How Much Is a Typical Hand Planer?

A hand planer is a woodworking instrument used for shaping wood surfaces. It is generally used to smoothen, reduce thickness, and flatten the surface of a rough piece of timber. In using these planers, one needs to exert a sufficient amount of energy to push it forward, to acquire the required smoothness on the piece of timber. This makes planers to be highly preferable for use when one is working on small pieces of wood.

Factors to Consider When Buying

When buying a hand planer, there are several factors you need to consider to ensure that you buy a planer that best suits your work. Some of these factors are:

• The use of the planer – Planers are made to serve a particular purpose. For instance, if you want a planer to remove large amounts of wood, you need to go for a scrub plane. If you want one that can be used to prepare a surface for finishing, you will go for a smoothing planer or a polishing planer.
• Comfort – The planer should be easy to use. Since its power comes from the user himself/herself, the make of the handle should be in such a way that the user feels comfortable when he is pushing it to and fro.
• Durability – You need a hand planer that will last for a long time to save you the unnecessary cost or repairing or buying a new one.
• Flexibility – You will require to adjust the blade depth when working on different pieces of wood. Thus, your planer needs to be easily adjustable so that you can get the smoothness and flatness you desire.
• The type of frog – The design of the frog and how well it fits in the body profoundly affect how well your planer will perform.
• The angle of the plane – This determines what and how the blade can cut
• The thickness of the blade – This determines how strong or rigid is the planer’s blade and its effectiveness.

Typical Costs for Hand Planers

Different hand planers attract different prices, depending on the quality and the manufacturer. Below is an outline of 14 typical hand planers and their proximity cost.

1. Woodriver bench plane, V3

• well-crafted and nicely made
• the plane has a coating of a rustproof lubricant
• it goes at the cost of around $ 232.98 in major wholesale outlets

2. Taytool 469607 planer

• It is a jack smoothing wood hand plane
• made of ductile cast body
• It has an RHC 55-60 blade
• Its body and frog are of almost indestructible iron
• knob and tote are of hand-rubbed and premium grade oiled Sapele.
• It has an overall length of 14-1/4 and a width of 2-1/2
• It fetches a price of around $99.99

3. E.C. Emmerich 649p adjustable block plane

• It has a lignum vitae sole
• It allows depth adjustment to obtain accuracy depth required
• Its cost is about $104.50

4. Toy tools 469591 force bench hand plane

• Its iron has a thickness of 0.120″ and a width of 2-3/8 wide, and made from tool steel that has been hardened and tempered to 55-60
• The frog and body is of elastic cast iron which is not easily damaged
• The overall length of this plane is 18″ and 2-7/8 wide
• Its price is around $129.99

5. Stanley Surform pocket plane

• Its body is of a die-cast alloy
• It comes with a thumbscrew blade tension that helps in quick replacement of the blade
• It has a replaceable blade of 5-1/2-inch
• The cost of the hand planer is from $9.07

6. SenkichiKanna 65mm Japanese woodblock plane

• The width of its blade is 65mm
• Its base is made of wood (oak)
• Best used in grinding the wood surface
• The price of this planer starts from $59.99

7. Ralicompact Swiss hand planer 105 evolution

• Extremely easy to set-up, adjust and use
• It has an automated alignment
• Adjustment of blade depth is made using fingertips by merely using the red lever fitted at the top of the plane
• The steel soles are laminated to enable you to obtain an excellent smooth and flat surface
• It is of Swiss quality and design
• Its price is from $SS129.95

8. Japanese woodblock plane

• The total length is 150mm
• It has a blade of 40mm width and a weight of 140 g
• Best used for grinding timber surface
• You can get it at a low price of around $8.32

9. Stanley 12-139 bailey block plane

• The frog and the base has been joined as one to improve accuracy
• It has a heavy body to increase performance
• It has an iron casting to increase weight and durability
• It has mouth tune-up for different types of timber
• It goes at the cost of $72.47 and above

10. WoodRiver #5-1/2 jack plane

• The frogs are fully machined to increase durability and fine-grained ductile iron castings to enhance performance.
• This plane has a width of 2-7/8″ and a length of 15.”
• The blade is 2-3/8 wide
• It requires little adjustment before work commences
• The price of this hand planer is from $282.98

11. Great neck saw LSO3-1/2 maker plane

• It is a Chinese product
• Made of high quality and easy to use
• Its price is from $105.52
  

12. ECE Scrub plane

• It is used at the initial stage to prepare rough wood for further shaping
• It is commonly used when one wants to distress or remove fasts from pieces of wood
• The iron is 33mm with a hornbeam sole
• It is of Garman quality
• You can get it at the cost of $104.50

13. Stanley 12-136 plane

• Its frog and base has been joined as one to improve exactness
• It’s wood handle and knob are cherry for easy solid brass adjustments to enhance smooth operations
• It is made of the iron cast to increase weight and improve durability
• Pleasant to work with for different types of wood due to the presence of a mouth adjustment
• This planer cost ranges from $141.86 and above

14. Cowryman Router plane

• Its body is made of stainless steel
• The body size is 4.13-inch long with a width of 2.75-inch
• The iron has a capacity of 0.3-inch
• The adjustment is made using a screw
• It has a comfortable wood handle
• You can get this planer with a price of as low as $39.99