new dewalt 735 set up

[Roddy Thibault]

I just pick up a new dewalt 735 planer today and want to know what i should all do with this unit before i use it for the first time? any thing at all?

any info/help would be great

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Well there may be some process to break in the planner that I don’t know about. I got my 3 years ago took it out of the box plugged it in turned it on and started to feed stock. I’ve been doing the same for the last 3 years.

Greg

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Prett much the same here. I did take some time to familiarize myself with all the controls, took the cover off to see how the blades were changed, etc. One good thing would be to put a good coat of paste wax or something on the bed to help the wood slide across.

[Joe Scharle]

Make sure it cranks full up/down.
Pull off covers and check blade tightness.
Wax the bed.
Put on hearing protection.
Turn unit on and make sure air (a LOT) is blowing out of dust chute.

Good to go!

[mike thomas01]

Make sure that you read the literature...in particular, the safety precautions!!
Can't over emphasize the importance of waxing the bed.
Make sure that the lumber you intend to plane is free of foreign materials. A screw or nail will ruin your whole day...not mention your planer blades.

[John Durscher]

I've had mine several years and am very happy with it. Just make sure it is on when you switch from low to high speed.

John

[Myk Rian]

RTFM!!!!
Wax it, inspect it, make sure it is steady on the bench.
Use a metal detector on your stock.

[Steve Sawyer]

In addition the other comments (waxing, inspecting, hearing protection, RTFM), eventually I'd suggest investing in a digital height gauge. The repeatability you gain is a very nice feature, and you can find them for less than $40.

Also, IMO you've made a good investment. Best "portable" planer on the market IMO.

[Roddy Thibault]

tonight one of my co workers said to take out the blades and reinstall them...cuzz a screw might be lose or too tight?
what kind of wax should i use..would a floor wax work?
does any one have a comment on the dewalt bench that you can get with it?
(my sales guy said to come back and pick one up for free next week)

when i change speeds the planer should be on ( running? ) from 1 to 2 or 2 to 1?

[Rick Thom]

Which speed doesn't matter. You just shouldn't change speeds when it isn't running because the gears in the transmission may not be meshing properly.
I think most people run routinely on 2, which is the faster feed rate, and may switch to 1, slower rate for finishing pass. An exception is for highly figured wood and wood where tear-out is a problem. In some cases the slower feed rate, which yields a higher cps (cuts per second), lessens the tear-out. You should also pay attention to grain pattern/direction so you feed the stock through in the proper direction so the cutting action is with the grain. Often it doesn't matter, but with some species and figured wood, it does.
Make sure your chip exhaust path is clear because this machine will blow out an amazing pile in a hurry.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Buy the optional infeed and outfeed tables and set them up so the entire surface is flat.

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW7351-Folding-Table-Planer/dp/B0000CCXUA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1233498914&sr=8-1


...does any one have a comment on the dewalt bench that you can get with it?
(my sales guy said to come back and pick one up for free next week)
...

Free is good. Go for it.

And read the manual.

[Walt Kenny]

I bought a DW734 the other day and I was wondering about the in and out tables, should they be level with the bed or should the farthest part of the tables be slightly higher to reduce snipe? I'm getting conflicting info between what was setup at the factory and the manual and some videos I've seen.

[Tom Esh]

does any one have a comment on the dewalt bench that you can get with it?
(my sales guy said to come back and pick one up for free next week)


If you mean Dewalt's 7350 mobile stand for the planer, definitely go for it. It's actually a very nice sturdy unit. IMO worth the $100 or so it normally sells for, but free is better.:D

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Agreed - I paid $90 or so for it, and it's a nice stand for it. Free is always good!

[Jeff Bratt]

See here (http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejeffnann/WoodWorking/Shop/Shop.html#Planer_Stand_) for some ideas about in/out-feed tables, a stand, and sawdust collection for the DeWalt 735.

[Thomas Pender]

Make sure you have an effective dust collection system on this thing. It can make very fine dust and breathing it in is a bad thing. I use a cyclone to trap probably 99% of it (before it hits the dust filters).