Despite its small size, the 25-010 handles big workpieces well, even when planing difficult stock such as wide slabs of white oak. Its plastic gears and light castings aren’t the best choice if you plan to mill boards all day long, but it should suit weekend woodworkers very well.

It’s the only machine with disposable blades, which cannot be sharpened and must be replaced when dull. But disposables are much easier to install. Unlike the other machines, the Rikon requires you to remove the jointer’s infeed table completely during changeover. It’s a lightweight casting and has positive location points, so it’s simple to do. But it is a nuisance to store the table while the machine is in planing mode.

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Ridgid R4331 Planer

Priced nearly $300 less than the DeWalt 735X, the Ridgid R4331 is an excellent value. Its three-knife cutterhead left wonderfully clean surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pine. It did not perform nearly as well on curly maple as the 735X.

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Shop Fox W1826

The thick, felted bag on this Shop Fox is a plus and a minus. On one hand, it makes the unit much less expensive than collectors with canister filters, and also lighter and easier to hang on the wall. Without a separate plastic bag to catch chips, however, they stay in the felt bag, and the shortish zipper on the bottom makes it tough to shake them out. Otherwise, the W1826 is an excellent value.

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Veritas Precision Square

This precision square is incredibly versatile, from checking squareness to dialing in machine setups.

Buy at Lee Valley