Loaded up with a big 1,800 Watt motor, the blades spin to an impressive 12,000 rpm. This fast-moving planer can take off up to 3 mm of material per pass, and each blade is double-sided, so you get twice the life out of them. The integrated dust collection port is ideally placed too. The twin blades can take off up to 2 mm per pass, so combined with the feed rate of 6.28 m per minute you can get a reasonable amount of work done in a short space of time. Adjustments are made with a series of hand wheels and cranks, and four rubber feet help to keep the vibrations down. This machine has a maximum cutting width of 150 mm, and to help you deal with odd-shaped pieces of wood or even plastics, there’s a detachable fence on the side of the table. This can be angled anywhere between 90° and 135°, depending on the job at hand. You should also wear a dust mask, safety goggles and ear defenders when using your planer. Never wear loose clothing, such as ties, scarves or jewellery, when using the machine as these can get caught in the rollers. The no-load speed of 8,500 rpm and maximum planing depth of 2.8 mm per pass is impressive for a benchtop planer. It means you can get a lot of work done without needing to make too many passes. The 7.5 m per minute feed rate isn’t too bad either.

Sporting a 1,250 Watt motor that spins the blades up to 8,000 rpm, this Scheppach planer is more suited to small pieces of wood. With a maximum cutting width of just 204 mm and a height of 120 mm, it’s not the best in its class, but it’s enough for most DIYers. British tool brand Silverline have been around since 1978 and are well known for their budget-friendly kit. Their take on the best bench planer for woodworking is their 344944 planer. It’s a solid and simple machine that gets the job done if you don’t want to splash the cash too much.