Dewalt DW735 Planer Elevation extremely difficult to adjust...

[Larry Canterbury]

Good Day Everyone:
My Dewalt DW735X planer arrived yesterday and the first thing I noticed was the elevation wheel on right side of unit is very hard to turn. Extremely hard to turn UP or down. The height limiter on the left side of unit isn’t an issue because I’m not near the preset depth. When I first tried to adjust the elevation wheel it was so hard to turn I would have sworn there was a lock on it somewhere. Eventually I was able to move it a bit at a time and it has loosened up a bit but still is a difficult two hand operation. I was able to plane a 2x5 pine board and it turned out great. Very pleased with the cut but the elevation wheel has got to get easier….
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Anyone have this experience? Any ideas as to what could be wrong?
TIA Larry

[Mark Bolton]

Hmmm. Brand new? We had one of these for field work for a long time and ran the guts out of it. Was a great little planer. As I remember the raise and lower was not silky smooth and required some effort compared to a stationary machine but dont recall it being "hard" to move. Does the head move when you rotate the wheel?

[Jerry Miner]

1. Check the chain tension inside
2. Try lubricating the corner posts

[David Utterback]

Since your machine is new, I would seek a replacement. Unless you know specifically what is wrong and it is an easy fix, you should have complete assurance of a fully functioning machine with a full warranty.

Good luck,
David

[Mark Bolton]

Since your machine is new, I would seek a replacement. Unless you know specifically what is wrong and it is an easy fix, you should have complete assurance of a fully functioning machine with a full warranty.

Good luck,
David

Straight to return/replace? With no diagnostics?

[Ian Scofield]

The manual states there's a turret stop to set it to common thicknesses. I don't have this planer, but maybe this is engaged?

[Robert Hayward]

Straight to return/replace? With no diagnostics?

That is what I would do. No diagnostics, nothing but return it. My DW735 is several years old and is still silky smooth both up and down.

[Bill Dufour]

Any real planer should have a lock so it does not changer thickness during a cut. I would expect it to be locked down for shipping. Do you mean there is no lock so the height does not change?

[Mark Bolton]

Any real planer should have a lock so it does not changer thickness during a cut. I would expect it to be locked down for shipping. Do you mean there is no lock so the height does not change?

One of the features of the 735 is that it is "supposedly" self locking. There is suppose to be no need for an external lock. That doesnt mean there wasnt a shipping lock of some sort.

[Steve Demuth]

I would agree with those who suggest returning it. If you try to fix it, you just make exchange harder.

That said, the one thing that I've seen cause the problem you have is having the four height gears not adjusted to co-planarity. Not hard to fix if that's the problem, but no way it should be necessary on a machine new from the box.

[Jon Nuckles]

Mine was smooth out of the box and remains smooth years later. Unless DeWalt can diagnose and fix it, I'd return and replace.

[Randy Heinemann]

Any real planer should have a lock so it does not changer thickness during a cut. I would expect it to be locked down for shipping. Do you mean there is no lock so the height does not change?

No lock on the Dewalt 735 and, when the infeed/outfeed extension tables are set correctly, not noticeable snipe either. While I now use an add-on digital gauge to determine the wood thickness, I just used the original depth gauges on the planer. Never had one problem with getting a board out that wasn't the thickness I intended. It is a great planer. Mine is about 10 years old and still does a great job.

[Randy Heinemann]

Unless the manual indicates that there is some packing that locks the head in place during shipping, I'd just return it like others have said. Raising and lowering the head has always been easy and smooth on mine.

[Nick Decker]

Who did you buy it from? Just curious why a replacement would take weeks.

I wouldn't fool with anything, just call the vendor or Dewalt and go from there. Any number of things you might try could void the warranty.

[Mark Bolton]

That is what I would do. No diagnostics, nothing but return it. My DW735 is several years old and is still silky smooth both up and down.

Thank heavens for no retail. It'll be interesting to see if there is some internal packing stop or some other issues. Good lord.