DeWalt 735 not feeding

[Allan Grant]

My 735 is not feeding. I've cleaned the rollers two or three times with mineral spirits. I've waxed and polished the plate twice. I've pulled the side box off and checked the drive chain - no broken sprockets and everything looks OK...both rollers are turning. I've rotated the knives so the new side is exposed (the old ones weren't so old, but I did it anyway). It's in a heated basement with essentially constant temperature year round. Today it's about 65º.


I take off 1/64" to 1/32" at a time. Just putting a 6" cherry board stopped it completely. I had to turn the crank up to get the board out of the planer.


I think I've exhausted all the suggestions from other posts. Is there something I've missed? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance.

[Jack Lemley]

Did you take the end covers off, actually I think it would be the left end facing the infeed? May have a broke sprocket and/or broke chain.

Jack

[Allan Grant]

Yes I did, Jack. Here's a video I just shot. The rollers stop when very little pressure is put on the infeed roller. I have to figure out why. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GoDEzhZg2o Turn the volume down as the planer is running.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

Is it possible that the chain is loose? Can you tighten it?

[Allan Grant]

No, the chain is not loose. Watch the video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GoDEzhZg2o The roller stops with the least amount of pressure.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

Have you tried turning the sprocket in the video by hand? It might be damaged on the inside where the feed roller slides in to the sprocket.

[Mike Chalmers]

I would say the key is missing from the drive shaft to the sprocket.

[Steve Mellott]

I had this problem several months ago. There is a lever on the infeed side to select the rough or finish cut. Turn the planer on and move the lever either way to ensure that it is fully engaged. Sometimes, this lever gets moved and nothing will feed through the planer. On my planer, I need to start it - otherwise the lever seems to be fully engaged, but is not.

[Jack Lemley]

I would guess the key is not fully engaged. Take the sprocket off and see what's going on. The shaft continues to turn when the sprocket stops. That ought not happen. I have never had happen what Steve says above regarding the speed lever but it is certainly a possibility. Real easy to check that by following Steve's instructions before doing anymore tear down.

Jack

[Jerry Thompson]

+1 Steve's suggestion. That happened to me. I turned on the machine and moved the selector and away it went.

[Mike Chalmers]

I am interested to see the answer. Suggestions that allude to anything other than the key intrigue me. The video clearly shows the shaft turning, but the drive sprocket does not. To me, it is crystal clear that the shaft is not engaged with the sprocket.

That being said, I am no expert. I based my comment on observation and logic. That is not always the correct choice. Let us see what the answer truly is.

[Steve Baumgartner]

The chain tensioning arm is detached from its spring and just hanging there, which is wrong but not the cause of your problem. I agree with Mike that the video clearly shows the shaft continuing to turn while the sprocket stops. There can not be a key in that keyway! The combination of observations strongly imply that someone took the drive apart and didn't reassemble it correctly - they left out the key.

[Al Launier]

I would say the key is missing from the drive shaft to the sprocket.

Totally agree with Mike!
With the shaft rotaing while the sprocket is not that means the sprocket is not being driven by the shaft. Remove the sprocket & find out what happened to the key. It has to be missing or shearedoff.

[Steve Baumgartner]

On second thought, I looked at the photo of the sprockets in the installation instructions for a Byrd head. In the attached photo from those instructions, you can see that the sprockets have a key tab formed in their hole, they don't use a loose key. So the conclusion is that this tab has been sheared off.

307485

[John R Green]

The sprocket has a tooth that fits into that keyway of the shaft.
The tooth sheared off and the sprocket had just enough friction to turn the rollers without any pressure. Insert board, stopped feed. Replace all the sprockets while your in there. Less than $10 each.

[Allan Grant]

Yes, it is the sprocket that had the key sheared off, I'm sure. However, I can't figure out how to pull the sprockets. I removed the retaining rings but they won't budge. They're on tight. Do I need something like a steering wheel puller? Do I simply whack it with a piece of wood? How did you remove yours, John and Steve?

[Steve Baumgartner]

Yes, it is the sprocket that had the key sheared off, I'm sure. However, I can't figure out how to pull the sprockets. I removed the retaining rings but they won't budge. They're on tight. Do I need something like a steering wheel puller? Do I simply whack it with a piece of wood? How did you remove yours, John and Steve?

When I installed the Byrd head, they came off pretty easily once the snap rings were removed. Could it be that by rotating on the shaft they have scored a ridge that is keeping them on? If prying carefully fails, I'd try a small gear puller. Since you are going to replace the broken ones, it doesn't matter if you damage the teeth!

They do have to be removed and reinstalled both at the same time, as it is impossible to get the chain over them after they are in place!

[Allan Grant]

Thanks, Steve. I guess I'll have to try a puller. Be back later this week.