First up in our best planer reviews is a top-notch tool from the industry heavyweight DeWalt.
Off the bat, do not confuse this thickness planer with a planer/thicknesser. This is a hard-hitting benchtop unit that acts purely to thickness your boards rather than serving double duty.
If you want to cut any rough or finished boards to the right thickness, the DeWalt is a very smart choice.
The DeWalt DW735X is first and foremost a tool for the shop. It tips the scales at over 100 pounds so, while you could take it on the jobsite, you’ll probably need some assistance to hump it around.
The trade-off for this lack of portability is a first-class, heavy-duty planer that’s built to last. You’ll be able to take care of pretty much any project from furniture and doors right through to customized millwork.
The 15-amp motor is a powerhouse. It maxes out at 20,000RPM which is capable of turning the blades at an impressive 10,000RPM. The result of this raw power is a planer perfectly placed to deliver substantial cuts in wide and hard material.
With a 3-knife cutter system, you’ll get a little more more mileage from your knives and you even get a free set provided so you can’t ask for much more than that. This goes some way to mitigating the fact the knives have a propensity to dull relatively quickly.
When it comes to changing the blades, DeWalt make life easy for you. Just remove the top section of the planer so the blades and exhaust shroud are fully exposed. Each blade has a handful of screws and when you want to move to the next blade, simply depress a lever so it locks into place.
The 2-speed gearbox is perfectly designed so you can easily boost or reduce the cutting speed. Jack it up to over 100 cuts per minute with any harder wood or dial it back if you’re working with softer material for maximum flexibility with the minimum of fuss. All you need to do is flick a simple switch and you can adjust the speed accordingly.
The DeWalt will accept workpieces up to 13 inches wide and you’ll be able to make cuts up to 6 inches in depth. This affords you the freedom to undertake pretty ambitious projects with substantial pieces of material.
Whether you want to remove fine layers or bigger chunks, you can do so without breaking your stride. The removal gauge and thickness scale help you to thickness any boards to a completely uniform size. The handy automatic carriage lock eliminates any snipe that would mar your project.
Safety is paramount with any power tool and the DW735X won’t let you down in this regard. Thanks to the fan-assisted chip ejection, you won’t get any stray debris on the cutterhead as it’s blown well clear of the machine leaving you to work in a clean, dust-free environment. You can also easily hook up your DeWalt to your favorite dust collection system so you’ve got all bases covered.
DeWalt are famous not just for top-notch power tools but also for their superb guarantees. You’ll get a 3-year limited warranty, a full year of free servicing and you’ll even enjoy a 90-day cooling-off period so if you’re not fully satisfied, you’ll get your money back.