Which is the best electric planer to buy for your home? Selection by characteristics
There are several ways to choose an electric planer. For home use, medium-power models with revolutions within 10,000 per minute are suitable. Such devices weigh little, so they are easy to hold in your hands. It is also recommended to pay attention to additional functions, such as smooth start and protection against accidental starting.
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Power
This is the main indicator that people pay attention to first. Depending on it, devices are divided into household and professional. If you think about which electric planer is best to buy for your home, you should consider models with power ranging from 400 to 1000 W. This is quite enough for processing wood in a home workshop or in the country.
Moreover, you can perform not only simple actions, but also make various recesses, for example, grooves and chamfers. Home planes are also used for processing small parts. These are, for example, furniture legs, photo frames, decorative elements.
If the tool is needed for professional purposes, the choice of electric planer falls on models with a power of at least 2000 W. They are used for woodworking in construction, furniture production, and for performing large volumes of work.
Number of revolutions
When analyzing which electric planer to buy, you need to think about the number of revolutions.This indicator is directly related to power - a more productive tool produces the maximum number of revolutions per unit of time. Accordingly, the processing speed also increases.
If you use the equipment only for domestic purposes, 10,000 rpm is quite enough. In this case, it is better to buy a tool with the ability to regulate speed, because tree species have different hardness. If you plan to work on an industrial scale, a device with at least 15,000 revolutions is best suited.
Planer weight
Another criterion by which you can understand which electric planer to choose is weight. If the engine is powerful, the mass will be noticeable. For example, household tools weigh no more than 5 kg. For professional work, heavy equipment weighing 8-10 kg or more is used.
It is important to understand that weight is only an additional parameter that should not be taken into account in itself. The main attention is paid to power and number of revolutions. In addition, you should understand that a heavy apparatus requires a lot of effort. If you plan to regularly perform a large amount of work, your hands will quickly get tired.
Knife width
Another way to choose an electric plane for your home is to evaluate the width of the knives. As a rule, the tool is equipped with not one, but 2-3 knives. If they are wide enough, the product can be processed in one go. For household appliances, a width in the range of 60-100 mm is sufficient.
If you choose an electric planer for professional purposes, it is better to consider models with a width of 100-200 mm, often reaching 300 mm. In this case, the optimum is in the range of 80-100 mm. Even if the part is wide, it can be processed in several approaches.
Planing depth and groove depth
Another important parameter is the planing depth. The width of the wood layer, which is removed with the tool at a time, depends on it. Planers are usually equipped with a regulator that allows you to adjust the depth within 0-3 mm.
You also need to keep in mind the depth of the groove. It determines the amount of wood layer that can be removed at a time when working on the edge of a board. As a rule, the depth reaches 9 mm, but in some cases – 20 mm.
Extra options
When talking about which plane to buy for your home, you need to take into account other options that make your work easier:
- How comfortable the handle is is a subjective parameter, which can only be assessed by holding the tool yourself. Most devices have 2 handles that allow you to conveniently move them across the surface.
- The surface of the sole must be smooth, because the quality of woodworking depends on it.
- The design of the limiter - it must be made of reliable materials.
- Presence of a safety lock against accidental activation (it must be located on the trigger).
- The presence of a hole for the chips to fall into a special bag also makes the work much easier.
- Electronic speed support system when the load increases. Particularly useful when working with hard trees, such as birch, maple, boxwood, and beech.
- Soft start is a convenient function, thanks to which the speed is gradually increased. Then the knives do not immediately cut into the surface of the wood and damage it. Soft start also reduces the load on the electrical network.
When choosing an electric planer, the quality rating is based on several parameters. Particular attention is paid to power - 400-800 W is quite enough for a home, weighing up to 5 kg.With such indicators, the drum rotates at a speed of about 10,000 revolutions per minute. In this case, the optimal width should be in the range of 80-100 mm.