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Editor’s Choice
Short on time? Of the 6 thickness planer on this list, this is the one I'd buy.
A 13″ planer with two feed speeds, a three-knife cutterhead and a carriage lock that fights snipe.
- Mid-range pick WEN PL1326
- Premium pick JET JWP-13BT
A thickness planer turns rough or uneven boards into stock of one exact thickness, with both faces parallel. It’s the machine that lets you buy cheaper rough lumber, reuse old boards and make parts that fit together without hours of sanding. For most home shops, the best thickness planer is the DeWalt DW735X: a 13″ benchtop planer with two feed speeds and a three-knife head. If you want a quieter machine with a better finish on figured wood, get one with a spiral or helical cutterhead, like the WEN PL1326 or the JET JWP-13BT.
Below are my six picks, a comparison table, short reviews, and a guide to cutterheads, feed speed, snipe, dust collection and the question most people ask first: is a planer worth buying at all?
Best Thickness Planers: Comparison
Specs are the makers’ own, from each listing. Tiers describe where each planer sits in the benchtop planer market today (budget, mid-range, upper mid-range, premium); I don’t print prices, and the Amazon buttons show the live one.
| Product | ⭐ DeWalt DW735X 🏆 EDITOR’S CHOICE |
WEN PL1326 | WEN PL1337 | JET JWP-13BT | Makita 2012NB | Craftsman CMEW320 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | |
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| Width | 13″ | 13″ | 13″ | 13″ | 12″ | Benchtop |
| Cutterhead | 3 straight knives | Spiral, 26 HSS blades | Spiral, 26 HSS blades | Helical, 6 rows of 26 carbide inserts | 2 disposable double-edge blades | 2 reversible steel knives |
| Feed speeds | 2 (96 or 179 CPI) | 1 (26 ft/min) | 2 (26 or 16 ft/min) | 2 (18 or 26 ft/min) | 1 | 1 |
| Listed weight | About 100 lb | About 81 lb | About 69 lb | About 75 lb | About 62 lb | About 61 lb |
| Tier | Upper mid-range | Mid-range | Upper mid-range | Premium | Premium | Budget |
| Availability | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon | Check price on Amazon |
Best Thickness Planers: Reviews
The specs below are the makers’ own, from each product’s listing, with weights as Amazon lists them. Every pick could be ordered on Amazon when I checked it.
Editor's Choice13" two-speed planer
DeWalt DW735X
DeWalt DW735X 13″ Two-Speed Thickness Planer
The benchmark benchtop planer: two feed speeds, a three-knife head and a carriage lock against snipe.
Check price on AmazonSpecs: DEWALT
Best for
Home and small pro shops that dimension a lot of rough lumber.
- Two feed speeds
- Automatic carriage lock against snipe
- Extra knives in the X kit
Skip it if
You plane a lot of figured wood, where a spiral head tears out less.
- Heavy: plan for a stand
- Straight knives are loud
Read full review
Best Thickness Planer Overall
The DW735X has been the benchmark benchtop planer for years because it does the basics very well. A 15 amp, 20,000 rpm motor drives the three-knife cutterhead at 10,000 rpm, and the two-speed gearbox lets you choose 96 or 179 cuts per inch: the fast speed for dimensioning rough stock, the slow one for a finish-ready surface on the last pass. DeWalt says the three-knife head gives 30% longer knife life and faster knife changes, and this X kit adds extra knives.
Two details make it easy to live with. An automatic carriage lock reduces the movement that causes snipe, without you having to engage it, and fan-assisted chip ejection blows chips out of the machine instead of letting them pile up on the bed. The 19-3/4″ cast aluminum base, a material removal gauge and a large thickness scale round it out. It’s heavy, at about 100 lb listed, and loud, like every straight-knife planer. For a head-to-head with the DW734 and the Makita 2012NB, see my DW735 vs DW734 vs Makita 2012NB comparison.
Best value13" spiral planer
WEN PL1326
WEN PL1326 13″ Spiral Benchtop Thickness Planer
A spiral cutterhead at a mid-range tier: 26 rotatable inserts take a shearing cut on figured grain.
Check price on AmazonSpecs: WEN
Best for
Hobby woodworkers who plane figured or reclaimed wood on a mid-range budget.
- Spiral head, rotatable inserts
- Depth stop and removal gauge
- 13" x 6" capacity
Skip it if
You want a slow finishing speed: it has one feed rate.
- Single feed speed
- HSS inserts, not carbide
Read full review
Best Value Spiral Cutterhead Planer
A spiral cutterhead used to be an expensive upgrade. The WEN PL1326 puts one in a mid-range benchtop planer: 26 staggered, rotatable HSS blades take a shearing cut instead of chopping the wood like straight knives, which helps on figured and interlocked grain. When a blade chips, you rotate that one insert to a fresh edge instead of replacing a whole knife.
It planes boards up to 13″ wide and 6″ thick, the 15 amp motor turns the head at 10,000 rpm, and the feed rate is 26 feet per minute. There’s an onboard material removal gauge, a depth stop and an adjustable dust port. It has one feed speed, so there’s no slow finishing pass.
13" two-speed spiral
WEN PL1337
WEN PL1337 13″ Two-Speed Spiral Thickness Planer
The same 26-insert spiral head as the PL1326, plus a slow 16 ft/min speed for the finish pass.
Check price on AmazonSpecs: WEN
Best for
A spiral-head finish and a slow finishing speed in one benchtop machine.
- Spiral head and two feed speeds
- Fits 2-1/2" or 4" dust hoses
- Return rollers on top
Skip it if
You only rough-dimension lumber, where the one-speed PL1326 is enough.
- Tier close to the DeWalt
- HSS inserts, not carbide
Read full review
Best Two-Speed Spiral Planer
The PL1337 is WEN’s answer to the DeWalt: the same 26-blade spiral cutterhead as the PL1326, plus two feed speeds. Use 26 ft/min for quick dimensioning and 16 ft/min for the finish pass. WEN rates it at up to 1,354 cuts per inch, a figure that reflects the staggered inserts rather than a straight comparison with knife planers.
Capacity is 13″ wide and 6″ thick, and the box includes a depth stop, a material removal gauge, a combination 2-1/2″ and 4″ dust port, onboard wrench storage and workpiece return rollers on top. WEN backs it with a two-year warranty.
Premium pick13" helical planer
JET JWP-13BT
JET JWP-13BT 13″ Helical Benchtop Planer
Built like a small stationary planer: a helical head for a quieter cut and a cast iron bed against snipe.
Check price on AmazonSpecs: JET, via a search result; the JET page did not load
Best for
Serious hobbyists who plane figured hardwoods and want the best benchtop finish.
- Helical head, quieter and smoother
- Cast iron bed against snipe
- Two feed speeds
Skip it if
You plane mostly straight-grained softwood, where a knife planer does the job for less.
- Premium tier
Read full review
Best Premium Benchtop Planer
The JET JWP-13BT is built like a small stationary planer. The helical cutterhead has six rows of 26 quick-change carbide inserts for a smoother, quieter cut, and the precision-machined cast iron bed with a steel cover helps keep boards flat and cut snipe. A four-post design supports the cutterhead carriage.
The 2 HP, 15 amp motor turns the head at 10,000 rpm, with two feed speeds of 18 and 26 ft/min. Capacity is 13″ wide by 6″ thick, with a maximum cut of 1/8″ per pass. The infeed and outfeed tables fold and adjust to the bed, and JET lists a five-year warranty for home use (two years for commercial use).
12" portable planer
Makita 2012NB
Makita 2012NB 12″ Portable Planer
The planer for people with neighbors: Makita calls it the quietest in its class, and it carries to a jobsite.
Check price on AmazonSpecs: Makita
Best for
Garage and apartment-adjacent shops, and anyone who moves the planer to the job.
- Quiet for a planer
- Compact and portable
- Fast blade changes
Skip it if
You need a full 13" width or a slow finishing speed.
- 12" width
- Single speed, premium tier
Read full review
Best Quiet, Portable Planer
The Makita 2012NB is the planer for people with neighbors. Makita rates it at 83 dB, which it calls the quietest in its class, and it’s compact and light enough to carry to a jobsite. A four-post design with diagonal cross supports keeps the head stable, and large table extensions support long boards.
Blade changes are quick: it uses disposable double-edge blades that drop into place. The trade-offs are a 12″ width, an inch narrower than the others, one feed speed, and a price in the premium tier. Makita lists a one-year warranty.
Budget pick12" benchtop planer
Craftsman CMEW320
Craftsman CMEW320 Benchtop Planer
The lowest-tier planer here from an established brand, with reversible double-edged knives.
Best for
Occasional planing, reclaimed boards and first-time buyers on a budget.
- Reversible double-edged knives
- Ball-bearing cutterhead
- Vacuum port
Skip it if
You want a finish-ready surface: expect to sand more than with three knives or a spiral head.
- Two knives: rougher finish
Read full review
Best Budget Thickness Planer
If you only plane now and then, the Craftsman CMEW320 is the lowest-tier planer here from an established tool brand. A 15 amp motor drives a two-knife, quick-change solid steel cutterhead mounted on ball bearings, through a poly-v belt drive. The high carbon steel knives are double-edged and reversible, so you get two edges before you buy new ones, and there’s a vacuum port for dust collection.
Two knives mean fewer cuts per inch than the DeWalt’s three, so expect to finish-sand a little more.
How I Chose These Planers
I compared the benchtop thickness planers on sale on Amazon today from established tool brands, and picked the ones that stand out for a reason: the best all-rounder, the best value spiral head, the best two-speed spiral, a premium helical machine, a quiet portable one and a budget pick. I left out unbranded planers with no maker specifications. I don’t show customer ratings or prices: prices change daily, so each pick has a market tier and the Amazon button shows the live price.
How to Choose a Thickness Planer
Straight Knives vs Spiral and Helical Cutterheads
Straight knives (two or three full-width blades) are cheaper and leave a very smooth surface on straight-grained wood, but they’re loud, and on figured wood like curly maple they can tear out chunks of grain. A nick in one knife leaves a line on every board until you replace it. Spiral and helical heads use rows of small square inserts set at an angle, which shear the wood. They’re quieter, tear out less, and when an insert chips you rotate just that one. Most benchtop models use HSS inserts; carbide inserts last longer and are sold as upgrades for some machines.
Width and Thickness Capacity
Benchtop planers are 12″ to 13″ wide and take boards up to about 6″ thick. That covers almost all furniture work. Wider boards need a stationary 15″ planer or a drum sander; see my best drum sanders for wide panels and glued-up tops, and drum sander vs planer for which one to buy.
Feed Speed and Cuts per Inch
Cuts per inch (CPI) is how many times the cutterhead hits each inch of board. More cuts per inch leave a finer surface. Two-speed planers let you run fast to remove stock and slow for the last pass, which saves sanding. With one speed, take a very light final pass.
Snipe
Snipe is a slightly deeper cut at the ends of a board, where only one feed roller holds it. The fixes, and the rest of the planing routine, are in my guide on how to use a thickness planer. Carriage locks, four-post heads and cast iron beds reduce it; so do level infeed and outfeed tables, lifting the far end of the board slightly as it enters and leaves, and planing boards a few inches longer than you need.
Dust and Chips
A planer makes more chips than any other tool in a small shop, fast enough to clog a hose in seconds. Connect it to a dust collector or a shop vac with a cyclone separator in front. My guides to the best dust collectors and the best dust separators cover both. And wear hearing protection: every planer is loud, even the quiet ones.
💡 Pro Tip
Plane both faces of a board in turns, a light pass on each, rather than taking all the wood off one side. Removing wood evenly from both faces releases stress evenly, so the board is much less likely to cup or bow after planing. Let rough lumber acclimate in your shop for a few days before you plane it.
Is a Thickness Planer Worth It?
If you build furniture regularly, yes. Rough lumber usually costs less than surfaced boards, reclaimed wood becomes usable, and you can plane parts to exactly the thickness a project needs instead of what the store stocks. If you only build a project or two a year from surfaced lumber, a planer will spend most of its time under a cover; a good random orbital sander and a belt sander will do. My belt sander vs planer guide explains when to plane and when to sand.
A thickness planer makes the two faces parallel; it does not make a twisted or cupped board flat. For that you need a jointer first, or a simple planer sled that holds the board steady while you flatten the top face. After planing, you still sand: start at 120 or 150 grit to remove the fine knife marks, then follow my grit chart for your finish. Planing throws fine dust too, so a respirator for woodworking is worth wearing.
🏆 The Verdict
For most shops, buy the DeWalt DW735X: two speeds, low snipe and the knives to keep it running. If you work with figured or reclaimed wood, choose a spiral head: the WEN PL1326 for value, or the WEN PL1337 if you want a slow finishing speed too. The JET JWP-13BT is the premium benchtop pick, the Makita 2012NB the quiet, portable one, and the Craftsman CMEW320 the budget choice for occasional use.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Which thicknesser is the best?+
Is the Harbor Freight planer any good?+
Is it worth buying a thicknesser?+
What is the best planer machine?+
What is the best thickness planer for the money?+
What is the best benchtop planer with a helical cutterhead?+
Conclusion
The best thickness planer is the one that matches the wood you use. Straight-grained boards and a lot of rough stock: the DeWalt DW735X. Figured and reclaimed wood: a spiral or helical head. Whatever you choose, give it good dust collection, feed boards carefully to limit snipe, and plan to finish-sand after the last pass. For the sanding that follows, start with my picks for the best random orbital sanders. Questions? Ask in the comments.
