Looking for a budget-friednly thickness planer for your workshop or hobby? This is the perfect place for it!
The top four thickness planers on my list are affordable, convenient, stable, and gets the job done as soon as possible. Moreover, there are some additional information that you may want to know about before you decide to get your own thickness planer.
Ready for all that is on its way? Keep scrolling!
Our Top Brands Thickness Planer Under $500
| Product | Name | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | DEWALT Thickness Planer | Item Dimensions LxWxH 24 x 17 x 21 inches Item Weight 80 Pounds Power Source Corded Electric | Check Price |
 | Wen Thickness Planer | Item Dimensions 26.5 x 19.88 x 17.38 inches Item Weight 68.9 pounds Power Source Corded Electric | Check Price |
 | Craftsman Thickness Planer | Item Dimensions 23.5 x 17.5 x 15.4 inches Item Weight 61.2 pounds Power Source Corded Electric | Check Price |
 | Mophorn Thickness Planer | Item Dimensions 27.5 x 26 x 40 inches Item Weight 88.4 Pounds Power Source Corded Electric | Check Price |
 | PowertecThickness Planer | Item Dimensions 24 x 18 x 14 inches Item Weight 63.3 pounds Power Source Corded Electric | Check Price |
What Does A Thickness Planer Do?
If you are into woodworking, you must have heard the term ‘thickness planer’. It is an absolutely essential tool in carpentry to trim and slim down wooden boards to the right thickness and shape.
Mainly, the job of a thickness planer is to make the face of a board parallel to the faces of the other sides. It helps to smooth the dangerous, pointy edges of the board so it can be used for building and renovation.
When you use a planer, the stock you are using will have the same thickness and smoothness everywhere once it has gone through the planing machine. The final result is a smooth board that is flat on all sides.
Product List: Best Thickness Planer under $500
When you think thickness planer, you may be envisioning a truck load of money spent just to get one for your workshop. But it does not have to be that way. Modern manufacturers are quite clever and customer-conscious.
They also make thickness planers that middle to low income level individuals can purchase. So, for beginners and budget-conscious buyers, here are the 5 best thickness planers under $500!
1. DEWALT Benchtop Planer (DW734)
Features
- A power of 15 amp and 20 000 rpm motor can withstand difficult stock and cut through deeper.
- The planer includes a three-knife cutter head that can make 96 cuts per inch at a speed of 10 000 rpm. You are looking at a beast!
- Furthermore, this comes with a full 3-year warranty, 1-year free service, and a 90-day money-back guarantee!
Construction and Hardware
- Reducing snipes with this planer is easy as the machine minimizes the movement of the stock with its four-column carriage lock.
- The steel knives that come with it are reversible, disposable, and changeable.
- You do not have to make an adjustable table separately as this planer includes one already! The super-long infeed and outfeed tables are capable of giving 33 ½ inches of support to the stock.
Good Sides
- It does not produce a large amount of dust.
- Instructions for assembly and usage are detailed and useful.
- There is no need for extra tweaking to improve its performance.
Bad Sides
- Since it is really heavy, you would not be able to move it around much.
- You may notice the exhaust gets clogged from time to time without a secondary dust collector.
Why Should You Buy This One
With this baby by your side, you would not have to worry about matching the dimensions of two or more boards anymore. Also, the speed at which this planer cuts stock is incredible and the results are mind-blowing! It is also not so bad in the noise department.
Dewalt Benchtop Planer At Amazon
You may find useful reading article on Grizzly-Dewalt Benchtop Planer
2. WEN Benchtop Thickness Planer (PL1252)
Features
- This corded electric thickness planer can generate as many as 20 000 cuts per minute.
- Any board has to be 12 ½ inches in width and 6 inches in thickness to be able to pass through this machine.
- It uses a strong motor of 12 amps that operates at a feed rate of 26 feet per minute.
Construction and Hardware
- Even though it is a beast, it is still portable! Weighing at 55.6 pounds with a footprint of 20 by 12.5 inches, you can move it around your shop with rubber-grip handles.
- It uses SK5 blades that are 12.5 inches and are reversible.
- This baby can easily process a board with 12 inches of width and 6 inches of thickness.
Good Sides
- You will receive the equipment level in all directions.
- None of the hardware with the device requires an upgrade for improved performance.
- It is capable of removing every bit of nastiness from the surface of the wood.
Bad Sides
- The motor can smell like it is burning after prolonged use.
- Since it is really loud, operating it without ear gear can be dangerous.
Why Should You Buy This One
Although smoothening and cutting are easy with this planer, you may have to turn the handle more than half a turn pass. Even removing the blades may be difficult for some. Regardless, this equipment will give you many years of service without needing to visit the repair shop!
Check Wen Thickness Planer At Amazon
3. CRAFTSMAN Benchtop Planer (CMEW320)
Features
- You don’t have to worry about dirty workspace since this planer is equipped with an effective dust collection box.
- The overall measurement of the package is 23.5 inches in length, 17.5 inches in width, and 15.4 inches in height. The planer can weigh upto 61.2 pounds.
- Again, the cutter head speed is 8 000 rpm which is lower than WEN and DEWALT benchtop planers. It can provide 16 000 cuts per minute overall.
Construction and Hardware
- Poly-V cutter head feature of this equipment can cut through anything at a high speed.
- For ultimate performance, it is furnished with a steel cutter head and two knives that are quickly changeable, reversible, and double-edged.
Good Sides
- You can smoothen and cut both hard and soft wood material with this planer.
- The dust collection attached to the chute works wonders and is better than more popular thickness planers on the market.
- It is a great option to start off your woodworking abilities!
Bad Sides
- You will be disappointed by the tables not coming out from the box in levels.
- Setting up the equipment may be tough at the beginning.
- The gauge for the machine is confusing.
Why Should You Buy This One
Most beginning woodworkers and hobbyists prefer to get this thickness planer instead of the more expensive options because of the price.
Why spend so much on something you will only use occasionally? Anyhow, when it comes to cutting and smoothing out boards, you will be extremely satisfied with it!
Check Craftsman Benchtop Planer At Amazon
4. Mophorn Thickness Planer
Features
- The Mophorn thickness planer supports a cut width of 12.5 inches in width and 6 inches in depth.
- A motor power of 18 000 watts and 15 amp make planing any type of wood possible.
- When it comes to speed, it is as good as any other with 8000 rpm and 236 inches per minute.
Construction and Hardware
- Made of aluminum for durability and strength, it is more stable than other thickness planers because it comes with a stand.
- It is also foldable, portable, and convenient to store anywhere without taking up too much space.
Good Sides
- The cutting-edge gauge is amazing with super-precise planning.
- Even if your wood is rotten, damaged, weathered, and difficult, this baby will take care of it!
- You can easily adjust the height of the cutter head with the crank handle.
Bad Sides
- You may notice some snipes at the end sometimes.
- The stand may be too small for tall people who have to bend over for woodworking.
Why Should You Buy This One
This one is a catch, I am telling you! It even comes with a stand, nuts, iron dust cover, and footpads.
With all that going on, this equipment does not move or vibrate while you are planing away boards after boards! On top of that, the infeed and outfeed rollers grab and move the board for you!
Check Mophorn Thickness Planer At Amazon
5. PowertecThickness Planer
Features
- The planer allows a maximum cutting width of 12.5 inches, and a maximum cutting thickness of 6 inches.
- It has a blade speed of 9400 rpm and feed rate of 315 inches per minute.
- Its solid design lets you plane wood, lining nylon, bamboo, and so much more!
Construction and Hardware
- Walking and wobbling of the thickness planer are prevented with the solid steel stand.
- Side grooves are attached so you can move and locate the equipment wherever you want.
- The folding options let you store it in a small space without worry.
Good Sides
- Maintenance is easy with this machine, so its service life is lengethened.
- The motor shuts off on its own when there is a high current surge.
- You can connect the exhaust with the dust collection mechanism for a cleaner workspace.
Bad Sides
- The vacuum port may not be able to collect all the sawdust.
Why Should You Buy This One
This planer seems to be a high quality machine with little or no faults, to be honest. The manufacturers have made sure that customers are fully satisfied. In all, this planer is reliable, stable, convenient, and practical.
Check Powertec Thickness Planer At Amazon
What Do You Need To Know Before Buying A Planer? (Buying Guide)
Since you have decided to get a planer for your garage work or something bigger and more commercial, why not help you decide which factors to look at before getting this beautiful equipment?
Power
The higher the power of a planer, the more amp it will use. Do not expect a small manual hand planer to carry any power. I am only implying the electric planers that are used for commercial and industrial reasons. A manual planer only needs the strength of your arms to operate.
Depending on the project at hand, and the amount of planing required per day, you should buy a planer that can support your workload. It is not uncommon for some industrial planers to utilize horsepower for functioning.
Capacity
A typical planer can get rid of 3 mm of the stock maximum per pass. Hence, you are not recommended to insert any stock wider than that to use a planer.
Big planers, like the benchtop and heavy-duty electric planers, there is a minimum requirement to boards that are put into them. You must also not cross the maximum cutting height and width set by the manufacturer.
The planing width of the machines is an important factor to consider when you are looking around to buy one for yourself. Usually, the benchtop models can only take boards up to 12 to 13 inches wide.
Cuts per Inch
A typical thickness planer can cut up to ⅛ inch deep and a board that is 12 ½ inches in width. If you are wondering how the cutting is done, it occurs from top to bottom, instead of bottom to top.
A 12-inch planer can cut a stock about 6 inches in thickness. Moreover, an 18-inch thickness planer can do more, and cut about 9 inches of thick stock.
If you are cutting a board for the first time, you can start with this process. Snatch the board into 1 ⅝ inch. This method can get rid of the saw marks and leave you with 1 ½ inches of thick wood. Now, adjust your electric planer to cut off 1/32 inch from that board.
Feed Rate
The feed rate is measured in feet per minute (fpm). You can control the number of cuts per pass with the feed rate of your equipment. More cuts are made per pass, cleaner and better than the final finish of the cardboard.
A lower feed rate means that the wood would go slower through the machine, and more cuts are made per pass. On the other hand, the higher the feed rate, the faster the wood would go through and make a lower number of cuts per pass.
Support Tables
Do you think you need support tables for your thickness planer? Then why not opt for benchtop planers that come with a working table and efficient mechanism to smoothen out boards?
Thickness planers are known to produce snipes of about 2 inches at each end of the wooden board. Although some modern models are able to eliminate this problem, most traditional planer in the market are unable to do so.
You can reduce the number of snipes produced to 0.0004 inches by including an adjustable table to your benchtop thickness planer.
Warranty
The warranty of a good thickness planer can last from one to three years. Some manufacturers even offer a one year free service period, and some a 90-day money-back guarantee opportunity.
Safety Tips For A Thickness Planer
Here are a few safety rules to consider when you are working with a thickness planer.
- Make sure to run the dust collection mechanism when you are running the planer to prevent creating a mess in the surrounding.
- You must keep your hands away from the infeed table surface at least by 4 inches.
- You do not have to wear protective gloves during the planing process.
- When the board is inside the planer, please refrain from moving the table underneath.
- Wearing eye and ear protection during operation of this equipment is absolutely necessary!
Frequently Asked Questions
I do not believe that your curiosity about planers have ceased yet. So, let us look at what else you need to know about the best thickness planers under $500!
Sometimes you may not have a thickness planer at your disposal for one reason or another. In that case, you can follow the some alternatives to work with the wood at hand.
You can start by building a sled.
The boards can be milled by hand, but it is going to be tough.
Use a belt sander or a drum sander instead of an actual planer.
Another option is to get a wide form sander with a jointer sled.
For a large piece of wood, you can use a table saw as well.
A wood router can shave off layers of wood to formulate the design that you want. For this, you need to build a sled that will hold the wood to the platform.
Most thickness planers have a pass of 3 mm. A 12-inch planer can plane wood that are 6 inches in thickness. Whereas an 18-inch planer can handle a thickness of 9 inches.
According to regular woodoworkers, they require a planer and a jointer to smoothen rough wooden surfaces. The jointer may be able to flatten the surface, but not make it parallel and smooth. However, there are other tools that you can use in the place of a planer for woodworking. For example, sand belt, table saw, drum sander, wood router, jack plane, and sandpaper
Last Words
The best thickness planers under $500 may not be as powerful, industrial, and sophisticated compared to the pricier ones in the market. But, they can surely get the job done in half the price!
Check out the FAQ section to find out more about thickness planers. Also read how to use the thickness planer to learn about its work process. Other than that, you are good to go! Happy shopping!
I am Imtiaj Islam. I am a wood working enthusiast, having 6 years of experience in carpentry work. I have a BBA graduate degree from Chittagong College. I got vocational training on wood works from Korean Polytechnic out of the quest and zest he has for carpentry as well. I take several wood projects and keep testing different woodworking tools for comfortable and perfect work. I just love playing with woods and machines.