Best thickness planers in 2020

What is the best thickness planer? There are 3 main criteria to consider before buying the device. Much depends on the kind of task you perform. Does it require greater accuracy? Where are you going to work? Some models come with the dust collecting system, which is particularly beneficial in larger workshops. The motor determines the power of the device. Keep in mind that for cutting through harder wood such as oak you will need a machine delivering higher rotations per minute. The best portable planer thicknesser is made from cast iron or other heavy-duty metals. Also, consider the thickness allowance, which means the maximum width of the material the unit can handle. Basically, 6 inches of allowance is a good option. We believe that Makita 2012NB Planer fits these criteria best.

Why have we chosen it? With the weight of a little over 60 pounds, this device is very compact and can be easily transported. It comes with large table extensions and is actually the best benchtop planer on the market. This model boasts a powerful 15-AMP motor, cutting wood at a speed of 8,500 RPM. One of its advantages over other planers is super quiet operation - 83dB. The same level of noise is produced by a dishwasher or food blender.

So, I’ve been talking a lot about planers recently, which is itself an achievement - it can be hard to have all that much to say about a tool this ancient. Yes, modern technology has made for a lot of variety in the overall design of planers, but the base concept has been the same for a long time.

Well, if there’s so little new to say about them, then why am I talking about them? That is a good question, I’m glad you asked. See, while this concept is simple, I think it’s worth taking the time to discuss it at length, and especially the difference between thickness and joint planers, and the partial misnomer of joint planning.

To do this, we need to first discuss the nature of generic planers, and a little bit on their history, what spurred their invention, and where we sit now with the technology as a whole. More advanced craftsmen will find a lot of this to be “psh, I already knew that”, but for everyone else, this is in the very least, quite interesting.

First, let’s talk about the most basic planers.

What Thickness Planers Actually Are

We know that planers shave and cut wood. But exactly how do they work? They’re basically a blade at an angle that lifts layers of wood away either by hand, with or without a hammer, or via a power tool in modern times.

There are two essential types, joint and thickness planers, though at one time they were more or less one tool perhaps with an interchangeable blade.

What Thickness Planers Are Used For

Planers are used to shape wood and adjust its thickness. Historically, pretty much anything involving crafted wood, involved a planer to some degree or another. This was before precision saws and things like Dremel tools or lathes to achieve this sort of thing. Of course, the other tool used alongside a planer was a carving knife or set of carving chisels for more ornate things.

If you look at ancient furniture or architecture, it’s pretty amazing the beauty they were able to achieve with just these basic tools, dedication and patience. Today, we still use these to adjust the thickness of wood, cut joints and to produce smoother surfaces (later sanded for silky smoothness).

Joint Planers Vs. Thickness planers

So, we really need to talk about joint planers and thickness planers on a somewhat more technical level. Joint is a partial misnomer. Yes, joint planers can be used to cut furrowed joints for connecting pieces of wood together, but there’s also the term “joint” to establish an existing flat surface, which thickness planers actually use to precisely remove layers of wood to adjust the thickness.

People are most familiar with thickness planers, which are also known as layer planers (while the use is different between layering and thickness adjusting, the same basic tool is in use, so the name mostly changes based on its use). These shave off sheets of wood to produce an even surface, or adjust (even gradually) the thickness of wood. This is how wood with gradual tapering or elaborate surface edging is achieved.

Even with a hand planer, a skilled craftsman can achieve nearly laser precision with this. I wish I could boast that level of skill when I do this, but alas, I cannot.

My Experience With Thickness Planers

I haven’t used the one we’re going to look at in a moment, but I have seen it in use, and it’s really neat. My experience with planers is mostly old fashioned hand planers and a few simple manual power planers.

For a long time, I didn’t really need to use these, as most of my work was building the fence around my house, a little bridge over my koi pond, and some basic wood work around my hot tub and the pool I dug in the backyard. I could do all of this with existing wood and lumber, nails and a little bit of varnish.

However, now that all of that is done, I’ve taken to building custom cases, arcade cabinets, and entertainment centers for gaming and retro nerds. It’s not something I really do professionally, but on the occasional commission by word of mouth. I honestly keep it somewhat on the downlow because while I love working on this stuff, a massive demand would eat up entirely too much of my time. It would become a job, and then I would no longer love doing it, because anything stops being fun when it becomes an actual job.

That said, I learned the hard way how important joint and thickness planers really are when building my first arcade cabinet. I mentioned in another piece that I hadn’t done this right, and when I went to install all the components, it collapsed.

In more recent times, I’m beginning to appreciate just how much I need a power planer, because while I love the Zen of manually working with the wood, I’m not getting any younger and this means that too much repetitive manual work is taking a toll on my joints and my stamina these days.

Why Go Industrial?

The one we’re going to look at is a somewhat industrial thickness planer, which means it’s hefty and not really cheap. I don’t want to spend time dedicated to its description to argue for when such a high-end, high-capacity tool is called for.

If you do a lot of wood working, you will want one of these. The precision of a planer like this is unmatched, and so is the speed. It’s safe, it’s easy to use (if you know what you’re doing), and it’s powerful. If you’re just the occasional hobbyist or you’re just starting out, you may want to look into hand planers (electric or manual) instead. I’ve done reviews of several of these, and I’ve pointed out several great ones that’ll get the job done. This one is for the advanced user that does a lot of wood work. Unfortunately, that’s quite not me, but man, I still want this thing.

Makita 2012NB 12-Inch Planer | Best Value Thickness Planer

Whelp, it’s Makita, so you’re probably expecting me to gush a little bit just by that fact alone. Fine, don’t mind if I do. Makita, as I’ve said so many times, is a very reputable tool brand. It has a pedigree that very few other brands can boast. However, it’s an expensive brand as well, which means that you just don’t hear as much about it outside very professional and industrial circles.

This is a commercial, if not industrial table top planer, which means that it removes layers of wood to adjust the thickness or surface consistency of the material. Being a commercial machine, this isn’t something that you’ll want to spend the cost on, if you don’t do a severe amount of wood working. If you do, however, you will quickly find the precision and speed of something like this to be absolutely invaluable.

Features

• Power: 220v corded electric.
• Capacity: 12 ".
• Automated: Yes, though with some manual feeding.
• Weight: 61.9 pounds. This is a heavy duty tool you won’t want to transport often.
• Manufacturer: Makita.
• Adjustable: Yes.
• Noise Level: It’s not silent, but as far as industrial-level planers go, it’s pretty quiet, with that being a big focus of part of its engineering in fact.

Performance

This thing is a powerhouse, and if you’ve spent time doing hand planer work before using it, you’ll be blown away by something so time consuming and painstaking being handled so buttery-smooth.

I haven’t used this one, but I’ve seen it in action, and it is truly a sight to behold. I want one, too bad it’s too pricey for the amount of use I’d get out of it with my limited workload.

Pros and Con

Conclusion

If you do a lot of wood working, you can demand you’re fine with manual planers all you want, but in the end, you will need something like this.

Makita: Check the current price