*The cutters are actually 14.27mm* Here are some aftermarket carbide replacements. amzn.to/3aELiMX Wen 13" Thickness Planer w/ Spiral Cutterhead amzn.to/3aQOaDI *this was $450 when I bought it on amazon. Right now it only looks to be sold by third party sellers. If the price is over $500, look at some of the other brands mentioned in the video* Wen 13" Thickness Planer (3 blades) amzn.to/3eFzUPa Wen 12.5" Thickness Planer (2 blade) amzn.to/3gWVwZY Review- czcams.com/video/mwM8XxMbkoQ/video.html
I just received my own Wen 13" Planer with spiral cutter. I watched several videos and read the reviews on this planer. I was more than pleased! After unpacking and the minimal assembly required, I ran a test piece through the planer and encountered a very slight bit of snipe on the front edge. I adjusted the infeed table and the outfeed table 1/2 turn up of the adjustment screws. The next run was absolutely perfect, no snipe whatsoever. I then sent eight large roughcut project boards through the planer. After the final cut, the walnut came out the back of the planer glass smooth...I was amazed. I love, love, love this planer. Better than advertised!
“Hopefully my neighbors fiesta won’t be too much to distract us” - says the guy that fires up a planer outside and runs stock through it all day long. 😂
As a fellow Fiesta neighbor, I almost stopped watching the video at this point. However seems that he has a sense of humor and realized that his planer was ruining the Fiesta...hahaha. I will continue to watch.
Thanks for the review. I bit the bullet and got the cheapest WEN a couple years ago, best decision ever. Works great. Glad to see they are putting these cutters on new tools. Time for others to catch up! Need to start a "no more straight knives" petition.
Thanks for the review. I bought this planer and like it a lot. I was just wondering what can be done about the wood chips coming out on the infeed. I will try to make the stand in a way to catch most of the chips.
I just ordered this planer this morning before work. I have a truck laod of old mill oak 1x8x10s that are beautiful after being planed down. I got a heck of deal on it. I am hoping it was a smart decision but I guess I'll find out this weekend.
You can pull out the 2 1/2" insert from the dust collection port...that will open up the full 4" bore for your 4" hoses...I didnt realize till a week or so later that it pulled out.
@@DarienCharlton so far so good. I purchased a Dustopper to attach, very helpful! I can’t estimate the board foot that have been ran thru it already, but I’ve had no complaints from the quality of planing. I would suggest very small adjustments each time. Too large of a bite will bog it down
Hi Brad, Nice review. I have had a thicknesser for about a year, second hand, and never used it. I don't do much flat work if any and when I do segmenting I true up the rings on the lathe. This might well change as I want to start to make some cutting boards. Take care Brad. Cheers, Huw
For Wen your cheap has a handful of decent tools. 4 Bolts makes a lot more sense! Looks like it got the job done, just need to CNC some metal versus nylon and get carbide cutters.
Yup, the 4 screw system is definitely way better I'd say. I'll be interested to see how the sprockets hold up after a year. 2 year warranty so I'll be keeping an eye on them for sure
What is your opinion on this after one year? The replacement blade you posted are they any better? How are the sprockets on the bottom holding up? Is the spiral head worth getting this over the dewalt?
The threads for the depth adjustment rods on the dewalt are way heavier duty. I think a long term test of this planer would be great, as you have planed. Thanks.
Also 3:34 the inside piece does pop out. I has so much trouble with this choking my dust collector. But after reaching out to WEN, they told me that the 2½ part does come out, but it takes a bit of elbow grease.
Upside is you can rotate those cutter heads easy and get probably 3 times the life of a regular blade. So when you wear out all 4 sides buying carbide replacements won’t be a big deal
@@BradsWorkbench wow, they really cheaped out on not making it fully 4 sided huh? Have you bothered trying to sharpen them (including the nonfunctional sides?) or have you not needed to?
Nice planer but I didn't hear what you said, all I could think about is what's going on at the fiesta, that sounds more fun! They're telling their guests; "I hope that guy next door isn't going to run his planer all day"!
Hey man, it's been a few months since you've made this video, any update? Did you try getting carbide cutters for it? Has anything broken or wore down yet? I was thinking about getting a dewalt planer, but this one is definitely cheaper.
Havent needed to swap cutter yet, but everything is still holding up. The dewalt is a great planer. I guess if i had to get picky the wen lacks in power a bit. I have had to take it slower with some of the super hard woods like ipe, rock maple, etc
@@BradsWorkbench Awesome, thanks for the reply. I watched another video that compared the Dewalt with other planers and that was one thing they mentioned was that the Dewalt was much more powerful than the others and even when cutting a lot of material at a time it didn't slow down the feed rate at all. Thanks for the info about the Wen.
Thank you for filming this and pointing out the sprocket concern. A 1-year review is a great idea. For me, I'm planning to make a planer purchase in the next couple of days. How has the Wen held up? Any new concerns? Thanks again, Brad.
So far so good. It is a bit under powered when used on some REALLY hardwoods such as osage orange, ipe, etc... but i think most would struggle with those. Just had to take lighter passes
I had the one without the spiral cutter heads it worked great for the first few months then things started breaking on it I now have a Dewalt 735 much better planer quality.
I had the 2 blade, 12.5" for 2 years. Never gave me an issue. But with budget line tools like this, the QC isnt typically the best either. But wen does offer a 2 year warranty with their planers and alot of their tools
Hi Brad! Fantastic review. I plan on getting this soon but im currently building a new work table with hinged sections for each tool. Any chance you could snag a measurement full width, and then also depth with the feed tables folded up? Youd be doing me a huge solid if so! Thanks!
You know you can adjust that 1/64th drop on that old planer right ? Just had to do mine, a lot more, due to set screw backing out. Also I thought the blades were 14.25 and there aren’t any after market ?
Yes i played with the adjustments... they are 14.25, I was mistaken. Wen does sell replacements but im still gonna try and see what happens if I put 14mm in to see if its not just a marketing ploy to make you stick to buying theids
P.S. Amazon is currently out of these cutter heads so if you are in need of themimmediately, you are SOL. You need to think about that before buying one of these. And yes. Those nylon gears on the underside are a cheap cop-out over using real steel gears.
Do you know if this planer has a locking head? It doesn't look like it has a manual lock but I can't find any info about whether or not it has an automatic lock. Thanks!
@2:30 The center table on mine bows downwards and when I feed boards through, it causes the boards to bow, and snipe. Even with a shooting board, it has this issue. Anyone else have that issue? Why did WEN not support that part properly, or have any type of adjustment like with the in/outfeed tables?
One thing i do know is all planers will have snipe. You can never completely eliminate it. Even our $30k, 30 inch 2 sided planer at work has it. But with good infeed/outfeed support and tuning u can reduced it to where its barely noticeably. Or run a sacrafice piece before and after your work piece. But typically i just account for it and add 3" to front & back of what im planing then chop it off when done
Subtle question: Why do planer manufacturers (as well as portable table saws) continue to place the power cord on the left side of the machine, that being the side that you walk through when receiving your board? This creates an immediate safety hazard unless you find some way to snake the cord over to the right hand side. Just wondering...
So far so good. But i do work in a wood shop full time now so i use their planers more often. I still pull it out about once a month or so. I think it will do well for hobbyist or avid diyers.... but if used daily with hardwoods, u may want to step up to something a little more sturdy
I’ve been set on the Harbor Freight Hercules planer but am now thinking one of these due to the spiral cutter head. What is the purpose of the two rollers on top? Thanks!
If you are more than a hobbiest, then this will not stand the test of time. I've gleaned that inferior products with cheap components do not last and then it's virtually impossible to find replacement parts rendering your equipment as redundant. I've always been of the philosophy that a cheap man pays twice. Bite the bullet right from the get go and buy tools with substance. I would invest the extra dollars and purchases the DeWalt 735. Thanks for your review and your input about this WEN. Cheers!
good info thanks for the review. instead of playing music in video it would have been better to hear the machine on the 12 inch ash. unless you are a band there is no need to play music in video!
I'm guessing the plastic gears are glass fiber reinforced. In which case there's a chance they'll last forever. Certainly the chain won't suffer any ware.
Right with them in the low speed application they are in, if you keep the whole adjustment area clean and lubricated I do not see them ever showing much wear.
6:29 I'm not eorried about those as the planer lift assembly carriage shouldn't have any sort of heavy pressure or wear on those sprockets. Now if it were for the feeder,.or blade, thennnn I'd have an issue. But then again, I've seen really low quality cast iron sprockets break, where a reinforced nylon would not.
Ahhhh, u know used tool prices are sky high right now. I sold the old wen i bought for $250 for $190 in less than a day. Then used that money to help the upgrade. Just something to think about if u do want to upgrade
I'm looking to get one of these for my shop and would be bolting it to a flip-top tool cart. Is there anything that you can think of that would be a problem if this were to spend some of its time inverted?
I honestly think thats what threw off my last planer so i personally dont take the risk anymore. These tools were not made to be hung upside down. However i know alot of people do it. So either it hasnt given them problems or they don't care to notice being 1/32 or 1/64 off. I am kinda overly finiky (if thats a word) when it comes to that kinda stuff.
@@BradsWorkbench I figure I'll probably have the disc sander on the downside most often since it shouldn't really care too much being upside-down as it is just a motor with a disc on it's shaft; up or down shouldn't matter to the bearings really.
@Richard Recupero ...Go for the Dewalt you wont be disappointed and its built to last long-term with only maintenance. I've operated several of the budget friendly planers, and though they will work, they do not compare to the Dewalt. The build materials are much better on the Dewalt, and the quality of cut with the stock straight edge blades is amazing. I rarely use the finishing setting when surfacing or planing boards because the rough dimension setting comes out nearly 320 grit finish by itself. Mine has almost no snipe from the infeed/outfeed tables and it could be used everyday non-stop without issue. Nothing against the other brands, but I dont have time for inferior quality or extra money to replace my tools when they fail every few years. I believe highly in "Buy once, cry once". Spend the money for the longterm product and keep trucking.
@@ryangwin1318 I learned this lesson with boots a long time ago an now apply it to everything. Have a toe joint with no cartilage an they wanted to do surgery. Finally got some good timberland boots and 15 years later the issue is more than manageable, no surgery either. Some things are worth the money, every time.
Its fine.... i just dont use it very often because about 3-4 months after video, i started working in a woodshop full time. So i use their planer mostly which is why the update never came
@@BradsWorkbench Will the 14mmX14mmX2mm fit into this unit? Their specs state 14.25mmX14.25mmX2mm. That is why I decided not to get their Spiral Cut Jointer, instead I got a Shop Fox W1876 which uses 14mmX14mmX2mm 4 sided inserts. will upgrade to the carbide when necessary.
By the way the reason I got the Wen 8" (beside Brad's recommendation) was I received an email from Amazon that the Shop Fox spiral Jointer wasn't available. So I went to Lowes and got the Wen - wider and cheaper.
@@BradsWorkbench ohh nice, I ask because when I need to flated a side of my epoxy work I usually use a base with router and take a lot of time. Thanks for the tip
Ummm....features are great but HOW DOES IT CUT???? The WEN 6550 I just sold had terrible problems with snipe!!!! And it was terrible for tear-out on some hardwoods. THOSE are what make-or-break a planer!!!! BTW...all the rows of cutter heads seemed to have 4 cutters....so how does it have 26 cutters?
1) i showed it literally cutting hardwoods 2) every planer has snipe. The way you tune up the planer determines the amount of snipe. 3) tear out is about grain direction, not the planer. 4) 2 rows have 5...... any other brain busters larry? 😆
@@BradsWorkbench 1. You showed it but not in a way we could see it. And you never commented. 2. "Tuning" a planer can make it better or worse, but the Wen 6550 was bad no matter what one did. I tuned it, I made a planing sled...still VERY bad snipe! 3. Yes, tear out is about grain...but surely you do not profess that all planers do the same on a given piece of lumber? The WEN 6550 could NOT mill tough woods without ridiculous tear-out. Purpleheart was hopeless (several pieces...always bad), and it even struggled with maple and walnut. 4. Thank you for the review!!!!
I reviewed the wen 6550 a couple years about and used it almost exclusively with hardwoods. Are there better planers out there, of course. But for something that cost $250 at the time with a 2 year warranty, it did everything I asked of it. Just gotta slow down and baby cheap tools sometimes
My dad has a 72 ford dump truck that has an original FoMoCo stamped plastic timing gear. 360 engine. If plastic lasts in it, it can last in this application.
@@BradsWorkbench don’t remember, too much saw dust! 🙊 Thanks for the response I need one to take advantage of the free wood furniture people want gone and mill it for my needs! Cheers!
This is what I was thinking. Spitting image of the Rikon 25-135H to be more specific, including the spiral cutter head, but at a more reasonable price. Rikon's offering is priced too steeply for what it is IMO, this is more like it. It's not a $750 tool with the sparse insert count but $450 is reasonable. Wen has a reputation of not supporting their products though. I don't know about Rikon's support.
I actually have a video about that because I felt the same way but they have really improved their customer service. Go to their site and send them an email and test how fast they respond. The rikon may be built better or to slightly different specs, but i havent been able to confirm this.
@@JeffDM Rikon's support is now quite good. My father bought one of their benchtop bandsaws, and the packaging had some slight damage to one corner. When the packaging was removed, there was a little spot in that corner where the weld in the base had a tiny crack. My dad called them up, explained the issue, and after sending a couple of photos, they sent him a new one, no charge, even for shipping. The best part? When he called him back because they didn't include a return shipping label, Rikon said "Nah, we don't want it back. Keep it." So now, he has one set up with a half inch blade and one with an 1/8" blade. Never changes a blade!
I have a bit of a problem with WEN calling the cutter head spiral when clearly it's NOT! It is a helical head. I find their marketing to be VERY misleading.
Actually I think it's referred to as a segmented cutting head! Nothing Spiral or Helical about it. The difference in the two head types being the angle of the blades are addressing the wood are at 0 degrees with segmented vrs 15 degrees on a helix or spiral.
This is under powered. A buddy of mine bought one. And had to borrow my back up Dewalt 734 to complete his project. This is horrible with hardwoods. For a Diyer it's a good start off planner. But don't expect miracles from it.
Yea, i agree. Although i pretty much only work with hardwoods but you're correct, its not gonna be a high production machine. I dont think anything made by wen is.
Talk about click-bait. The thumbnail showed the Dewalt and there's no comparison used to show that this is the "game changer". Truth in advertising please.
*The cutters are actually 14.27mm* Here are some aftermarket carbide replacements. amzn.to/3aELiMX
Wen 13" Thickness Planer w/ Spiral Cutterhead
amzn.to/3aQOaDI
*this was $450 when I bought it on amazon. Right now it only looks to be sold by third party sellers. If the price is over $500, look at some of the other brands mentioned in the video*
Wen 13" Thickness Planer (3 blades)
amzn.to/3eFzUPa
Wen 12.5" Thickness Planer (2 blade)
amzn.to/3gWVwZY
Review- czcams.com/video/mwM8XxMbkoQ/video.html
I spent $800 on a plainer. I Wen too far. Wen will I find time to return it and get this one? It’s a Wen Wen situation. Good review👍.
@@paedahe4975 lmfao!
It’s back in stock. $427.96 direct. WEN products this bada$$ seem to go out of stock 1 place but are easy to find with an extra search or two.
Thanks for the update
have you actually used those carbide blades?
I just received my own Wen 13" Planer with spiral cutter. I watched several videos and read the reviews on this planer. I was more than pleased! After unpacking and the minimal assembly required, I ran a test piece through the planer and encountered a very slight bit of snipe on the front edge. I adjusted the infeed table and the outfeed table 1/2 turn up of the adjustment screws. The next run was absolutely perfect, no snipe whatsoever. I then sent eight large roughcut project boards through the planer. After the final cut, the walnut came out the back of the planer glass smooth...I was amazed. I love, love, love this planer. Better than advertised!
There will always be snipe. But sounds like you got it reduced enough that it isnt noticeable which is the most u can hope for 🤙
“Hopefully my neighbors fiesta won’t be too much to distract us” - says the guy that fires up a planer outside and runs stock through it all day long. 😂
Lmfao, never thought of it that way 🤣
Don’t think he thought that comment through before blurting it out. Lol
Hello, Brads neighbor lol
As a fellow Fiesta neighbor, I almost stopped watching the video at this point. However seems that he has a sense of humor and realized that his planer was ruining the Fiesta...hahaha. I will continue to watch.
I really need one of these bad boys to run when my neighbors fire up their fiesta.
Nice review Brad, looks like a great little planer! Thanks
Thanks bud
great review! thanks so much for sharing 👍
You are a natural for doing product reviews, nice planer too👍
Hey i apperciate that
Excellent review. Really appreciated.
Np
Thanks for the review. I bit the bullet and got the cheapest WEN a couple years ago, best decision ever. Works great. Glad to see they are putting these cutters on new tools. Time for others to catch up! Need to start a "no more straight knives" petition.
Yup, totally agree
Hopefully we'll see the one year review soon. Looking forward to it
Just about that time eh?
Nice Review.. I was not aware the Wen Planner comes with the Spiral Cutter head
Thanks 👍 thats the main reason I did the review so people on a budget could see this option
Thanks for the review. I bought this planer and like it a lot. I was just wondering what can be done about the wood chips coming out on the infeed. I will try to make the stand in a way to catch most of the chips.
Hey thanks for making this, mine will be here Friday 🤘🤘
Nice, hope it serves you well
How's it been? I'm considering buying one now
Thanks Brad. Missed your content.
Video on the way discussing exactly that
Very Cool Brother 👍 Looks like a great machine.
Thanks bud
I just ordered this planer this morning before work. I have a truck laod of old mill oak 1x8x10s that are beautiful after being planed down. I got a heck of deal on it. I am hoping it was a smart decision but I guess I'll find out this weekend.
thanks for the review. hope to see an update soon.
You can pull out the 2 1/2" insert from the dust collection port...that will open up the full 4" bore for your 4" hoses...I didnt realize till a week or so later that it pulled out.
Really? Ill have to try messin with it again. Thanks for letting me know
Very helpful. Thank you.
No prob
Those are some nice looking boards!
Thanks, the resin/wood coasters sell fast
Just purchased mine today now that they're back in stock. Was cheaper directly from WEN than Amazon. Can't wait to give it a try!
Thanks for letting people know 👍
How do you like yhe WEN planer?
@@DarienCharlton so far so good. I purchased a Dustopper to attach, very helpful! I can’t estimate the board foot that have been ran thru it already, but I’ve had no complaints from the quality of planing.
I would suggest very small adjustments each time. Too large of a bite will bog it down
Hi Brad, Nice review. I have had a thicknesser for about a year, second hand, and never used it. I don't do much flat work if any and when I do segmenting I true up the rings on the lathe.
This might well change as I want to start to make some cutting boards.
Take care Brad. Cheers, Huw
Awesome man, its definitely a nice tool to have around.
You're back!!!
Lol i never left, just slowed down a bit because my orders have picked up on the woodworking side 👍
@@BradsWorkbench gotcha, all good!
Thanks for the review! Would love to hear how it's been a year in. Definitely considering picking one up
Same here, would be great to hear how it’s held up!
this is exactly what i wanted to hear as i had arbitrarily decided that i would like this cheaper planer better, thank you
Lol no prob. Still going strong so far
For Wen your cheap has a handful of decent tools. 4 Bolts makes a lot more sense! Looks like it got the job done, just need to CNC some metal versus nylon and get carbide cutters.
Yup, the 4 screw system is definitely way better I'd say. I'll be interested to see how the sprockets hold up after a year. 2 year warranty so I'll be keeping an eye on them for sure
What is your opinion on this after one year? The replacement blade you posted are they any better? How are the sprockets on the bottom holding up? Is the spiral head worth getting this over the dewalt?
looks almost like my Ridgid planer of 15 years ago and the Rikon 25-135h , wonder if the Whauda is the same also
The threads for the depth adjustment rods on the dewalt are way heavier duty. I think a long term test of this planer would be great, as you have planed. Thanks.
Oh the dewalt is definitely more rugged and it should be for the cost of it. But yes still will plan to do a long term review
Thinking of getting one of these, how's it shaping up so far. Nearly a year since your last review
would love to know how this has held up, looking at getting one soon.
Any update on the wear and tear since this video got uploaded?
Also 3:34 the inside piece does pop out. I has so much trouble with this choking my dust collector. But after reaching out to WEN, they told me that the 2½ part does come out, but it takes a bit of elbow grease.
Awesome. Good to know and i appreciate u letting others know as well
Time for an update on this one
Upside is you can rotate those cutter heads easy and get probably 3 times the life of a regular blade. So when you wear out all 4 sides buying carbide replacements won’t be a big deal
Very true.... they are only 2 sided actually but still saves in the long run
@@BradsWorkbench wow, they really cheaped out on not making it fully 4 sided huh? Have you bothered trying to sharpen them (including the nonfunctional sides?) or have you not needed to?
I would bother with the non beveled sides, but I resharpen square carbide cutters all the time. Pretty simple actually. These can be done the same way
Nice planer but I didn't hear what you said, all I could think about is what's going on at the fiesta, that sounds more fun! They're telling their guests; "I hope that guy next door isn't going to run his planer all day"!
Lmao! I bet they are too!
Been a year, any update?
Needing to purchase one soon for light work and would love to know how it's holding up?
I hope you come back with the 1 year review
Hi, Brad! I am really curious about those nylon sprockets. Can we see them?! I'm considering this, but those sprockets are really concerning.
This better than the more expensive 6552t 3 blade?
Hey man, it's been a few months since you've made this video, any update? Did you try getting carbide cutters for it? Has anything broken or wore down yet? I was thinking about getting a dewalt planer, but this one is definitely cheaper.
Havent needed to swap cutter yet, but everything is still holding up. The dewalt is a great planer. I guess if i had to get picky the wen lacks in power a bit. I have had to take it slower with some of the super hard woods like ipe, rock maple, etc
@@BradsWorkbench Awesome, thanks for the reply. I watched another video that compared the Dewalt with other planers and that was one thing they mentioned was that the Dewalt was much more powerful than the others and even when cutting a lot of material at a time it didn't slow down the feed rate at all. Thanks for the info about the Wen.
Been a year now... how's is the WEN doing?
How's it working after a year?
Damn.... that's a souped up version of my Ridgid!
How's it holding up? How are those sprockets?
Thank you for filming this and pointing out the sprocket concern. A 1-year review is a great idea. For me, I'm planning to make a planer purchase in the next couple of days. How has the Wen held up? Any new concerns? Thanks again, Brad.
So far so good. It is a bit under powered when used on some REALLY hardwoods such as osage orange, ipe, etc... but i think most would struggle with those. Just had to take lighter passes
Hey, Did you forget you were going to do a follow up video a year ago? Hoping you could give us a follow up.
I had the one without the spiral cutter heads it worked great for the first few months then things started breaking on it I now have a Dewalt 735 much better planer quality.
I had the 2 blade, 12.5" for 2 years. Never gave me an issue. But with budget line tools like this, the QC isnt typically the best either. But wen does offer a 2 year warranty with their planers and alot of their tools
Hi Brad! Fantastic review. I plan on getting this soon but im currently building a new work table with hinged sections for each tool. Any chance you could snag a measurement full width, and then also depth with the feed tables folded up? Youd be doing me a huge solid if so! Thanks!
Sure, ill try to remember tonight when i get home
On the movement on the table, if you shim it, could it affect accuracy of the shaving?
Not if u shim it from moving forward back... but honestly it never bothered me enough to mess with
You know you can adjust that 1/64th drop on that old planer right ? Just had to do mine, a lot more, due to set screw backing out. Also I thought the blades were 14.25 and there aren’t any after market ?
Yes i played with the adjustments... they are 14.25, I was mistaken. Wen does sell replacements but im still gonna try and see what happens if I put 14mm in to see if its not just a marketing ploy to make you stick to buying theids
Great planer... I've used it a little while now and it has a beautiful finish. HOWEVER... the dust collection is horrible!!!
does anyone make helix cutter heads for these?
P.S. Amazon is currently out of these cutter heads so if you are in need of themimmediately, you are SOL. You need to think about that before buying one of these. And yes. Those nylon gears on the underside are a cheap cop-out over using real steel gears.
Do you know if this planer has a locking head? It doesn't look like it has a manual lock but I can't find any info about whether or not it has an automatic lock. Thanks!
Nothin thats easily accessible. I do remember my older 12.5 wen had a lock wen u removed cover to change blades.
@2:30 The center table on mine bows downwards and when I feed boards through, it causes the boards to bow, and snipe. Even with a shooting board, it has this issue.
Anyone else have that issue? Why did WEN not support that part properly, or have any type of adjustment like with the in/outfeed tables?
One thing i do know is all planers will have snipe. You can never completely eliminate it. Even our $30k, 30 inch 2 sided planer at work has it. But with good infeed/outfeed support and tuning u can reduced it to where its barely noticeably. Or run a sacrafice piece before and after your work piece. But typically i just account for it and add 3" to front & back of what im planing then chop it off when done
Good review brother, my only question is.... how is the snipe?
Its there, a slight improvement over the 12.5" one I had. I typically leave about 4" on each side of any critical project
Great review. You should have done a review of your neighbor's fiesta. Just saying...
Lol hell nah, ive been to some in my younger days. They party too hard for this white boy 😆
Can this planer plane boards that are uneven on both sides to make both sides flat? Or the boards need to run through a thickness planer sled first?
No, you must have a flat surface before you begin planing or use a sled like u described to get your first flat face
Subtle question: Why do planer manufacturers (as well as portable table saws) continue to place the power cord on the left side of the machine, that being the side that you walk through when receiving your board? This creates an immediate safety hazard unless you find some way to snake the cord over to the right hand side. Just wondering...
Thanks for a detailed review!! It's been a year -- do you have plans to make a follow up video? Very curious to know how it held up!
So far so good. But i do work in a wood shop full time now so i use their planers more often. I still pull it out about once a month or so. I think it will do well for hobbyist or avid diyers.... but if used daily with hardwoods, u may want to step up to something a little more sturdy
@@BradsWorkbench Thanks!! That's exactly what I'm looking for (occasional use).
I’ve been set on the Harbor Freight Hercules planer but am now thinking one of these due to the spiral cutter head.
What is the purpose of the two rollers on top?
Thanks!
Those are what feeds ur board thru. All planers have them
Do you still like this tool today? and what about the carbide cutters?
Wow, it comes with the spiral cutter head? Great
More and more lunch box planers are. Definitely a step in the right direction
@@BradsWorkbench Heck yeah. Especially when it's more affordable. It's normally way more expensive.
If you are more than a hobbiest, then this will not stand the test of time. I've gleaned that inferior products with cheap components do not last and then it's virtually impossible to find replacement parts rendering your equipment as redundant. I've always been of the philosophy that a cheap man pays twice. Bite the bullet right from the get go and buy tools with substance. I would invest the extra dollars and purchases the DeWalt 735.
Thanks for your review and your input about this WEN. Cheers!
I dont think anyone would consider WEN to be professional quality.
what company actually makes this planer if it is the same as a rigid?
good info thanks for the review. instead of playing music in video it would have been better to hear the machine on the 12 inch ash. unless you are a band there is no need to play music in video!
Thanks, i'll be sure to make a note of that. Then promptly throw it in the trash! 👍
I'm guessing the plastic gears are glass fiber reinforced. In which case there's a chance they'll last forever. Certainly the chain won't suffer any ware.
Correct, theres a chance....
Right with them in the low speed application they are in, if you keep the whole adjustment area clean and lubricated I do not see them ever showing much wear.
6:29 I'm not eorried about those as the planer lift assembly carriage shouldn't have any sort of heavy pressure or wear on those sprockets. Now if it were for the feeder,.or blade, thennnn I'd have an issue. But then again, I've seen really low quality cast iron sprockets break, where a reinforced nylon would not.
You talk a lot like John Caparulo from Mobile Home Disasters on CMT many years ago.
Never saw it but i can def ramble at times lol
I like it
U need one too 😉👍
@@BradsWorkbench I have the cheaper Dewalt one already or I would.
Ahhhh, u know used tool prices are sky high right now. I sold the old wen i bought for $250 for $190 in less than a day. Then used that money to help the upgrade. Just something to think about if u do want to upgrade
@@BradsWorkbench that’s tru
I just looked on Amazon Canada and the WEN's were more expensive than the DeWalts!
Probably more to do with shipping cost. The dewalt is a solid machine
I'm looking to get one of these for my shop and would be bolting it to a flip-top tool cart. Is there anything that you can think of that would be a problem if this were to spend some of its time inverted?
I honestly think thats what threw off my last planer so i personally dont take the risk anymore. These tools were not made to be hung upside down. However i know alot of people do it. So either it hasnt given them problems or they don't care to notice being 1/32 or 1/64 off. I am kinda overly finiky (if thats a word) when it comes to that kinda stuff.
@@BradsWorkbench I figure I'll probably have the disc sander on the downside most often since it shouldn't really care too much being upside-down as it is just a motor with a disc on it's shaft; up or down shouldn't matter to the bearings really.
Good idea
Did you do a re review yet ?
I'm thinking of still getting the DeWalt 2 speed 13-in and upgrading the blade I feel like DeWalt put way more quality into there planer
Oh they definitely did.... but id also suggest looking into jet, grizzly, and rikon if ur getting close to the $1000 range
@Richard Recupero ...Go for the Dewalt you wont be disappointed and its built to last long-term with only maintenance. I've operated several of the budget friendly planers, and though they will work, they do not compare to the Dewalt. The build materials are much better on the Dewalt, and the quality of cut with the stock straight edge blades is amazing. I rarely use the finishing setting when surfacing or planing boards because the rough dimension setting comes out nearly 320 grit finish by itself. Mine has almost no snipe from the infeed/outfeed tables and it could be used everyday non-stop without issue. Nothing against the other brands, but I dont have time for inferior quality or extra money to replace my tools when they fail every few years. I believe highly in "Buy once, cry once". Spend the money for the longterm product and keep trucking.
Lol i did a video on "buy once, cry once" 🤣 but i do agree the dewalt will most definitely be better built.
@@ryangwin1318 I learned this lesson with boots a long time ago an now apply it to everything. Have a toe joint with no cartilage an they wanted to do surgery. Finally got some good timberland boots and 15 years later the issue is more than manageable, no surgery either. Some things are worth the money, every time.
Agree, if your in the position to be able to afford better quality, its always a good bet
It has been 2 years now. How is this machine doing?
Its fine.... i just dont use it very often because about 3-4 months after video, i started working in a woodshop full time. So i use their planer mostly which is why the update never came
Soooo a year past...😁 just wondering how the machine is holding up
Still going... prob used about once a month or so since i have access to bigger planers at work. But i still recommend for hobbyist
Any update on how this planet is holding up?
Carbide cutter heads with 4 sharp edges are only $25. for qty 10 on Amazon. Easy swap out to carbide when the steel ones get dull.
Definitely what I plan to do. 14mm should fit perfectly
@@BradsWorkbench Will the 14mmX14mmX2mm fit into this unit? Their specs state 14.25mmX14.25mmX2mm. That is why I decided not to get their Spiral Cut Jointer, instead I got a Shop Fox W1876 which uses 14mmX14mmX2mm 4 sided inserts. will upgrade to the carbide when necessary.
The 14 is what I'm gonna be going with but cant say 100% yet
@@cdanc3989 No this size won't work, others have commented on Amazon that they don't fit, sadly.
By the way the reason I got the Wen 8" (beside Brad's recommendation) was I received an email from Amazon that the Shop Fox spiral Jointer wasn't available. So I went to Lowes and got the Wen - wider and cheaper.
100% better than dewalt
Lets not get carried away here 😆
In the minute 5:30 introduced wood with epoxy?
Yes
@@BradsWorkbench ohh nice, I ask because when I need to flated a side of my epoxy work I usually use a base with router and take a lot of time.
Thanks for the tip
No problem. U can get chip out on the ends if u take heavy passes or have dull knives. Just keep that in mind.
Updated year long review coming soon?
Youll see the notification as soon as it does 👌
Ummm....features are great but HOW DOES IT CUT???? The WEN 6550 I just sold had terrible problems with snipe!!!! And it was terrible for tear-out on some hardwoods. THOSE are what make-or-break a planer!!!!
BTW...all the rows of cutter heads seemed to have 4 cutters....so how does it have 26 cutters?
1) i showed it literally cutting hardwoods 2) every planer has snipe. The way you tune up the planer determines the amount of snipe. 3) tear out is about grain direction, not the planer. 4) 2 rows have 5...... any other brain busters larry? 😆
@@BradsWorkbench
1. You showed it but not in a way we could see it. And you never commented.
2. "Tuning" a planer can make it better or worse, but the Wen 6550 was bad no matter what one did. I tuned it, I made a planing sled...still VERY bad snipe!
3. Yes, tear out is about grain...but surely you do not profess that all planers do the same on a given piece of lumber? The WEN 6550 could NOT mill tough woods without ridiculous tear-out. Purpleheart was hopeless (several pieces...always bad), and it even struggled with maple and walnut.
4. Thank you for the review!!!!
I reviewed the wen 6550 a couple years about and used it almost exclusively with hardwoods. Are there better planers out there, of course. But for something that cost $250 at the time with a 2 year warranty, it did everything I asked of it. Just gotta slow down and baby cheap tools sometimes
Is it still working fine ?
Yes
Made in Taiwan. I think that is interesting right there. I wonder how it compares to the Chinese ones?
I can tell you its much better than my old 2 blade.... but thats kinda apples to oranges
Typically
My dad has a 72 ford dump truck that has an original FoMoCo stamped plastic timing gear. 360 engine. If plastic lasts in it, it can last in this application.
Plastic def gets a bad rap. Just like anything, it has to be made right
Who’s the artist of the funky music? Are you still happy with the planer?
Dont remember and yes, still working fine
@@BradsWorkbench don’t remember, too much saw dust! 🙊 Thanks for the response I need one to take advantage of the free wood furniture people want gone and mill it for my needs! Cheers!
Wow, it’s a Rikon with orange paint.
Im hoping rikon has some upgraded parts but havent found a way to confirm
This is what I was thinking. Spitting image of the Rikon 25-135H to be more specific, including the spiral cutter head, but at a more reasonable price. Rikon's offering is priced too steeply for what it is IMO, this is more like it. It's not a $750 tool with the sparse insert count but $450 is reasonable. Wen has a reputation of not supporting their products though. I don't know about Rikon's support.
I actually have a video about that because I felt the same way but they have really improved their customer service. Go to their site and send them an email and test how fast they respond. The rikon may be built better or to slightly different specs, but i havent been able to confirm this.
@@JeffDM Rikon's support is now quite good. My father bought one of their benchtop bandsaws, and the packaging had some slight damage to one corner. When the packaging was removed, there was a little spot in that corner where the weld in the base had a tiny crack. My dad called them up, explained the issue, and after sending a couple of photos, they sent him a new one, no charge, even for shipping. The best part? When he called him back because they didn't include a return shipping label, Rikon said "Nah, we don't want it back. Keep it." So now, he has one set up with a half inch blade and one with an 1/8" blade. Never changes a blade!
Can you do a review plz
Hey it’s been a year. Where’s the 1 year review video at
Life happens, shes still goin strong tho
Snipe issues at all?
Every planer has snipe, no way to get rid of that. But no worse than any other one I have used
But it doesn't have a blower like the Dewalt 735, I need a blower..........
I have a bit of a problem with WEN calling the cutter head spiral when clearly it's NOT! It is a helical head. I find their marketing to be VERY misleading.
Good thing theres a picture to go along
Actually I think it's referred to as a segmented cutting head! Nothing Spiral or Helical about it. The difference in the two head types being the angle of the blades are addressing the wood are at 0 degrees with segmented vrs 15 degrees on a helix or spiral.
Only $450 ?
Go look at how much the cutterheads alone cost
If only it had the 2-speed feed.... I think all these benchtop planers feed too fast
It's been a year my guy. Where's the follow up?
Do u have a question?
@@BradsWorkbench I was just wanting to see the good the bad and the ugly lol
MAYBE I don't understand, but this doesn't look like a spiral cutter head. It looks like a multicutter head.
This is under powered. A buddy of mine bought one. And had to borrow my back up Dewalt 734 to complete his project. This is horrible with hardwoods. For a Diyer it's a good start off planner. But don't expect miracles from it.
Yea, i agree. Although i pretty much only work with hardwoods but you're correct, its not gonna be a high production machine. I dont think anything made by wen is.
Do you think it could have been that the blades had become dull, or do you think it needs more pure cutting power?
Dull cutters/knives, density of wood, depth of cut..... most people will blame the tool before anything else 🤷♂️
Talk about click-bait. The thumbnail showed the Dewalt and there's no comparison used to show that this is the "game changer". Truth in advertising please.
Lol almost like u could try reading the title as well
This isn't really a spiral cuttterhead actually.
Actually it is.... ur probably thinking of helical
That's not a spiral cutter head.
What would you prefer it be called? 🙄