If you’re a beginner to woodworking, then it may be a good idea to understand the different types of planers out there. Simply speaking, a planer is a tool that cuts the surface of the wood very thinly from the top part of the wood, unlike a jointer that cuts from the bottom. A handheld planer can shape, smoothen and cut different types of wood. A benchtop or a stationary planer, on the other hand, is used to equalize the thickness of a flat piece of wood. In short, all planers are essentially thicknessers.
Types of Planers
Manual Hand Planer
This is a hand plane which is mainly driven by your hand. This is done by running the planer over the wood. A manual planer comprises a hand plane and a blade. The different types of manual hand planers are block planers, smooth planers and jack planers. Amongst all the wood planning tools, hand planes are the lightest and also the smallest. You can use a manual hand planer for shaping, straightening or smoothing wood.
Power Hand Planer
Usually, straight-based power hand planers are used by professionals such as carpenters, manufacturers of log cabins, timber framers, homeowners etc., while curve-based power hand planers are used by timber framers, builders or log homes, etc. for creating arcs and arches in timber, etc.
Benchtop Planer
Benchtop planers are operated by feeding the board through the rollers and cutter head. The board goes in through the infeed table and comes out from the outfeed table after being cut. Benchtop planers are usually used to thickness square, flat pieces of wood and they can usually thickness wood that is around 4 ft long and 6” wide.
Stationary Planer
Stationary planers are larger, heavier and more costly versions of benchtop planers and can plane boards of wood of varying lengths and widths. They have their own base on which they stand and do not require a bench. Stationary planers have wider cutting heads compared to benchtop planers and their tables are much longer too. These planers are used for thicknessing all kinds of wood of all lengths, widths and many feet of wood very fast. Stationary planers are suitable for large workshops and if you require a powerful planer to thickness wood very quickly with a high-quality finish.
In-Depth Reviews of Porter-Cable Planers
| Image | Porter-Cable Planer Reviews | Type | Amazon Price |
|---|---|---|---|
  | PC60THP 6-Amp Hand Planer | Budget Electric Hand Planer | Check Price |
  | PC305TP Double-Edged Quick-Change Benchtop Planer | DIY Benchtop Planer | Check Price |
  | PC160JT Variable Speed Bench Jointer | Performance Bench Jointer | Check Price |
Porter-Cable PC60THP 6-Amp Hand Planer – The Best Budget Electric Hand Planer
The build of the Porter-Cable PC60THP Hand Planer is very sleek and offers a premium look and feel and the aluminum shoe offers excellent maneuverability. The unit is equipped with a dual dust port that prevents clogging by eliminating the wood chips efficiently. This helps to increase the life of the machine.
The hand planer includes 2 blades and you can either make use of carbide, HSS or high-speed steel blades. The planer features 3 chamfering grooves that let you create edgings more easily. The planer also lets you create rabbets with a cut depth of 0.47 inch on every pass and it does not shave off plenty of material. This allows you to have control over the rabbet depth as required and makes the planer suitable for finer and detailed work. The Porter-Cable hand planer is ideal for shortening joists and doors, planning wooden planks, profiling and chamfering the edges and corners of hardwoods.
Overall, the Porter-Cable PC60THP Hand Planer is an excellent tool for professional work and it offers versatility, performance and is an excellent value-for-money buy. So, if you are a hobbyist or a professional woodworker and you’re on the lookout for a high-quality, but affordably priced hand planer, then the Porter-Cable PC60THP Hand Planer is an excellent option.
Features of the Porter-Cable PC60THP Hand Planer
- Heavy-duty 6-amp motor produces speed of 16500 RPM
- Dual-side dust bags
- 3 chamfering grooves
- Over-mold depth knob for adjusting cutting depth
- 11.5” aluminum shoe for better finish and control
- Comes with a handy carry bag
- Comes with a 3-year limited manufacturer repair or replacement warranty
- Great bang for your buck, affordable.
- Dual blade system for greater efficiency.
- Dust back on both sides helps to extract dust easily.
- Powerful motor delivers excellent speed.
- Produces a smooth finish.
- Lightweight – helps to reduce user fatigue even after prolonged usage.
- Easy to use, even for beginners.
- Cuts both hardwoods as well softwoods with ease.
- The planer is quite noisy compared to the other models available in the market, although the cutting process by itself is not too noisy.
- The dust bag with the planer is very small and gets filled very fast and you need to keep emptying it out frequently.
Porter-Cable PC305TP Double-Edged Quick-Change Benchtop Planer – The Best DIY Benchtop Planer
The benchtop planer is also equipped with a sprocket head feeder, Poly-V belt cutter head drive and a sturdy gearbox which ensure maximum transfer of power. The benchtop planer has double-edged knives that are made of carbon steel and they can be reversed, which increases their life and this also ensures smooth operation. The cutter made of steel, two knives, ball bearings that are head-mounted ensures efficient operation of the planer and its long life.
The planer is extremely lightweight and has handles, which makes it very easy and convenient to carry the unit around. Overall, the Porter-Cable PC305TP Benchtop Planer is an excellent tool for hobbyists and home projects.
Features of the Porter-Cable PC305TP Benchtop Planer
- Powerful 15-amp motor
- Double-edged reversible carbon steel knives
- Cutter elevation on 4 ground columns
- Poly-V cutter head drive
- Cutter made of solid steel, ball bearing mounted on head
- A great DIYer tool.
- Planer very easy to setup and use.
- Planer is jam-resistant.
- Value for money buy.
- Does not have a lock to stop the cutter head from rotating when the knives are being changed.
Porter-Cable PC160JT Variable Speed Bench Jointer – The Best Performance Bench Jointer
The Porter-Cable PC160JT Bench Jointer is equipped with a 10-amp motor with variable speed that enables you to cut material of any hardness and any size. The jointer has many adjustments, such as the variable speed adjustments that allow you to select how slow or fast you want to work. The easy replacements also let you complete your jobs in no time.
The bench jointer comes with an extra-large table that allows you to work and place your material comfortably. The Porter-Cable PC160JT Bench Jointer is very affordable and considering its price, this jointer is a great high-quality product offering excellent performance to have in your home workshop.
Features of the Porter-Cable PC160JT Bench Jointer
- 10-amp, 1.4 HP motor with variable speed
- Size: 35 lbs
- 19.75” (l) 4.25” (w) aluminum fence with center-mounting
- 2 knife cutter heads (speed 6,000-11000 RPM)
- Cutting Speed: 12,000-22,000 cuts per minute
- Inbuilt cutter head lock for easy blade replacement
- Extra-large 30-inch table
- Comes with 3-year limited warranty
- The replacement of the blade is extremely easy, due to the inbuilt cutter head lock.
- High-quality build.
- Superior performance.
- The tabletop may not be durable due to low-quality aluminum.
- The fence requires re-squaring each time an adjustment is made, which is quite difficult.
- The fence keeps drifting every time it is secured.
So, if you’re looking for a planer for your wood cutting and thicknessing requirements at home or your worksite, then it may be worth considering the Porter-Cable planers, as they have different models that can definitely suit your specific needs.