Do you need a benchtop planer? Which is the best benchtop planer to purchase?
There I was. My hobby was beginning to earn some extra cash. A neighbor asked me to create a stand for his son’s stereo equipment. So, down I went to my local lumber supply store and bought the wood I needed. Little did I know that not every piece of wood you buy was necessarily the same thickness. I should have checked. I didn’t. So the first time around, I wasted materials and my time. On my second try, I ran everything through a thickness planer. Had I planned correctly, I might have saved an hour or two of my time. I only made that mistake once.
Now I have a benchtop planer, which is great for my work hobby. I let the wood sit in my garage for a few days and then I run it through. This machine is great for making sure boards match and for edging as well. If you’re serious about your carpentry projects, you won’t want to be without one.
Here at Drillly, we prioritize facts over marketing jargon. We maintain a systematic research protocol in pursuing our objective goal of revealing facts. We focus on detailing our reviewing products as much as possible. We rely on field-testings for collecting practical and authentic data. We spend days online flickering through hundreds of reviews, blogs, forums, and magazines to collect the most relevant information. Our passion for the ever-increasing technological development of drilling and cutting tools motivates us.
Some of our team members are experienced professionals with years of factory training. We employ our experts to do research on the tools they specialize in. We also maintain connections with some of the top industry experts and university professors for their precious insights. Our well-structured research framework incorporates all the data we gather from different sources to finally come up with our top list.
We are not associated with any brand or manufacturer whatsoever, our aim is to provide our readers with maximum information on the products that they want to buy with their hard-earned money.
What are benchtop planers used for?
If you are an amateur carpenter, or even if your profession requires some woodworking, you will already know the difficulty of finding boards with an identical thickness for your woodworking projects even from the most serious and reputable of your local suppliers. You risk wasting time, supplies, and money. And you’ll be mega-frustrated! If you know how to use a benchtop planer, things will be much easier. It will make your woodworking projects simpler and more enjoyable.
A benchtop (also known as Table Top or Cabinet Thicknesser) planer is a tool that allows you to prepare boards of the same thickness and flat on both sides. Modern versions of this tool permit you to work quickly and accurately both electronically or manually. You set the depth you want for the cut. You can adjust the planning platform or the cutter head to do this. Then you switch on your machine and move your board through it.
Since this tool helps the wood move forward and out of the machine, you achieve a smooth and even thickness reduction of your wood and very quickly. Since purchased timber only comes in specific sizes, a tabletop model is an ideal solution for this type of woodworking need where you must have an exact measurement.
Things to consider when choosing a model
While we cannot tell you that one specific product is top on the market, we can help you in considering the available options in order to find the best model for you. Let’s begin with our list of factors that you will want to take into consideration when choosing.
1. Power & Performance
The more power you have, the better your planer will be. You will want to consider this aspect seriously unless you are only using pine. Your stationary planner should be able to work any type of wood. You will want a motor that produces a super smooth and well-finished surface. Motors that have a tendency to hesitate, should be avoided.
2. Design & finish
Most planers will give you the thickness you want for your woodworking project. A better, more costly model, however, will provide you with a smoother finish as well. Depending on the quality, you may be able to avoid sanding as a result. Three-knives models with substantial cutting RPMs will provide you with the smoothest surface.
3. Gauges & stops
Usually, benchtop planers will have a gauge that will tell you how much wood will be removed every time you pass through it. This gauge can help you to avoid taking too much, in order to avoid snipe. You will want to verify if the model you are thinking of purchasing provides this type of gauge.
4. Self-indexing knives
A benchtop planer will usually come equipped with two knives. If you purchase a more expensive model, it may have three. As most knives are reversible, their lifespan will be doubled. Flipping knives is usually a simple, easy operation. As these knives are disposable, don’t try to make them last longer by sharpening them yourselves. In any case, you won’t need to interrupt your project, when you can easily flip the knife and continue.
5. Infeed & Outfeed Tables
All planers should come equipped with tables to hold the wood as you feed it through the machine. If the tables are longer at both entrance and exit they will reduce or eliminate snipe. Find a benchtop model that is equipped with good infeed and outfeed tables.
6. Motor Speed
Many standard benchtop planers have only one speed. Some models offer two speeds. The slower speed will produce more than twice the amount of cuts per inch, which will give you an incredibly smooth surface but may cost twice as much.
7. Cutterhead (Cutting depth and rate)
The machines that we have selected have a maximum cutting depth of 6 inches. Higher-end models will be able to reduce more in a single pass. Selecting the maximum cutting depth will increase your risk of sniping, however, this measurement will indicate your planer’s capabilities. A deeper cutting depth will cost you more.
8. Handling Snipe
Snipe is also a major concern when considering planers. Snipe are those deep cuts that occur on the leading or trailing edge of the wood. Perhaps your board isn’t supported adequately or perhaps the knives take time to engage or disengage leaving snipe. Don’t be in a hurry to plane off a lot in one single pass. A higher-end model can help you avoid snipe if you plan to work with valuable wood.
9. Size of Boards
The majority of these machines will allow wood boards up to 11 to 13 inches wide and up to 6 inches deep. If you use 12" boards regularly, you will want to consider this when choosing. Also, several narrower wood pieces can be passed through simultaneously, such as staircase spindles.
10. Ridges & Marks
You don’t want to plane a beautiful piece of wood and have it emerge discolored or scratched. Feeder mechanisms can leave boards smudged or dirty while knives can tear ridges or leave marks in your wood. This is a significant issue that you will want to consider. Remember that feeding your planer with the grain of the wood as opposed to against the grain will help you avoid scarring your wood.
11. Noise
Noise is constant even with the high-end tabletop models. It will be loud or maybe even louder! Some models make it a priority to reduce the noise while maintaining the power level. This, however, will be listed in the product features. Any planers that do not specify noise reduction should be considered as loud. You can and should use ear protection in any case.
12. Portability
Planers weigh quite a bit. While you may be able to move it around your garage or shop, or from a truck to your desired workstation, it isn’t a tool that is easily portable. You can attach it to a table complete with wheels, but that won’t contribute to its portability. You must have a level work surface to attach your machine to produce smooth results.
13. Warranty
Also, choose a brand that gives a good warranty. This implies that the manufacturer stands behind their product, especially if and when your product needs servicing. Reliability is of the utmost importance when acquiring a tabletop wood planer.
14. Price
How much does a planer cost? Well, price is an important factor when selecting any power tool. For a benchtop planner, the price ranges from around $330 to as high as $3000. It is worth considering, however, that you may actually save money in the long run by investing initially in a better tool and spending a bit more money. If the extra expense provides you with better performance and more durability, then you may be better spending more to get a better benchtop planer possible.
How did we pick these products?
Our selecting process was outlined by our research framework that undertook three major steps. First, we did a 30-hour long online searching for tracking down 25 top rated benchtop planer models with maximum features from the most reliable manufacturers. We did hands-on testing of these 25 initially selected models. For that matter, our team members and a group of volunteers spent over two weeks testing the units.
The field testing data along with online community-based user data were added to our research database for final analysis. We had to focus on certain features to categorize the testing items into their respective fields. Based on performance, design language, handling comfort, building material and reliability we shortlisted our final 10.
Our quest for the best models did not end there. We sought opinions of industry experts and university professors for their thoughts on our final list. Their suggestions helped us edit and finalize our list a second time.
Hopefully, our readers will be able to use our buying guide as a reference point for further analysis of their choices. We aim for quality, not quantity. Here in our review, we have tried to describe the vital points of each item we tested and we are pretty much confident about our final list.
Our top 10 choices
So, What is the best benchtop planer on the market today? We have placed our top picks in categories to assist you in finding the planer most adapted to your needs. Once we analyzed the basics as we discussed in 'Features to consider when choosing a model' section, we came up with the following list to help you find the product which is most suitable for woodworking. Let’s begin!
Storage and maintenance tips
All power tools need maintenance to ensure a long life cycle and continued great performance. A wood planer, like other industrial tools, requires maintenance on a regular basis. Of primary importance is where and how you store your machine. One of the greatest risks is the formation of rust. It can weaken components within the machine causing them to break or it can cause normal motion to slow or stop. Proper storage can impede the formation of rust. Larger models that cannot be easily moved should be kept covered.
Because electric wood planers have moving parts, these parts should be lubricated to reduce friction and overheating. Any electrical wires and cables should be checked at regular intervals to ensure against leakage. The cutting blades in such machines must be sharpened or substituted regularly to ensure that a smooth surface can always be obtained when operating your planer.
Cutting edges like moving parts may have to be replaced after a certain period of time. Replacements should be done using parts original to the planer or those approved by the manufacturer and only by a certified technician. The final thing to remember is to tighten any bolts in your machine. With moving parts, it is normal that bolts may loosen during use. And remember, keep your machine clean.
Safety tips
In order to prevent accidents, you will want to have a clean workplace. Fluids, electrical appliances and anything not in use should be stored away. Your workplace should be well ventilated and well illuminated. Never operate a wood planer without sufficient light to guarantee your safety. It should only be used to plane wood and not for any other type of material. Consider using protective gear when operating the machine. Goggles will protect your eyes, while gloves can protect your hands.
You should regularly inspect your wood planer for any loosened components and check to ensure that buttons for starting or stopping and emergency buttons should be functioning at all times. All cables must be correctly placed and connected. Avoid any bypassing. These machines should be firmly attached to your workbench.
All gripping tools should be serviced and inspected at regular intervals to keep them in topnotch working conditions. Always shut off the machine before turning off the electricity. And finally, no alcohol, prescription drugs or intoxicants of any kind should be ingested before operating your wood planer.
Final words
We believe we have provided a comprehensive, detailed guide to assist you in understanding how a benchtop wood planer functions, what products the market has to offer and how to recognize a quality product that meets your needs and is within your budget.
We chose 10 different models of wood planers in various categories to assist you in choosing the ideal model for your woodworking projects. The project will be a successful one if the right types of hand planers accompany you with these models. Our overall number one choice is the Dewalt DW734 model because it has all the qualities and features of a great, durable wood planer that can serve you for many years to come.
We also recommended several products geared to specific priorities such as budget or portability. Whatever your needs or your priorities, you’ll find something on our list. Remember to choose for your needs and your wallet. Don’t be dragged into buying something you don’t need and in the end may not want. Buy the very best benchtop planer for your woodworking projects and, enjoy!
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