10 best small wood planer

Name: Mini Hand Planer, Katfort 3.2inch Wood Planer Hand Tool Hand Plane for Woodworking Flat Bottom Trimming Planer for Wood Planing Surface Smoothing, with 1 Planer Blade and 1 Metal Fixer
Brand: Kattool
Price: 78 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.0 (250 reviews)

A small wood planer, often referred to as a benchtop planer, is a power tool used in woodworking and carpentry to achieve smooth and uniform surfaces on wooden boards or planks. It falls within the category of power hand tools and is a valuable addition to a woodworker's toolkit and tools for home improvement. Here's what you should know about small wood planers:

Functionality:
- A small wood planer is designed to trim, flatten, and smooth the surfaces of wooden boards.
- It can remove imperfections like knots, unevenness, and roughness, resulting in a uniform and smooth finish.
Types of Planers:
- Benchtop Planers: These are compact and portable planers designed for use on a workbench or table. They are suitable for smaller woodworking projects and are favored by hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts.
Key Features:
- Cutter Head: Benchtop planers typically have a rotating cutter head equipped with two or more sharp blades. These blades shave off thin layers of wood to achieve a smooth surface.
- Infeed and Outfeed Tables: These tables support the wood as it passes through the planer, ensuring stability and consistency in the planing process.
- Depth Adjustment: Users can adjust the cutting depth to control the amount of material removed with each pass.
- Dust Collection: Many benchtop planers come with built-in dust collection systems to keep the work area clean and minimize airborne wood dust.
Applications:
- Small wood planers are used for a range of woodworking tasks, including planing wooden boards for furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and other woodworking projects.
- They are ideal for dimensioning rough lumber, making boards of consistent thickness, and ensuring a precise fit for joints.
Safety Considerations:
- Safety precautions are crucial when using a wood planer. This includes wearing safety goggles, hearing protection, and following proper techniques to avoid accidents and injury.
- Ensure that the workpiece is securely positioned on the infeed and outfeed tables to prevent kickback.
Maintenance:
- Regular maintenance is essential to keep a small wood planer in good working condition.
- Blade sharpening or replacement may be necessary over time to maintain the quality of planed surfaces.
Cost and Size:
- Benchtop planers are typically more affordable than larger, industrial planers and take up less space in a workshop.
Planer Thickness Capacity:
- The planer's capacity, often expressed in inches, indicates the maximum width and thickness of wood it can handle. Users should choose a planer that suits their project requirements.

In summary, a small wood planer, specifically a benchtop planer, is a versatile power tool used in woodworking and home improvement projects to achieve smooth and uniform surfaces on wooden boards. It offers precision and efficiency, making it a valuable asset for both professional woodworkers and DIY enthusiasts.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best small wood planer on the market

DEWALT Benchtop Planer, Single Speed, 15-Amp, 12-1/2-Inch (DW734)

DEWALT

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Product description

The DW734 12-1/2" Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutter-Head is powered by a 15 Amp motor for managing large, deep cuts in hardwood. Three-knife cutter head with speed of 10,000 rpm provides 96 cuts per inch, delivering one of the finest finishes of any portable planer.

The DEWALT DW734 12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer features a three-knife cutterhead and a powerful, 15 amp motor that delivers 10,000 rpm. Also offering quick, accurate depth adjustment, extra-long feed tables for material support, and the convenience of knives that are reversible and disposable, this planer makes it easy to create clean, custom stock.

12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutterhead

At a Glance:

Powerful 15 amp motor
Three-knife cutterhead operates at 10,000 rpm
96 cuts per inch for a fine finish
Disposable, reversible steel knives are easy to change
1/8-inch maximum cut depth; 6-inch depth capacity; 12-1/2-inch width capacity
Three-year limited warranty, one-year free service, 90-day money-back guarantee

DEWALT DW734 12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer

Create custom stock with the thickness planer's 10,000 rpm three-knife cutterhead. View larger.

Versatile planer cuts a wide range of hardwoods. View larger.

Powerful 15 Amp Motor for Deep, Clean Cuts

Benchtop planers are a long-term investment that allow you to buy rough stock and dimension it yourself. They also make creating custom materials easier, which, makes getting great results easier.

This planer's powerful 15 amp motor handles a wide range of tough hardwoods, and its three-knife cutterhead spins at 10,000 RPM to provide 96 cuts per inch.

Reversible, Disposable Knives for Convenience

The DEWALT DW734 uses razor sharp knives that are reversible and disposable. These knives last 30 percent longer than traditional disposable knives, helping you avoid costly and time-consuming resharpening.

For fast, easy, one-tool knife changes, a set of pins machined on the cutter-head goes through holes machined on the knife. This helps you quickly locate the fresh knife and refasten the knife clamp.

Effective Dust and Debris Management

The DW734 planer includes a dust hood that attaches to a shop vacuum or standing dust collector (sold separately) for efficient collection of chips and debris.

Large Capacity and Easy, Accurate Depth Adjustment

This planer's extra-long infeed and outfeed tables provide 33-1/2 inches of material support. A turret depth stop saves you time when setting the machine at commonly used depths.

In addition, the planer's material-removal gauge and extra-large thickness scale help ensure every pass is accurate. A four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the movement that causes material damage, or snipe, when planning near the end of a board.

This sturdy planer weighs 80 pounds. It offers a maximum cut depth of 1/8 inch, a depth capacity of 6 inches, and a width capacity of 12-1/2 inches.

This DW734 12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutterhead comes with a DEWALT warranty package that includes a three-year limited warranty, a one-year free service contract, and a 90-day money-back guarantee.

What's in the Box

DW734 DEWALT 12-1/2-Inch Thickness Planer with Three-Knife Cutterhead and dust hood.

The DEWALT DW734 features extra-long feed tables for material support.

Three-knife cutter head with 10,000 rpm cutter-head speed provides 96 cuts per inch, one of the finest finishes of any portable planer
Disposable, reversible knives deliver 30% more knife life and make knife change fast and easy.
Four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the movement that causes snipe
Extra-long infeed and outfeed tables provide 33-1/2" of material support.
Powerful 15 amp, 20,000 rpm motor handles larger, deeper cuts in hardwoods.
Material removal gauge and extra-large thickness scale deliver accurate cuts with every pass
Turret depth stop allows user to return to their most frequently used depths with ease

User questions & answers

Question:	Has anyone tried planning off paint on cedar with this machine? I have hundreds of feet to recycle
Answer:	yes. I've removed paint and finish with this.. not on cedar, but on mahogany and oak. However, do keep in mind that this will greatly impact the working life of the blades. But that's a small price to pay for such convenience. I say go for it. You'll love the result and it sure beats sanding or scraping with a card scraper.
Question:	Can the in-feed and out-feed rollers or carriage lock be adjusted to reduce snipe
Answer:	Make the last or final pass a very minimul cut depth ie. 1/64. This helps with snipe. The bigger the cut, the more snipe you will get. Make sure the material is support flat against the table as it begins the cut, and on the exit table as well. The pressure rollers tend to make the board 'tip' as it enters and exits (this is typical in any planer, even the big industrial ones found in mill houses). As far as waxing the tables, i much prefer to use a table top silicon type lube usually sold in spray cans at your local wood supply. These leave a non build moisture resistant film that will not only make the table very slick, but leave no waxy residue that can transfer to your lumber and cause finishing issues. Wax that transfers to your lumber can act as a release agent when applying typical lacquer base or poly type finishes. Last but not least, some snipe is considered acceptable from any planer. It's just the way it is. Always start with a board thats a few inches longer than finish length and plan on cutting off the ends. These little planers are better than most, but you can never plan on not haveing some snipe.
Question:	My first project with this will be planing 8"-10" wide Jatoba planks. How many linear feet can I expect to get out of one set of knives
Answer:	i really can not tell you , i still running my first set of knives and i have ran many hundred of feet thru , and they still run great we run oak, pine ,maple ,ash, walnut, beech , lot of oak &ash
Question:	are you happy with this purchase? or do you wish you got the 13" model with 2 speeds for $150 more
Answer:	I'm a hobbyist and have had the DW734 for about a year now. Most of my planning had been hardwoods, Maple, Cherry, Walnut and some Purple Heart. None of them have had complicated figure. The widest board I've run through the machine was about a 9" glue up. I've gotten very good results and virtually no tear out. For my purposes an extra 1/2" in width and 2 speeds wouldn't make any difference in my projects. For me, this was a great buy. Depending on your needs, your results may var :)

Product features

DEWALT DW734 12-1/2" Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutter-Head

The DW734 12-1/2" Thickness Planer with Three Knife Cutter-Head is powered by a 15 Amp motor for managing large, deep cuts in hardwood. It offers quick, accurate depth adjustment and the convenience of knives that are both reversible and disposable. This fully featured portable planer makes it easy to create clean custom stock.