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Tool: 6-Amp Power Planer Shop Now
Manufacturer: Porter-Cable
MSRP: $69.98
Say you’ve got a huge, uneven roughsawn board. It would make a fantastic top for a coffee table, but how are you going to level it? Well, one way is to use a power planer, such as this unit from Porter-Cable.
A power planer is usually thought of as a carpenter’s tool, but it definitely has a place in the woodshop. Just think of it as a really aggressive scrub plane or belt sander.
This planer features a 6 amp, 16,500 rpm motor. Its depth-of-cut dial has 11 positive stops, 1/128″ apart; the maximum depth of cut is 5/64″. The planer’s sole is 11-1/2″ long and the blades are 3-1/4″ wide. Three V-grooves in the sole allow you to make chamfers of various widths.
The planer comes with two sets of blades: high-speed steel and carbide. Porter-Cable suggests that you use the high-speed steel knives, which are less brittle, when there’s a chance of hitting a screw or nail.
The planer comes with a mesh-filtered bag to catch debris and dust. You can place the bag on either side of the machine to get into a tight space.
