Homebuilding Verdict
If you don't own an electric planer and need one for the occasional DIY project and a bit more, the Titan TTB876PLN 3mm Electric Planer is a great fit for your hard-earned cash. At a budget-friendly price point, you get a set of features and extras that will make sure you can use the Titan as intended. The build is basic, but functional and effective.
Pros
- +
Includes a parallel guide and rebate depth gauge
- +
A zip-up, easy-to-empty dust bag
- +
Simple two-directional dust lever
- +
Blade change tools supplied
- +
Lock button
Cons
- -
No carry bag or case
- -
Brushed motor
- -
No spare blades
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When you need smart, crisp, clean edges when sanding wood, or want to turn rough timber into smooth, flat surfaces, you'll need to call upon the talents of an electric planer. It's the perfect power tool for removing small amounts of wood to get a precise finish or fit.
While you can do the job by hand, power tools generally make the job easier and an electric planer is no exception. Here I take a look at the Titan TTB876PLN electric planer, an own-brand, budget-friendly power tool from Screwfix.
Will it match more expensive tools, or will its budget status be its undoing? I take it for a test drive to find out.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
- Motor: 900W
- Cord length: 2.5 metres
- Weight: 3.6kg
- Cutting depth: 0-3mm
- Cutting width: 82mm
- Rebate cutting depth: 0-12mm
- Dust port size: 35mm
- No load speed: 16000 min
- Guarantee: 2 years
- Features: Guide fence (aka rip fence), rebate depth gauge, right and left dust ejection, dust bag, park rest to protect the blade, trigger lock button
Get the Titan Electric Planer today
A budget electric planer that delivers fast, efficient clean cuts and smooth surfaces. Comes with a dust bag, chamfer groove and a 2.5m cord.
UNBOXING & FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Like most budget-friendly power tools, the Titan TTB970NST 3mm electric planer wasn't big on packaging. A single bold colour, a photo of the product and snippets of essential information. Opening the box, the theme continued: the planer fits neatly inside, helping keep it steady. It also came with a plain white box and a zip-up dust bag. Inside the box are the parts for a guide/rip fence, a rebate depth guide, and a couple of basic tools: a hex key and a small wrench which were a welcome addition.
Gazing at the various parts, I wasn't quite sure what was what, but as an experienced DIYer, I thought I'd have a go at assembling it. It took a while to work out, so even if you are a regular to DIY, take note that a quick glimpse at the instruction manual means you will get it set up a lot sooner.
The guide/rip fence comprises two parts, held together with a wing nut and mounting bolt. This in turn is held in place by a wing screw. The guide/rip fence is easy to adjust, but you need to screw in the wing screw by hand. This is easy and works well. The same principle applies to the rebate depth gauge. This wasn't as easy to install, but still straightforward.
Hard to miss was the dust extraction crossover lever on the front of the planer. This was basic but functional. I wasn't sure how well it would work, but I was interested to find out.
The planer's general build felt basic, but still sturdy, weighty, and solid – pretty much what I'd expect of a budget-friendly planer. The cutting depth adjustment knob wasn't as smooth as I hoped, and the measurement marks didn't stand out that much, although they were easy enough to see.
Unfortunately it didn't include a carry-case or bag to transport and protect the Titan planer, but it did have a basic park rest (most do). This is like a mini stand that stops the planer from lying flat on a surface. This prevents the blade from damage, and the surface it's place on. My first-ever electric planer didn't have one, which proved to be its undoing and I ended up having to purchase a new one.
SETTING UP
Electric planers are pretty much set to go straight out of the box, but there are a few things to note before you head into a project, especially with budget power tools. A plane consists of two plates: front and back. The blade needs to be level with the back plate, so check before you start. A simple way to do this is to adjust the cutting depth knob to 1 or 2mm. This will raise the front plate.
Next, get a straight edge, place it on the back plate and rotate the blade to make sure it lines up with the back plate. The Titan was perfectly lined up, so no adjustments were needed. However, if you do, it's straightforward (just follow the manual) and the necessary tools are included.
After checking the blade, I attached the supplied dust bag. You can attach it left or right, depending on what you are working on. Don't forget to adjust the dust extraction crossover lever so it directs debris straight into the bag. It's incredibly simple to use: push left or right. It's basic but effective. Also, make sure the bag is zipped up or you'll find yourself needing to use one of the best vacuums for builder's dust to clear up the mess.
You can use the planer freehand; the front plate has a V-groove for 45-degree bevels. However, for accuracy, use the supplied parallel guide. You just need to assemble and attach it. This gives you enough flexibility to make straight cuts across the full 82mm cutting width. I wasn't quite sure which side to put it on, as both sides had very similar moulded guides and a thread to attach.
On closer inspection, it became obvious where it was meant to go. The opposite side was for the rebate depth gauge. The only problem I had was that it wasn't easy to get the depth accurate. More obvious marks would have been a welcome addition. With everything attached and set up, it was time for the fun part: testing.
PERFORMANCE
The corded Titan comes with a 2.5m cord, which is perfectly adequate, but you'll likely need an extension cord like this IONOS 2 Socket Cable Reel from Amazon to work wherever you want. While cordless drills and other power tools have their advantages, the benefit of no battery is that I wouldn't need to worry about how long the planer would run for. I could keep going as long as I needed to.
The first test was to smarten up the edges of the wooden top of my old dining table. To start, I set the cutting depth adjustment knob to 0.5mm as I prefer to take a slower and steady approach. Trying to remove too much wood in one go isn't good for the planer motor, and can give you a rough finish.
Setting up the parallel guide was quick and simple, and it was straight into action. Using the lock button, the blade breezed through the softwood edge and gave me a neat finish. I did a couple of runs to get the finish I wanted. I upped the depth to 1mm and got the same finish. To finish the job, I used the 45-degree chamfer groove integrated into the front plates. This is a simple guide, but it worked effectively.
The next test was creating a rebate in 18mm plywood. Setting the depth accurately could have been easier. The rebate gauge has measurements for millimetres and inches. I don't use inches but the millimetre marks are set at 2mm intervals, although 1mm would have been nice. They line up with a notch on the planer which means there's a little bit of guesswork here, but nothing that will make a big difference for most DIY projects.
I went for a 4mm rebate, and the planer struggled a little when I went across the grain, so I had to give it a few runs, but the Titan still did a good job. As you might expect, going with the grain was easier.
The final test was planing rough 70mm timber fence posts to get a smoother finish. I started with 1.5mm, and the Titan went through with ease. Then I tried 2mm and 3mm to get a better idea of the planer. No problem at either depth; admittedly, timber fence posts aren't the toughest test, but it did a good job.
Final verdict
For the price tag, you can't go far wrong with the Titan TTB970NST 3mm electric planer. It obviously lacks the quality and features - such as a brushless motor - of a more expensive model. However, if you're an everyday DIYer who only needs an electric planer for the odd DIY job, it fits the bill nicely.
The inclusion of a parallel guide, rebate depth gauge and dust bag means you're ready to go straight out of the box. Plus, it includes a couple of tools to make any adjustments or change the blade.
The park rest was a basic but much-appreciated addition, helping protect the blade when you put the Titan down. If you don’t want to spend big on an electric planer, I'd certainly recommend adding this to your to-buy list.
