Every woodworking shop needs a wood planer machine for milling rough lumber and reducing its thickness.
When logs of wood or timber are sawn into lumber pieces, it creates lots of chainsaw or bandsaw marks on the surface, which makes them almost impossible to work with in that condition.
In order to use them for your woodworking projects, you need to pass the rough lumber through a wood planer machine to remove the rough surface and expose the smooth fine grain underneath it.
Apart from smoothening or removing the rough outer layer, it’s also used for thicknessing or reducing the thickness of lumber pieces.
There are different sizes of wood planers you can choose from depending on your budget and the sizes of lumber you’re working with.
They include:
- Heavy duty industrial cabinet planers
- Portable benchtop planers and
- Electric Hand Planers
- Simple hand planes
If you own a lumber yard or you work with some really thick and wide rough lumber pieces, then you surely need a heavy-duty industrial wood planer machine to get the job done.
These machines weigh over 900 lbs and can plane lumber that are over 20 inches in width and 8 inches thick, and they produce some of the best finishes you can ever get a planer machine to produce, far better than benchtop units.
Because of its weight, you have to set it up in a particular position in your workshop, not to be moved once it’s set up. You can also set it up on a rolling stand if you think you’ll be moving it around the shop once in a while.
Choosing the right industrial wood planer machine can be very tricky especially if it’s your first one. That’s why we’ve written this article to help you compare, review and list some of the best industrial wood planer machines out there, in the hopes that you can choose one perfect for your woodworking projects.
Our Top Picks
BEST OVERALL: Jet JWP-208HH
RUNNER-UP: Powermatic 209HH
WIDEST CAPACITY: Grizzly G5851Z
The Best Industrial Wood Planer Machines
We took out some time to test some of the best industrial wood planer machines out there so you don’t have to. Here, we’ve listed 6 of the best we ended up with so you can choose the right one for your projects.
Each of the machines listed below met all our test criteria. They are built with heavy duty materials for durability, they have very powerful motors so they can cut through any type of wood you feed through, they have the best cutterheads you’ll ever find, they occupy very large wood stocks, and they’re very easy to adjust during use.
Grizzly Industrial G1033Z 20 Inch Industrial Wood Planer
The Grizzly Industrial G1033Z is a heavy duty floor style industrial wood planer that comes with a powerful 5 HP induction motor and a helical cutterhead with 92 four-sided carbide inserts.
With a width capacity of 20 inches and a depth capacity of 8-5/8 inches, The G1033Z allows you to work with very wide boards without having to rip them to smaller sizes.
A triple v-belt drive connects the 5 horsepower motor to the cutterhead, ensuring maximum power transmission to the cutterhead.
Whether you run hardwood or softwood through it, the Grizzly G1033Z performs well on any type of stock, producing very smooth and straight boards every time.
With almost every part made of solid cast iron and steel, the G1033Z weighs about 909 pounds, ensuring it remains steady and vibration free during operation.
The precision-ground extension tables and planer bed are made of solid cast iron which makes them very stable and combined with the feed rollers helps prevent snipe from damaging the ends of your stock.
Equipped with a two-speed gear box, the feed rollers can be operated at 16 FPM or 28 FPM, allowing you to feed your stock through at a slower speed of 16 FPM when you’re removing much material and at a higher speed of 28 FPM when you’re giving it a finishing touch.
The planer comes equipped with a magnetic power switch so you don’t run the risk of it getting damaged due to power overload or failure.
Overall, the Grizzly G1033Z is one of your best options if you want a very powerful and high precision heavy-duty industrial planer machine to dimension rough boards in your workshop.
What we like about it
- Very large width capacity
- Ideal for both hobbyist and professional woodworkers
- Helical cutterhead produces very smooth finishes on the wood
- Not very loud like other planers
- Very sturdy and built to last for generations with proper maintenance
What we don’t like
- You need a large workshop space to accommodate it
Related: Should You Get A Jointer Planer Combo Machine?
Jet JWP-208HH 20 Inch Industrial Wood Planer
If you want to get a really powerful and accurate industrial wood planer machine, this JET JWP-208HH is one of the best units we recommend.
It’s a heavy duty 5 horsepower industrial planer machine with a 20 inch width capacity. Unlike the small benchtop units, you can dimension really wide boards with this, easily and accurately.
This machine combines a powerful 5 horsepower induction motor with a helical cutterhead having 92 staggered carbide inserts to ensure the smoothest finish on the boards you plane with it.
The powerful 5 horsepower motor turning the cutterhead means you can feed any type of wood through it without overloading or bugging down the motor. The carbide inserts for this cutterhead have 4 sharp edges, which means you don’t need to replace them immediately if they get dull or nicked. You can simply loosen and rotate each one to get a perfectly new sharp edge to work with.
In terms of build quality, the Jet JWP-208HH is has all parts made of iron and steel, which makes it very heavy and solid during operation, providing steady support for the workpiece.
It also features a 2-speed gear box, with a chain tensional which allows you to easily change the feed rates either for removing more material or for improving the finish quality.
The JET JWP-208HH comes equipped with 3 steel infeed and outfeed rollers, combined with a precision ground table to prevent snipe and help you produce the smoothest finish on your boards.
You get a large handwheel just by the side with a positive gear drive you can use to make quick and accurate depth adjustments.
The one-piece welded steel base provides solid support and stability during operation, reducing any form of vibration and ensures long-term accuracy of the machine.
What we like about it
- High quality construction
- Produces very smooth finish on boards
- Large 20 inch width capacity
- Easy to adjust
- Very powerful 5 HP motor
- Works quietly compared to similar units.
What we don’t like
- May be a bit pricey for the average hobbyist woodworker
Powermatic 209HH 20 inch Industrial Wood Planer Machine
Although this Powermatic 209HH industrial wood planer looks so similar with the JET JWP-208HH and the Grizzly G1033X, there’s a little secret to the Powermatic 209HH that sets it a bit aside.
It comes equipped with a Byrd helical cutterhead with 100 four-sided carbide inserts. A little different from the one on JET and Grizzly which has 94 carbide inserts each, but little differences like this can be seen in the final cut quality or smoothness of the stock.
It’s got a 20 inch width capacity, a maximum cutting depth of 3/32 inches and a maximum planing thickness of 8 inches.
The machine is powered by a 1 phase 5 Horsepower 230 Volts motor which rotates the cutterhead at a speed of 5000 RPM and produces up to 20,000 cuts per minute on the wood.
It comes equipped with a two-speed gear box that allows you to feed lumber through it 24 FPM and 31 FPM respectively. If you want it to run at lower feed rates, you can convert the gearbox to run at 4 speeds of 16, 20, 24 and 31 FPM respectively, allowing you to tweak the machine to work just the way you want.
Every part of the machine is made of heavy duty cast iron and steel to enable it run steadily with less vibration and ensure durability.
You can adjust the cutting depth easily with the chrome-plated hand wheel at the top, which slides the smooth cast iron table up and down the 4 steel columns to reduce or increase the cut depth.
Overall, this Powermatic 209HH is a very solid option you can choose if you’re looking for an industrial wood planing machine.
What we like about it
- Heavy duty construction
- Build quality is very good
- Quiet operation
- Produces very smooth finish
What we don’t like
- Pricey for the average hobbyist.
Grizzly G5851Z 24 inch Industrial Wood Planer Machine
If you have some really wide boards to plane, then you need an industrial wood planer with a high width capacity, and one of the best one I know is the Grizzly G5851Z.
The Grizzly G5851Z has a 24 inch width capacity backed by a 5 HP motor. So, even if you want to plane solid wood panels with it, just go right ahead and do it because you can.
It comes equipped with a 3-1/8 inch straight knife cutterhead made of 4 high-speed steel knives, spinning at a speed of 5200 RPM. In terms of performance, you can be certain you can feed any type of lumber through it and it will come out the other way, smooth and uniform without bogging down the machine.
It’s got a 2 speed gear box which allows you to feed lumber through at 17 FPM and 26 FPM. Making depth adjustments can be done easily using a cast iron hand wheel located right at the top of the machine.
When it comes to build quality, the Grizzly G5851Z is well constructed with every part made of heavy-duty cast iron. This makes it very stable during operation and increases precision of cuts.
The planer bed and extension tables are made of precision-ground cast iron, which along with the rollers allow the stock to slide through smoothly unmarred.
Like other heavy-duty Grizzly industrial cabinet wood planers, this one comes equipped with a magnetic switch for thermal overload protection.
It has a maximum cutting depth of 1/8 inches, accepts a maximum stock thickness of 7 inches, maximum width of 24 inches and a minimum stock length of 8 inches.
All in all, the Grizzly G5851Z definitely fits the description of a heavy-duty industrial planer. It’s well-built, has a very high width capacity to even plane wood panels, and produces amazing results on any stock you pass through it provided the blades are sharp and are in good condition.
What we like about it
- Very large 24 width capacity.
- Build quality is great.
- Produces very smooth finishes.
- It’s got a lot of power
What we don’t like
- It’s quite noisy
Powermatic 15HH 15 inch Wood Planer
One of the most important part of a wood planer is the cutterhead because its overall performance depends to a large extent on the quality of the cutterhead.
Talking about cutter heads, the Powermatic 15HH comes with a Tom Byrd’s Helical cutterhead. Byrd cutterheads are usually made from stress proof steel, which means they’re made to withstand heavy duty use.
The helical cutterhead is made up of 74 carbide inserts which are arranged in helical shaped rows, thereby producing unparalleled efficiency and quality in the cuts produced on your stock.
Another impressive feature of the Powermatic 15HH is the powerful motor that spins the cutterhead. It is a 3 horsepower 230V TEFC, single phase motor which can run continuously providing enough power to withstand any task thrown at it.
The in feed roller of the Powermatic 15HH wood planer is serrated while the out-feed roller is very smooth. This is a very purposeful design that ensures boards are easily fed into the machine, while the smooth outfeed roller ensures that the planed wood exits smoothly and unmarred.
Related: Jointer Or Planer – Which One Should You Get First?
What we like about it
- Very good build quality
- Uses Byrd’s helical cutterhead which is arguably the best cutterhead you’ll find on any planer
- Due to the Byrd helical cutterhead present, it produces very little noise during use
- Very easy to set up
What we don’t like
- It’s pricey. Not for the average hobbyist
Grizzly G0453Z 15 Inch 3 HP Industrial Wood Planer
Equipped with a spiral cutterhead, the Grizzly G0453Z industrial wood planer comes with everything you need to plane and thickness you boards to your desired size and smoothness.
The 4-row spiral cutterhead is made up of 74 German indexable carbide inserts, and it spins at 4800 rpm per minute to ensure you get the smoothest finishes on the boards you plane with it.
At the heart of the machine is a 3 HP 240 V single-phase motor which produces all the power you need to plane all day with it without any trouble.
The planer infield and outfield tables are made of solid precision ground cast-iron, providing a smooth and solid surface for the wood to slide through.
It has a maximum cutting width of 15 inches, a maximum stock thickness of 8 inches, a maximum cutting depth of 1/8 inches and it’s capable of planing a minimum stock length of 8 inches.
With a two-speed automatic stock field rate of 16 fPM and 30 FPM, you have the ability to control how fast you field the board through the planer and the amount of material taken off your stock at a time.
There are retractable lifting handles and a built in mobile base which makes this Grizzly G0453Z quite easy to move.
Overall, this Grizzly G0453Z is up there among the best cabinet planers you can ever use today. It’s well-built, strong, solid and most importantly, does the job of planing wood stocks perfectly.
What we like about it
- Produces very smooth finishes
- Very power motor
- Quiet operation
- It has a built-in mobile base
What we don’t like
- A bit pricey
What To Consider When Choosing an Industrial Wood Planer
Buying an industrial wood planer is a big deal. This is a big tool purchase and it’s important you get it right the first time. That is why you should consider the following before making your choice.
Durability
Industrial wood planers cost a lot, often amounting to a few thousand dollars. If you want to get one, you should expect to spend between 4 to 10 thousand, which is quite a sizeable investment.
This is not an amount anyone would like to spend again after acquiring such a tool. In fact, with proper maintenance your kids and grandkids should be able to use it long after you’re gone. That is why durability is one of the major factors you should consider before getting one of these machines.
One of the signs that will tell whether or not a machine is going to be durable is the kind of material used for manufacturing it.
For a machine that costs this much, every major part should be made of high-quality solid cast iron, including the table, the base and the cutterhead housing or head.
You should also check and compare warrantees to make sure you’re covered in case something goes wrong in the years to come. Check what the warrantee covers and what it does not. The duration of the warrantee should be long. 1 or 2 years is not acceptable. The tool company should be giving 5 years or more warrantee to show they trust their product and stand behind it.
Power
What’s an industrial wood planer without a big and powerful motor to drive the cutterhead? Well, this is something you need to consider.
Most industrial wood planers usually come with 3 and 5 horsepower motors. These motors are very powerful and will get the job done, depending on the type of projects you’re working on. In fact, the ones reviewed in this article have 3 and 5 horsepower motors.
There’re some however that have more powerful motors like 7.5 Horsepower, 10 HP and even 15 HP. These are more powerful and will be able to tackle more difficult tasks.
For instance, the more powerful the motor is, the greater its cut capacity or the more material it can remove in one pass through the cutterhead.
Precision – Ease of Making Depth Adjustments
Precision is key when planing boards. You don’t want to remove too much material from your stock and end up with the wrong thickness.
That’s why depth adjustment is very important. Of course, you can’t tell how precise a machine is until you use it. However, what usually guides me when considering this is the ease of making depth adjustments with the machine.
What does it take to adjust the planer to a certain depth of cut? What’s the minimum and maximum depth of cut? These values should help you measure just how much precision you can get with this tool.
Capacity
This one is very important. Industrial thickness planers come in different sizes with different width capacities. The width capacity refers to how much width of board the planer can accommodates.
There are industrial wood planers with 15-inch, 20-inch, 22-inch, 25 inch and so on. The higher the width capacity, the wider the stock it can accommodate and the more expensive it is to buy one.
So, you have to ask yourself, how wide are the boards you’re working with. The wider the are, the greater the width capacity you need.
Brand
Sometimes it’s important to favor certain tool brands when making a big tool purchase. Brands with the best reputation. Try not to get one with no reviews and no familiar branding.
