Written by Oliver
In the world of woodworking, the pursuit of perfection begins with the material itself. The ability to transform rough, unpredictable lumber into boards of precise, uniform thickness is not a luxury—it's the foundation of quality craftsmanship. For years, woodworkers have sought a machine that balances raw power with pinpoint accuracy. Today, we take a deep dive into a tool designed to meet that very challenge: the Woodstarter 13-Inch Benchtop Thickness Planer.
Why Your Workshop Needs a Quality Thickness Planer
Before we explore the machine itself, let's establish why a thickness planer is a true game-changer. While you can buy pre-surfaced lumber (often called S4S, or Surfaced Four Sides) from a big-box store, you're limited by its availability, cost, and often, its questionable flatness. A benchtop thickness planer liberates you from these constraints. It empowers you to buy cheaper, rough-sawn lumber and mill it to your exact specifications. It allows you to reclaim old wood, create custom-thickness parts for intricate projects, and guarantee that every board in a panel glue-up is perfectly flush. In short, it elevates your work from hobbyist-level to professional-quality by giving you absolute control over your most fundamental material.
The Powerhouse: Deconstructing the Motor and 3-Blade Cutterhead
At the heart of any great planer lies its power train. The Woodstarter is built around a robust 2000W, 15-Amp motor, a formidable engine designed to handle the demands of dense hardwoods without hesitation. This level of power is crucial; it ensures the cutterhead maintains its speed even when taking substantial passes on woods like oak, maple, or walnut, preventing bogging down which can lead to burn marks and an uneven finish.
The 3-Blade Advantage
While power is essential, the magic happens at the cutterhead. This thickness planer features a 3-blade HSS (High-Speed Steel) cutterhead spinning at a blistering 10,000 RPM. Many competing models in the benchtop class only offer two blades. The inclusion of a third blade makes a significant, measurable difference in cut quality.
Additionally, we offer a variety of planer blades as accessories for your needs. Check out our selection here to enhance your woodworking experience!
Precision in Practice: Capacity, Adjustments, and Workflow
Power and a great cutterhead are meaningless without control. The Woodstarter excels in providing the user with precise, intuitive adjustments. Its impressive capacity allows it to handle boards up to 13 inches wide and from 1/4 inch to 6 inches thick. This generous range makes it versatile enough for almost any project, from milling thin veneers to dimensioning thick posts for furniture.
The large, ergonomic crank handle allows for effortless depth adjustments, while the clear, built-in thickness scale ensures you can reliably hit your target dimension. For repetitive tasks, the built-in depth stop is a fantastic feature, allowing you to set a desired thickness and plane multiple boards to the exact same dimension consistently.
A standout feature for workflow efficiency is the built-in return roller on top of the unit. After a pass, you can simply slide the board over the top of the planer back to the infeed side, rather than having to walk around the machine. It’s a simple, clever detail that significantly speeds up the process when making multiple light passes.
A Clean and Safe Workshop: Dust Collection and Protection
A thickness planer produces an immense volume of wood chips. Effective dust collection is not just a matter of cleanliness; it's a matter of health and safety. The Woodstarter addresses this head-on with a versatile 3-in-1 dust port, providing adapters for 1-2/5", 2-1/2", and 4" hoses. This means it can connect to everything from a standard shop vacuum to a full-scale industrial dust collector, ensuring your workspace and lungs stay clear.
Safety is paramount, and the built-in overload and overheat protection acts as a crucial safeguard for the motor. If you try to take too deep a cut or run the machine too hard for too long, it will automatically shut down, protecting your investment from damage.
Built for Stability: The Stand and Support Extensions
One of the biggest challenges with any benchtop thickness planer is managing "snipe"—the tendency for the planer to cut slightly deeper at the very beginning and end of a board. This is often caused by the board tilting as it enters or exits the machine. The Woodstarter mitigates this in two key ways. First, the adjustable infeed and outfeed extensions provide crucial support for longer boards, keeping them level throughout the pass. Second, the included optional stand raises the machine to an optimal, ergonomic working height and provides a wide, stable base, further reducing any potential for rocking or instability.
The Final Verdict: Is This the Planer for You?
The Woodstarter 13-Inch Benchtop Thickness Planer is more than just a tool; it's a gateway to a higher level of woodworking. It successfully bridges the gap between hobbyist machines and large, industrial planers by packing professional-grade features into a user-friendly, benchtop-sized package.
If you are a dedicated DIYer looking to graduate to milling your own lumber, a custom furniture maker demanding precision and a flawless finish, or a professional needing a reliable and portable machine for the job site, this planer is a top-tier contender. With its powerful 15A motor, high-CPI 3-blade cutterhead, excellent dust collection, and thoughtful design features, it represents an outstanding value and a solid investment in the quality of your future projects. It doesn't just flatten wood; it flattens the learning curve to achieving truly professional results.
