WEN PL1326 15-Amp 13-Inch Spiral Benchtop Thickness Planer

This is a great planer! I have only tested it on a couple pieces of scrap wood thus far but none of them showed any signs of snipe at the end of the boards. Still probably good to run sacrificial pieces through with it, but so far it looks great and no snipe.

I'm a retired professional with a Felder 741 combination slider, planer and shaper. If you know Felder, then I don't have to tell you they are one of the industry standards for accuracy. However, I'm sick of building a piece of fine furniture, only to discover that one last piece is too thick, or whatever. That means raising the jointer bed, cranking up the planer head, and in the process losing whatever was setup on the saw. Also, I've wanted a spiral cutter for the planer, but $1,000+ makes no sense when the Felder knives already do a superb job, and of course I would still have the changeover problem. I'v thought about a bench top planer, but that's also around a grand, so not happening. Anyway, I saw some reviews on the Wen 13" with a segmented cutter head. Odd looking cutter head, and the inserts are HSS instead of carbide, but at $400 for the one speed I decided to take a risk. I just unpacked and plugged in this morning. Connected to my 3hp Onida Gorilla using a 4" hose. I then ran a test using 1.5" air dried red oak. Results were a surprise, to say the least. Beautiful finish on both sides, even at the one speed, which is quite fast. No sign of of any cutters out of alignment. Almost no snipe - I did not adjust the tables. Dust collector gets most, but not all, chips. ( I also tried connecting a shop vac which was not that great, so I'd recommend a dust collector). Segmented cutter heads are supposed to be quiet, but brush motor noise makes it about as loud as a knife machine, at least in my opinion. Hearing muffs required. This is not a complaint. For $400 you can't have everything. Bottom line, I'm glad I bought this thing. Once the four sided cutters are dull I might upgrade to carbide, but we'll see. Sometimes HHS produces a better finish than carbide, so I might just buy another set of those, depending on how long the originals last. The question now is longevity. Machine seems solid and weighs 80 pounds, so for my needs it will probably be OK. We will see. Bottom line, doe a great job for less than half the price of a name brand. The machine turned out to be a pleasant surprise, producing an excellent finish.

I’m a first time planer buyer and outside of a few how-to videos on utube that is the extent of my experience. I’ve slowly been adding woodworking tools as my projects get more advanced. I opted to go with the Wen 13” planer because of the reviews and price. As I mentioned previously, I watched several utube videos and gained a better understanding of the common problem all planers have with snipe on the ends of the boards as they pass thru the planer. I purchased four 19.99 steel roller stands from Lowes and ensured they were level with the machines entry/exit feed trays. I had no issues with sniping and I was running stud length 2x4s and 2x6s through it all afternoon. Also, recommend before you start using the machine that you ensure the feed trays are level. I used a level and slid it thru the planer and brought the machine head down until it rested on the level and then adjusted the bolts under the feed tray to ensure everything was lined up before I passed my first board thru the machine. Take off the recommended min layer per pass and it makes quick work on the boards. My project looked better and my sanding times were significantly reduced. Replacement Blades for this unit are sold on Amazon as a prime item, which is another plus. The only real issue after making 40-50 passes thru the planer is the paint on both the entry and exit feed trays is already wearing thru to the metal. Im not sure what Wen meant by claiming the trays were granite unless they meant the color of the paint. However, it does not impact the operation of the machine, so it won’t impact my review. I’ll pull the trays and get them powder coated during the winter.

The product's functionality is excellent; however, its 120V voltage requirement renders it unsuitable for the UAE and potentially the wider Middle East. I incurred a $100 expense purchasing a converter. Product descriptions should clearly specify voltage requirements. Despite this, the equipment itself is high-quality. I give 3 stars because of the 120v missing information provided.

My old Delta was beyond the needed fixes. This looked like what I needed and the price was right. First thing I tackled was an 1X12X8, and I wanted it 1/2 inch. Took it down 1/64th at a time, flipping it each pass. Got it to 17/32's and stopped there to allow for sanding. Cuts were clean, finish smooth. No Sniping, as I used support at each end. Did you guys hear that? Saw a lot of comments on getting snipe. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! I really like the depth gauges, as they are easier to read than the Delta was, especially the input gauge. Also like that fact that the output chute is twice as large as the Delta had. Bottom line, for the money this is a great buy and a well-made tool. So now I am buying a Wen hand belt sander. Will see if the quality extends to that. If so, I will be a Check Wen First buyer for future power tool needs. Month later, and I am so pleased with the quality of this tool I bought the Wen 10-inch band saw. Again, love the quality, workability and top-notch features on this one as well. Set-up took some time, and I had to fine-tune the blade guide adjustments. I think I have done more re-sawing than detailing, making some veneer knife handles. I also noted the space between the legs, so I built that into a cabinet for blades, tools and related stuff. Add two sanders (belt and oscillating) and I have found a new tool company until there is a reason not to use their products. My shop is a happier place now/ Thanks, WEN!!