Best Wood Planers in 2027

The WEN PL1337 ranks first on our spec score. It takes boards up to 13 in wide and 6 in thick, which suits typical furniture stock in a home shop. The cutterhead is spiral, with 26 knives. Many small cutting edges take thin shavings, and that usually helps limit tearout on figured or wavy grain.

The listing describes two feed speeds. Use 26 FPM for fast dimensioning and 16 FPM for finish passes. A slower feed makes more cuts per in, so the surface comes out smoother. The cutterhead turns at 10,000 RPM. The design is listed as anti-snipe, which matters because snipe is the small dip planers leave at the ends of a board.

It weighs 69 lb. That is heavier than the CRAFTSMAN CMEW320 at 62.92 lb and the VEVOR M1B-LS-3301 at 61.73 lb, but lighter than the DEWALT DW735 at 91.25 lb. It has a dust port and a two-year warranty. The maker does not publish a motor wattage, so power is hard to compare directly.

The CRAFTSMAN CMEW320 ranks second. Its 12.25 in planing width is the narrowest of all 16 products on the page, so check your widest boards first. The maker does not publish a maximum thickness in the data we have. If you plane boards wider than 12.25 in, this model will not take them. Many 13 in models on this page take a wider board.

The cutting setup is conventional. A 15 amp motor drives a two-knife steel cutterhead mounted on ball bearings. The knives are high carbon steel, double edged and reversible, so you flip them when one edge dulls. Cutterhead speed is 8,000 RPM. Two knives ties for the lowest knife count on the page, so a spiral head will likely give a smoother finish.

Weight is 62.92 lb, close to the lightest listed weight on the page of 60 lb. The warranty runs three years, the longest among models that list one, tied with one other. A vacuum port handles dust. No anti-snipe design is listed, so plan extra board length to trim off snipe.

The VEVOR M1B-LS-3301 ranks third. It takes boards up to 13 in wide. Its cutterhead speed is 23,500 RPM, the highest of any product on the page. It uses a spiral cutterhead, and the listing mentions 24 spiral alloy blades. Spiral heads shear the wood in small cuts, which helps on figured grain where straight knives tend to tear.

The motor is rated at 2000W, and the maker says it suits oak, maple and other hardwoods. The design is listed as anti-snipe. The listing describes a dual-roller feed system and depth control in 1/8 in steps. Its worktable is 28.2 in long, so longer boards get support. The listing gives a 6 in height limit.

Weight is 61.73 lb, second lightest among the ten ranked models. It has a dust port that takes 2 in and 4 in hoses. That makes it easy to pair with a shop vacuum or a dust collector. The listing does not give a warranty length or a feed rate in fpm, so check those before you buy.

The DEWALT DW735 ranks fourth. It planes boards 13 in wide and 6 in thick, the same capacity as the WEN and CUTECH. The cutterhead has three knives and turns at 10,000 RPM. The listing says the knives change faster and last 30% longer. The data does not list a spiral head. Fewer cutting edges means finish depends more on feed speed.

Feed speed is a strong point. A two-speed gearbox sets 96 or 179 cuts per in, so you can choose rough stock removal or a fine finish. The listing also describes fan-assisted chip ejection that clears chips from the cutterhead and blows them out of the machine. An anti-snipe design is listed, and a dust port is included.

Weight is 91.25 lb, the heaviest of the top five models that list weight. That is a lot to lift onto a bench or stand. The listing describes a 19-3/4 in cast aluminum base and folding tables. No warranty length is listed.

The CUTECH 40600H ranks fifth. It handles boards 13 in wide and 6 in thick and has a spiral cutterhead with 26 knives. The inserts are two-sided and sit in 6 rows. Two-sided inserts can be turned to a fresh edge. The maker claims low amp draw and reduced noise. Cutterhead speed is 10,000 RPM.

Snipe control is a focus. The listing describes four lead screws and a patented coupling that minimize snipe, so no separate snipe lock is needed. A depth stop with 8 positions helps you plane a batch of boards to the same thickness. That suits repeat parts like drawer sides. A depth indicator on the front shows the next cut.

The feed rate is 26 fpm, the lowest listed on the page, tied with one other model. A slow feed gives more cuts per in but takes longer per board. A flip-up dust hood either blows chips out the back or connects to a dust collector. Weight and warranty are not published.