Apart from that, the stand also makes the it more rigid, preventing it from wobbling during use. The answer is that it all depends on a few factors. Another important advantage of having a thickness planer with a helical cutter is that it reduces the noise produced by the machine. 
What is the surface of the finished board like? First its important to understand that not all used power wood planers are the same. planer Its a 2-blade cutterhead with a maximum speed of 9,400 RPM. The Felder Group is based in Austria, and they manufacture truly amazing woodworking machines that are known for their engineering, precision manufacturing, and well-thought-out features. 
Theres also a new and improved onboard thickness gauge that shows the amount of material that will be removed on inch pass through the machine. Why do professional woodworkers and serious hobby woodworkers usually prefer stand-alone thickness planers? planer ridgid thickness idsa Which 20 Woodworking Hand Tools Should You Buy First? 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. If users make purchases in those stores (e.g. 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. So, you can set the depth stop at 5 inches, and you wont be able to crank the cutterhead less than 5 inches. One of the advantages of the helical-style cutter head on this Rikon 25-135H is that it shears through the wood at an angle, thus producing very clean and smooth cuts.
But higher motor horse power also makes it easier to plane harder woods, like tropical woods, that may bog down a thickness planer with a weaker motor. This is the style of thickness planer that youre most-likely to find in a professional woodworking workshop, and its the type Ive had for years (until recentlyIll talk about my upgraded combo planer / jointer below).
The Robland brand is a more affordable line of machines (similar to Felders Hammer brand) that Martin imports from Belgium. Now I own one, and I love it. How accurate is the thickness or depth scale? Some people call it a floor model planer. And planer snipe is a thing of the past for me because of the solid cast iron table. So smooth that it requires very little sanding. This guy is using what is considered the best benchtop planer, the Dewalt 735 thickness planer (which you can find the best price here). For workshops with limited space, some woodworkers have to make a compromise. I havent used a Martin or Robland planer, but have heard great things about the machines. We run our website based on principles of integrity, and dont recommend any product that we wouldnt use ourselves. But overall it was a good thickness planer.
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. Produces really smooth surfaces on the stock, 2 speed gearbox for dimensioning and finishing lumber, Quality build and design from a reputable brand. To keep the price low, the manufactures use cutterheads with three knives (and sometimes 2 knives in cheap models). As I mentioned elsewhere in this article, this Dewalt dw735 benchtop thickness planer is considered the best benchtop thickness planer on the market. The faster the RPM the smoother the surface of the wood will be. On the other hand, the portability means you dont have to own a big workshop to get one. Here are some options for my favorite combo planer / jointer: For many years my dream woodworking machine was the Felder AD 941. Itll handle mostly any thickness planing job.
There are some ways to reduce or prevent thickness planer snipe. thickness So, you have to ask yourself how does the one youre about to buy deal with snipe? The benchtop thickness planer you choose should have a good quality motor spinning the cutterhead and working the infield and outfield rollers. The WEN PL1326 portable benchtop thickness planer is an upgrade to the WEN 6552T, with the upgrade being the addition of a spiral cutterhead instead of the old 3 blade straight knife cutterhead. 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. In fact, you dont have to replace the carbide inserts the first time they get nicked, you just have to loosen the nicked inserts and rotate them 90 degrees to reveal a new sharp edge, and youre as good as new. 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. benchtop planer trustedhints Having a helical cutterhead is definitely worth an extra $500. The shorter beds on some combo machines may not allow for as much support, and while you would get a wider jointer than normal (12-inches wide is common) the planer would be the same size, and 12-inches is more narrow than many planers, like my old 15-inch stand-alone planer. 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. A very good feature I always want on any planer is the depth stop which this Makita also has. 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.
So the limited cutting depth of a benchtop model wouldnt bother me. The 2-knife quick-change solid steel cutter head comes equipped with double-edged knifes made of high carbon steel.
They feature 2 to 4 straight knifes slightly longer than the length of the planers width capacity, equally spaced around the cutterhead and running parallel with its axis. 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. The Rikon 25-135H comes equipped with a 15 amp 115 volts motor with a no load speed of 22000 RPM. It all comes down to what youre willing to sacrifice for another. Probably the biggest downside is that a combo machine requires switching the machine back and forth between jointer and thickness planer. Much of my advice is similar to features that I mentioned in my previous article on choosing a power jointer, so you can refer to the jointer guide here. Its quite pricey compared to the competition. You can also bolt it to the table if really want to make sure its secured properly. Feeding your wood stock into a less powerful planer also takes longer due to slower feed rates. planer And if you dont plan on thickness planing wider boards at all, or your space is limited, then a benchtop thickness planer with a 12 or 13-inch width will work for you. planer 2012nb In-feed and out-feed tables provide additional material support and prevent snipe at the ends of your lumber pieces. Thats because a faster cutter head means therere more cuts taking place per inch of the wood as its fed through the machine. You can see all the wood planers and pricing at the Martin website: Powermatic has been a well-respected brand name among the companies that manufacture machinery for pro woodworking shops and hobbyists with money to spend. 
I havent tried an Oliver planer, but I do personally own a Oliver hollow chisel mortiser machine and can tell you that the quality is top-notch. Here you can find helical cutterheads made especially for that wood planer. 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. So what is the best wood planer in the stand-alone style? Are you looking for advice to help you choose the best wood thickness planer for your money? The 22-555 model is not the most recent model of the Delta Power Tools thickness planer but its certainly the most popular. In my case, my old Grizzly standalone planer was 15-inches wide and my Grizzly jointer was 8-inches wide. And if you buy a professional level thickness planer, dont worry about HP. Its 4 column design provides rock-solid support and stability during use. The bench top category is further divided into portable benchtop thickness planers (or lunchbox planers) and thickness planers that arent quite as portable.
The lighter weight is usually not a problem because it can be bolted to a workbench to prevent movement and vibration during use. But if you dont mind using the old style knife cutterheads, and you like rehabbing machinery, then a vintage thickness planer will work great for you. Any product claim about a service or product should be verified with the manufacturer. Here are two examples: I was recently helping a lady sell a workshop full of woodworking machines and tools that belonged to her recently-deceased father. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Byrd produces a helical cutter head they call the Shelix. thickness dickenhobelmaschine planers dickenhobel griggio abricht trademachines dickenhobelmaschinen planer woodworking machine tools you need in your workshop, 1. In terms of design, the Makita 2012NB is compact and lightweight for easy transportation to the jobsite. Just like the competition, the Powertec PL1252 features an easy to use depth adjustment knob at the top and an easy to read thickness scale for easy depth adjustment during use. It comes equipped with a 15 amp motor so the you can plane both hard and softwood with it. Without a proper way to direct, funnel and collect the dust created, it can turn your whole workshop into a huge mess. It has a width capacity of 13 inches, a depth capacity of 6 inches and a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inches. benchtop planers You just rotate one little blade 90 degrees rather than replacing or resharpening the whole HSS knife. 57 Page Moravian Workbench Plans Now for Sale. I have actually used many woodworking thickness planer machines in my lifetime, so this article shares a lot of real experience (from me and friends), rather than just pulling top Amazon sellers like other review articles. Dust port can be positioned either way of the machine for convenience. Is it smooth or still needs a lot of work with a sander? Of course, they had a lot of rust! However, to effectively reduce snipe totally, you also have support your work piece manually with your hand while feeding it into the machine, and also support it, while its feeding out on the other side. If the seller wont let you try the planer out, then move along. With this new spiral cutterhead made up of 26 staggered and rotatable high speed steel blades (HSS), you have a machine capable of producing the cleanest and smoothest finish on your rough lumber pieces. The crank at the top allows you to make depth adjustments easily. 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. You can see thickness planers and pricing from all three product lines here: Martin is another brand of fine woodworking machinery that youll often see in production shops. Browse our traditional woodworking clothes to show off your cool hobby! And here are some more affordable hobbyist jointer/planer combo woodworking machines that you can check out at: So to summarize this article I would say that the type of thickness planer that is best for you is one that fits in your workshop, that has the power and features to accomplish the kind of wood you want to thickness plane, and that fits within your budget. And because a helical cutterhead uses small square carbide cutters, the process of changing a chipped or dull blade became much, much easier. Helical style cutter head runs quieter and produces better cut quality. To me thats a big deal. A reversible dust port makes dust collection a breeze because you can hook your shop vacuum to either sides of the machine.
Of all the benchtop thickness planers listed here, the Jet JWP-13BT is the only one that comes factory fitted with a helical style cutterhead. The cutter head blades are double-edged, thus they can be reversed when one edge gets dull so you dont have to buy replacements right away. wen benchtop It locks down by itself as soon as you finish adjusting the depth. Dewalt DW734 Benchtop Thickness Planer, 6.
planer Another complaint was that as hard as I tried I couldnt adjust the infeed and outfeed table to get rid of snipe. The 3 knifes are double-edged knives, which means you can reverse them after one edge gets dull or blunt. In summary, check out and make sure that the planer machine you choose have a few features that helps it handle snipe properly. When you mistakenly run a nail embedded wood through your planer, just 1 or 2 carbide inserts might get damaged if its a helical cutter head, and theyre very easy to replace. However, Ive seen some thickness planers (and other machines) that have been neglected, and even used and stored outdoors. 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. Feed rate can be adjusted for a better finish or to remove more material from the workpiece. Just like buying a used car, you can get a lightly used thickness planer, and you can get a lemon that has too many miles and too much abuse. It comes equipped with in-feed and out-feed tables which provides solid material support for your work piece. Thickness Planer (Power Tool Woodworking Buying Guide #4), Table of Contents | Best Wood Planer Buying Guide, 6 Features to Consider when Buying a Thickness Planer, 1. Cutterhead inserts are cheaper and easier to change. Vintage thickness planers were certainly well built, and usually last longer than new thickness planers. Related: The 10 Best Electric Hand Planers. With so many workbenches in my woodworking school I needed a machine that took up a smaller footprint and was also able to be moved more easily around my workshop. And the quality is higher than Grizzly. Because getting a uniform thickness is harder than merely flattening one board face with hand planes. Years ago when I upgraded from a 12-inch wood planer to a 15-inch wood planer, it was a game changer. The whole machine is rigid and heavy weighing just about 80 lbs, which thus prevents any form of wobbling during operation. With it, you can turn rough, rugged, old and worn out wood to smooth ones ready to use for your projects. The Hammer planer / jointer machines are one of my top recommendations because they are cheaper than buying both a stand-alone jointer and planer of any other brand in this size. Its also called a surface planer because you can use it to remove the rough or old surface of wood, exposing a smooth and new surface suitable for fine woodworking projects. However, the same quality control issues that I mentioned above for Powermatic planers applies to JET. 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. Related: Which Dewalt Planer Is The Best DW735X vs DW735 vs DW734. The process of choosing a portable benchtop thickness planer for your project can be quite complicated, if you havent used one before. Because the Dewalt 735 is considered the best, there are more helical cutterhead options. I have used JET thickness planers in friends workshops, and they seemed to work fine. Talking about part replacement, its also good to check the warranty. The way Byrd sets the angle cutter angle produces a shearing action, which gives a finer finish than the Grizzly cutterheads, for example. Byrd helical cutterheads are widely considered to be the best available replacement cutterheads. So I recommend buying jointer / planer combo machines with 16-inch beds or larger. The cutterhead delivers up to 18,800 cuts per inch at a feed rate of 28 feet per minute, producing the smoothest of cuts even on very hard lumber pieces. Oliver carries a large range of wood planers, running all the way from a $900 lunch box benchtop planer to a $14,000 production 25-inch planer with Byrd Shelix cutterhead. This is a major reason I upgraded to this type of wood planer / jointer. And you can just get planning your wood on day one. Felders highest end production-quality brand is Format 4, followed closely by the Felder brand, and their small pro shop / consumer brand: Hammer. Ensure you can return it if it falls apart too soon. Great precision and stability during operation, Leaves a very smooth surface on the stock. Many woodworkers want to square up boards that are too wide for their power wood jointer, so they hand plane one face and edge with hand tools, and then send the wide board through their wider thickness planer. Thats serious power. This spins the cutter head at a speed of 10,000 RPM. Now Ill jump into discussing 6 important features to consider when looking to buy the best thickness planer for woodworking: So what features should you consider when buying a thickness planer for your woodworking workshop? Dewalt has been making versions of this thickness planer for many years.
You get one of the smoothest finishes on the lumber you plane with this Powertec PL1252 because the cutterhead produces as much as 18,800 cuts per minute. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and together with my team, we use this medium to share our insights and recommendations with you. The price tag is quite a bit higher than the DeWalt planers, at around $750. Certainly you want the best wood planer for your money. They do make some planers that get into the 20-inch range and run from about $1,800 to $4,000. But if you dont mind keeping your thickness planing slowed down, and you will mostly use non-tropical hardwoods and softwoods (i.e. I havent used a Laguna thickness planer, and dont know anyone else who has, so Ive included a forum user review of the 16-inch Laguna wood planer here to help you in your research if a Laguna planer interests you.
They also come in planing widths up to 16-inches, so its a more affordable option for jointing and thickness planing wide boards. First you have to loosen and remove the damaged knife, then you have to replace and align the new knife with the rest of the knives and this can sometimes take a lot of time to replace depending on the type you have. I wrote this article to be a valuable resource to woodworkers who are trying to find the best wood planer for their workshop. You can see Grizzlys wide range of planers here: Jet is a mid-level woodworking machinery company that makes fairly good wood planers mainly for hobbiest woodworkers. This type of jointer / wood planer also offers the ability to thickness plane wider boards, because the jointer has to be the same width as the planer. It has saved me a lot of space in my workshop, and it allows me to joint and plane huge boards, up to 16-inches wide. Their wood planer tool lines are the Martin machines and Robland machines (among other brand names for other machine types). The newly flattened board face is laid face down on the perfectly flat cast iron bed of a woodworking thickness planer. *Scroll down to this section to see the best benchtop thickness planers. Here are a few of the best benchtop planers on the market (in my opinion): The Dewalt dw735 thickness planer is the most popular wood planer in the benchtop category. When making your choice, the higher the width capacity the better it is for you, because you can plane wider boards with it without trying to downsize the boards. Depth settings stay accurate and scale is easy to read. Heres a quick overview of how the process works: The boards first face is flattened on the jointer, along with squaring an edge: And then the jointer table is flipped up to reveal the thickness planer: Lets look at some of the pros and cons of this type of wood planer: As mentioned above, a combo planer / jointer machine is a great option for someone who wants the powerful features of a stand-alone wood planer and jointer, but doesnt want to dedicate the space for those large machines. His thickness planer (like all of his woodworking machinespictured above) looked as if they hadnt been used at all. You dont need to pull down anything to lock down the cutterhead and roller assembly. There should be precise gauges and visible linear scales, and clear directions on how you can use and adjust them, so you can plane or trim your boards to the particular dimension you want. ingco Alright, here we go: How to Buy the Best Woodworking Power Tools, How to Square Boards for Woodworking with Power Tools.
