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The Best Benchtop Wood Planers for every Wood Workers | Compared Lists of Planers

Compared lists of Top 7 Benchtop Wood Planners



Sale
DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X)
2,433 Reviews
DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X)
  • Purchase includes one stationary 13" Planer, in/out feed tables with fasteners (attached to the base of the Planer base), extra blades and dust hose adapter. Stand is not included.
  • Three knife cutter head of the thickness planer delivers 30% longer knife life and makes knife change faster and easier
  • Two-speed gear box of the wood planer allows users to change feed speed to optimizing cuts per inch at 96 or 179 CPI
  • Fan-assisted chip ejection vacuums chip off of the cutter head and exhausts them out of the machine
  • 19-3/4-inch cast aluminum base is 2 times more rigid than a standard 10-inch base and folding tables
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Pros

  • Extremely powerful due to the 3 knife cutter head.
  • High quality & very long lasting.
  • Recommended for the professional / heavy user.
  • Highly rated.
  • Excellent Customer Service

Cons

  • Not Cheap.
  • Standard knives don’t last long.
  • Replacement knives are expensive.

Overview

The DeWalt is another trusted brand in anything construction and remodeling related, so it was only natural that got on our list. If we had to choose the best bench planer this would be it! This is best tool for professionals.

THOUGHTS:

Hearing protection is recommended. More of a dedicated workshop machine as opposed to being a portable planer due to the weight.


Sale
DEWALT Benchtop Planer, Single Speed, 15-Amp, 12-1/2-Inch (DW734)
951 Reviews
DEWALT Benchtop Planer, Single Speed, 15-Amp, 12-1/2-Inch (DW734)
  • Powerful 15 amp, 20,000 rpm motor of the woodworking planer handles larger, deeper cuts in hardwoods.
  • Three-knife cutter head with 10,000 rpm cutter-head speed of the thickness planer provides 96 cuts per inch, one of the finest finishes of any portable planer
  • Disposable, reversible knives of the wood planer deliver 30% more knife life and make knife change fast and easy.
  • Four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the movement that causes snipe
  • Extra-long infeed and outfeed tables provide 33-1/2-inch of material support.

Pros

  • Extremely powerful, good for big projects.
  • High quality & very long lasting.
  • Recommended for the professional / heavy user.
  • Highly rated.
  • I hooked the dust hood into my 2hp cyclone dust collector, and very few shavings were not collected. Worked perfect. I also put rolling tables for the infeed and outfeed, and little or no snipe.
  • The finish on the boards is fabulous. That's what 30,000 cut per minute does!
  • 30,000 cut per minute does!
  • Excellent Customer Service

Cons

  • Not Cheap.
  • Watch out for returned repackaged, in such case blades may be found worn out.
  • Replacement blades are expensive.
  • I can get to 13/16" thickness in 5 passes from 4/4. It is taking 15 to 20 passes on the hard maple
  • Do check the in-feed and out-feed fold outs. Mine were out of level, but easy to change.

Overview

DEWALT DW734 12-1/2" Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutter-Head

The DW734 12-1/2" Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutter-Head is powered by a 15 Amp motor for managing large, deep cuts in hardwood. It offers quick, accurate depth adjustment and the convenience of knives that are both reversible and disposable. This fully featured portable planer makes it easy to create clean custom stock.

  • Powerful 15AMP, 20,000 RPM Motor
  • Disposable, reversible knives
  • Extra-long Infeed and Outfeed Tables

Four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the movement that causes snipe.

10,000 RPM cutter head speed provides one of the finest finishes in portable planning.

Material removal gauge and extra-large thickness scale deliver accurate cuts with every pass.

Allows for fast, easy, one-tool knife changes.

Powerful 15 Amp Motor for Deep, Clean Cuts
Benchtop planers are a long-term investment that allow you to buy rough stock and dimension it yourself. They also make creating custom materials easier, which, makes getting great results easier.

This planer's powerful 15 amp motor handles a wide range of tough hardwoods, and its three-knife cutter-head spins at 10,000 RPM to provide 96 cuts per inch.

Reversible, Disposable Knives for Convenience
The DEWALT DW734 uses razor sharp knives that are reversible and disposable. These knives last 30 percent longer than traditional disposable knives, helping you avoid costly and time-consuming resharpening.

For fast, easy, one-tool knife changes, a set of pins machined on the cutter-head goes through holes machined on the knife. This helps you quickly locate the fresh knife and refasten the knife clamp.

Effective Dust and Debris Management
The DW734 planer includes a dust hood that attaches to a shop vacuum or standing dust collector (sold separately) for efficient collection of chips and debris.

Large Capacity and Easy, Accurate Depth Adjustment
This planer's extra-long infeed and outfeed tables provide 33-1/2 inches of material support. A turret depth stop saves you time when setting the machine at commonly used depths.

In addition, the planer's material-removal gauge and extra-large thickness scale help ensure every pass is accurate. A four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the movement that causes material damage, or snipe, when planning near the end of a board.

This sturdy planer weighs 80 pounds. It offers a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inch, a depth capacity of 6 inches, and a width capacity of 12-1/2 inches.

This DW734 12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutterhead comes with a DEWALT warranty package that includes a three-year limited warranty, a one-year free service contract, and a 90-day money-back guarantee.

What's in the Box
DW734 DEWALT 12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer with Three-Knife Cutterhead and dust hood.

WARRANTY DESCRIPTION:

Three-Year Limited Warranty. DEWALT will repair, without charge, any defects due to faulty materials or workmanship for three years from the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover part failure due to normal wear or tool abuse. For further detail of warranty coverage and warranty repair information, visit www.dewalt.com or call 1-800-4-DEWALT (1-800-433-9258). This warranty does not apply to accessories or damage caused where repairs have been made or attempted by others. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights which vary in certain states or provinces

Everybody should know, DeWalt is a trusted brand in anything construction and remodeling related, so it was only natural that got on our list. If we had to choose the best bench planer this would be it!

More suited to the professional this machine can be found for around $400 – $500, a price that reflects the quality of the product and its features.

Customer Review:

I ordered this as a "Christmas Present" for me. Got it on sale, free shipping and it was a win-win. My planer arrived early but it was SO cold I didn't open if for about a week. The first day it was warm enough I set it. I might note that I watched a couple of YouTube training videos before starting. It was a snap to set up and since I use a lot of pallet wood I got started. I ran about 300 lineal feet the first day and under the rough finish I found some beautiful wood. I had Oak, Poplar, Maple and Pine. I had to go a little slower on the Oak but not bad. The main complaints I heard about this tool was that it was loud. I use mine in the yard and it was louder than my miter saw but not to bad. All in all I have ran about 1000 feet (mostly 4" and 6") of lumber and have not had a problem. Looking forward to more projects as the weather warms. I have included a picture of my first project with the finished wood.

THOUGHTS:

Great Planer!! Great features and smooth cut. Only downside I found was that the dust collection chute seems to be made of a fragile plastic that I fear will break long before it should.


Makita 2012NB 12' Portable Planer
408 Reviews
Makita 2012NB 12" Portable Planer
  • Compact with less weight for easy transporting to the jobsite
  • Engineered for faster, easier blade changes
  • Low noise (83dB) for operator comfort
  • 4-post design and diagonal cross supports for stability
  • Large table extensions to support the workpiece

Pros

  • A well thought out system and easy to do.
  • High quality & very long lasting.
  • Ran about 100 old house boards both sides, multiple times with (probably lead) paint on them. It held up well.
  • Recommended for the professional / heavy user.
  • Highly rated.
  • It is relatively light
  • SOOO easy to use! It is very accurate, fast, safe, and FUN!
  • Excellent Customer Service
  • Best Dust Collection in our experiment

Cons

  • Not Cheap.
  • Getting the optional ejection chute was fraught with backorder problems - Evidently they fixed that as I actually had the chute two days sooner than the planer.
  • And I hear that the two speed DeWalt is useless for anything wider than 6" on hard wood....so it is really just a one speed.
  • Some reported shipment came broken. But there is full refund  or exchange.
  • Do check the in-feed and out-feed fold outs. Mine were out of level, but easy to change.

What's in the Box
Makita 2012NB 12-Inch Planer, planer blade set, two magnetic holders, wrenches, and tool box.

WARRANTY DESCRIPTION:

Warranty
Every Makita tool is thoroughly inspected and tested before leaving the factory. If you are not satisfied with any Makita tool within 30 days of purchase, return it and Makita will provide a replacement or refund. Each Makita tool is warranted to be free of defects from workmanship and materials for the period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase. Should any trouble develop during this one-year period, return the COMPLETE tool, freight prepaid, to one of Makita's Factory or Authorized Service Centers. Please see makitatools.com for complete details.

More suited to the professionals, this machine can be found for around $560 – $750, a price that reflects the quality of the product and its features.

Customer Review:

I bought a Makita 2012 a few weeks ago and immediately ran a couple of thousand feet of Western Red Cedar through it. I know, that's not exactly a tough test, but it performed flawlessly, quietly (would you believe that it is quieter than a Skilsaw? it is) and smoothly. Literally right out of the box: there was no set up time, there was no snipe, there was no chatter, there was no slipping, there was no clogging. Just really smooth boards, planed exactly the way I wanted them, quickly and easily. There are several other reviews (posted at Amazon) that address the 2012's long term performance and ease of use and I found them very helpful and I've found nothing to indicate these reviews are not 100% accurate.

Before buying this machine, I read many reviews on Amazon, especially the 1, 2 or 3 star (out of 5) reviews, for various planers. Reviews simply indicate patterns. (For example, read the reviews of the DeWalt planer, and you'll discover that the blades don't last very long, even according to the users that love the machine.) Less than optimal reviews (1 and 2 stars) indicate the problems with the products and these reviews are what convinced me to buy the Makita. In the case of the Makita 2012, the consistent "problems" written about involve lots of concern over the dust boot, a few concerns about feed roller slippage and a few concerns about shipping damage. I'll address each below. Please note that I'm taking the time to write this because I think that the Makita 2012 is a great tool which may be getting short shrift from reviewers concerned about all the wrong things.

First, the dust boot. Full disclosure: I purchased the dust boot but it did not arrive yet so I can't comment on its performance. I can however address another issue raised by some of the other reviews: the outlet on the dust boot is the wrong size for a shop vac. This is ridiculous. Run one board 6" wide by 12' long though the planer a couple of times and you'll create enough shavings to clog up an industrial sized shop vac; you'll be lucky if you don't damage shop vac or the planer by jamming them up with shavings. The reason the boot is not sized for a shop vac hose is because it's designed to be used with a dust collector. Shop vacs have their place on the jobsite, but controlling the shavings from a planer is a mis-use of the tool. I would downgrade the rating on any planer that had a boot outlet sized for a shop vac. (I will attempt to update this review and address issues raised regarding the 90 degree bend on the boot once I've connected it to my DUST COLLECTOR and run some boards through.)

Second: feed roller slippage. As with any tool, the Makita 2012 will require periodic maintenance. This should include cleaning pitch and/or sap and general dirt/grime off the feed tables and rollers. As other reviews indicate, cleaning the tables and/or rollers works in most of the slippage cases. To my way of thinking, it is disengenuos to downrate a tool because the user did not treat it right.

Third: shipping damage. This is the one that really gets my blood pumping. Downrate a tool because the shipper dropped it and the handle is broken? This is not a problem with the tool! The Makita 2012 is a heavy tool (40-odd pounds which is actually fairly light for a 12" planer) and it was delivered to me via truck. Normal protocol when receiving anything from a third-party shipper is to check for damage before accepting the delivery, including opening all boxes to inspect the contents. If the product is damaged, don't accept it, refuse it. This is so that the manufacturer can provide you with an undamaged tool at the expense of the party who damaged it, whether it was shipper, wholesaler, distributor or retailer.

Bottom line is don't give a tool 1 star because you don't have the correct complimentary tools or because your delivery acumen and your maintenance procedures each earn half a star. I gave this tool 5 stars because it earned 5 stars. Now I have to earn 5 stars by taking care of it.

THOUGHTS:

Great Planer!! Great features and smooth cut. If you run at a slight angle for narrower boards it seems to feed and eliminate snipe well.


WEN 6552 3-Blade 15 Amp Benchtop Thickness Planer, 13'
236 Reviews
WEN 6552 3-Blade 15 Amp Benchtop Thickness Planer, 13"
  • Onboard material removal gauge informs users about the cutting depth of each pass
  • Plane boards up to 6 Inch thick and 13 Inch wide
  • 15A motor generates 25,500 cuts per minute at a 26 feet per minute feed rate
  • Three-blade design makes easy work out of even the hardest of woods
  • Fan-assisted dust port removes sawdust from work piece

Pros

  • 13 inch Thickness
  • Power key has safety key
  • Return rollers to pass work back!
  • Carrying handle for easy to pick and move
  • Repurposes rough and worn wood to give it an exceptionally smooth finish.
  • Crank Handle to adjust the height of the clutterhead.
  • Highly rated.
  • It is relatively light
  • Well placed dust collector
  • Infeed table fold up for easy storage.
  • Mounting holes on legs for extra stability.

Cons

  • Almost half the price of other brands
  • Users report sniping created at the leading and trailing edge.
  • Not recommended for industrial use.

Tri-Roller Feeding System & Reversible Blades

The WEN Thickness Planer uses a tri-roller feeding system to help minimize snipe. The three dual-edged blades on the middle roller can be reversed to help elongate their life cycle and ensure sharp cuts.

Fine-Tune Depth Adjustments

Easily adjust the height of your planer with the comfortable rubber-grip adjustment handle. Each quarter rotation adjusts the height of the cutter head 1/64 of an inch for maximum precision during operation.

Infeed and Outfeed Tables

Foldable infeed and outfeed tables add support to longer workpieces traveling through the planer. Both tables can be adjusted to get the perfect angle for smoothly feeding boards for smoothly feeding boards and fighting snipe.

Dust Hose Connection Port

Attach a dust extraction device or a wet/dry vac to the handy 2 inch, 2-1/2 inch, or 4 inch fan-assisted dust port adapter to minimize cleanup. Keep all of the sawdust and shavings in one place instead of all over the workshop floor.

What's in the Box
13-Inch Benchtop Thickness Planer

WARRANTY DESCRIPTION:

Warranty : 2 Years

Item Weight66 pounds
Product Dimensions25.2 x 21.8 x 16 inches 

Customer Review:

According to Matt JOkay, not to knock DeWALT or any other retail high-end planets, but this WEN planer I got for less than half of what they charge is freakin great! I got 26, 8 foot rough cut pine boards this afternoon. I just test ran one through the planner (because it's 11:00 pm and I didn't want to upset my neighbors) and the board looks absolutely great. And by absolutely great, I mean they look and feel better than any board I ever got from Home Depot or Lowes. If you've been wondering if this is something you should invest in, Do it. Click the order button. You will not be disappointed. It's not a "cheap" machine. It's well put together and a solid piece of machinery.

THOUGHTS:

Great Planer!! Great features and smooth cut. Perfect for the price, may not be best choice for industrial use.


Grizzly Industrial G0505 - 12-1/2' 2 HP Benchtop Planer
55 Reviews
Grizzly Industrial G0505 - 12-1/2" 2 HP Benchtop Planer
  • Motor: 2 HP, 110V, single-phase, 15 Amp
  • Maximum cutting width: 12-1/2"
  • Maximum cutting height: 6"
  • Maximum depth of cut: 3/32"
  • Minimum board thickness: 13/64"
WEN 6550 Benchtop Thickness Planer, 12-1/2'
645 Reviews
WEN 6550 Benchtop Thickness Planer, 12-1/2"
  • Granite table provides a sturdy non-marring surface for wood to smoothly travel over
  • Plane boards up to 6 inches thick and 12.5 inches wide, adjust depth to plane off anywhere from 0 to 3/32 of an inch with each pass
  • 15-amp motor generates 18,800 cuts per minute at a 26 feet per minute feed rate
  • Fan-assisted dust port removes sawdust from workpiece
  • The smooth granite table never warps and provides precise support to wood passing through the machine, combine that with the heavy duty cast iron base for a sturdy planer that does not walk or wobble during operation
WEN 6530 6-Amp Electric Hand Planer, 3-1/4-Inch
2,245 Reviews
WEN 6530 6-Amp Electric Hand Planer, 3-1/4-Inch
  • 6-amp motor provides up to 34,000 cuts per minute
  • 16 positive stops adjust the cutting depth anywhere from 0 to 1/8 inches
  • Make rabbets up to 7/10 inch in size with the included rabbeting guide
  • Lightweight design weighs in at a mere 6 pounds. Motor:120 V, 60 Hz
  • Includes power planer, dust bag, a kickstand, a parallel fence bracket and a 2-year warranty


Buying a benchtop planer (and what to look out for)

  • Cuts per inch

  • Snipe

  • Depth of cut

  • Dust collection

  • Thickness


Cuts per inch

On some machines, you’ll find a number called “Cuts Per Inch,” or CPI. The CPI represents how many times the machine’s blades cut the material every inch. Generally speaking, a higher CPI is better.

In order to understand this, think about what the planer is doing. It features a rotating knife, which means that if you were to zoom in on your freshly planed board, you’d see that it isn’t one smooth cut, but a series of very small hills and valleys left by each rotational cut.

Choosing The Right Thickness Planer

After conducting the research and weighing all the options, return to your base of operations. Think about upcoming projects and see what the needs are going to look like. It will help in deciding what type of investment to make. Choose first based on demand and then on price and other factors.

If you are just entering the woodworking world, the right investment now could lead to a more intense interest later on. Think about a tool that will teach you to be a better woodworker. If you are a professional or avid user, think about the tool that can handle creative projects or a variety of projects. Most importantly, don’t go off of surface level impressions alone. Buy this product with the confidence in knowing you are making the right choice for your woodworking plans.

Conclusion

Know what projects you will be involved long term using any wooden planner. If you really need benchtop wood planner, read reviews. According to our research, DEWALT 13-Inch Thickness Planer - Three Knife, Two speed, DW735X model is the best one in terms of value, quality and price.

Last update on 2023-11-01 at 11:38 using Amazon Product Advertising API

4 thoughts on “The Best Benchtop Wood Planers for every Wood Workers | Compared Lists of Planers”

  1. Hey Gary,
    What an outstanding article on wood planers!

    Just a little insight: I own a WEN 6550 planer. It’s a well built and easy to use planer which comes with lots of useful features. Anyone looking for an excellent wood thickness planer within an affordable price, this model is worth checking.

    I am about to share this article with my woodworker mates, and they will enjoy reading your opinion.

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