Yesterday the cutter head lock lever of my DeWalt 734 planer came loose. After a brief moment of grinding noise the planer spit it out, somewhat the worse for wear (it's partly ground away and slightly bent)
I'm ordering a replacement lever, and I'm going to check the blades.

Meanwhile, while I'm waiting for a replacement, is the planer safe to use? My thought is a missing lock lever is the same as an open lock lever.