lock, meaning that it can perform the same planes on different lumber.
Now, there come some drawbacks, and one is related to its motor.
Its misalignment problems can cause the belt to burn out rapidly.
Many people who are into this field would say that it can be easily fixed at home, but some others believe that the manufacturer is the one who should take care of it.
Replacement of the belts frequently would cause a lot of additional expenses.
The Delta blades are also reported not to be long lasting as with some other brands.
Once you got an insight into wood planers models mentioned above, you might have already made a decision which one to buy.
But if you have not, here is the buyer’s guide with a lot of information so that you can get acquainted with wood planer features in more detail.
By knowing some tips on getting great value for your money, we believe that you will not regret your decision.
Which one is better: a thickness or a hand planer?
The most frequent question is related to thickness and hand planers and it cannot be said whether one type is better or not.
The majority of producers create hand planers used to trim wood and create a level, smooth surface.
With this electric tool you cannot ensure that you will get a perfectly level finish.
On the other hand, thickness planers are more traditional tools which work by setting a blade at a particular height.
Once the ideal height is achieved, then you shave off everything above that height.
That way a uniformly level is achieved, with even surface and what is even more important, it requires less work.
There are two types of thickness planers.
One of them is the professional-grade planer which has its own stand, and its weight can be hundreds of pounds.
These models are not on our list, as they are designed for professional users’ needs, and can cost thousands of dollars.
The second type is the “benchtop” model.
Their usual weight is a hundred pounds or less and they are considered portable, even though it is not easy to move them around.
The ideal solution is to find a spot for the tool on your bench and do not move it anymore.
Why is the depth of cut important?
As the user is the one that controls how deep a hand planer cuts per stroke, you have to determine which type of tool is the best for you.
If a model has some physical limitations based on the tool’s parts, you might not have the depth of cut you want.
When it comes to thickness planers, you determine how far you want the planer to cut with each pass and most models come with one of two maximum depths.
While less expensive models can remove up to 1/16th of an inch at once, those more expensive ones raise that to 3/32nds of an inch.
That way you will be able to do large jobs in fewer passes.
You have to be careful with machines that have greater cutting depths as it may result in tearout, which can splinter and ruin your piece.
Smaller depths and more passes are ideal for soft or hardwoods, even though the process takes longer.
What about snipe?
The snipe is an important thing to consider and you should know that thickness planers use a pair of rollers before and after the spinning blades to reduce the chances of snipe.
Snipe can destroy your piece of work if the board you are passing through the machine is pulled up into the blade before it hits the second roller.
This means that more material will be removed from the front than from the rest and your work would not be done well.
Snipe happens due to the friction between the rapidly spinning blade and the wood pulls the lumber into the blade.
This is diminished once the board hits the second roller, as the two rollers will hold the board level.
Some machines are more likely to cause snipe and you should have that in minf when purchasing.
You can think about machines which come with tables that can be adjusted up or down to offset the effects of snipe.
Another thing you can do to avoid swipe is to reduce the size of your cuts as you approach the final thickness.
What should I pay attention to when it comes to dust collection?
Dust collection feature separates the best models from all the rest.
You are aware that wood planing causes lot of dust, making your workshop dirty and destroying the quality of the air you breathe.
There are some wood planers that do not have dust collection features, so if clean air and space is important to you, you should go for more expensive models with dust-collectors.
You should check what kind of ports the machine has for connecting to a dust collection system.
A 2-1/2” or 4” dust collection ports are the most frequent and compatible with most kinds of dust collection systems.
If it is not compatible, you can buy a converter that allows you to connect differently sized dust ports to your dust collection system.
How many cuts per inch does a good planer have?
When taking a look at some machines’ specifications, you can come across a CPI number.
CPI stands for “Cuts Per Inch” and it represents how many times the machine’s blades cut the material every inch.
If you think about more efficient machine, then you should know that a higher CPI is better.
The machine has a rotating knife which creates a series of very small hills and valleys which are left on your wood by each rotational cut.
If your tool has more cuts in a single inch, it is considered better.
This is due to the fact that each cut is smaller and the resulting hills and valleys are smaller as well.
If there is not the CPI number in the unit’s description, you can calculate it using other numbers that are typically available and those are the feed rate, or how many feet per minute the machine can plane, the RPM at which the cutterhead spins, and the number of knives or cutting surfaces on the cutterhead.
The result can be achieved if you multiply the number of knives by the cutterhead’s RPM, and then, multiply the feed rate, in inches, by the width of the accepted lumber, which is typically 12 inches.
What you need to do next is to divide the first number you got by the second you calculated.
The number you get is the CPI.
The majority of users say that 90 CPI or higher is considered enough.
Conclusion
Our list is quite long, with nine models of wood planers described, and in conclusion we can only summarize what is already said.
Number one and definitely the best wood planer is the DEWALT DW735X Portable Thickness Wood Planer.
It comes with two speeds, a three-knife cutterhead, a wide base, and relatively quiet operation which are the features of the excellent machine.
The DEWALT has to offer another model, the second one on our list, the DEWALT DW734 12-1/2-Inch Woodworking Planer.
These two are very similar, but the difference is in a fewer cuts per inch.
The WEN 6552T 13 in. Thickness Wood Planer has a fast feed rate and three-blade cutter.
This is an excellent model for such a low price.
If it was not for the price, the Makita 2012NB 12-Inch Portable Planer would be our top pick.
It boasts a compact frame, low noise, and very fast planning, but the high price as well.
The PORTER-CABLE PC60THP Portable advantages are dual-side dust extraction and a lightweight, while The Grizzly G0505 12-1/2-Inch Wood Planer comes with poor depth of cut and two-blade cutter.
The Cutech 40200H-CT 13″ Spiral Cutterhead Planer can e a good choice as it comes with a pro-grade spiral cutterhead, but only for those who have quite an amount of money to spend on this units as it comes at high price.
The Delta Power Tools 22-590 Portable Planer has a three-knife cutterhead and cutterhead lock, but its knife durability is questionable.
Last place is taken by the POWERTEC PL1251 12-1/2-Inch Wood Planer – inexpensive but best to be avoided.