For any woodworker, whether for a hobby or profession, one of the greatest and important tools that you need in your workshop is a benchtop thickness planer. It is used to create a smooth surface on a board or rough lumber, to create a level and consistent thickness across the full length of the lumber, and in making both sides of lumber or board parallel.
It also can be used to shape into the desired size any kind of wood. There are a lot of brands and types of benchtop thickness planers on the market today and below are 5 of the best.
DEWALT DW735X
This machine features a 15-amp motor turning at a speed of 20000RPM. The cutterhead also spins at a speed of 10000RPM. This enables the plane to cut any kind and size of wood with relative ease and without straining the motor. The cutterhead consists of three knives, which are durable and when they get dull, can be replaced with the bonus set that comes with the Dewalt DW735X.
The Dewalt DW735X has a 2-speed gearbox system with speeds of 96CPI (cuts per Inch) and 179CPI. The former is used for dimensioning while the latter is for the finishing cut. It also features a depth stop which allows you to fix a depth which you don’t go beneath, this helps to prevent you from planing a lumber thinner than you wanted. This planer also has the best fan-assisted dust ejection which helps a lot during planing. This is one of the best planers
Dewalt DW734
Similar to Dewalt DW735X with 20000RPM motor and 10000RPM cutterhead. It consists of 3 reversible knives, which can be flipped over when one side if blunt. It also features a depth stop to enable you to achieve the exact measurement you want. It also has snipe prevention mechanism, in form of a black bar located above the cutterhead assembly which locks it down. It is a budget planer when compared to the DW735X
WEN 6550 Benchtop thickness planer
This machine has a 15-amp motor combined with a 2-blade cutting system running at 18000 cuts per minute. Another important aspect of the WEN 6550 is the super smooth granite table. This combined with the heavy-duty cast iron base, makes it steady and rigid, preventing it from wobbling when in operation.
Read more: consumer reports about the Wen 6550
Makita 2012NB Benchtop Planer
This is one of the greatest benchtop planers that has little or no snipe when used to plane materials. It features an exclusive Makita internal-Lock automated clamp. This automatically clamps your material, eliminating any possibilities of snipe.
The Makita 2012NB is designed in a portable way. it is very light compared to other benchtop planers and easily portable. At 15-amp and 8500RPM, it is powerful, yet it is the quietest among its class. Though lightweight, it features diagonal cross supports and 4-post design for stability.
WEN 6552 Benchtop Planer
This planer is made from a combination of granite and cast iron making it sturdy, tough and stable. Also, during operation, it absorbs a lot of the vibration. The smooth granite base enables lumber to slide without any obstruction through the planer.
The WEN 6552 is powerful as it comes with a 15-amp motor which turns at a speed of 25000 CPM (cuts per minute). It features a 3 blade design making it easy to plane even hardwoods. It has also a fan-assisted dust elimination mechanism. For high quality and functionality, this is your machine.
Fan-assisted dust port helps in sawdust removal from the workstation.
Featuring collapsible tables and side handles enable easy mobility and portability. The above are some of the greatest available benchtop thickness planers. When you are considering purchasing them, you should consider the following: price, capacity, part replacement, motor/power, handling snipe, dust collection, and performance.
The above-listed products are definitely worth checking out.
Also read: Safety Manual: Benchtop Planer