Last updated on April 18th, 2022 at 05:22 am
Planing and dimensioning rough lumber in the workshop or on the jobsite can be quite challenging, but having a good portable thickness planer machine in hand can make all the difference.
With it, you can turn rough, rugged, old and worn out wood to smooth ones ready to use for your projects. That’s why it is undoubtedly one of the most important woodworking machine tools you need in your workshop.
It’s 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.
Our Top Picks
JET JWP-13BT | Dewalt DW735X | WEN PL1326 |
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Table of Contents
Why Get A Benchtop Thickness Planer
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.
Hence the need for portable types commonly known as benchtop planers.
A benchtop planer works just like the larger floor / industrial or cabinet planer, only at a lower capacity. With an industrial or cabinet planer, you can plane lumber as wide as 20 inches and above, whereas benchtop planers can only handle a maximum of 13 inches boards.
Hence, the portability comes at a price which can be overlooked because having a heavy duty planing machine might prove to be too expensive and not ideal especially for a simple hobbyist or DIYer who uses it sparingly.
On the other hand, the portability means you don’t have to own a big workshop to get one. Your home garage is even big enough.
Also, it can be used on jobsites by contractors, because it’s portable and can be moved easily by one person, unlike big floor models which are meant to stay in the workshop.
There are many brands and manufacturers of thickness planers today, each with its own unique set of features. Thus, choosing the right one especially if it’s your first one can be quite difficult or confusing.
That is why we’ve reviewed and picked out the 10 best portable thickness planers you can get your hands on today, and also provided a buyer’s guide to help you make the right choice.
If you’re not looking for a portable or benchtop planer, you can check out this guide here for heavy duty industrial units.
1. Dewalt DW735X Benchtop Thickness Planer Review- Editor’s Pick
The DW735X has a 13 inch width capacity which is the widest you’re going to get with any portable planer.
Equipped with a 3 knife cutterhead, the DW735X produces a very smooth finish on boards that go through it.
It has a maximum depth capacity of 6 inches, allowing you to take a lot of material at once from the wood you’re working on.
One of the only portable thickness planers that come equipped with a 2 speed gearbox which allows the user to change the feed speed from 96 cuts per inch to 179 cuts per inch.
This allows you to optimize cuts per inch for both dimensioning and finishing of the lumber surface.
The Dewalt DW735X benchtop thickness planer also features an automatic carriage lock that helps lock the cutterhead in place to prevent sniping at the ends of the boards.
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.
Additional accessories that come with it include in-feed and out-feed tables, an extra set of blades and a dust hose adapter to connect it to your shop vac, allowing you to keep you workshop free from sawdust.
Related: Which Dewalt Planer Is The Best – DW735X vs DW735 vs DW734
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
2. Wen PL1326 Spiral Cutterhead Benchtop Thickness Planer
There are several models of the WEN benchtop thickness planer which include the 6550, 6552, 6552T and so on. The latest of them is the WEN PL1326.
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.
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.
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.
Spinning the spiral cutterhead is a 15 amp motor with a rotational speed of 10,000 RPM at a feed rate of 26 feet per minute.
Dust collection is a breeze as there’s an adjustable dust port at the back to which you can attach your dust collector or shop vac, to keep a clean working area.
There’s also a new and improved onboard thickness gauge that shows the amount of material that will be removed on inch pass through the machine.
The infield and outfield tables are height adjustable, which makes it easy to support the material and reduce snipe.
The whole machine is rigid and heavy weighing just about 80 lbs, which thus prevents any form of wobbling during operation. You can also bolt it to the table if really want to make sure it’s secured properly.
Of all the benchtop thickness planers produced by WEN, the PL1326 is the priciest of them all, but it’s also the best one yet.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
Related: The Best Jointer Planer Combo Machines for Planing Rough Lumber
3. Jet JWP-13BT – With Helical Cutterhead
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.
It comes equipped with 15 amp 2 horsepower motor that spins the helical cutterhead at a speed of 10,000 RPM.
The helical cutter head consist of 6 rows of 24 quick-change carbide inserts which are very easy to replace compared to the knives of a straight knife cutterhead.
It has a width capacity of 13 inches, a depth capacity of 6 inches and a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inches.
The Jet JwP-13BT features a precision machined cast iron bed, adjustable in-feed and out-feed tables for work piece support and snipe prevention.
It features an adjustable depth stop for repetitive cuts and to prevent mistakes. Infeed speed can be changed from 18 feet per minute to 16 feet per minute to maximize cut quality.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
Related: Jointer or Planer – Which Tool Should You Get First
4. Rikon 25-135H Portable Thickness Planer
The Rikon 25-135H portable thickness planer is a bit pricey compared to the other units in this list, but it also come with premium features you’ll not find in some of the rest.
One of its most notable features is the helical-style cutter head it comes with. It’s a 6 row helical-style cutter head with 26 high speed steel (HSS) precision sharpened inserts.
Each of the inserts are sharpened on two edges so you can rotate them if one edge gets blunt. To rotate it, just loosen the screw that holds the knife, rotate it to the new edge, retighten it and you’ve got a new edge to work with.
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. So smooth that it requires very little sanding. The shearing action also reduces the noise, which makes it less noisy than thickness planers with a straight knife cutter.
With a depth capacity of 6 inches and a width capacity of 13 inch width capacity, you can really plane wider boards with this machine when compared to other portable planers with 12 inch or 12.5 inch width.
The Rikon 25-135H comes equipped with a 15 amp 115 volts motor with a no load speed of 22000 RPM. This spins the cutter head at a speed of 10,000 RPM.
It has a 2-speed feed rate, with a slower speed which provides more torque for maximum stock removal, and a faster feed rate for finishing the surface.
There’re in-feed and out-feed tables for material support when feeding boards in and out of the machine.
It also features a 4-post threaded support for the cutter-head to improve the stability and accuracy of the machine when making cuts. At the top of the machine is the height adjustment crank to easily set the depth of cut.
It also comes equipped with a turret depth stop to make repeat cuts and avoid removing too much material from your stock.
The whole frame is made purely out of steel for durability, and for it to stay rigid and wobble-free during use.
All in all, although this Rikon is quite expensive compared to other portable benchtop planers, it’s got all the necessary features you need to carry out your projects with great precision.
What we like about it
- Easy to set up
- Less noisy compare to the competition
- It comes with a helical-style cutter head
- Produces smooth and precise cuts
- All steel construction makes it a very durable machine.
Where it can be improved
- High initial cost
Related: The 5 Best Portable Benchtop Jointers for Woodworking Projects
5. Dewalt DW734 Benchtop Thickness Planer
The Dewalt DW734 benchtop planer features a 3 knife cutterhead just like the DW735X. The 3 knifes are double-edged knives, which means you can reverse them after one edge gets dull or blunt.
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 it’s hardwood like oak or softwood like pine wood.
The motor spins the cutter head at a speed of 10,000 rpm, producing 96 cuts per inch to ensure the finest finish on the stock.
At the top of the machine is a depth adjustment knob that allows you to raise or lower the cutterhead for easy depth control.
It also has a turret depth stop so the you can make repeat cuts and avoid mistakes.
Large infeed and outfeed tables provide enough space to support the stock and reduce sniping at the ends of the boards.
It also comes equipped with an easy-to-read thickness scale so the user can know the amount of material that will be removed on every pass through the machine.
A large and easily accessible paddle switch ensures you can easily turn it off whenever you need to.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
Related: The 10 Best Electric Hand Planers
6. Makita 2012NB Benchtop Thickness Planer
The Makita 2012NB thickness planer comes equipped with a 2 knife cutterhead which has a no-load speed of 8500 RPM. Pass your stock through this, and you’ll likely be blown away by the results.
The cutter head blades are double-edged, thus they can be reversed when one edge gets dull so you don’t have to buy replacements right away.
It has a width capacity of 12 inches, a depth capacity of 6 -3/32 inches and a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inches.
A very good feature I always want on any planer is the depth stop which this Makita also has. This ensures you don’t over plane your stock past a certain depth, say 5 inches. So, you can set the depth stop at 5 inches, and you won’t be able to crank the cutterhead less than 5 inches.
It comes equipped with large infeed and outfeed tables to fully support the stock and to prevent sniping at the ends
Makita equipped this with an interna-lok automated head clamp that locks the cutterhead in place to limit the movement that causes snipe and improve the performance of the machine.
In terms of design, the Makita 2012NB is compact and lightweight for easy transportation to the jobsite. The lighter weight is usually not a problem because it can be bolted to a workbench to prevent movement and vibration during use.
A powerful 15 amp motor keeps the cutter head running.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
7. Mophorn Thickness Planer
This is the first tool from Mophorn I’ve had the opportunity to review, but even though I had my doubts prior to this review, I can say now that the performance and quality exceeded my expectations.
The Mophorn thickness planers is one of the few units that come with an already made stand that allows you to use the machine conveniently at the right height.
Apart from that, the stand also makes the it more rigid, preventing it from wobbling during use. The stand can be detached from the planer unit, so you don’t have to worry about carrying both at the same time if you have to move or transport it.
The width capacity is just 12.5 inches while the depth capacity is 6 inches, but you can carry out lot of projects with it especially if you’re a weekend warrior or contractor who needs a portable machine for jobsite use.
For power, the Mophorn comes equipped with a 1500 Watts motor which turns the cutter head and roller assembly, allowing you to feed in boards at a rate of 315 inches per minute.
It has a maximum cutting depth of 0.1 inches, with the 2 blade cutterhead spinning at 9000 RPM, thus helping you get a quality and smooth finish on your boards.
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 crank at the top allows you to make depth adjustments easily. In-feed and out-feed tables provide additional material support and prevent snipe at the ends of your lumber pieces.
Overall, I’d say this is a very capable and durable machine you can use to plane and dimension boards both in the workshop and on the jobsite.
What we like about it
- Produces very smooth surface on boards
- It comes with a stand unlike other units.
- Good material support.
- Good dust collection
- It’s not that pricey even with the additional stand.
Where it can be improved
- Quite difficult to set up or assemble, especially if your first planer machine
8. Delta Power Tools 22-555
The 22-555 model is not the most recent model of the Delta Power Tools thickness planer but it’s certainly the most popular.
Its 4 column design provides rock-solid support and stability during use.
The cutterhead on this one is a 2-knife cutterhead but the boards planed with it also came out very smooth.
The knives are dual-edged, which means you can reverse them after one edge gets dull, so you don’t have to buy replacements too soon.
Changing the knife is very easy and fast because there’s no need for the use of knife alignment jigs on this one.
The Delta Power Tools 22-555 benchtop planer features adjustable in-feed and out-feed tables for extra material support and to prevent sniping.
It comes equipped with a 15 amp motor so the you can plane both hard and softwood with it.
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.
It has a width capacity of 13 inches, a 6 inch depth capacity and a maximum cut depth of 3/32 inches.
A reversible dust port makes dust collection a breeze because you can hook your shop vacuum to either sides of the machine.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
9. Powertec PL1252 Benchtop Planer
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. It’s a 2-blade cutterhead with a maximum speed of 9,400 RPM.
The cutter head comes equipped with index pins and a spindle lock for safe and easy blade replacement.
The Powertec PL1252 has a 12-1/2 inch width capacity and a 6 inch depth capacity.
A heavy duty anti-wobble base ensures it remains rigid during operation, and also provides a non-marring surface for passage of stock.
It comes equipped with in-feed and out-feed tables which provides solid material support for your work piece.
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.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
10. Craftsman CMEW320
Just like the other machines reviewed, this Craftsman CMEW320 benchtop planer comes equipped with a 15 amp motor for maximum power and speed.
The motor spins the cutter head at 8,000 revolutions per minute, which in turn makes 16,000 cuts per minute on the stock, ensuring a very smooth surface is produced on the material.
The 2-knife quick-change solid steel cutter head comes equipped with double-edged knifes made of high carbon steel. These won’t get dull quickly and you can even reverse them with they finally do.
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.
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.
A vacuum port at the back provides easy access to connect a shop vac to get rid of chips and sawdust produced.
Also featured is a Poly-V cutter head drive for maximum transmission of power from the motor.
What we like about it
Where it can be improved
How To Choose A Benchtop Thickness Planer
The process of choosing a portable benchtop thickness planer for your project can be quite complicated, if you haven’t used one before. But with the following guide, you’ll know what’s important and what’s not.
If you want to choose the right one, there’re important features you should look for, and that’s what we’ve listed below.
Width Capacity
The width capacity of a thickness planer is the maximum size of boards in width it accommodate. 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.
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.
Here are the width capacities of the 10 reviewed in this article.
| Portable Thickness Planer | Width Capacity |
|---|---|
| Dewalt DW735X | 13 Inches |
| Wen 6552T | 13 inches |
| Dewalt DW734 | 12-1/3 Inches |
| Wen 6550T | 12. 5 Inches |
| Makita 2012NB | 12 inches |
| Porter Cable PC305TP | 12 Inches |
| Delta Power Tools 22-555 | 13 Inches |
| Grizzly G0505 | 12-1/2 Inches |
| Powertec PL1251 | 12-1/2 Inches |
| Craftsman CMEW320 | 12 Inches |
Type of Cutter Head
If you ask me to go buy a new thickness planer machine today, one of the first things I’ll check before making my choice is the type of cutter heads in the ones available.
That’s because the quality of the one you choose is largely determined by the type of cutter head it comes with. The cutter head in it affects a few things about it that are very important.
- It affects the smoothness or surface finished of the boards that goes through it.
- It affects the noise level and
- It determines how much you’re going to spend if you accidentally plane a nail-embedded wood with it.
Now, talking about the type of cutter head it comes with, there’re two main types of cutter head.
Which are:
- Straight knife cutter head and
- Helical or Spiral cutter head
The straight knife cutterhead is the main type of cutter head or the traditional cutterhead that comes with most planers, especially the benchtop models.
They feature 2 to 4 straight knifes slightly longer than the length of the planer’s width capacity, equally spaced around the cutterhead and running parallel with its axis.
Straight knife cutter heads are usually made with high speed steel, and thus they’re cheaper compared to helical cutter heads which are made with carbide steel.
They easily get blunt because they’re not as hard as carbide, but it’s cheaper to replace them, or you can just sharpen or reverse the direction of the knives if they’re reversible double-edged knives.
Helical cutter heads on the other hand does not feature long straight knives that runs the length of the cutterhead. Instead, they feature multiple rows of small square-shaped cutters called inserts that are configured in a helical orientation around the cutter head.
Although some woodworkers prefer the straight knife over the helical type, it has a few a few noteworthy advantages over the straight knife cutter head.
One of the main advantages is the ease of replacing the carbide inserts of the helical cutter head compared to that of replacing the knives of the straight knife cutter head.
When you mistakenly run a nail embedded wood through your planer, just 1 or 2 carbide inserts might get damaged if it’s a helical cutter head, and they’re very easy to replace.
In fact, you don’t 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 you’re as good as new.
Each insert can be rotated 4 times before it’s finally replaced because all four edges can be used for planing.
On the other hand, replacing the straight knives of a straight knife cutter head can be a huge pain in the behind. 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.
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.
Another important advantage of having a thickness planer with a helical cutter is that it reduces the noise produced by the machine.
Byrd produces a helical cutter head they call the Shelix. On the shelix, the carbide inserts on the cutter head are inclined at an angle to the feed direction so that it produces a shearing action as they slice through the wood, instead of a straight 90 degree cut on the wood which scoops the wood and produces a louder sound.
Helical cutter heads reduces the sound produce by attacking the wood at an angle instead of the straight 90 degree contact or cuts made by straight-knife models.
Dust collection is also better when the cutter head is a helical one. The small cutters of the helical cutters produce little wood chips which can be easily sucked up by your dust collector.
On the other hand, the straight knifes produce long chips which can tangle and block the dust port of the machine, preventing the dust collector from being able to suck it out.
Cut quality and lower cost of maintenance are two more advantages of a helical cutterhead over a straight knife type.
On the downside, machines that come equipped with helical cutter heads have more initial costs than ones with straight knife cutter heads.
Motor
The benchtop thickness planer you choose should have a good quality motor spinning the cutterhead and working the infield and outfield rollers.
Having a good quality and powerful motor will ensure you can plane any type of wood with it, whether it’s hardwood like oak or softwood like pine.
Most benchtop planers come with 15 amps motors turning the cutterhead at speeds ranging from 8000 rpm to 10000 rpm.
The faster the RPM the smoother the surface of the wood will be. That’s because a faster cutter head means there’re more cuts taking place per inch of the wood as it’s fed through the machine.
Feeding your wood stock into a less powerful planer also takes longer due to slower feed rates.
Part Replacement
A benchtop planer is like any other machine. It will not stay the same forever. Some parts will need replacement after some time. So, you need to make sure the one you choose have parts that can easily be found in your local dealer’s shop or ordered online.
Talking about part replacement, it’s also good to check the warranty. Ensure you can return it if it falls apart too soon.
Material Design
Planing (milling) lumber involves movement of different powerful machine parts and cutting of lumber in these parts, which results in vibration. You have to choose one that is sturdy and rigid enough to withstand vibrations as you mill rough stocks with it.
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.
Ease Of Making Depth Adjustment
Depth adjustment should be a breeze in any benchtop thickness planer you choose. 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.
Snipe Handling
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.
Sadly, snipe is something that cannot really be totally eliminated without providing enough manual support for the material. However, it can be reduced to a great extent with the right type of benchtop planer. So, you have to ask yourself how does the one you’re about to buy deal with snipe?
The Dewalt DW734 features a black bar at the top, which when pulled down engages an automatic carriage lock which locks down the cutterhead and roller assembly, thereby limiting any upward or downward movement that may cause sniping.
While the Dewalt DW735X’s means of mitigating snipe is automatic. You don’t need to pull down anything to lock down the cutterhead and roller assembly. It locks down by itself as soon as you finish adjusting the depth. This drastically reduces snipe and makes the planing process easier and more accurate.
The Makita 2012NB features an interna-lok head clamp which also helps to lock the cutterhead and roller assembly in place to eliminate snipe.
In summary, check out and make sure that the planer machine you choose have a few features that helps it handle snipe properly. 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 it’s feeding out on the other side.
Also ensure that any planer you choose, comes with in-feed and out-feed tables, because they go a long way to support the wood, thereby reducing snipe.
Dust Collection
Many woodworking tools create a lot of sawdust and a benchtop wood planer is a very good example. Without a proper way to direct, funnel and collect the dust created, it can turn your whole workshop into a huge mess.
That is why you have to ensure the one you choose has a good dust/chip collection port to expel the dust produced out of the machine in a controlled manner.
Some thickness planers like the Dewalt DW735X and the WEN 6552T come with a fan assisted dust collection port that helps to blow out chips and dust out of the machine. You can easily attach your shop vac or any hose to the dust collection port, and it will blow all the chips produced into it even without switching on the shop vacuum.
Precision
What is the surface of the finished board like? Is it smooth or still needs a lot of work with a sander? How accurate is the thickness or depth scale?
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.
Price
Price is another factor that may affect your decision. However, you must note that, like they say, “You can actually save money by spending money to get a better tool.”
A better tool may have more initial cost but it will afford, you more comfort, performance and durability which you may not have with a cheaper one.
Conclusion
No planer will be 100 percent in every angle. There’ll always be some features it has and others it lacks.
It all comes down to what you’re willing to sacrifice for another. We hope you’re able to choose a machine that makes your job as a woodworker, diyer or hobbyist as easy and efficient as possible.
