Thickness Planer Reviews: How To Choose The Best Thickness Planer

The style of the thickness planer is the first aspect we will discuss. Benchtop thickness planers, combination thickness planers, and standalone thickness planers are the three different types of power thickness planers. The benefits and drawbacks of each kind are briefly discussed below, and in the article's concluding part, we reveal some of the top thickness planers in each category.

Benchtop Thickness Planers

Benchtop Thickness Planer
Source: Amazon

The term "benchtop thickness planer" refers to a thickness planer that is small enough to be utilized on your wood workbench. We've owned and used many of these planers over the years; they are typically the more economical form of the thickness planer.
The benchtop category is further separated between thickness planers that are not quite as portable and portable benchtop thickness planers (sometimes known as "lunchbox planers"). Portable thickness planers are made to be utilized both in a workshop and on the job site. Less mobile benchtop thickness planers are bigger, heavier, and more durable, but they also take up less space in a workshop.

• Pros

Typically, a benchtop thickness planer costs less than a solo or combination thickness planer. Moving from home to a job site or within your workshop is simpler.

• Cons

It may be challenging to thickness planes highly hard and figure timbers because a tabletop thickness planer often has less power than bigger wood planers. Instead of a spiral cutter head, benchtop thickness planers come with less expensive knife-style cutter heads. Additionally, a benchtop planer could have lower-quality parts and less functionality than a larger wood planer.

Stand-Alone Thickness Planers

Stand-Alone Thickness Planer
Source: Pinterest

We refer to a wood planer with its base and rests on the floor rather than a workbench top as a stand-alone thickness planer. It's sometimes referred to as a "floor model planer." This thickness planer is the one you are most likely to find at a professional woodworking shop. Below, we'll discuss our updated combo planer/jointer.
Why do serious hobbyists and professionals in the woodworking industry typically use stand-alone thickness planers?

• Pros

They were considering that standalone wood planers (and some combo planers) frequently offer far more stable features than benchtop planers, such as wider cutting capacities, stronger motors, longer and more durable infeed/outfeed tables, superior cutter heads, and more.

• Cons

The disadvantages of a standalone thickness planer are numerous. First, the price can be significantly more than that of a benchtop planer. A smaller workplace might be unable to accommodate this sort of wood planer because it requires much more room. It is also not transportable, making it impossible for woodworkers or carpenters to bring their planer to a job site.

Planer/Jointer Combo Machines

Planer/Jointer Combo Machines
Source: Amazon

A woodworking tool that can function as a power wood planer and a power jointer is known as a combo planer/jointer. Some woodworkers are forced to settle for workspaces with constrained space. One illustration of this kind of compromise is a jointer/planer combination. 
Here is a brief explanation of how the procedure operates: On the jointer, the face of the board is flattened, and an edge is squared. Let's look at some of this thickness planer's benefits and drawbacks.

• Pros

For individuals who desire the robust features of a stand-alone wood planer and jointer but want to save room for such enormous machines, a combo planer/jointer machine is a perfect solution. This is one of the main reasons we upgraded to this wood joiner/planer. Because there are so many workbenches in my woodworking school, we required a machine that had a smaller footprint and could be moved around my workshop more simply.

• Cons

The largest drawback of a combo machine is likely the constant changeover between the thickness planer and jointer. This might be more of a hassle than having two separate machines if you have a production shop where several workers will be jointing and planing at once. We find it less convenient, but we can see how it may be in a manufacturing shop.

---

The planing breadth of thickness planers should be considered when purchasing a thickness planer. We find it restricting because most benchtop model thickness planers can only handle boards around 12 to 13 inches wide. After all, we prefer to create furniture with broader boards, so we don't have to do as much clamping and gluing.
Typically, the greater thickness planers come in diameters ranging from 15 inches broad to 25 inches wide. Wider sizes are available for both the standalone thickness planers and the combo thickness planers. It was a game changer when we switched from a 12-inch to a 15-inch wood planer years ago. It's amazing what boards we can plane now that we have a 16-inch Felder thickness planer.
The need to plane a board broader than 16 inches has never arisen for me. Therefore, thickness planers in the 20 to 25-inch range are overkill for most woodworkers. Additionally, a tabletop planer with a 12 or 13-inch width will work for you if you don't intend to thickness plane broader boards or if your space is limited. Additionally, because it is quite uncommon to need to plane a thick board, we won't go into detail about the height of the planer bed in this guide.

---

Consider Thickness Planer Horse Power When Buying One
Source: Pinterest

The motors on larger-thickness planers are more powerful than those on smaller tabletop planers. When thickness planing, more horsepower enables faster and more wood removal. Since wood tends to break away more when taking a hard cut, we are okay with making multiple passes with lesser cuts. Therefore, we would be fine with a benchtop model's limited cutting depth.
However, more powerful motors make it simpler to plane tougher woods, such as tropical woods, which can slow down a thickness planer with a less powerful motor. It is also simpler to plane bigger boards or several boards at once using a thickness planer with more horsepower.
We have discovered that a thickness planer with a 3 HP motor rarely experiences any problems with thickness planning anything. The majority of high-end woodworking thickness planers are 3HP to 5HP in power. 
However, if you are okay with slowing down your thickness planing and plan to use largely softwoods and non-tropical hardwoods, it should work perfectly. It's also vital to remember that thickness planers at the professional level frequently lack a horsepower rating. Horsepower is more frequently used on consumer-level equipment to help woodworkers compare machinery.
So you can search for thickness planers under 3HP if thickness planing is something you'll only perform sometimes. Only use equipment with more than 3HP for significant thickness planing. Don't worry about HP if you choose a thickness planer of professional caliber. Almost any thickness planing work can be handled by it.

---

The infeed and outfeed tables, which are necessary for thickness planning large pieces of lumber, can be found on larger thickness planers (both stand-alone and higher-end combo thickness planers). Additionally, the bed's length provides better support for lumber of any size. Benchtop models typically have weak infeed and outfeed tables that are more challenging to make dead flat and incapable of supporting big pieces of lumber. More severe thickness planer "snipe" on your boards may result from this.
Thickness planer snipe occurs when the feeder grabs the board, and the cutter head removes too much wood from the beginning 3-5 inches and the last 3-5 inches. It results from inadequate support on the infeed or outfeed tables (or no infeed or outfeed tables at all). Snipe can be annoying since you have to either chop off those ends or take the board back to the jointer and use the snipe to flatten the face.

---

When getting the best thickness planer for your needs, consider the size and capacity of the tool, the types of wood you will be using it on, and the important features. A good thickness planer should be able to handle the types of wood you want to use it on, and it should have the features that you need. Make sure to read reviews to get a sense of how the tool performs in the real-world.

---