Planer & Joiner Reviews & Buying Guides

We deliver in-depth planer and joiner reviews to let you know the best products with the best durability and features for your woodworking projects. If you’re a carpenter, knowing who makes the best planers and joiners can increase productivity. They can also raise the quality of your work. We’ve reviewed everything from the Festool Domino DF500 mortise & tenon joiner to the new Milwaukee M18 planer. Putting tools in the hands of a real woodworking professional lends credibility to our planer reviews and joiner reviews. Doing this allows us, and more importantly—our readers—to get a feel for how these tools perform in the real world. From vibration reduction to cutting and planing efficiency, Pros know what makes a good tool. They also know what makes a great tool. Any good review lets Pros know the skinny on tools from professionals who use them for a living. As we review more and more tools, our knowledge base grows. That means our ability to really distinguish the finer details of what makes a tool great grows as well.

Review9.0(out of 10)
Makita 18V Planer

Makita XPK02 18V Cordless Planer

Makita 18V Cordless Planer Shaves Imperfections with Confidence The Makita XPK02 18V cordless planer improves significantly on the 3-1/4″ XPK01. […]

Porter-Cable PC60THPK 6-amp Hand Planer Preview

Porter-Cable PC60THPK 6-amp Hand Planer Preview

Ever wish your electric planer had a longer stance and better dust collection? Porter-Cable is attempting to meet those needs with its new 6 amp Hand Planer (model #PC60THPK). The brand new planer is actually rather sleek, with a raked back profile and 3 chamfer grooves. The new motor, which is reasonably powerful for those looking to do significant hand planing for finish applications, comes up with 16,500 RPMs. At first glance this planer seems perfect for planing wood planks, shortening doors and joists, and also chamfering and profiling the corners and edges of various hardwoods. The part we liked, however, was that it could chunk out up to 5/64″ per pass. For those who have trouble with fractions, that’s a little over 1/16 of an inch – not terribly deep by planing standards, but this is an instrument meant for finer work, not something with which to replace your circular saw. The planer comes with two blades and you can use either high-speed steel (HSS) or carbide blades. HSS blades are perfect for more aggressive planing – where nails might be encountered, and carbide blades are your tools for finish carpenters or craftsman who don’t risk jamming them up on anything except wood.