At Milwaukee’s recent 2015 new tool media event (check out all of our coverage here), there were so many new products on display that they couldn’t fit all of the demos in the convention center. This new M18 planer, and the new M12 right angle impact driver, were demoed outside near the lunch tables.
I’ve used powered hand planers before, but not extensively. Keep that in mind as you go through the post.
Milwaukee says that their new cordless planer (model 2623-21, 2623-20) offers unmatched power and depth control, which are some serious claims. It’s got a 3-1/4″ width capacity, max rabbet depth of 27/64″ (0.421″), and 2-blade design.
The planer comes with an edge guide, but you can take it off if you want or need to use it free-hand or on larger surfaces.
From what I’ve seen, powered planers like these are often used to trim the sides, top, or bottom of a door for better fit.
Here’s an interesting feature most other planers don’t offer – selectable chip ejection direction. I think that Bosch is the only other brand to offer this, with their PLH181 model (price check).
Thanks to this feature, you can direct chips right or left, depending on what’s best for your comfort or how you’re using the tool. You could also attach a vacuum or dust collector for cleaner working.
There’s another neat feature on the bottom – a retractable kickstand.
Deploying the kickstand allows you to rest the M18 planer blade-side-down onto a worksurface without there being any contact with the blade.
If you don’t care for this feature, or have the edge guard installed and can’t rest the tool blade-side-down anyway, you can lock the kickstand back into the tool.
You don’t need to retract the kickstand when using the planer – it’ll spring back into the tool automatically as soon as it makes contact with the work.
Since I haven’t used this type of tool very much, I gouged the demo door a little with the blade. I guess with a little practice I would get a better feel for the proper speed and pressure to use.
I should also mention that the depth control was great. The knob wasn’t very hard to set, but locked down tight enough to prevent accidental changes. The product manager seemed particularly proud of this.
Specs
- 3-1/4″ cutting width
- 27/64″ max cutting depth
- 14,000 RPMs
- 20 locking positions (0 to 5/64″)
- Weighs 7.5 lbs with battery
The kit (2623-21) comes with the planer, (2) planer blades, a bevel and edge guide, (1) M18 XC battery pack, and a multi-voltage charger. A bare tool option (2623-20) will also be available.
ETA: October 2015
