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DeWalt DW735 13'' Thickness Planer
15 amp, 20,000 RPM motor Three-knife cutter head. A two-speed gear box allows adjustment of the feed speed to optimize cuts per inch at 96 or 179 CPI. 1/8" maximum depth of cut. Fan-assisted chip ejection vacuum. 6" depth capacity. Rigid 19-3/4" cast aluminum base. DeWalt DW735 13'' Thickness Planer

Delta 12-1/2" Portable Planer, Model TP305
15 amp 120V motor. Width Capacity: 12-1/2”. Max Depth of cut on 8” stock = 3/32”; Max Depth of cut on 12.5” stock = 1/16”. 26.2 FPM feed rate. Two knife cutter head. Tool Weight: 62 lbs.

JET - JPM-13CS, 13'' Closed Stnd Planer/Molder, 1-1/2HP, 1Ph, 115/230V

13" planer/molder combination machine. Cast iron table and base. Three-knife cutterhead. Two feed rates- slow rate for smooth moldings. Can handle molder cutters up to 6" wide in multipasses. Over 40 standard molding cutter sets are available, and custom made cutters. Special gauge is included to assist in proper setup of molding cutters

JET - JPM-13CS, 13'' Closed Stnd Planer/Molder, 1-1/2HP, 1Ph, 115/230V

JET - JWP-16OS: 16'' 3HP OS Planer
3HP motor, three V-belts transfer maximumpower to the cutterhead. Cast iron and steel construction. Large cast iron handwheel. Serrated steel infeed roller and smooth steel outfeed roller. Two-speed gearbox. Angled 4" dust port positions the hose away from work area and provides efficient chip and dust collection. JET - JWP-16OS: 16'' 3HP OS Planer

Powermatic 15" Deluxe Planer with Spiral Cutterhead, Model 15S
The spiral cutterhead on this planer provides smoother cutting and a finer finish than conventional knives. Three V-belts transfer maximum power from the 3HP motor to the cutterhead. A digital readout both in inch and metric offers precise positioning of the table and varying methods of measuring your cuts. The 4" dust port angles the collection hose away from the work area. 1/8" maximum depth of cut. 2-speed gearbox. The 1-piece welded steel stand has built-in lockable casters for easy movement around the shop.

POWERMATIC - Model PM15, 5HP, 1Ph, 230V, Magnetic Control
Strong 5HP motor. 15" planing capacity will run double molding knife sets. Large cast iron table. Cast iron head assembly. Two feed speeds. Uses single or three-piece molding knives, providing a wide selection of profiles. Large handwheel and easy-to-read inch/metric scale for fast set-up. POWERMATIC - Model PM15, 5HP, 1Ph, 230V, Magnetic Control

Jet 8" Jointer / Planer Combo, Model JJP-8BT
Combination bench top jointer/planer provides a 2 in 1 machine to maximize work space. Compact bench top design fits conveniently in small shop environments. Heavy Duty 13 Amp motor. Two high speed steel knives. Large aluminum extruded fence. Sheet metal out feed table with height adjustment.

Jet JJP-12; 12'' PLANER/JOINTER COMBO MACHINE

Three high-speed steel knife cutter head. Parallelogram design keeps the table close to the cutterhead. Extra large aluminum extruded fence. Extrmemely quick changeover between jointing and planing functions. Fence does not need to be removed 3HP induction motor. Heavy-duty, one-piece steel closed stand. Built-in dust chute with 4" dust port used for both jointing and planing operations.

Jet JJP-12; 12'' PLANER/JOINTER COMBO MACHINE

See More Planers at Rockler

See More Planers at Woodcraft

A planer does mostly just one thing- reduce the thickness of a piece of wood. It will not straighten wood, for that you need a jointer. Planers can be used with special jigs to cut a bevel in boards, by holding the stock at an angle as it passes through the cutter head.

There are a number of fairly inexpensive planers on the market, in the $300 range. These machines work, but they have low power and cannot take a very big bite on each pass. But given that the next size up from these portable units costs over twice as much, the portables are the only alternative for many people. The main thing to remember with them is to keep the knives sharp. Since the motors are not overpowered they will work much better if the knives don't have to work too hard.

Larger planers have several advantages. You'll see some 12" planers that cost three times what the small 12" models cost- obviously the large ones have no more width capacity. But they do have beef. More powerful motors mean you can take a deeper bite to reduce the time it takes to reduce thickness on a lot of boards. More powerful motors also mean you can continue to use the machine when the knives are not optimally sharp, whereas the small planer motors bog down quickly with slightly dulled knives. Heavier machines are more stable and have better feed mechanisms, and will last a lifetime of continual use. The light machines are built well, but they are not heavy duty.

There are two types of cutterheads on planers. The first is steel knives, with either two or three knives in the cutterhead. Three knifes makes a smoother cut. The second is helical cutterheads with carbide inserts. This option is more expensive, but has real advantages. The helical design makes for smoother cutting than steel knives. Each steel knife comes around the spinning cutterhead and chops at the wood in one cut, at the full length of the blade. But a helical cutterhead presents the knives to the wood along a helix, so only some of the cutter hits wood at any given moment, and some cutter is always in contact with wood, rather than the chop-chop-chop of straight knives. Straight knives work well, but helical is smoother.

There's something to be said for steel knives, though. Crisp, sharp steel is sharper than carbide because it is a uniform material whereas carbide is a composite. Fresh steel knives on a planer make for fast planing at deep cuts, and smooth results. Helical carbide is an industrial application which is now scaled down to smaller shop machines such as those shown on this page. Industrial woodworking is more concerned with efficiency than the ultimate smoothness of the finished surface.

Note that some planers have molding capability. This means you can put shaped knives in the cutterhead for making moldings. This is a nice extra capability, but before I bought one I'd carefully research exactly how many different knife shapes there are that will fit the specific machine, and what is involved (cost and time) to have custom knives ground. The molder is no use to you if you can't get the right knives, or they are far too expensive.

Having a combination jointer/planer helps in two ways- two machines for the price of one, plus the space savings of one maching versus two. They have tables that aren't as long as other jointers, and may be more difficult to adjust or repair because you have more mechanical stuff located in a small space.

For information on using a planer to make thin stock, click here.

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