Which plane to choose: main characteristics, popular manufacturers

When carrying out repair or construction work, it is often necessary to encounter the need for wood processing. It is for these purposes that a planer is used, with the help of which it is possible not only to level a wooden surface, but also to make various notches (for example, dowels) on it. If we are talking about large volumes of processed wood, then you should seriously think about purchasing an electric planer.

Manufacturers offer a wide range of electric planers, with which you can significantly improve the performance and quality of work performed. When choosing any power tool you need to know what you need to pay special attention to. Therefore, it will be further considered what is the best plane to choose to perform certain tasks.

Principle of operation of the electric planer

Whatever power tool you buy, you need to know its basic components and the principle of operation. According to its device, the electric planer resembles a grinding machine. The main difference from this device is that instead of a tape with an abrasive rotates a drum with one or two cutting elements, which remove chips from the treated wood.

Unlike its manual counterpart, the only thing that is required during work is to evenly move the plane in the required direction. Due to the fact that wood is a non-uniform material, to make its surface smooth, the electric motor must have high power (from 0.6 to 1.0 kW) and a rotation speed of at least 10,000 vol. / min By means of a belt with a gear drive, a drum with knives comes into action.

Usually, the knife blade is two-sided, which allows one side to be moved to the other side when worn, and continue to work. When both sides become dull, then the knives will need to be sharpened or replaced with new ones. An important role in the plane is played by the sole, the quality of which is determined by the degree of its smoothness. If the back part moves along the already processed base, then the front part is uneven. The position of the front sole will determine the depth of the cut.

A side stopper is often included with the tool, with which you can select a quarter of the required width over the entire length. The front of the sole is also equipped with longitudinal grooves for chamfering from the corners of the wooden blank and to ensure a uniform thickness of processing.

Basic characteristics of electric planers

Like any other power tool, electric planers are divided into 2 classes, including household and professional models. The main differences between them are only in power, a set of functions and the permissible duration of continuous operation.

If you need a good tool for household needs without additional functions, it is better to choose a household class, as it will be much cheaper than a professional .

Considering which plane to buy, it is necessary to pay attention to its characteristics:

• power;
• drum speed (number of revolutions);
• knife width;
• cutting depth;
• weight.

Power is the main criterion for almost any construction power tool. The plane here is no exception. Wood processing requires quite a lot of effort, so the performance of the planer directly depends on this parameter.

Manual electric planers have power from 500 to 2200 W.

If you need a tool for small amounts of work, it would be better to purchase a model with a power of 500-700 watts.

If you plan to use a plane quite often and in larger volumes, then you need to choose a device with a capacity of 700-900 watts. Equipment with a capacity of 1000 W and more refers to the professional type.

The drum speed is the number of revolutions that it takes per unit of time. In fact, this parameter indicates how many times the cutting knives come into contact with the treated surface for 1 min. In modern devices, the rotational speed can be 10,000-18,000 rpm. / min This is a fairly high performance (for example, the Bulgarian has a disc rotation speed of no more than 11,000 rpm).

Usually there are 2 cutting elements on the drum, therefore, for example, at a rotational speed of 12000 rpm./ min each knife touches the surface 12,000 times. To carry out work similar in scope to a conventional plane, the operator would have to perform 24,000 movements. It is for this indicator that you can visually compare a conventional and an electric plane.

Most electric planers are equipped with 82 mm wide knives. Also there are models with a knife width of 102 and 110 mm. The wider the cutting element, the fewer approaches you will need to make to handle a wide board. Moreover, the wider the knife, the more powerful tool you should buy.

For example, for a knife width of 102 mm, it is recommended to buy a plane with a capacity of at least 1.0 kW, because a smaller power value will lead to an increase in engine loads. This may cause premature wear.

When buying an electric planer, you should pay attention to such a parameter as the depth of the cut (the maximum possible layer, which is removed in 1 pass). The higher the value, the faster the tool will work. In household planes, the depth of cut is in the range of 0.6-2.5 mm. With a professional tool, this parameter can reach 4 mm.

The electroplane is a hand tool, so the specifics of its work imply the need for long manual work with it. The weight of the device can significantly affect the performance. The weight of the plane can be from 2.5 to 9 kg. Models with an average power have a weight of about 3.5 kg. It is on this value that you need to focus on when choosing a household tool.

Popular electric planer manufacturers

In the domestic market of construction tools, electric planers are represented by various manufacturers, among which the most popular models are:

• Metabo;
• Bosh;
• Skil;
• Makita.

In the Metabo product line, the most popular model is BUT 0882. This is due to the fact that its 0.8 kW power does not overload the electrical grid of a private house or country house. In this case, for 1 pass, the depth of planing in it is 3 mm. The compact tool is equipped with a convenient handle with a start button and a durable front handle with depth adjustment.

Bosch Electrical Planes are the best combination of price and quality. Among the household class, a special place is occupied by the RNO 25-82 and RNO 16-82 models with a power of 0.75 and 0.5 kW, respectively.

The Skil Planer is equipped with over-sharp knives and a high-quality drum with electronic balancing. From the line of this brand is to provide a model 1506V, having a power of 0.45 kW. The depth of planing is 0.6 mm.

Makita offers the 2 most popular models: 1902 and 1923N with a capacity of 0.75 and 0.85 kW, respectively. The speed of rotation is the same - 16000 rpm. / min, planing depth - up to 1.6 mm.