A planer is really helpful in making cutting boards, too. I just glue up whatever scrap I have laying around, then plane the glue off and take everything down to the same thickness. I hate throwing cool scrap away, and it’s a fun, quick solution to the problem.

I made a little stand/cart for my planer so I can easily move it around the shop. I got tired of lifting it up on top of my bench all the time - that thing is heavy!

I might also suggest you get a caliper to measure the thickness of the wood after planing. I just bought a $10 one, and it works fine. I looked at a digital caliper when I was at the store not too long ago, but it seemed overly complex for my needs. The caliper has a side for measuring the thickness of something, and on its opposite side, the width of a dado. Pretty cool.