Reddit mentions: The best power planers

> If something can save me hundreds of man-hours than it would be a worthy investment right?

You have a limited budget and plenty of free time, and you're a hobbyist, not a factory. Focus on purchases that improve the quality of your work and the capabilities of your shop. Efficiency can come later, once you have a good feel for where you're burning the most time.

> planers are expensive yes? or do I just get one for $500 and do some extra bonus sanding?

If I were buying new on a budget, it would be this one.

These things pop up used for $100-200 all the time because people buy them for a project or two then leave them to collect dust. You could save some $$ by going with a lightly used one.

> any suggestions on a hand plane or two and a backsaw?

Look for a used Stanley #4 or Millers Falls No.9.

Veritas makes a nice carcass saw that's not too expensive.

> 1/4" up-cut spiral bit - yep I honestly can't even see myself doing any other routing aside from mortising, I don't like profiled edges or anything like that so I would never use it for that, crossing the 1/8" bit off the list. To be honest I'm not crazy about routers, but if it's going to be necessary for making those joints I'll have to get one.

> Narex Chisels - sounds good, I'm not set on anything yet but something good quality will do for me. What are you using now?

Now I use Veritas PM-V11 chisels. My favorite "first chisel" recommendation are these, but they are 2.5x the price of the Narex.

> ROS - by the way, is that the first sander I should buy? Do I need a power sander? or is it too much time and energy to do it by hand?Is an ROS they best and most practical for right now?

Yes it is, and yes you should. It's not so much that it's too much time/energy to do it by hand. It takes some practice and discipline to get good results that way, and you won't fully appreciate the process of finish prep before you get through a few projects, and the ROS will make sure that your first projects don't suck for a preventable reason.

> My plan was to buy all the hardwood planed to 3/4", there's only one local mill in town and they will do that.

You will need parts of varying thicknesses sometimes. For instance: you're not going to use 3/4" stock to make drawer sides, backs, or bottoms. A planer, if nothing else, lets you make thinner stock. Thin stock doesn't stay flat for very long, so pre-milling it isn't usually a great idea.

More importantly, it lets you mill your material in the way that's most likely to lead to good results. If you go to a lumberyard, have them mill boards to 3/4", then bring them home and let them sit for a couple of days, they won't be flat anymore. Almost guaranteed. Most lumber yards aren't climate controlled, and they are always going to mill the board in one shot, even if the best option would be to take little nibbles over the course of several days or weeks.

If you want, try doing a few projects without one first and see how it feels. I felt like I needed one to make it to the end of my first non-plywood project without a poor result.

A Jointer (machine) is optional, but you need a way to make the faces of boards flat. A planer sled is probably the shortest path to that for now.

> I'd also love to hear what you'd recommend in the hand tools department.

These two lists are great, just keep in mind they are targeted at someone who wants to use only hand tools. For example, the minimal list recommends a jack plane, but I recommended a #4--I think a #4 is a better fit for a blended (hand/power) shop. But I agree with him for a hand-tool-only shop.

• The Beginning Hand Tool List
  
• The slightly larger hand tool list
  
  Specific hand tool recommendations are all over the map. I like my choices, but they are on the expensive side. Often you can buy old/used tools for much less.
  
  

I'm a professional carpenter and general contractor, and from my personal experience and the anecdotal evidence from the guys I regularly see, Bosch is of the best you can get for cordless tools nowadays. DeWalt used to be the go-to, but their quality has dropped considerably over the last 5-10 years. They still have some decent products, but I know of a lot of people who have had major issues with their drill chucks being off center.

This said, you kind of need a grab bag to get the best of each tool.

Here's my current setup, which is the same as quite a few contractors I work with:

• Bosch 18V impact driver/drill set. I've dropped my driver with a 6" bit attached directly onto the bit from 10' up, on concrete, and the entire thing was unscathed. Batteries last forever and charge very quickly.
  
  
• Festool jigsaw. Festool makes AMAZING products, but it's probably way overkill for most, and this Bosch model is a great second option I've seen used by many guys with a ton of success.
  
  
• Skil Mag 77 circular saw. This is the be all end all saw. It has enough torque to change the rotation of the earth. It's heavy, though, so a decent sidewinder might be your best bet. I would never use anything else, personally, though.
  
  
• Bosch compound sliding miter saw. I love this thing. You can put it flat up against a wall and still use the slider, which is a feature unique to them.
  
  
• DeWalt table saw. The major plus of this saw is that the rip fence is on a track, so both sides move together. I still never trust their gauges, but to know that both the front and back are equidistant from the blade 100% of the time is worth its weight in gold.
  
  
• DeWalt thickness planer. Never thought I'd buy one, and now I wouldn't be without one. With the combination of the above 3, you can pretty much make anything out of anything. Have a 5/4 board at the house but you need a 1x? 2 passes through the planer and you're set.
  
  
• Bosch Rotary Hammer. The demo master. It can hammer drill massive holes in concrete, or switch to hammer only mode to remove tile or glued on drywall particles. These are bulletproof.
  
  
• DeWalt orbital sander. Nothing fancy, as I don't do a ton of heavy sanding. Something to look for in these is the variable speed; makes jobs much easier.
  
  
• Bosch oscillating tool. Most brands are similar, and depending on your uses a corded model may be better. I have a second tool that uses these batteries so I have lots of backups (and they charge very quickly), and I often use it in places that running a cord would be a pain in the ass. This is great for trimming things that are immovable and can't be sawed: think door frame bottoms for new floors, baseboard trim to accommodate a new vent, drywall patching, anything. Love this thing.
  
  
• RotoZip spiral saw. Great for drywall, and there's a masonry style bit that works good for cutting pieces of tile (like around a faucet or control).
  
  
• Bosch planer. Again, nothing fancy and I definitely don't use it daily...but when you need a planer, there's not much else you can use.
  
  
  So there you go. Those are the ones that have gone through the ringer on a construction crew and have survived heavy abuse and regular moving/dropping without any signs of letting go. Some may be overkill for your situation, but they're what I've found to be best. I'm probably missing a few loose ends so look out for edits.

I have recently purchased my first home with my fiancée, and like all of you, have an enormous list of projects we'd like to do. I am fairly handy and am prepared to tackle any project (with supervision on electrical). All that being said, I have always used other people's tools when working on projects, so I don't have many of my own. I have a budget and would like to purchase all of my tools on Black Friday/Cyber Monday to get the best bang for my buck. I'd like your advice on which tools are the best for my budget.

We are planning on renovating the master bed, bath, and closet, kitchen, mudroom, and the laundry room. I also plan on making a kitchen table, coffee table, cabinets, dresser, etc. The first project is the laundry room and mudroom, which will require tile, built-ins, cabinets, and replacing washer/dryer. I have a tool budget of $5k-7.5k (ideally staying on the lower end) and would like your thoughts on my equipment list.

If you've used any of this below, what did you think? Are there any cheaper or better alternatives I should consider?

• Table Saw w/ fence JET ProShop II 725004K $1,500 http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/the-jps-10-1-75-hp-115v-30-proshop-tablesaw-with-steel-wings/725004K
  
• Mitre Saw Dewalt 15 Amp 12" $500 https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-15-Amp-12-in-Double-Bevel-Sliding-Compound-Miter-Saw-DWS780/202922350
  
• Drill Press Dad's old press $0
  
• Router Bosch MRF23EVS $220 https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-MRF23EVS-Electronic-Fixed-Base-Trigger/dp/B002LASDGK
  
• Plung Router Bosch MRC23EVSK 2.3 HP (Is this a good Plunge router?) $280https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Combination-Fixed-Base-Variable-MRC23EVSK/dp/B002LASDGA
  
• Router Table Bosch RA1181 $200 https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Benchtop-Router-Table-RA1181/dp/B000H12DQ6
  
• Modular Table base Should I build this? $200
  
• 8 large clamps Jet Parallel Clamps (Does Jet make quality clamps?) $600https://www.amazon.com/Jet-70411-Parallel-Clamp-Cabinet/dp/B000F79022
  
• Planer Dewalt DW735 $500 https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735-13-Inch-Thickness-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU8
  
• Joiner Delta Power Tools 37-071 6 Inch MIDI-Bench Jointer $450 https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Power-37-071-MIDI-Bench-Jointer/dp/B00IYJCFIY
  
• Vacuum Jet 1HP $400 https://www.woodcraft.com/products/jet-650-cfm-dust-collector-with-bag-filters-1-hp-model-dc-650?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIupH4jIn83QIVReDICh2P9QS4EAQYASABEgIgYPD_BwE
  
• Band saw Model Jet JWB-10 $450 https://www.woodcraft.com/products/jet-10-open-stand-bandsaw-model-jwb-10
  
• Finish Nailer Dewalt DCN650D1 (Already have 20V Dewalt Drill) $300https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-Max-16-Gauge-Cordless-Angled-Finish-Nailer-Kit-DCN660D1/206528533
  
• Framing Nailer Dewalt DCN692B (Already have 20V Dewalt Drill) $400https://www.nailgundepot.com/dewalt-dcn692b-lithium-ion-battery-cordless-framing-nailer-details.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo6Ddtor83QIVw4CfCh1EIg2zEAQYASABEgK-pvD_BwE
  
• Paint Sprayer Graco Magnum 257025 $240 https://www.amazon.com/Graco-257025-Project-Painter-Sprayer/dp/B004Z2090U
  
  Last question: does anyone know where I can find plastic sawhorses that allow me to put a 2x4 across the top, but also allow the legs rotate for easy storage? My dad had these growing up and I cant find them anywhere. I have found all plastic ones, but I'd like to have the wood so I can saw through it and replace it as needed.
  
  Thank you for your help! I look forward to keeping you updated with our projects.

Just got a notification from CamelCamelCamel and wanted to share:

Amazon has the Dewalt 735X Planer marked down to $530 right now.
https://smile.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735X-Two-Speed-Thickness-Package/dp/B003OX9KME/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Dewalt+735x&qid=1573819734&sr=8-2

This is a pretty good price on these new, normal price is around $650. They are very good planers and I love mine even though I haven't gotten to use it as much as I'd like. If anyone has been thinking about getting one, this might be the right time!

edit: swapped the link for an Amazon Smile one.

The Dewalt DW735 is my recommendation. I have used many floor model planers including by General, Grizzly, and some others. I have also used several of the bench top models, although not the cheaper Dewalt. Once I tried the DW735 at someone else's workshop, it blew me away. I bought one and have planed many types of wood with mine now including hickory, ash, maple, walnut, zebrawood, purpleheart, bloodwood, birch.

It does extremely well on the difficult woods like zebrawood which actually has grain sticking up both ways. None of the other planers I had tried worked very well on this, I would always get some tearout due to the weird grain pattern.

The other thing I was never able to do on other planers is plane thin pieces, on this I have planed pieces down to 1/8" without having to use another sled underneath (there are tricks you can play with laying the thin piece on another board when putting it through like a sled). I have also planed pieces up to 16/4 thick full width taking off 1/8"+ per pass. You will probably want to bolt it down to something, but I have run 12 foot boards through mine by holding it for the first few feet then going to the other side to hold up the finished end. It is expensive, but mine has absolutely worked like a charm. Also a little heavy for a benchtop, but I can pretty easily lift by myself, and it adds stability for when you do longer boards compared to other benchtops.

A few thing will give you excellent blade life for any planer. I check my wood very carefully for any foreign objects like staples nails etc. I cut 1/4" off both ends of the boards first because boards can stand up in dirty areas and get imbedded with dirt, metal shavings, gravel, etc before you get them or while you store them. Sometimes I wire brush the board surface if it looks dirty. Unless you are using especially knotty wood or plywood, the only real cause of knife nicks is from non-wood debris in the wood you are planing. I run on the slow speed setting even when roughing because the blades are removing less material with each cut (less stress on blade). The blade replacement is super easy on this planer too though for when shit does happen or they get dull.

I literally used a chainsaw on an ash tree and a hickory tree to turn them into boards. Probably a 10" hickory and a 16" diameter ash. Got several 10' sections from each. Cut it up with chainsaw into boards, let them dry, cut 6"-12" off the ends from splitting, then ran them all through this planer. After many other smaller projects and then nearly two entire trees, it was time to change the blades for the first time... definitely a workhorse that was worth what I paid.

The tables in this package are worth it in my opinion because they help reduce snipe. I get none to very little snipe. http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735X-Two-Speed-Planer-Package/dp/B003OX9KME/

"Walnut is poisoning" what I hear. My first boards had walnut in them and reddit gave me shit about it. I use them for myself so I don't care that much. I'm not eating the wood.

This planer: (I love it)
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW734-2-Inch-Benchtop-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480052378&sr=8-2&keywords=dewalt+planer

The zig zag pattern was the hardest one. Yes it drifted up to 1/8th. They are not my favorite.

I used a table router on some of them for the edge, but I like the sander better. Something about it just felt more solid and manly.


Feel free to ask more questions. I only have about 50 boards worth of experience. So I don't know everything. I learned a lot doing this.

Everyone recommends the DW735. My father has owned one for years, and it's great and all that. But it's also much more expensive than many other hobbyist alternatives. If I was going to spend $600, I'd be looking at a used quality 15" planer on craigslist, which will be much better suited if you truly intend to plane "lots of it" compared to a cheaper unit.

That said, my budget is/was not that high. I got an old Ridgid TP1300 from CL. It planed beautifully for a month, then died. It worked so well I had HD send it in to see if it could be repaired...parts no longer available to repair was the answer.

In the end I picked up the WEN 13"
It's worked great for me so far through walnut, cherry, and a ton of large pieces of white oak (king bed size). So if your budget is on the low end, that's an option to consider.

If I were in your position, I would definitely shoot for a big ticket item such as the sawstop PCS (36" T-glide) with 1.75hp motor. That will eat up your entire budget (plus $219 more). I cannot imagine a hobbyist woodworker who would not be happy with it.

OR you can do lots of little stuff: (take out the things he may already have)
Sharpening: this this this this and this

Chisels: here

Japanese saw: this and this

Caliper: here

Exceptional quality hand plane set every woodworker would love to have if they don't have it already: here. Conversely, you can get the Lie Nielsen 60-1/2 block plane and get the #4 and #5 from Lee Valley (I prefer their version).


If he doesn't have a planer, this is a great one: here


As for festool products, I would highly recommend the Rotex 150 with Dust collector combination

I'm sure i'm missing a couple of stuff here and there but I hope the list helps you get started.

I'm in the market for a thickness planer. Does anyone have a good recommendation? My requirements are that it's available on Amazon or big box retailer, and be around $300-$400. I'm a hobbyist, so I don't have a huge budget to spend on it.

I've been looking at the Delta 22-555, but its reviews are scaring me a little, and there might be a better choice I'm overlooking.

Edit: The WEN 6552T also looks nice, and seems to retain more owner satisfaction.

Yeah, you could look in to smaller bench top models of table saws and jointers, lunchbox planers, etc.
Ive seen people create some pretty cool work areas out of small spaces.
The downside is with smaller tools comes less surface to reference your workpiece during the cut, less power and dust collection...
These are some smaller "budget" tools that I've heard good things about:

Benchtop "Lunchbox" Thickness Planer
Benchtop Jointer
Benchtop table saw
Benchtop Drill Press

Oh yeah I'm sure he does. That probably makes all the difference in this kind of stuff. I've done endgrain with my dad's Ryobi planer with 2 flat blades and it works ok. Lots of tear out on the back end of course. I've got my eye on this with this sexy beast. mmmmmfff...

Their thickness planer right now is 216 on amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0106XD60Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493501892&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=wen%2Bthickness%2Bplaner&dpPl=1&dpID=51agjtmMp4L&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1
May be cheaper at walmart. I would have picked this planer up as well if I wasn't already so dead set on the dewalt dw734.

Maybe one of you fine gentlemen can talk me out of getting the dw734? =D

Amazon has the Dewalt 735x for $544.59. The X is the one with the in/outfeed tables and an extra set of blades. It is a very good thickness planer. There is also a third party helical head for it.

I agree with your gut.

I purchased a Jet 15" planer, 220V single phase for $800 about two years ago. I am very happy with the extra width. If I were spending $1000 or up, I would want something wider than 13".

EDIT: I can't resist. If I were going to spend $1K on a 13" planer, I might do this:

DeWalt 735 $599.99

[Shelix Cutterhead $405](https://shelixheads.com/SHELIX-heads_for_Planers/SHELIX_Heads_for_Planers_by_DEWALT/SHELIX_for_dewalt_13_inch_Planer_(DW-735)

NO...for the love of god don't use a sander. It would take forever, and you'd never be able to get an even edge on it.

I had this exact problem upgrading doors in my house and bought a hand planer like THIS and it made a fantastic job of it. It also cut the tip off my middle finger because I wasn't paying attention, but it grew back.

I recommend the DeWalt DW735. It's a great machine.

What is a layer, ie, how much material do you want to remove? How big is the piece? These questions would matter in giving you a helpful response.

FWIW, I have NEVER used a belt sander on anything I'm making. But I do have a dw735

I don't know how it compares but for the same price point I got the Porter Cable Planer and it's been a fantastic addition to my garage shop.

I'm saving up for the Makita planer, suppose to be the best in that price range: https://www.amazon.com/Makita-2012NB-12-Inch-Interna-Lok-Automated/dp/B000051ZOO/ref=sxin_0_ac_d_pm?ac_md=5-2-QWJvdmUgJDYwMA%3D%3D-ac_d_pm&keywords=makita+planer&pd_rd_i=B000051ZOO&pd_rd_r=fc74f861-9127-4c51-961a-787333dccfe0&pd_rd_w=ZdYWs&pd_rd_wg=NsX0k&pf_rd_p=24d053a8-30a1-4822-a2ff-4d1ab2b984fc&pf_rd_r=NME0RZF4AE5EG0FRM7C4&psc=1&qid=1573885913

Well if you're planing it, I'd recommend this.

I believe they are talking about a hand plane, like one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XPK01Z-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-4-Inch/dp/B00NOVNV76

No a lunchbox style unit for larger stock.

A friend of mine has a Delta Shopmaster TP300 planer for sale for $175, and I'm wondering if it's a good deal or not. It's used, but seems to be a solid unit, although I have no idea whatsoever about planers. I recently moved into a new place and the previous owner left behind a few stacks of rough misc. dimension wood, some old oak cabinet boards, and a pile of old barnwood.

Anyone have experience with this planer? It's less than a new one, but it also has mixed reviews on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/TP300-Shopmaster-12-Inch-Portable-Planer/dp/B00006K00T

Would recommend it if you want your wood coming out square and equal thickness!

My jointer is a Cutech 40160H-CT (shipped from Tennessee): https://www.cutechtool.com/product-p/40160h-ct.htm

My planer is a Dewalt DW735: https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-Two-Speed-Thickness-Package-13-Inch/dp/B003OX9KME/ref=sr_1_1?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1502140300&sr=1-1&keywords=dewalt+planer

He also just mentioned something about this:

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735-13-Inch-Thickness-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU8

Is this something that would be useful?

Is something like this the same thing or should I use a non-electric, handheld block plane? WEN 6530 6-Amp Electric Hand Planer, 3-1/4-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OW5AJTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.sIKDb0M8FSFQ

• Steel City Helical Cutter Planer ~$500
  
• Steel City Helical Head Benchtop Jointer $300
  
• Rikon 10" TableTop Bandsaw $300
  
• Nova Comet II Midi Lathe w/ G3 Chuck $550
  
• Lathe Bed Extension $130
  
• Lathe Grinder Attachement $50
  
• 70 gal Dust Collector HF $200 + another 50 for better bags.
  
  I have a decent older tablesaw sturdy contractor grade, but it's fence is shot so I would likely invest in some form of decent fence system for it assuming around $200-350
  
  I would spend the rest on cutting tools for the lathe... still not sold on Carbide as a sole cutting solution.
  
  Since I have nothing and have been shopping lately... Also assuming the products were actually available for purchase.
  
  

I agree: https://www.amazon.com/Yosoo-Electric-Portable-Woodworking-Furniture/dp/B07D55RGB5

I just bought a planer from amazon. DEWALT DW734 15 Amp 12-1/2-Inch Benchtop Planer. Amazon is selling it at $360 plus an additional $25 off if you spend more than $100 on Dewalt products. That will bring it down to $335 before taxes, $355 after. It's $400 everywhere else before tax.

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW734-2-Inch-Benchtop-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU6

I'm new to woodworking so I don't have a lot of experience and have only tried a handful of things. What I noticed is that a planer will always be helpful or needed in most projects. I could be wrong and there could be other ways to accomplishing the same thing using different tools. That's just been my experience so far.

I use both the Wen 6552 and the Dewalt 735. Don't waste your money with the Dewalt. If I had to choose between the two I'd go with Wen. Don't let anyone tell you, you have to go with Dewalt because of the Helical cutters heads. Those cutter heads are an extra $350-$500 and you can get the Helical cutter heads for almost every brand.

​

Not sure if it's exactly the same kit, but that model is $570 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735X-Two-Speed-Planer-Package/dp/B003OX9KME

I bought this planar about a year ago and have had zero problems. Just made a similar cutting board to this cutting board and I think it turned out better than the original. Never had a planar and used relatively flat stuff from lowes. It changed my life.

That's a $3k planer in the video

One of these? Handheld and "only" 40lbs! http://www.amazon.com/home-improvement/dp/B000140B54

WEN 6550 Benchtop Thickness Planer, 12-1/2" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0106XD60Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QWWdBbWYN2X3P

I've been looking at these recently. For $20 more you can get a 3-blade 13". https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CHP7G70/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1&th=1

If you are jsut looking for a planer, why not a 12 1/2" DeWalt?

Amazon has it even cheaper

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CCXU6/ref=s9_simh_gw_g469_i2_r?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1656R9796A1531CYPJMX&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

Then what do you call these?

Not quite 450 but it's this one: https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735-13-Inch-Thickness-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483287217&sr=8-2&keywords=dewalt+dw735x

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735X-Two-Speed-Thickness-Package/dp/B003OX9KME/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dewalt+735x&qid=1574962882&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Striker-SSP1-Planer/dp/B000ALGFP8
Amazon.com : Sea Striker SSP1 Planer : Fishing Downriggers ...

All planers take some tuning.

Plan to pay minimum $500 for a decent one (13" width). Get a dial indicator for tuning the blade depth.

I'm still saving for one myself. This is the one I have had my eye on.

Craigslist Deal or No Deal: Delta TP300 planer for $150

https://www.amazon.com/TP300-Shopmaster-12-Inch-Portable-Planer/product-reviews/B00006K00T

DEWALT DW734 15 Amp 12-1/2-Inch Benchtop Planer versus [Grizzly G0832 - 13" Benchtop Planer](http://www.grizzly.com/products/13-Benchtop-Planer-with-Built-In-Dust-Collection/G0832?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp4u-1svQ2QIVBY3ICh2K7QFUEAkYASABEgKRE_D_BwE
). Ignoring the cost, which would you choose and why? Seems like the DeWalt is the more practical choice (more horsepower, cuts per inch, rpm, etc.), but there's just something that draws me to Grizzly.

Its complicated but maybe a 4 post chain screw mechanism like in 4 post wood planers. Basically the 4 posts are all screws controlled by a single chain that moves them all simultaneously. You would likely lose a few inches in the bottom for running the chains and gears. How you would implement this is beyond the scope of my knowledge, i just think this would work for your application.

This planer has the mechanism im talking about:
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW735-13-Inch-Thickness-Planer/dp/B0000CCXU8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479647959&sr=8-2&keywords=dewalt+dw735

Anyone have experience with this planer:

WEN 6552 3-Blade 15 Amp Benchtop Thickness Planer, 13"

Seems to be a really low price right now and I'm needing a planer badly for woodworking projects coming up over winter.