Nowadays, making handmade wood products is becoming a trend and is also a very useful hobby.
However, are you tired of transporting your lumber to the lumber mill for a little scraping?
How annoying is it to rent a planer to plan your wood in your home or workshop?
Get rid of those problems by investing in the best planer for all your projects.
When you buy a planer, there are many options on the market. However, the most popular brands that you will easily come across on the internet are Dewalt and WEN.
From these two manufacturers, you will be able to choose from one of the best three, the long-established Dewalt DW734, the WEN 6550T, a 12.5-inch wide and fast two-blade planer.
18,000 cuts per minute and the WEN 6552T is a later upgrade with three knives and a 25,500 cuts per minute faster-cutting speed.
Try and see what it looks like when compared to each other.
Buying Guide Contents
#.Top Editor’s Choice Best Benchtop Thickness Planer
Dewalt DW734 Vs. WEN 6550T Vs. WEN 6552T Benchtop Thickness Planers Review 2020
1.Dewalt DW734 15-Amp 12.5-Inch thickness planer
Technical Stats:
- model number: DW734
- Manufacturer: Dewalt
- Item Weight: 80 pounds
- Dimensions: 24 x 17 x 21 inches
- Style: Benchtop Planer
- Material: Metal
- Power Source: Corded-electric
First, we will come to the Dewalt DW734 – a product that is almost the most famous and widely used by many people.
We will talk about the technical design of this product first. It is a production machine with a 10,000RPM engine running more than 30,000 cuts per minute.
Dewalt DW734 is designed so that you can machine with high precision and give a smooth finish to fine peacock leather.
Regarding the structural design of the machine, at the top of the machine comes with three reversible/disposable 12.5-inch blades, so no sharpening is required.
To get the right wood products requires the machine to fix the wood well to process the details accurately. The planer is therefore also equipped with a manual four-roller locking system that secures the lumber securely.
It has a 6-inch stock capacity allowing you to process thick wood blocks.
This planer has a sturdy steel cast base for a steady movement that allows you to work properly with the wood pieces with the infeed.
It’s 14ft / min feed rate is truly something to say when it comes to giving the blades enough time to sharpen every inch of your wood into a fine finish in the process.
Another advantage we want you to see in this product is the feeding table. This machine’s feed table is expanded up to 33.5 inches, allowing you to comfortably load longer pieces of wood.
Compared to many other 3-blade planers on the market, it stands out when it weighs 80 lbs.
When you buy it you will receive the fully assembled product, you just need to add a depth regulator and dust catcher to start the operation and you’re done.
It is also designed for safe blade and brush replacement.
Feature:
- Powerful 15AMP, 20,000 rpm motor
- Disposable knife, reversible
- Long-term feeding and feeding table
#.Top Editor's Choice Best Benchtop Thickness Planer
2.WEN 6550T 15 Amp 12.5 in. Corded Benchtop Thickness Planer
Technical Stats:
- model number: 6550T
- Manufacturer: WEN
- Item Weight: 70 pounds
- Dimensions: 23.5 x 24 x 19 inches
Next is the planer of the brand WEN. This is one of the most reliable planing machines you can buy with a budget that suits you.
Originally supplied with the specifications, this machine is made with two 12.5-inch blades that produce 18,000 cuts per minute on a 15-Amp 85.00 RPM engine.
You will find it cool to have a robust construction with a sturdy cast iron frame. The three-roll cutter head secures your wood to reduce chipping and give you smooth, smooth cuts.
With disposable steel blades, there is no need to re-sharpen the machine blades. The blades are also reversible, giving you a longer use before needing replacement.
In this product, there will be a depth adjustment measuring mechanism. That allows you to set the correct depth for your planing to ensure the precision of the piece you like.
With a capacity of 6 inches deep you will be able to enjoy using it even if you want to plan a thick track. However, with its two-blade design, the product will serve you the best when you make some thin cuts instead of deep cuts.
This planer comes with a very good granite feeder as this stone will help the wood glide smoothly. It also comes with pre-punched holes in the base for mounting onto the table to help secure the wood piece during machine operation.
Its feed rate is 26ft per minute with 3/32 inch deep cutting, which is not great speed but it is enough to make it acceptable.
You find it more interesting to know that it only weighs 70 lbs which is even lighter than many other products you know about.
Feature:
- Granite table with cavity holes available
- Foldable feed and loading panel
- Rubber adjustable handle
3. WEN 6552T 15Amp 13 inch 3-blade Benchtop planer
Technical Stats:
- model number: 6552T
- Manufacturer: WEN
- Item Weight: 66 pounds
- Dimensions: 25.25 x 21.75 x 16 inches
- Style: 2019 Model
- Material: Metal
The final product we want to compare is the WEN 6552T, one of the newer models from WEN that is professionally designed for shavings of harder woods.
The first specification offered is that it has a 15Amp brushed engine rated at 8,500RPM.
This is a WEN product that comes with three blades and can make 25,500 cuts per minute. These blades are also reversible for longer use and are also replaceable without sharpening. It can process wood panels with 6-inch cut-outs.
This planer has a 26ft / min feed rate combined with a powerful motor for fast planing with a good finish.
You can easily adjust the height of the planer with its comfortable rubber adjustable handle. With each 1/4 rotation, the cutter head height is adjusted 1/64 inch for maximum accuracy during simple operation.
Another advantage of this machine is that it's easy to install and you only need a few extra little extra steps to get the machine going. It comes with built-in holes to lock onto the bench securely and wood for planing.
With the handle design on both sides, you should be able to move it with ease. Its feeding and feeding table is cast iron; tough and durable, and also proportional to maintain the depth of cut you desire.
Feature:
- 3-blade design
- Dust port with fan support
- Device measuring plan on board
DIRECT COMPARISON Dewalt DW734 Vs. WEN 6550T Vs. WEN 6552T Benchtop Thickness Planers
. Fineness
Of the three products, the Dewalt DW734 has the best finishing thanks to its highly precise cutting focus and consistent slow feed rate. While the Dewalt has a feed rate of 14ft / min, the WEN has a top speed of 26ft.
However, thanks to that speed, WEN planing machines make it possible to plan faster and more inches at the same time as Dewalt.
.Power of handling
In terms of power, the Dewalt DW734 has the most powerful of the three engines with blades at speeds higher than 30,000 cuts per minute.
With WEN machines, the WEN 6552T is the most powerful with 25,500 cuts per minute suitable for shallow cuts up to 1/64 inch. WEN 6550T is also suitable for light and standard planing projects that your hand planer cannot handle.
. The blade
All planing machines in this review have disposable steel blades, so you don't have to worry about sharpening them. But while the WEN 6552T and DW734 both have three blades that reduce the load per blade, the WEN 6550 has only two blades.
As a result, it will bear a lot of weight per cut, significantly reducing blade life. However, it is better in shallow handling than three-blade models.
. Capacity
In all, the WEN 6552T has the largest blade width of the three categories of 13 inches .. DW734 and WEN 6550T have a width capacity of 12.5 inches. The stock depth capability is 6 inches on all planing machines.
. Conclusion
Depending on your desire to choose, a suitable machine will vary from person to person. But overall Dewalt's premium features attract a price that might be over budget but it delivers the great finish that makes it worth the investment.
For the WEN 6552T, it is suitable for commercial projects and paying less for a similarly great service.
Finally, the WEN 6550T is easy to buy and operate a machine suitable for workshops and homes.
Hopefully, with this sharing, we will be able to help you with something!