Now is the time to make something out of those salvaged lumbers you have collected over the years. If the task of having them smoothened out daunts you, then it is time you get a wood planer machine, or a benchtop planer if your workshop is at home.
Whether you are a DIYer who loves to customize his stuff at home, or a budding woodworking professional looking to open a small shop, getting on a benchtop planer is a good starting point. Before you invest in those higher-powered, heavy-duty power planers, making yourself acquainted with its predecessor is a wise decision.
A home planer can help you create consumer-base pieces that are more practical and at the same time, you get to do more with what you have. And of course, if you are planning to put your workshop at home, you may not have the space to store bulkier industrial equipment; a benchtop planer would suffice.
A benchtop planer is an essential power tool for those who are looking to create functional pieces out of wood. It smoothens out the rugged surfaces, cuts them into your desired thickness, and makes all the parts consistent in size so they will look good when assembled.
Choosing a portable planer such as a benchtop planer allows you to be more flexible with your workspace. You can work outdoors or indoors without having to move a piece of bulky equipment. Just make sure to provide a rugged and durable working table that stands firm and flat and is able to resist vibrations. And of course, can handle heavy weights.
Therefore, when choosing the best benchtop planer, you have to account for precision, reliability, and performance. Check the motor specifications of the planer tool to determine power capacity, as well as material type and gauge for durability and weather resistance. Other non-core features that you can consider are noise, automatic feeding or aligning, and dust removal mechanisms.
| Name | Key Feature | |
|---|---|---|
| DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X)– Editor’s Choice | With two-speed gearbox for different cut-rate – 96 or 179 CPI | Check Price |
| WEN 6552T 13 in. 15 Amp 3-Blade Benchtop Corded Thickness Planer | With adjustable cutter head height and adjustable thickness from 0 to 3/32 inches | Check Price |
| Mophorn 12.5inch Thickness Planer | With removable stand | Check Price |
DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X) – Editor’s Choice
Whenever we review power tools, a Dewalt always makes it to our list. And again, you are sure that this Dewalt planer will not disappoint.
The Dewalt DW735X is an improved version of another Dewalt planer so you can expect better results. It now has more features and accomplishes the task faster. If you are intentionally looking to buy a Dewalt benchtop planer, then this is the best choice.
This benchtop planer utilizes three-knife cutter heads that reduce the tendency of dullness, prolonging knife life by up to 30 percent. The knives are also engineered to make it easier and more convenient for you to remove or change them minus the risk of injury.
The DW735X is backed up by a powerful 15-ampere, 20,000 RPM motor that is able to produce up to 10,000 RPM cutter head speed. This supports two-speed operation so you can choose the model that best fits your intended output or your experience/comfort level. In the same way, it also helps you vary cuts between choosing 96 or 179 CPI.
To defer vibrations and avoid snipes, this wood planer is equipped with an automatic carriage lock. The benchtop planer is also mounted on a cast iron aluminum base to aid in stability and lessen unnecessary movements that can affect the output. Overall, this benchtop planer weighs 92 pounds to support heavy-duty operation and maintain durability.
This benchtop planer is equipped with a dust hose attachment that exhausts the chips from the cutter head out of the machine. The Dewalt planer DW735X’s dust hose is fan-assisted for speedier and more efficient operation.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powered by a 15-ampere, 20,000 RPM motor | Expensive |
| With two-speed gearbox for different cut-rate – 96 or 179 CPI | |
| Equipped with 3 knife cutter heads for longer knife life and are easy to remove and change | |
| Mounted on a cast iron aluminum base that is more rigid than standard bases and foldable tables | |
| Equipped with fan-assisted dust hose attachment | |
| Includes folding infeed and outfeed tables | |
| Equipped with a material removal gauge and an extra-large thickness scale |
Conclusion
The DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X) looks and feels heavy-duty despite the size. This benchtop planer also has a number of convenient features that are great for both novice and seasoned users.
WEN 6552T 13 in. 15 Amp 3-Blade Benchtop Corded Thickness Planer
This benchtop planer is flexible for many thickness levels, providing you with versatility with projects, whether for personal or small business use. This electric planer is also powerful enough for average woodworking projects being powered by a 15-ampere motor.
Also, the 15-ampere motor can pass 25,000 cuts per minute, translating to about 26 feet per minute wood feed rate. This benchtop planer’s whole feeding system includes three rollers for speed and precision for faster operation and at the same time, for avoiding snipes. The middle roller has three knife blades that are all dual-edged to prolong lifetime. In the same way, ensuring the durability and sharpness of the blades helps produce smoother cuts.
The Wen planer can cater on wood boards up to 6 inches thick and up to 13 inches wide. Also, it has adjustable features that allow you to fine-tune the details for a more precise cut. This thickness planer allows you to adjust the depth of the cut from zero to 3/32 inches. You can also adjust the height of the cutter head to further ensure precise cutting. You can do so by manually cranking the rotary handle. Each rotation equates to 1/64 of an inch.
Meanwhile, this power planer also comes with a material removal gauge that informs you of the cutting depth currently set in your benchtop planer.
The WEN 6552T 13 in. 15 Amp 3-Blade Benchtop Corded Thickness Planer comes with infeed and outfeed tables that are both angle-adjustable to provide ample support for both short and long wood boards you will feed in your benchtop planer. Both tables are also foldable to save space for storage.
This benchtop planer also includes a dust collector port where you can connect a wet-dry vacuum or dust extraction equipment to collect dust, shavings, and chips and keep your workstation clean. The port is adjustable to accommodate 2, 2 ½, and 4-inch hoses and is also-fan assisted.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powered by a 15-ampere motor | Comes with low-quality plastic parts |
| Feed rate at 26 feet per minute | |
| Can cater to wood boards up to 6 inches thick and 13 inches wide | |
| Adjustable cutter head height | |
| Adjustable thickness from 0 to 3/32 inches | |
| With angle-adjustable and foldable infeed and outfeed tables | |
| Comes with a fan-assisted adjustable dust collector port | |
| With material removal gauge |
Conclusion
The WEN 6552T 13 in. 15 Amp 3-Blade Benchtop Corded Thickness Planer comes with adjustable settings that are supported by measuring lines and gauges on the benchtop planer itself. This helps in ensuring precision in the thickness of your outputs.
Mophorn 12.5inch Thickness Planer
If you are looking for a more affordable benchtop planer that can still support most of your woodworking projects, this electric wood planer is a good option as well.
What we like most about this benchtop planer is it comes with a removable stand. This adds more convenience to the user by not having to look for a sturdy table to work on. The stand is already customized to fit the whole planer machine plus it is stable enough for its weight with consideration to the wood boards it is going to process.
The Mophorn 12.5inch Thickness Planer is powered by a 1,500-watt motor with a blade speed of 9,000 rpm. It is capable of exerting a feed rate of up to 8 meters per minute and is supported by an automatic feeder system that requires minimal to no intervention during wood-feeding.
This benchtop planer comes with four durable and strong cutting blades for precise and smooth cutting. It has a scale ruler for exactness and a crank-adjustable thickness feature.
This electric hand planer comes with a dust exhaust mechanism that can be connected to a dust collector device for easy cleanup. Meanwhile, this benchtop planer is also equipped with safety features that prevent overcurrent or overload by automatically cutting off the power during these situations to prevent damage and ensure the safety of the user.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powered by a 1,500-watt motor with a blade speed of up to 9,000 rpm | Introduces little snipe sometimes |
| Feed rate at 8 meters per minute | The stand is rather short for most users |
| Comes with four cutting blades | |
| Equipped with an automatic feeder system | |
| Includes a dust exhaust mechanism | |
| With overload and overcurrent safety protection | |
| With removable stand |
Conclusion
The Mophorn 12.5inch Thickness Planer is a great choice for a benchtop planer for beginners with its convenient but powerful features. The safety protection feature is also a huge plus.
Final Verdict
Purchasing power tools entails a huge investment. Therefore, you have to take time in looking for the best value considering performance, reliability, and quality output.
With that in mind, the best benchtop planer on this list is the DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X).
The DEWALT Thickness Planer, Two Speed, 13-Inch (DW735X) is all about those mentioned – reliability, performance, and quality. Add that convenience and enduring performance. It is one great investment that can last you years.