Best wood planers in 2020

What is the best wood planer? These devices are designed to produce flat boards of even thickness. For this reason, the factors that determine the machine's performance include the accuracy of cuts and the speed of material processing. The latter is expressed in revolutions per minute (RPM) and depends on the power of the motor. Another essential thing to consider is convenience. Models with ergonomic handles, portable design and lighter weight are easier to use and maneuver. In our assessment, 3-¼-Inch Makita Wood Planer fits these criteria best.

Why have we chosen this model? Makita is a trusted brand that has been producing motors for about a century. At present, Makita tools are manufactured at 10 plants in various countries and are sold all over the world. This machine operates at 16,000 RPM and features a very powerful motor. This is obviously the best planer for woodworking at home as it is highly convenient. With the weight of just 7 pounds, the tool boasts remarkable maneuverability and comes with a comfortable rubber handle. With this device, you can easily cut hardwood as it includes double-edge carbide blades.

I find myself at a bit of an impasse with this particular tool. On one hand, it’s very important, there is something to be said about it, and without a planer, you’ll find a host of projects to be difficult or nigh-impossible. On the other hand, this is an ancient tool, it’s been around since the bronze age, and there’s really not much more that can be done with the concept after inventing electric / automated versions of it (which we’ll be touching on).

This makes comparing them difficult, and really going deep into the theory difficult. At the same time, like I said, it’s a crucial tool in many situations, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the time to talk about them at length. So, let’s talk about these, and bear with me if this isn’t as exciting a read as a lot of other tools can be.

Makita 3-1 / 4in Power Planer | Best Power Planer

Well, this has the Makita logo on it so we all know I’m immediately intrigued by it. While I don’t really have enough projects needing the precision to justify a planer like this, I can definitely see the appeal of one of these. It’s basically if you took a hand planer, applied power to the blade, just applying the layer removal you need in a few simple, low-effort passes. It has a guise and safety lock, and quite nice adjustability and build quality.

Of course, it has good build quality, though. It's a Makita tool, and if nothing else, they never fail in that regard.

If you do a lot of projects that need a lot of planer work, this will definitely save you some effort. It's not cheap though.

Features

• Guide: Yes.
• Power: 7.9 A, 110v wall socket power.
• Adjustable pressure: Yes.
• Weight: Around 7.3lbs, which is just the right heft for this.
• Safety: Trigger-powered, stops on a dime.
• Loud: Not really.

Performance

I’ve not used this specific one, but it’s strikingly similar to the one I used when helping a friend build his picnic table. I remember thinking it handled like butter, though it was a tad heavy.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

This is an excellent handheld power planer, and if you have projects that call for this kind of tool enough to justify the cost, I can’t recommend it enough, really.

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What Is A Wood Planer?

As said before, this is an ancient tool, dating back in some form or another to at least 2000 BCE, possibly much further. We know the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians used a form of this tool for both wood and stone alike, and a variation of it is known to have been in use in ancient China and Japan around the same time too.

Basically, it's a handheld tool with a flat surface. In the front or center, is a blade at a roughly 45 degree angle (this varies considerably) that resembles a chisel edge or flat head screwdriver tip. They vary in sharpness, though they’re rarely scalpel-sharp due to that being impractical for the tool’s purpose.

How Wood Planers Work

When the tool is moved forward along a surface, this angled blade will remove a thin layer of material (producing shavings). The most basic use of this is to create even, flat, smooth surfaces across wood. Stone and other materials can also be worked this way, though that’s a special planer, working with specific types of stone that’re soft enough to be worked in such a way (soap stone, lime stone and some marbles are prime examples).

Planers can be used to etch multiple surfaces onto wood (which is how hexagonal or other cuts in wood have been done traditionally), create large flat surfaces (for tables, cabinets and the like), any instance where you need to work a smooth, flat and consistent surface into wood.

Joint planers, which use a narrower or more rounded blade, work on the same principle, and etch furrows into material. This is used to create joints where pieces of wood connect together (again, in some cases, stone is worked this way too).

Traditionally, like I said, these are hand tools which don’t require a lot of elbow grease, but do require patience and a steady hand. They're generally not terribly dangerous tools, short of dropping them on your foot. It’s hard for the blade to run afoul of a hand or other extremity, which means this is probably the most generally harmless tool that involves a blade or other cutting mechanism.

What Types Of Wood Planers Are There?

Planers, be they standard or joint planers, do come with some variety these days. This variety is entirely a product of the modern world where electricity is a thing, as they really didn’t change for millennia short of better build quality and materials. A planer from 12th Dynasty Egypt worked precisely the same way as a planer in the workshop of a WWI-era craftsman, one was just stamped out in a factory, while the other was made by an iron smith.

Today, there exist power tool versions of these which work in a few different ways. Some are on automated tracks that guide them - this is primarily for routing planers. Others just have a power application to the blade to make each pass more even and powerful, requiring far fewer passes. Some are a hybridization of both of them.

I have less experience with the advanced power versions of these, though once or twice I have used them. I used a hand planer to shape and smooth the panels for my MAME cabinet - a project I recently completed.

I want to point out how important it is to not apply force too hard, and to go against the grain gently, with a planer. I ruined several sets of material before I got the hang of that. I also want to point out just how crucial it is to use a proper joint planer for the actual joints where need be. I made the mistake of trying to use first a shaping drill, and then a Dremel tool to cut the joints and seams of your stuff.

I tried that, and actually thought I had a completed set of panels done. They seemed done, they looked done. When I put them together, they initially seemed done. However, once I put the components in, and some weight was trying the cabinet, they came apart at the seams, and cost me a monitor and a hard drive in the process, destroying a solid 75% of my design work. I had to basically start over aside from the controller components, the circuit board and the power supply. That’s a lot of money and time gone to waste. I was unaware of the idea of ​​joint planers at that juncture, and boy was that a painful lesson let me tell you.

Once I got hold of the proper tools, however, I finished it with mostly no problems (aside from a run-in with a circular saw I have mentioned in the past, resulting in needing stitches). At least, all things said and done, I have the best-looking MAME cabinet in the area, and other hobbyists have been non-stop praising me for it, wanting me to build ones for them as well. I’m not sure if I want to or not - it’s fun but it’s a lot of work, even now that I know what I’m doing with all the tools involved. Remember, the right tools for the right jobs.

Powermatic 1610086K Model | Best Combination Jointer Planer

Now we’re getting into the more industrial or commercial units, which I honestly can’t say as much about from personal experience. I’ve never worked professionally on a job where this sort of tool is used. However, I happen to know several people whom have, or currently do. Thus, for this one and the other entry, I’ll be going by what I’ve been told about these units.

I do know that Powermatic, while not having quite the same pedigree as Makita, is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to these bigger industrial concepts. This is a full-on, automatic, self-propelled electric joint planer that will cut a very precise, basically perfect joint the first time you try.

Compared to doing this by hand, which I can attest to, it’s quite something. I was shown one of these in action, and I was quite impressed.

Features

• Guide: Yes.
• Power: 60HH, 110v wall socket power.
• Adjustable pressure: Yes.
• Weight: 518 pounds. Yeah industrial tools like this aren’t light weight.
• Safety: OSHA-approved emergency brake.
• Loud: Well it’s loud, but by industrial tool standards, it’s not “loud”.

Performance

I didn’t get to use this myself, but I got to watch it in action, and while there’s something to be said for a professional always making this look easy, this tool really made it look easy even beyond that. This is definitely the best surface planer. But man, it's not cheap!

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

Makita 2012NB 12-Inch Planer | Best Wood Planer Under 1000

I also didn’t get to use one of these, but I saw a slightly older version of this model in action when a friend showed me his workshop. This isn’t quite as much of an “industrial” machine so much as just a high-end professional one, but that leads to the same conundrum. If you do enough work with it to justify the price, well, you can’t beat Makita - I’ve been saying that a lot in these tool reviews and I stand by it.

When I watched this one in use, it produced a perfectly smooth surface in pretty much no time flat, and having done hand planning with an old fashioned tool, which took time (albeit it wasn’t hard work physically), and well, I was pretty darn impressed.

Features

• Guide: Yes.
• Power: 220v wall socket power.
• Adjustable pressure: Yes.
• Weight: 61.9lbs, pretty heavy. But it would be heavy given its power.
• Safety: OSHA-approved emergency brake.
• Loud: This thing is very loud, but given the task it performs, what can you do?

Performance

This tool will plane surfaces like nobody's business. It’s a little on the complex side to use, which is another reason it’s more of a commercial or at least professional take on the idea than other ones on this list. Still, if you know what you’re doing, and you do a lot of this kind of thing, it’s pretty invaluable.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

WEN 6530 6-Amp Electric Hand Planer | Best Planer For Home Workshop

I had never heard of WEN before writing this piece, so it was a bit of an experience having to research the reputation and full line of products they produced. Most tool manufacturers I at least know a little about.

Honestly, my opinion having done that and having tried one of these planers is… meh.

This is a budget planer, it’ll get the job done, but it feels every bit as budget as it is. This is a tool you might get five years out of before it gets wear and tear beginning to show - that is if you use it daily on a professional level.

If you’re just doing occasional tasks that need you to use this planer, you’ll get some lifespan out of it, and for the price, it’ll do the job at least.

Features

• Guide: Yes.
• Power: 6 A, 120v wall socket power.
• Adjustable pressure: Yes.
• Weight: 7.9lbs - it feels as cheap as it sounds like it would.
• Safety: Trigger release - it at least stops responsively.
• Loud: It’s not horribly loud, but it has an obnoxious hum to the motor that does worry me a bit.

Performance

Well, this isn’t fantastic. Don’t expect fantastic from a “notoriously” budget brand, at a budget price. You do get what you pay for. It’s not awful, it’s not going to break a day after you bought it. But If you do a lot of heavy work, this tool doesn’t have the gumption to last through it long-term.

For occasional use, it's perfect, as an emergency backup, it's serviceable.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

Also Read:

Best thickness planer

Best jointer planer

Best electric hand planers