DW735 Carriage lock - adjustment?

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I notice snipe for the first time on my 735. I had just installed the Wixey gauge, but I doubt that really affected it. I ran a piece of 1x10 pine through it and noticed significant snip on the leading edge (and only a little on the trailing edge). I have the extension tables, and holding the trailing edge of the board up as it entered the planer made no difference.

Oddly, as the board got thinner (flipping over after every pass) and got to about 1/4" thick, the sniping was non-exisitent.

I'm thinking the auto carriage lock is a little "off" - has anyone ever seen a diagram or parts list for the carriage lock so I can at least get an idea of how it works? Also - do users of the 735 also change the planer depth while the machine is running? I'd hate to think I neeed to turn the machine off every time I want to change the thickness...

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Don't know about the autolock but I leave the planner running when I change the depth setting.

Greg

[Charles Lent]

To minimize snipe you need to have in-feed and out-feed tables, or at least have some way to support the boards as they enter and leave the planer. Actually raising these supports a few degrees so that the planer is at a slight low point in the middle is even better. I have heard of problems with the locks, but your problem is more likely with the in and outfeed supports. Does your handle move when the board goes through? If so, you may need to have Dewalt repair the locks for you.

My DW735 (2+ yrs old) has the Dewalt extension tables and is mounted on a Delta miter saw/planer stand which has additional extension infeed and outfeed roller supports and it folds down to make a hand truck style carrier for easy moving. With the tables and rollers for support the only snipe that I get is a very fine 1/8" or less shiny spot that sands off easily with a ROS and 100 grit paper.

Charley

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

thanks for the input. I checked the tables (I do have them) and they are a little off so I'll work on adjusting them tonight. I tried to get the carriage to 'budge' and it wouldn't, so maybe it's a combination of the tables and my technique.

[Mark Bolton]

You could try feeding a board, perhaps 4 feet long or so, walking around to the outfeed and lifting the board so that the rear of the planer is off the table (planer would need to be unbolted from its table) by 1/8 to 1/4" as it exits the planer. This would eliminate any possiblity of support related snipe.

Its tougher to check the infeed this way.

Mark

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

interesting idea - maybe I'll just loosen it from it's table, not sure I want to unbolt it all the way and then run it.

I'm inclined to believe this is a feed issue and not a carriage lock issue. I'll try different approaches tonight.

[Mark Bolton]

interesting idea - maybe I'll just loosen it from it's table, not sure I want to unbolt it all the way and then run it.

I'm inclined to believe this is a feed issue and not a carriage lock issue. I'll try different approaches tonight.

What ever your comfortable with. We often run ours on job sites just sitting on a plywood work stand.

Mark

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Really - must be more stable than I had thought.

Well, I checked out the ext tables last night. one was adjusted well, but the other was a little "low". I had removed them a week or so ago when I was moving stuff around in the shop, and I have a suspicion that the well-adjusted one had been on the infeed side, but when I put them back on I swapped them. I adjusted them so they were even with the planer bed @ the closest, and the outside edges about 1/8" higher. Seems to help quite a bit. Thanks for the feedback and ideas everyone.