Best Planer Thicknesser Machines For Woodworking 2021
For all the DIYers, Hobbyists, and woodworkers, dealing with hardwood and softwood often creates problems. It is not an easy task to process woods to balance their thickness and width simultaneously. Therefore, the need for the best Planer thicknesser arises at some point or the other.
A Planer thicknesser is basically a machine designed to permit the planning and smoothing of large sections of both hardwood and softwoods to the required size needed for the project.
Thus, with the best planer thicknesser you can trim the surface of any wood and as a result, get a smoother and finer finish. This is how you would be able to deal with more workable workpieces with uniform thickness.
So, to make your shopping easier and quick, we have reviewed and listed some of the best planer thicknessers in this article.
Best Thickness Planers
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1. DEWALT Thickness Planer
The Dewalt DW735 is a professional and compact planner Thicknesser you need. Its 15-amp powerful motor takes on both soft and hardwood, providing clean and deep cuts. The machine is equipped with a 20,000 RPM motor (10,000 RPM cutter head speed).
As a result, it handles larger cuts in wider materials with ease. Moreover, the three-knife cutter-head delivers 30% longer knife life and makes knife changes faster and easier. Also, it features a two-speed gearbox that delivers 96 or 179 cuts per inch. You can use 96cpi for dimensioning the material.
However, the 179 cpi is used to give the material a finer finish. You would find this planer sturdy and portable enough weighing only 92 pounds. The unit provides a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inch, a depth capacity of 6 inches, and a width capacity of 13 inches.
Besides, the planer comes with large infeed and outfeed tables providing 33-1/2 inches of material support. Other than that, the planer’s material removal gauge and extra-large thickness scale help ensure every pass is accurate. All in all, the planer is powerful and efficient enough to manage deep cuttings efficiently.
2. WEN Thickness Planer
WEN 6552T 13 inches is a well-known unit from the manufacturers. Weighing only 66 pounds, this is a great thicknesser that is made to perform a good job for many years. This planer provides an unbelievable seamless finish on a worn-out wood.
Likewise, it features three reversible blade cutters providing versatility. This also makes easy work out of even the hardest of woods. Besides, it is equipped with a 15-amp motor that generates 25,500 cuts per minute at a 26 ft. per minute feed rate. It also uses a tri-roller feeding system to help minimize snipe.
For your ease, the unit is equipped with a comfortable rubber-grip adjustment handle. This allows one to easily adjust the height of the planer. Likewise, the foldable in-feed and outfeed tables provide a large capacity to support longer workpieces. Besides, the fan-assisted dust port removes sawdust from the workpiece.
This is how it would be easier to minimize overall cleanup. Additionally, the mounting holes provide extra stability and one can use the carrying handle for moving the unit around. All in all, it is well worth the purchase. The unit features a heavy-duty cast iron base that provides both stability and durability.
3. DEWALT Benchtop Planer
The DEWALT benchtop planer is equipped with a powerful 15-amp motor that is enough to handle a wide range of tough hardwoods. It also contains a three-knife cutter head that spins at 10,000 RPM to provide 96 cuts per inch.
Thus, it provides you one of the finest finishes of any portable planer. The motor is powerful enough to handle larger and deeper cuts even in hardwoods. It also contains disposable reversible knives that deliver 30% more knife life. Likewise, it makes knife change fast and easy.
Other than that, it contains an extra-long infeed and outfeed tables providing 33-1/2” of material support. Weighing only 80 pounds, it is lightweight and portable enough to carry around. Besides, it provides a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inch, a depth capacity of 6 inches, and a width capacity of 12-1/2 inches.
To ensure stability and prevent movement, it contains a four-column carriage lock. This is how, one can easily prevent material damager, or snipe, when planning near the end of aboard.
4. CRAFTSMAN Benchtop Planer
The CRAFTSMAN benchtop CMEW320 is pretty nice and fairly inexpensive. It works quite efficiently and planes even the roughest pieces of old pallets. Above all, it is equipped with a 15-amp motor that is a deal for greater stock removal.
Its 8,000 RPM cutter head speed provides 16,000 cuts per minute. Other than that, it contains a two-knife, quick-change, and solid steel cutter head. This makes sure you have a long-lasting and smooth operation.
The CRAFTSMAN benchtop planer is ideal for dimensioning lumber to the required thickness, and even planes glued-up materials. Luckily, the motor makes it powerful enough to be used for both hard and softwood material removal.
Besides, it allows maximum stock removal since it features a poly-V cutter head drive. All in all, you would love an easy-to-assemble dust chute. It comes with a vacuum adapter to keep the work area clean. Shortly, it is a great unit with high carbon steel, double-edged, and reversible knives for longer cutting life.
5. Porter-Cable Planer
It is hard to beat the features of this unit. It features a powerful 120V single-phase 15-amp motor ideal for superior stock removal. Its 8,000 RPM cutter head speed powers 16,000 cuts per minute with a fast 26.2 Ft/Min self-feeding rate.
Moreover, it is equipped with a solid steel cutter head and double-knife. These two ensure smooth operation with greater shelf life. For maximum stock removal, this unit features a poly V belt cutter head drive fitted with a gearbox and sprocket feed roller.
Also, the High carbon steel, double edges, and reversible knives for double cutting life are some of the other plus points. Besides, its patented cutter elevation on four precision ground columns allows superior cut stability.
You would find it comparatively quiet compared to other brands of its range. It has an easy assembly and setup. Shortly, it is a valuable unit, yet affordable planer for your shop.
6. TITAN PLANER THICKNESSER
The TITAN TTB279PLN is one of the finest thicknesser available at a very affordable price. A whopping 1500W motor provides 9,000 rpm, making it suitable for professional use, although you would love the high-performance and efficiency of this unit also. With
the planning width of up to 212mm, and depth of 750mm, this becomes suitable to work both with large and small dimensions. this width and depth, by far, is the highest on the list compared to other brands. Along with the feed rate of 6m/min, this is a pretty impressive unit with a very reasonable price.
The die-cast aluminum table provides durability and stability. At the same time, it provides a dust extraction facility that will clean as you use it. Above all, you would love its vacuum adaptor, which can be fitted to a vacuum cleaner.
This is how it collects and minimize the spread of dust and debris to keep the work area clean. All in all, it is a great unit that is easy to use and is reliable too.
Buyer’s Guide on Selecting The Best Planer Thicknesser:
The whole buying process gets easier and quicker if you had all the information regarding the specifications of the planer thicknesser. It is you who will decide your best planer thicknesser in the light of your specific needs
1. Power
it is necessary to check this feature first. the motor should be powerful enough to handle the projects. The powerful motor allows you to get done with most of your heavy-duty projects. Also, it gives a high-quality finish to your extensive projects like planning large surface areas or hardwoods.
So, it is obvious that the performance of the machine is directly linked with its power. There are planer thicknesser with various power options in the market. As a user, you should ensure which option suits your needs the most.
Generally, a machine with at least 2000W is ideal to deal with all heavy-duty tasks. On the other hand, machines with power ranging between 1200W and 1700W can be used for light projects.
2. Planning Width
The width capacity of the machine is important since not all machines have the same width. So, the width of the wood with which one will be working is an important factor while choosing the planer thicknesser.
The widths are mostly measured in millimeters. Smaller models usually support woods having widths ranging somewhere between 200mm to 300mm. larger models would let the woods with the maximum width of 400mm pass through them.
3. Speed
The speed of the machine is measured in rpm and a decent feed rate is measured in meters per minute. So, you have to choose the model that has got the highest blade speed. If you feed the machine slowly, it reduces the cutters’ life through continuous rubbing and overheating. As a result, you will have to replace them quite often.
4. Dust Collection
A Planer thicknesser is a heavy machine that you have to deal with. Make sure it doesn’t cause you any health injuries. Therefore, always look for a model that has a proper dust collection system. A reliable dust port prevents irritations from sawdust.
In other cases, you can separately purchase a dust port adaptor or use a vacuum to get rid of sawdust. So, it is evident that you will not be able to work properly if your machine lacks a proper dust extraction system.
5. Blades
It is very necessary to check this factor since you don’t want to invest in a new machine now and then. To make your investment worth it, check what sorts of blades does your machine supports and whether they are replaceable or not.
Likewise, there are machines with double-sided blades also. This makes it very convenient to turn the blades and use whatever side you want to use. so, investing in a machine with replaceable and double-sided blades would save you both time and money.
6. Extension Tables
The infeed and outfeed table are necessary to provide support to your timber. This is how you get the smoother and finer finish. For a better level of support, you should go for a machine with larger tables. However, if you have limited working space and don’t deal with large timbers regularly, you can go for a more space-saving and compact model.
7. Material
I guess this is the most important factor. The material of the machine determines its durability and longevity. Many of the professional machines features cast iron base. This provides strength, rigidity, and stability to the machine.
Likewise, some models come with aluminum since they want the model to be portable and lightweight. I recommend you to search for all-metal models. this would save you cost in the long run.
Conclusion
We guess, finding the best planer thicknesser might no longer be frustrating or difficult for you now. The detailed and thorough guide that we provided in this article would definitely help you in selecting the best planer thicknesser for you.
Thus, it is solely upon you to decide upon the size, quality, and other features of the planer thicknesser. As far as my point of view is concerned, all of the above planners are outstanding each with unique qualities of its own.
