The Wen 6550t Thickness Planer is a Benchtop Thicknesser With a Powerful 15 Amp Motor
What We Like
- 15 Amp motor allows the blade to move 17,000 per minute
- Depth adjustment knob moves from 0 to 3/32
- A feed rate of 26 feet per minute minimizing snipe
- Strong and wide granite table
- A top-notch dust collection system
- Perfect weight enhances precision
- Two-year warranty
What We Don’t Like
- Blades nick too frequently
- Planer is a little noisy
Bottom Line
Our Wen 6550T Thickness Planer review has shown that it offers you good value for your money. The powerful 15 Amp motor allows you to complete your assignments quickly and efficiently as it powers the blades, offering about 17, 000 per minute.
Thanks to the rubber depth adjustment knob, you can cut smoothly through-plane boards that are as wide as 12.5 inches and as thick as 6 inches.
However, this Planer is not without flaws. The two most obvious drawbacks of this planer are that it is noisy and blades nick too often making blade replacement necessary.
This is expensive in the long run even if there are many compatible blades for the planer.
Everyone knows that Benchtop thickness planers are meant to help you get consistent thickness on a piece of wood. With a good benchtop planer in your home, you don’t need to spend too much money on refined wood.
You can buy raw lumber and thin it out using the Wen 6550T Planer. Hand planers have their advantages but there are still some woodworking assignments that require more power.
As you’ll see in our review, it comes with a 15 Amp motor which is strong enough for your household and even low-level commercial projects.
It has a solid, non-marring granite table that supports the wood as you drive it through the planer. Many other features make the Wen 6550T Thickness Planer a good option as a power tool.
Related article: Wen 6552t Planer Review
Features of the Wen 6550T Benchtop Thickness Planer
Feed Rate of 26 Feet Per Minute Minimizing Snipe
The feed rate of the Wen 6550T Thickness Planer refers to the speed at which the planer’s cutter-head is fed wood. The rate depends on the motor because it is based on units of distance per revolution.
This benchtop thicknesser has a feed rate of 26 feet per minute. This means that it can cut through 26 feet of wood every minute. This is around the average feed rate for benchtop planers.
The implication is that jobs will be completed quickly and efficiently with minimal snipe. Frequent snipe can spoil the entire work by making too many noticeably deeper cuts on the wood you’re trying to thin out.
All planers snipe from time to time but some snipe more frequently than others. With the Wen 6550T Planer, you will only experience minimal snipe.
15 Amp Motor Offers Enough Power
Many benchtop planers of the same size and weight as the Wen 6550T Thickness Planer have 10 to 12 Amp motors. Those offer enough power for planing wood efficiently whether it’s in your home workshop or a professional woodworking shop.
However, a 10 Amp motor may not be strong enough to handle large scale commercial planing daily. Even a 12 Amp isn’t going to give you the same power and stability you will get from a 15 Amp motor.
From all our years of reviewing benchtop planers, we’ve not found anyone that has more than 15 Amps. So, it’s safe to say that 15 Amp is the maximum motor power for devices of this size.
Thanks to the size of its motor, the Wen 6550T can handle home and commercial projects without stress.
Cutter-head Moves 17,000 Per Minute
The cutter-head of the Wen 6550T Thickness Planer moves 17, 000 times per minute thanks to the power of the motor and the smart construction of the entire device.
The average cutting speed of benchtop planers ranges between 10,000 and 15,000. So, 17,000 cuts per minute are well above average. Unlike other planers that are only compatible with a single type of blade, Wen 6550T Planer can be used with different types of blades.
However, it is important to note that the cutter-head has only two blades. It would have been more effective for planing if it had three blades. Also, the blades tend to nick too frequently.
When this happens, you will need to replace them and the cost for blade replacement can quickly pile up.
Related reading: Ridgid R4330 Planer Review
Granite Table and Dust Adjustment Knob for Precision
Instead of a plastic or metal table like other planers, the Wen 6550T Thickness Planer comes with granite tables. The granite table is more durable than plastic and it isn’t prone to rust like metal.
It is smooth and stable allowing the wood to travel through the planer easily and with firm support. Thanks to the size of the table, you can trim wooden materials that are 12.5 inches wide and 6 inches thick.
So, no commercially available plank can’t be trimmed with the Wen 6550T Thickness Planer. There is an easy to use depth adjustment knob on the planer that allows you to choose the right depth level to meet your woodworking needs.
This ensures that every pass is precise. Apart from the depth adjustment knob, the weight of the planer also helps to promote precision.
It weighs 70 pounds which is almost twice the weight of some other benchtop planers. Thanks to the weight, you don’t need to worry about a lack of stability.
Related article: Dewalt DW734 Review
Wen 6550T Thickness Planer Review The Verdict
The Wen 6550T Thickness Planer is not bad for the $288 to $300 price tag. In this review, we mentioned many great benefits of this benchtop thicknesser.
We also stated that it can be a little noisy and the original blades are prone to nicking. The noise isn’t so loud that you’ll be unable to hear yourself talk and the blades are easily replaceable so these cons are negligible.
