Dewalt DW735 Planer

[andrew.r.w]

I am in the market for a planer. I have my eye on the Dewalt DW735, based on a couple of reviews and a strong recommendation from a commercial woodworker, and against the recommendation of the tool seller.

The reviews were positive, but flanked by advertising for Dewalt so the reviewer's objectivity is suspect. The commercial woodworker hates Bosch and figures Delta is so-so in most respects. The tool seller says that 179CPI is overkill and that 90CPI is just fine. He figures I'd be saving $200 and not giving up much by buying the Delta. He's a small, independant tool shop and not BORG or the like.

The main issue for me is snipe. As I understand sniping, when the back of the board comes past the first feed roller the knife drum shifts a bit and the last couple of inches of board get planed a little thinner. It seems to me that any snipe = waste. In other words any snipe is too much, so buying a planer that snipes just a bit is not really any better than one that snipes a lot. I figure you need a planer that does not snipe at all. This is the selling feature I am counting on with the DW735.

I'm going on a road trip tomorrow, and I hope to return with a planer. If I hear no cautions it will probably be a DW735. Does anyone have anything to warn me about with this unit?

[Whaler]

I can't say anything about the DW735 but I have had the DW733 for several years and have no complaints.
I wonder if the DW735 is worth the price over the DW734. I have never felt a need for two speeds and wonder about the automatic head lock. With the DW733/734 when you flip the lever you know that the head is locked.
I am very happy with the quality of all of the DeWalt tools in my shop.

[Scottydont]

I too have the DW733 and love it. If it is adjusted properly I have very little snipe if at all. The 734 and the 735 have been reviewed as having the least snipe compared to other models. All tool makers have their gems as well as their terds. I think Dewalts planers are their gem in my opinion. I am with Dick on wether there is enough improvemenent from the 734 to the 735 to justify the expense of the 735. If I had to buy a planner again right now I would buy the 734. To bad your timing wasn't about a month earlier. I just sold a brand new 734 for $269 to a guy in Oregon. As a sidebar, Dewalts customer support is A+.

[Bruce Cohen]

Andrew,

I bought the 735 right after it came out. Have had it a while and it lives up to all the PR you read about it.

Just today, I ran some Mexican Rosewood thru it and after a few passes, the stuff came out smoother than if I hand planed and scraped it. Now this stock was cut with a chain saw, so it was really rough, it's dense as all get out and the stock was 10/4 x 8" and the 735 newer even flinched. I've run Spalted Maple, Ebony, Red & White Oak, Ash and even Pine thru it. Wonderful machine. Only problem, the sucker weighs a ton and in no way could you call it portable. Built a stand for it out of 4x4's and a double layer of 3/4" MDF for the top, I guess the stand is heave than the planer, but the whole assembly is solid as ****. I'm using 2" locking casters to roll it around, and it works like a charm.

So if I was you, I'd run and get one, just have a friend with you to lift it.

Bruce

[Chuck C]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the 733, 734 and 735 and also where is the model/serial number tag at?

[Scottydont]

quote:Originally posted by Chuck C

Can anyone tell me the difference between the 733, 734 and 735 and also where is the model/serial number tag at?

The serial number is on the motor on the main body not on the exterior carcass of the planer.

The notable differences:

DW733
2 knives (not reversable) single speed

DW734
3 Knives (not reversable) single speed

DW735
3 knives (are reversable) single speed motor two speed gearbox, fan assisted chip removal from cutterhead

All have the same motor, cut depth, cutter rpms std rating.

Reviewers have said that due to the high cut quality and the low snipe the 2 speed on the 735 provided little benefit over the 734.

My opinion is that the DW735 would be better for for a small production shop but the DW734 would provide a better value for the weekend woodchipper like me.

I hope this helps!

[Hoover]

The Dewalt 733 has been replaced by the 734.

[jhart]

have had the 733 for a couple of years and love it. Was set up and ran perfectly right out of the box. I have gotten some snipe on longer boards when not supported properly on the outfeed, but if the outfeed support is set up correctly, it does a great job.

[Tundra_Man]

Got the 733 and it works great. If you do any work with figured wood, the slower speed of the 735 might come in handy to take ultra-light cuts an avoid tearout. Other than that, I don't think I'd use the higher cut rate very often.

The fan assisted chip removal would be cool too, as my planer makes chips faster than my shop-vac can clear them. It'd be helpful to have some assistance to give it a better chance of keeping up.

[Tool Fool]

Hi Andrew - The Dewalts, Deltas, and Ridgid get alot of good press amongst the portables. All but the least expensive Delta TP300 are capable of consistently small amounts of snipe...it's mostly a matter of proper adjustment and a little technique. You'll hear stories about one model being great on snipe and another story about the same model having alot of snipe....sometimes a snipe mark can show up unexpectedly on one board out of 25. I don't know of any planer that will give virtually zero snipe all the time...it may be hard to detect, but it's there.

I recently picked up the Delta 22-580 that replaced a Delta 22-560. Both do an excellent job. The 90 CPI on the 580 make a smoother finish on highly figured hardwoods, but it takes longer to run the board through....never a free lunch! Most of the time 60 CPI is fine....I can't speak for the performance of the DeWalt two speed from first hand experience.

Any of the planers mentioned above will do a good job for you, and thousands have been sold to satisfied customers, with Delta probably selling the highest number. My approach would be to look them over and weigh out the strengths and weaknesses of each, then find a great deal on one.

[Chuck C]

Thanks to Scott and all others for the information.

[brr]

I bought the DW735 about a year ago as my first planer and have been very pleased with it. I have it installed on a support table with mobile base. One way I justified the extra expense on the 735 is the ability to use it in my small shop as a support table with my BT3000. That is, as the planer handle is cranked the top surface of the planer moves up and down. So you can adjust the top of the planer to be level with the top of the saw (or any other tool of similar height) and use if for infeed or outfeed support.

Brian

[andrew.r.w]

It's PLANER DAY! I've tried to find a bad review on th DW735, and about the worst thing anyone can say about it is it costs more than the others. I can manage the cost if it's true about the lack of snipe. I should know within an hour and a half if it's true.

Meantime, I'll tell LOML I'm off to buy an outfeed support table for my BT3.1k

[andrew.r.w]

.. and it's pretty much what they promised!

I put several hard, dry birch boards through for testing. The pieces I chose were culls really. They had much wild grain, knots, and tear-out from previous attempts to plane with a large industrial planer.

Set at the faster infeed speed (by accident) the result was very satsisfactory, even where the anticipated rough areas would have been. I can only bet the slower infeed speed will be better yet.

I can confidently say that there is no trouble with snipe. I ran several boards through and measured them with calipers. There is no measurable difference between the first half inch, the middle, and the last half inch of any board.

On my first try the leading edge sniped a little (a lot, really) but with careful infeed alignment that problem was eliminated. That concern would probably be assuaged with the accessory in/outfeed tables. They were an additional $80 which I hadn't planned on but I think I'll go back for them today.

Although I have little experience with bench planers I am glad I got this unit. Now the challenge is going to be to not let the hand planes gather too much dust!