Wood Planers: Types, How They Work, and Which to Buy
A planer shaves a thin, even layer off a board to make it a consistent thickness with smooth, parallel faces — the step that turns rough or reclaimed lumber into stock you can actually build with. But “wood planer” covers three very different tools, and picking the right one starts with knowing which job you mean:
- Thickness (benchtop) planers — a board feeds through a motorized cutterhead and comes out a set thickness, flat and parallel. This is what most people mean by “a planer,” and it’s the workhorse for dimensioning lumber.
- Handheld planers (electric, corded or cordless) — a portable tool you push across a surface to hog off material, chamfer an edge, or trim a sticking door. Fast and mobile, but you control flatness, not the machine.
- Hand planes — the manual, muscle-powered classic for shaving, smoothing, and fine finishing. No motor, total control, a learning curve.
This hub explains how each works, how to avoid the number-one beginner headache (snipe), and which planer to buy for your shop.
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Best wood planers at a glance
| Planer | Type / Best for | Woody Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. DEWALT DW735X | Benchtop thickness — best overall | 9.4/10 [Editor’s Choice] | Check price |
| 2. WEN 6552T | Benchtop thickness — best value | 8.7/10 | Check price |
| 3. Makita XPK02Z 18V LXT | Handheld — best cordless | 8.8/10 | Check price |
| 4. DEWALT DW680K | Handheld — best corded value | 8.4/10 | Check price |
1. DEWALT DW735X — Best Overall Thickness Planer
Best for: anyone serious about dimensioning lumber — the benchtop planer most woodworkers end up buying.
The DW735X is the benchmark 13″ benchtop thickness planer. Its three-knife cutterhead and powerful 15-amp motor take a wider, cleaner cut than two-knife rivals, and the two-speed gearbox lets you choose a fast feed for hogging or a slow feed for 179 cuts-per-inch finish passes. It ships as the “X” package with extra knives and infeed/outfeed tables, which flatten out snipe and save you a separate purchase. It’s heavy, it’s loud, and it isn’t cheap — but for turning rough boards into flat, parallel, ready-to-glue stock, nothing at this price does it better. Add a helical cutterhead down the road and it’s a lifetime tool.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ 3-knife head — wide, clean cut | ❌ Heavy and loud |
| ✅ Two feed speeds (up to 179 CPI finish) | ❌ Premium price |
| ✅ Extra knives + in/outfeed tables included | |
| ✅ Effective chip ejection |
2. WEN 6552T — Best Value Thickness Planer
Best for: getting real 13″ thickness-planing capacity for well under the DeWalt’s price.
The WEN 6552T proves you don’t have to spend top dollar to dimension lumber. It’s a 13″, 15-amp, three-blade benchtop planer on a heavy cast-iron base that resists walking, with a tri-roller feed system that keeps snipe in check. Cut quality and capacity are genuinely close to the class leaders; what you give up is the two-speed gearbox, the included spare knives, and some long-term refinement. For a hobbyist or a shop that planes occasionally, it’s the most planer per dollar — and it’s a common upgrade target for an aftermarket spiral cutterhead if you want quieter, tear-out-free cuts later.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ 13″ capacity at a budget price | ❌ Single feed speed |
| ✅ Heavy cast-iron base — stays put | ❌ No spare knives included |
| ✅ Three-blade cutterhead | |
| ✅ Spiral-head upgrade available |
3. Makita XPK02Z 18V LXT — Best Cordless Handheld
Best for: trimming doors, chamfering, and on-site stock removal with no cord.
When the job is portable — easing a sticking door, knocking a chamfer on a beam, cleaning up a rough edge — a handheld planer beats dragging a board to a bench machine, and the Makita XPK02Z is the best cordless one. It’s brushless, planes a full 3-¼″ width, and runs off Makita’s 18V LXT batteries, so if you’re already on that platform it’s a natural add. Depth is adjustable via the front knob, and it’s well balanced for controlled passes. Remember the key difference from a thickness planer: you control how flat the result is, so it’s for surface work and trimming, not precise dimensioning. See the full field in our best cordless planers guide.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Cordless, brushless, 3-¼″ width | ❌ Bare tool — battery/charger extra |
| ✅ Great for doors, edges, on-site work | ❌ Flatness depends on the user |
| ✅ Well balanced, easy depth setting |
4. DEWALT DW680K — Best Corded Handheld Value
Best for: occasional handheld planing where a cord is fine and battery cost isn’t worth it.
If you don’t need cordless freedom, the corded DW680K delivers the same handheld jobs for less. It’s a 7-amp, 3-¼″ electric hand planer with a solid 3/32″ maximum depth of cut, plenty for trimming doors, beveling edges, and rough surface removal, and it comes in a kit case. No battery to buy or keep charged — just plug in. It’s louder and tethered, and like any handheld planer the finished flatness is on you, but as an inexpensive, dependable tool for the occasional trimming task it’s hard to beat on price.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Inexpensive; no battery needed | ❌ Corded — less mobile |
| ✅ 3/32″ depth handles real removal | ❌ User controls flatness |
| ✅ Includes carry case |
Types of wood planer
Hand planes (manual)
The classic muscle-powered tool — block planes, smoothing planes, jack planes. No motor, no snipe, complete control, and unbeatable for final smoothing and fine fitting. The trade-off is a real learning curve (sharpening and technique) and slow going on rough or wide stock. Every serious woodworker owns at least a block plane.
Electric handheld planers
A powered version of the hand plane: a spinning cutterhead in a body you push across the work. Corded or cordless, they remove material fast and go to the workpiece — ideal for doors, edges, beams, and rough leveling. But they flatten only as well as you guide them, so they’re for stock removal and trimming, not precise thicknessing.
Benchtop thickness planers
The machine that makes a board a specific, uniform thickness. You feed stock in; powered rollers pull it under a cutterhead set to a fixed height, and it exits flat and parallel. This is the tool for dimensioning lumber. Note the key limitation below: a thickness planer makes faces parallel, but it doesn’t make the first face flat — that’s the jointer’s job.
Stationary planers
Bigger, heavier floor-standing versions of the benchtop planer for high-volume shops — wider capacity, more power, more expensive. Overkill for most home shops, where a benchtop 13″ machine handles the work.
How a thickness planer works (and how to use it)
A board rides on the planer’s bed while an infeed roller grips and pulls it under the spinning cutterhead; the knives shave the top to the height you set, and an outfeed roller carries it out. To use one well:
- Start with one flat face. A thickness planer references the bottom face to cut the top parallel to it. If the bottom is cupped or twisted, you’ll get a board of even thickness that’s still cupped. Flatten one face first on a jointer (or with a planer sled) — this is the single most misunderstood point about planers.
- Set a light depth of cut — typically 1/32″ or less per pass. Deep cuts bog the motor and tear out grain.
- Feed with the grain and take multiple passes, flipping the board to keep it even, until you reach your target thickness.
- Support long boards at the infeed and outfeed so they don’t tip.
Preventing snipe
Snipe is that slightly deeper cut a planer leaves in the first and last few inches of a board, when only one roller is engaged and the board can lift into the cutterhead. To minimize it:
- Use the planer’s infeed/outfeed tables (or add shop-made supports) and keep them level with the bed.
- Lift the trailing end up slightly as the board enters and support the leading end as it exits, keeping the board flat against the bed.
- Butt boards end-to-end so each pushes the next through — the snipe lands on scrap ends, not your workpiece.
- Leave boards a few inches long and trim the sniped ends off after planing.
How to choose a wood planer
- Decide the job first. Dimensioning rough lumber → benchtop thickness planer. Trimming doors / on-site work → handheld planer. Fine smoothing → hand plane. Many shops own more than one.
- Cutterhead: straight knives vs. spiral/helical. Straight-knife heads (like the stock DW735/WEN) cut well and cost less but are louder and can tear figured grain. Spiral (helical) cutterheads with carbide inserts run quieter, resist tear-out, and you rotate a single insert instead of changing whole knives — a popular upgrade.
- Width and depth capacity. 12–13″ benchtop planers cover most furniture stock; check the maximum depth of cut and board thickness.
- Motor power and feed speed. A 15-amp motor is standard on 13″ benchtops; a two-speed feed (DW735) lets you trade speed for a finer finish.
- Dust and chips. Thickness planers produce huge volumes of shavings — a dust-collection port and a shop vac or collector aren’t optional if you plane often.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a planer and a jointer?
A jointer makes one face (and an edge) dead flat. A thickness planer makes the opposite face parallel to the first and brings the board to a uniform thickness. You typically joint one face flat, then plane to thickness — a planer alone can’t remove cup or twist. No jointer? Use a planer sled to flatten the first face.
Can a planer flatten a cupped or twisted board?
Not by itself. A thickness planer’s rollers press the board flat as it feeds, so it cuts even thickness but the cup or twist springs back when it exits. Flatten one face first (jointer or sled), then plane the other face parallel.
How much can a planer take off in one pass?
Keep it light — about 1/32″ (0.8 mm) or less per pass for clean results and to avoid bogging the motor or tearing grain. Reach your final thickness over several passes rather than one deep cut.
Do I need a planer if I have a handheld electric planer?
They’re different tools. A handheld planer removes material and trims but leaves flatness up to you; a benchtop thickness planer produces boards of precise, uniform thickness. For dimensioning lumber to build furniture, you want the thickness planer.
Is a spiral (helical) cutterhead worth it?
If you plane often, plane figured wood, or want a quieter shop, yes. Helical heads with carbide inserts cut with far less tear-out and noise, and you rotate individual inserts instead of replacing full knives. It’s the most popular planer upgrade.
More in the planer & milling cluster
Going cordless or portable? Compare the field in best cordless planers. Planning stock and cost? Run the numbers with our board foot calculator and lumber calculator. Hold work steady while you plane an edge with the right woodworking vise, and finish milled boards with the best wood sander.
