Back in January, Stuart gave us a sneak peak of the Dewalt DCP580 cordless planer. Dewalt has now officially announced that their DCP580 20V Max brushless planer will soon be headed to the USA. If you have been eagerly anticipating this tool, your wait will soon be over.
The motor on this cordless planer spins up to 15,000 RPM, and besides being more efficient, Dewalt says the brushless motor helps the planer head maintain speed when the tool is under load. Dewalt’s press release doesn’t mention this, but according to the Amazon sales page, the cutting head is driven by a Poly-V drive belt.
The planer’s twin-blade drum uses reversible carbide blades. This means that when one side dulls, you can rotate them around to expose fresh cutting edges. That also gives you time to order and receive replacement knives. They might be sharpenable, but that remains to be seen.
The planer has a 3-1/4″ width capacity and a height adjustment from 0 to 3/32″. It also has the capacity to cut up to 5/64″ rabbets. The sole of the plane also has a built in V-groove for chamfering sharp edges.
The 6.7 pound tool is ergonomically designed with a comfort-gripped handle, and it should be well-balanced for either horizontal and vertical planing.
A closer look at the height adjustment knob reveals a scale graduated in 1/256″ increments. It also looks to have a grippy overmold for user comfort.
The planer features on-board key and blade storage, and a flip down foot or “kickstand” to keep the blades from getting damaged when you set the planer down. The kickstand will also protect finished or delicate surfaces from getting nicked by the blades.
The cordless planer will ship with an edge guide.
It features a built-in dust port that’s compatible with Dewalt’s universal dust connector system, which is sold separately.
This Dewalt adapter (~$16) is all you need to be able to connect a standard 1-1/4″ hose. A Dewalt dust extractor vac will fit without the need of an adapter.
- 3-1/4″ cutting width
- 5/64″ rabbet capacity
- 15,000 RPMs
- Height adjustable from 0 to 3/32″
- Weighs 6.7 lbs (tool only)
Dewalt says the DCP580B 20V Max brushless planer will sell for approximately $199 as a bare tool. It looks like Amazon is already taking pre-orders, with the early price set a $228 shipped free with Prime. Check back soon to see if the price drops down.
Price: ~$199
Available: Now
Buy Now (via Amazon)
First Thoughts
Dewalt describes their new cordless planer as being ideal for use in scribing cabinets and countertops, leveling framing lumber, chamfering handrails, post beveling door edges, as well as shaping and tapering wood trim.
As a reminder, Milwaukee has also come out with a new M18 cordless planer. Both look to be very competitively designed, in terms of motor specs, cutting specs, and ergonomics (going by the images, as we haven’t handled the Dewalt yet).
The Dewalt is equipped with a brushless motor, which might give the Dewalt an edge in terms of cutting performance, runtime, or both.
What do you think, is this everything you could want in a cordless planer?