These Are the Best Benchtop Planers for Your Woodworking Projects

Regardless of the woodworking project you’re tackling, you’re going to want your workpieces to be as flat and smooth as possible. Wood planers help to achieve just that, using extremely sharp blades to eliminate rough spots, inconsistencies, and uneven surfaces.

Planers are a valuable tool in preparing wood in optimum condition.

For more great woodworking power tools, check out our top picks for table saws,power drills, and miter saws.

The Best Wood Planers

What to Consider

Cutterhead Type

Planers offer two types of cutterheads: the traditional straight knife and helical, or spiral, configuration. A straight knife cutterhead contains several blades (two to four are typical), which are often referred to as knives.

Helical models, on the other hand, use rows of small, square-shaped cutters that are affixed via inserts, making them easy to replace when needed. Helical cutterheads add to the cost, but maintain sharp cutting ability for a longer time and also make the job significantly quieter.

Body Type

Wood planers are divided into three main body-type categories: handheld, benchtop, and stationary.

Handheld models are sometimes manually operated, but there are numerous electric handhelds, too. Because of its compact size, this style is a great choice for smaller or more intricate jobs. Some handheld models are available in cordless varieties, which can come in handy if you are working on remote job sites where electrical access is limited.

Benchtop models are less expensive and more convenient than larger stationary varieties. They are more portable, making them a popular option for professionals who often need to conduct work onsite at different locations.

Stationary models require a lot more space and involve more maintenance, but can handle bigger projects. We recommend these for folks with expansive wood shops.

Noise Level

Electric wood planers tend to be loud and are often cited as one of the loudest tools in any shop or DIYer’s garage. We strongly recommend ear plugs or other hearing protection gear. Keeping the blades sharp can help—the noise tends to increase as blades dull, but you (and the neighbors) will still have to tolerate some noise. Shallow cuts can keep things a bit quieter (and also tend to lengthen the lifespan of your blades).

Motor Power

If you want a machine that can keep up with strenuous use and demanding projects, choose the most powerful motor you can. If you primarily work with softer woods that won’t put much strain on the planer, a lower-powered motor should be fine.

How We Selected

In assessing a wide range of wood planers, we specifically focused on four criteria: model type, motor, cutterhead, and board width. We compared motor-related specifications, checked customer reviews, and made sure to comprehensively compare models at similar price points to only recommend the best.

Bobbi Dempsey, the original author of this buying guide, is the former owner of a construction business and the current owner of a fixer-upper home built in the 1800s. She’s used wood materials for a virtually endless array of jobs, includingframing and DIY woodworking projects likerefurbishing kitchen cabinet doors. She used her experience to inform her recommendations.