What the tool is for
You move it over the work by hand. A motor spins a drum carrying two blades; the front shoe sits on the uncut surface and the rear shoe on the cut one. That suits fitting a sticking door, easing an edge, taking down a high spot, cutting a rabbet or chamfering a corner. It does not have a jointer's long tables or a thickness planer's rollers, so it cannot promise a flat face or two parallel ones on its own; for that, see jointers and thickness planers. A hand plane — no motor, a blade set in a sole — is a different tool, covered in the hand plane guide. Searches for a 'hand planer' mean either, so the words matter.
Four tools by their makers' figures
| Tool | Power | Width | Deepest cut | Rabbet | Speed as stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makita KP0800 | Corded (European edition) | 82 mm | 2.5 mm | 9 mm (shiplapping) | 17,000 min⁻¹ no load |
| DEWALT DW680K (page) | Corded, 7.0 A | 3-1/4 in (83 mm) | 3/32 in (2.5 mm) | Fence included; depth not stated | Not stated |
| Milwaukee 2623-20 | 18 V battery | 3-1/4 in | 5/64 in | 27/64 in | 0–14,000 rpm |
| DEWALT DCP580 (page) | 20 V MAX battery | 3-1/4 in | 5/64 in | Stated as 5/64 in | 30,000 cuts per minute |
Each figure is the maker's own. Rpm counts drum turns; cuts per minute counts blade strikes, so the two speeds are not comparable. Choosing one is covered in choosing an electric hand planer and choosing a cordless planer.
Equipment notePaid link
3-1/4-in hand planer kit
DEWALT DW680K
The DW680K from the table above: corded, 7.0 A, 3-1/4 in wide and 3/32 in per pass, with a rabbeting fence, by DEWALT's page.
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Depth, rabbets and chamfers
Turning the front knob raises the front shoe; the drop to the rear shoe is the cut. Milwaukee's knob clicks in 1/256 in (0.1 mm) steps and should not be turned while planing; its manual says to make a test cut, deepen it if the tool moves easily and back off if it strains. For a stepped cut, an edge fence holds the tool a set distance from the edge, and repeated passes go down to the rabbet depth — 9 mm on the KP0800, 27/64 in on the 2623. A V-groove in the front shoe rides a corner for chamfers: DEWALT's DW680K has three, and Milwaukee's fence also sets bevels to 45°. Makita and Milwaukee agree on finish: a shallow cut and a slow, even feed for a smooth surface; a deeper, faster one for rough removal.
Blades
Both blades are changed together, in a matched pair, with the battery out or the plug pulled; mismatched blades shake and lose control, Milwaukee warns. Milwaukee's carbide blades are double-edged, reversed when one edge dulls and never sharpened. DEWALT's DW680K takes either resharpenable high-speed steel or reversible carbide. Setting is tool-specific: Makita uses a gauge to set the edge parallel to the rear shoe, and its manual shows what a bad setting does — a gouge at the start of the cut if a blade does not protrude far enough beyond the rear shoe's line, a gouge at the end if it protrudes too far. Types are compared in planer knives and inserts.
Rules the manuals share
- Clamp the work to a stable surface — see woodworking clamps; holding it by hand or against the body is unstable.
- Hold the tool with both hands, start it clear of the work and let it reach full speed first.
- Press on the front shoe to begin and shift the pressure to the rear shoe as it comes onto the work; never pull it backward (Milwaukee).
- Wait for the drum to stop before setting the tool down; a kickstand or foot drops to protect the blades.
- Keep fingers out of the chip chute. To clear it, switch off and pull the battery or plug. Makita warns damp wood can jam it — check wood with a moisture meter.
- Empty the dust bag at half full and at the end of the job: dust from coatings such as linseed oil can self-ignite (Milwaukee).
Before a pass with an electric hand planer
- Work clamped; nails removed
- Matched blades, tight, set as the manual shows
- Depth set before starting, not during the pass
- Fence or chamfer groove set for a rabbet or chamfer
- Dust bag or vacuum fitted; bag not over half full
For flattening a face or squaring an edge on a machine, see how to use a jointer; how the machines differ is in jointer vs planer and a combination machine vs a planer. The cluster's overview is the thickness planer guide.
Sources
Figures are each maker's for its own tool. The Makita manual is the European edition; DEWALT's figures come from its product pages, not manuals. Makers describe speed differently — Milwaukee in rpm, DEWALT's DCP580 page in cuts per minute — and the two are not converted. No tool was tested.
- 1.
Planer KP0800 instruction manual (multilingual European edition), as hosted by a retailer. Makita.
Used for: The KP0800: 82 mm wide, 2.5 mm deepest cut, 9 mm shiplapping depth, 17,000 min⁻¹, 2.6 kg, European edition; waiting for the cutter to stop before setting it down; clamping the work; both hands; the blades clear of the work at switch-on and at full speed before cutting; never a finger in the chip chute, which may jam on damp wood; both blades changed together; blades set parallel to the rear base; gouging at the start or end from a blade set too low or too high; the foot that drops under the rear base; pressure on the front at the start and the back at the end; a shallower cut and slower feed for a finer finish; shiplapping with the edge fence.
- 2.
M18 3-1/4" Planer, Cat. No. 2623-20, operator's manual (58-14-0026d3). Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: The 2623-20: 18 V, 0–14,000 rpm, 5/64 in deepest cut, 27/64 in rabbet, 3-1/4 in wide; 1/256 in (0.1 mm) detents, depth not changed while planing, test cuts; double-edged carbide blades reversed or changed in pairs and not sharpened; the kickstand; a guide fence for widths up to 3-1/4 in and bevels to 45°; the chamfer groove; pressure moved from front to rear shoe; never pulled backward; jams cleared with the tool off and the battery out; dust bags emptied when half full because coating dust can self-ignite.
- 3.
DW680K 3-1/4 in. (83 mm) Planer Kit, 3/32 in. (2.5 mm) depth of cut. DEWALT.
Used for: The DW680K: corded, 7.0 A, 3-1/4 in (83 mm), 3/32 in (2.5 mm) per pass; resharpenable high-speed steel blades or reversible carbide blades; three chamfer grooves; a kickstand; a rabbeting fence.
- 4.
DCP580B 20V MAX* XR Brushless Cordless Planer (Tool Only). DEWALT.
Used for: The DCP580: 20 V MAX battery, 3-1/4 in, 5/64 in deepest cut, '30,000 cuts per minute' with no rpm stated, 6.8 lb, a kickstand and a chamfer groove.
About this guide
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