Most upper-end woodworking thickness planers come in a 3HP to 5HP range. But with a knife cutterhead, tearout was just expected, especially on figured wood. Power thickness planers come in different styles: benchtop thickness planers, standalone thickness planers, and combination thickness planers (that also transform into a jointer). Dewalt has been making versions of this thickness planer for many years. So check that it has a firm and heavy cast iron base as found in the ones reviewed in this article like the Dewalt 735X, the WEN 6552T, Makita 2012NB and the rest, to help keep it stable and prevent wobbling during use. *Scroll down to this section to see the best benchtop thickness planers. Its not that pricey even with the additional stand. They are the same machine, and for the same price you can get the DW735X with the extras, so Im not sure why you wouldnt go with that deal. At the top of the machine is the height adjustment crank to easily set the depth of cut. Straight knife cutter heads are usually made with high speed steel, and thus theyre cheaper compared to helical cutter heads which are made with carbide steel. One with a width capacity of 13 inches can plane boards not more than 13 inches in width, and that with a width capacity of 12-1/2 inches can plane boards not more than 12-1/2 inches in width. Cutterhead inserts are cheaper and easier to change. The cast iron tables were very supportive, and the spiral cutterheads left a nice surface with minimal machine marks and very little tearout (only a little on highly figured wood). Spinning the cutterhead is a powerful 15 amp motor which produces a maximum speed of 20,000 RPM, so the user can work on any stock whether its hardwood like oak or softwood like pine wood. The one you should choose should be able to produce a really smooth surface on any type of wood, so that the resulting stock will require very little sanding if necessary. Here you can find helical cutterheads made especially for that wood planer. Which 20 Woodworking Hand Tools Should You Buy First? I have found that a 3 HP motor on a thickness planer rarely has any difficulty with thickness planing anything in my workshop. Should You Buy A Sawhorse or Build It Yourself? Related: Which Dewalt Planer Is The Best DW735X vs DW735 vs DW734. Generally, thickness planers come in the form of massive heavy duty industrial floor machinery, which are quite expensive especially for the average hobbyist and DIYer. A fan assisted dust ejection helps vacuum chips and sawdust off the cutter-head and out of the machine, to keep the cutterhead free from any hindrance that may bog down the machine. thickness Because the inserts of the helical cutterhead are made of carbide, they also last far longer than the straight knives of a straight-knife cutter head. Depth adjustment should be a breeze in any benchtop thickness planer you choose. Both the stand alone thickness planers and the combo thickness planers come in wider sizes. This spins the cutter head at a speed of 10,000 RPM. planer vevor mophorn benchtop 1800w 15a planers wen foldable pialla spessore Snipe is one nasty wood defect that occurs when feeding boards in and out of a planer, as a result of the weight of the board pulling downwards at the free ends, thereby pushing the opposite end into the cutterhead, which creates a dip at the ends of the board. Some woodworkers feel like this Makita planer has fewer quality issues than the DeWalt planers. It also comes with large in-feed and out-feed tables for good material support, with a depth adjustment knob positioned right at the top so you can easily access it. For protection against electric current overload, the Mophorn portable thickness planer comes equipped with a power-off electromagnetic switch which turns off the machine in such cases. The latest of them is the WEN PL1326. It will not stay the same forever. Here is a video that I created about my Felder AD 941 jointer / planer combo machine so you can understand how higher-end combo planer / jointers can be an amazing solution: *Scroll down to this section to see the best combo thickness planers. But if you cant afford a high-end professional thickness planer, dont fret. The infield and outfield tables are height adjustable, which makes it easy to support the material and reduce snipe. planer Feed rate can be adjusted for a better finish or to remove more material from the workpiece. Having a helical cutterhead is definitely worth an extra $500. The helical cutterheads leave my figured boars beautiful, with no tearout and minimal machine marks. Alright, here we go: How to Buy the Best Woodworking Power Tools, How to Square Boards for Woodworking with Power Tools. The 3 knifes are double-edged knives, which means you can reverse them after one edge gets dull or blunt. If you ask me to go buy a new thickness planer machine today, one of the first things Ill check before making my choice is the type of cutter heads in the ones available. ingco It locks down by itself as soon as you finish adjusting the depth. In summary, check out and make sure that the planer machine you choose have a few features that helps it handle snipe properly. I think they just sell more of the DW 735X, so the price has dropped. If you want to choose the right one, therere important features you should look for, and thats what weve listed below. Some people call it a floor model planer. Another complaint was that as hard as I tried I couldnt adjust the infeed and outfeed table to get rid of snipe. Vintage thickness planers were certainly well built, and usually last longer than new thickness planers. There are a few downsides of a stand-alone thickness planer. planer All steel construction makes it a very durable machine. wen benchtop This drastically reduces snipe and makes the planing process easier and more accurate. These payments are very helpful to us, and add no additional fees to our users, so we are grateful for anyone who uses the affiliate links. The cutter head in it affects a few things about it that are very important. The 2-knife quick-change solid steel cutter head comes equipped with double-edged knifes made of high carbon steel. I had a pretty good overall experience with the planer (not so much the jointer) before upgrading to a Felder jointer-planer machine. planer portable planers benchtop But please take my word for it. I havent used DW734, but it has good reviews. Therell always be some features it has and others it lacks. And a 16-inch jointer/planer combo would handle almost any project you may have. So, you need to make sure the one you choose have parts that can easily be found in your local dealers shop or ordered online. *Note:some high-end thickness planers do have knife cutterheads that are quick and easy to change the knives on. Laguna has traditionally been a manufacturer of higher-end woodworking machinery, and in addition to their portable benchtop planer (see it here) they have a line stand-alone wood planers that range in bed size from 16-inch to 22-inch, with horse power between 5HP and 10HP. planer vevor mophorn benchtop 1800w 15a planers wen foldable pialla spessore trustedhints The knives are dual-edged, which means you can reverse them after one edge gets dull, so you dont have to buy replacements too soon. Larger thickness planers (both stand alone planers and higher end combo thickness planers) can have very strong and long cast iron beds and infeed and outfeed tables, which are required for thickness planing heavy pieces of lumber. I really havent ever run into a situation where I wanted to plane a board wider than 16-inches. Less-portable benchtop thickness planers are designed to take up less space in a workshop (on a workbench) but are bigger, heavier, and more robust. Included is an easy to read depth gauge to make easy depth adjustments and a big paddle switch so you can switch off the machine conveniently. Subscribe to get Joshua's free traditional woodworking videos, articles & news: 2013 - 2021 Wood and Shop Productions & Joshua T. Farnsworth | All content on WoodAndShop.com is copyrighted and may not be reprinted or used without our written consent. This is a major reason I upgraded to this type of wood planer / jointer. benchtop planer trustedhints Thats serious power. Its quite pricey compared to the competition. Like the previous model, the WEN PL1326 has a width capacity of 13 inches and a depth capacity of 6 inches, allowing you to plane the widest boards possible on a portable machine like this. The 16-inch Felder starts at around $11,500, but its still less expensive than buying a separate 16-inch jointer and large thickness planer from companies like Grizzly (the maker of my former jointer and thickness planer). The Makita 2012NB features an interna-lok head clamp which also helps to lock the cutterhead and roller assembly in place to eliminate snipe. A stand-alone thickness planer is the name I give to a wood planer that has its own base and sits on the floor, rather than on a workbench top. So I recommend buying jointer / planer combo machines with 16-inch beds or larger. Therere in-feed and out-feed tables for material support when feeding boards in and out of the machine.