DW735 Planer

[Jerry Thompson]

It seems that the rollers in the planer are not working. I suspect a belt is the problem. My question is how hard is it to check/fix?
Thank you

[Myk Rian]

Unplug it.
Crank it to the top.
Clean the rollers.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

are the rollers not spinning, or are they spinning but not grabbing the board?

if they are not spinning, the mechanism is pretty easy to get to (it's a chain).

If the are spinning but not grabbing, clean them.

[Kirk Poore]

It seems that the rollers in the planer are not working. I suspect a belt is the problem. My question is how hard is it to check/fix?
Thank you

If the rolls are clean, then turn it on and see if the rolls are turning. If they aren't, then you probably have to take off one side or the other to get to the belt. I had to do this to my old Delta lunchbox, but never had to try it on my Dewalt 734. You should be able to download a parts diagram from Dewalt.

Kirk

[Myk Rian]

http://www.toolpartsdirect.com/cgi-bin/schematic.cgi/dewalt/DW735_TYPE_1/
or
http://servicenet.dewalt.com/Products/Detail?productNumber=DW735

[Jerry Thompson]

I have raised the planer all the way up and with a full face shield fired it up and the rollers are not turning. With the device off and unplugged the rollers turn freely by hand. So now what side is the belt on and how do I get to it?
Thank you.

[Ben Hatcher]

Check out the first link that Myk posted. It looks to be on the side oppose the height adjustment wheel. You may need to remove the top cover to access the box enclosing the belt. I replaced the beld on my 734. It was a bit challenging to get the new one on as it was pretty tight.

[James White]

This is a known issue with the latest version of the 725. The drive gears for the rollers shatter. Is it still under warranty? It is a 3 year warranty. According to some accounts it is due to defective sprocket material. But I also heard that it is the rollers bearings that are galling causing too much resistance. Then the sprockets break.

Hope that helps
James

[Jerry Thompson]

Thanks for the info everone. I will tackle this when I get back from Hawaii in Feb. I bet I find some nice wood while I am there.

[Rick Moyer]

Do a search for "DW735 planer sprocket problem" and you should find some useful info. there was a serial number range where Dewalt was suppling new sprockets I think. Sorry I don't have more info handy.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Also look for the directions on replacing the cutter head on the 735 with a spiral cutter. It will give you a good start on how to take it apart to access all the drive parts.

[michael case]

Scott Johnson a member here posted this back in 2006:

"I have owned the Dewalt 735 for about a year and half and bought it thinking the linkage problem was fixed also. Last week the planer had trouble "pulling" a board through. The board would stop moving part way through the cut. I cleaned the roller and that helped some, but still has problems. I went to the woodworking show this weekend and talked to a service rep. All Dewalt 735 planers with a serial # below 200440 need to be serviced. He said take it in and they will replace the bushsings, sprocket, linkage, etc. Mine is #200416. Bummer, I can't do much woodworking without my planer."

I just checked mine I'm over this at #2000548, missed this by 108 units!

[Brody Goodwine]

Maybe a bit obvious, but make certain the unit is in gear. Mine is hard to get into gear at times and i have to give it a quick power-up/down to move the lever. The rollers won't spin if it's not in gear.

[Rick Moyer]

Maybe a bit obvious, but make certain the unit is in gear. Mine is hard to get into gear at times and i have to give it a quick power-up/down to move the lever. The rollers won't spin if it's not in gear.
Brody, you do know that you are supposed to move the lever only when the planer is on, right? If not that's probably why you're having a problem.

[Jerry Thompson]

Brody;
That was the problem! It was not in gear. Now I have to take pain killers to ease the muscle aches from hand planing a bunch of boards.
Thank you so much.
Jerry

[Myk Rian]

Well, that was a cheap fix. And lucky. :)

Just for the record, the motor drives the head through the belt. A worm gear on that shaft drives the transmission, and through that, the feed rollers.

As stated, the instructions for installing a Byrd head are an excellent source of info.

[Gary R Katz]

The rollers on my735 stopped completely, although they turned freely by hand. I took the machine apart (the side with the height adjusting crank) and found the belt completely shredded. I ordered a new belt. The belt is difficult to mount, its a tight fit and access is limited, but its doable. I ran white oak through the planer for about 10 minutes and the rollers started to bog down. After taking it apart again I found the new belt about 1/3 shredded. As I looked more I found the belt pulley was broken and there was no nut holding it to the shaft (I bought a used machine). Now I'm waiting for delivery of a new belt, pulley and nut. I hope this works! PS- You might inspect the pulley just to make sure its not broken.