The Best Planers
A wood planer is a tool that reduces the level of thickness of different types of wood surfaces. Planers come in many sizes and many designs. There are palm-sized planers made for finely-detailed woodwork, hand-held power planers for remote jobs, and even bench-anchored planers for larger jobs. Whether you're working with a large slab of wood or a simple board for a bookcase, a sturdy planer will help you out. Here, we present the best of the best.
What to Look For
In our search for the best planers, we looked for options with powerful long-lasting motors, safety features to keep our hands intact, precise engineering for precise cuts, and fair prices. Our favorite is the Wen 6530 planer, which offers 1/128th-inch adjustments and included accessories that make every job easier. But for those that want something a little less portable and a lot more powerful, you can’t go wrong with DeWalt’s single-speed benchtop planner. There’s a lot to consider, so let’s dive right in to the reviews.
Wen 6530 Electric Hand Planer
Wen provides a durable, all-purpose planer with its 6530 model. The powerful, six-amp motor delivers up to 34,000 cuts per minute, making both long and short strokes a breeze. With 16 positive stops, you can adjust the cutting depth from a minuscule 1/128th-inch up to 1/8th-inch, or make perfect rabbets up to 7/10th-inch with the included rabbeting guide. The base plate shoe even includes a V-shaped groove for chamfering, which helps flatten sharp board corners. For a corded power planer, it’s still lightweight at only six pounds, making it one of the best planers for a soft touch.
Pros:
- It comes with both an attachable dust bag and a safety kickstand, which help make work environments safer and cleaner.
- The sturdy parallel fence bracket ensures stability during cuts.
- Considering the quality of the blades and the overall package, this inexpensive tool is a huge bargain.
Cons:
- It may struggle to smoothly cut through green wood, though removing the dust bag can help.
DeWalt Benchtop Planer
Big projects need big planers
If you’re looking to create custom thicknesses for your woodworking projects while avoiding issues such as tear-out, snipe, and ridges, you need a heavy-duty benchtop wood planer like the DeWalt. The three-knife cutter head has a max speed of 10,000 RPM, providing a whopping 96 cuts per inch from the disposable, reversible knives. The extra-long in-feed/out-feed table provides 33.5 inches of material support, while the four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the kind of wood movement that causes snipe. With the powerful 15-amp motor, the DeWalt can handle large, deep cuts in hardwoods, making it a great addition to your woodshop.
Pros:
- The included blades last a very long time, so you won’t have to replace them as often.
- This option is wickedly accurate thanks to the material removal gauge and large thickness scale
- This includes a turret depth stop, which allows you to preset your most frequently used depths.
Cons:
- The height control screw is rather short.
Bosch Woodworking Hand Planer
Perfect portability
With a brand-name reputation that precedes it, the Bosch woodworking hand planer is dependable, portable, and packed with features. A powerful motor provides 16,500 RPM speed for fast stock removal and provides a smooth finish for soft and hardwood. It also has an ambidextrous lock-off release button to help avoid accidental starts, plus a lock-on button for extended operation. A spring-loaded stand elevates the tool to protect the blade as well as the spot where you set the tool down. And thanks to the precision-machined aluminum front and rear shoes, the accuracy with this planer is incredible. There’s even a machined groove for chamfering and sanding.
Pros:
- The unique shape allows for easy entry in the middle of a workpiece, and it can be set up in a flash.
- The two-blade hand plane system can be converted for use with large, high-speed steel blades.
- The dual-mount guide fence can be mounted on either side of the planer, which is perfect for making symmetrical cuts.
Cons:
- You have to remove the brackets from the fence to get everything in the case, which can be a bit of a hassle.
Mophorn Thickness Planer with Stand
Woodworking made simple
If you need to step up to a benchtop planer but don’t want to take up valuable bench space, Mophorn has the solution. This planer accepts boards up to a 12.5-inch thickness, which allows you to repurpose old, rough, weathered, and worn wood and restore it to an extraordinarily smooth finish. The powerful 1,500-watt motor provides efficient planing at one of the fastest feed rates available. Best of all, the planer comes with a heavy-duty steel stand to help prevent the unit from wobbling or walking while in use. It also features a dust exhaust interface that connects to your dust collector to help keep particles out of your workspace.
Pros:
- The 9,000 RPM motor speed produces wickedly accurate cuts.
- It comes with a plethora of useful accessories, including footpads, spare carbon brushes, an iron dust cover, a belt, and spare nuts.
- Sturdy crank handle easily adjusts cutter head height
Cons:
- The assembly instructions included are difficult to decipher, though the assembly itself is fairly straightforward.
Makita KP0800K Planer Kit
Put the power in your hand
Makita is another brand with a long reputation for quality and durability. Their KP800K planer is no exception. Its 6.5-amp motor delivers more output power than most other hand-held planers, delivering one of the highest power-to-weight ratios. Its two-blade cutter head can plane up to 3 1/4-inch wide and 3/32-inch deep in a single pass, while the easy blade setting system is great for fast replacement blade swaps. The high-quality V-belt provides added durability, making this another great planer for any off-site job.
Pros:
- The aluminum base is impressively precise for greater planing accuracy.
- It comes equipped with double-edged carbide blades for added performance and longevity.
- Although lightweight and handheld, this planer can be equipped with large, high-speed steel blades for harder woods.
Cons:
- The dust nozzle and dust bag are sold separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a planer to take off old paint or finish?
The short answer is yes, but it’s probably not a good idea. The cutter heads on your planer will generate so much friction that it can melt the finish on the wood and gum up the planer blades. Though planing any material will affect the sharpness of your blades, using a planer on finished surfaces only hastens your cutter head replacement.
Do I need safety equipment when using a planer?
You should always wear goggles and hearing protection when running your planer. And while we’re on the subject, keep your hands at least four inches away from the planer infeed area at all times, and watch for pinch points between the feeder and the board. Finally, don’t plane through knots, splits, defects, and foreign objects stuck in the wood (like old nails).
Every time I use my planer I get small ridges down the length of my wood. Why?
That’s a sign that your blades have nicks. Depending on the make and model of your planer, you either need to have your blades sharpened or replaced.
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