Help needed on planer purchase

[Jim Dunn]

My wife said to do it, for my birthday, and I'm going to. But I need some input.

Do I buy the 735 or 734 Dewalt planer?
Is the cost difference justified?
(Cost difference at the local BB is about $170.00 + tax.)
Are the 2 speeds necessary?
Can it be operated without the extension tables?
Is Amazon ever running specials on either of these two units anymore?

And lastly is it the next tool for an "extremely" small shop. Keeping in mind I already have a table saw, lathe and mitre saw?

Jim

[Joe Mioux]

Hi Jim:

Buy it. A professional cabinet builder recommended that a planer was the next item to purchase after a table saw.

I have a Delta, so I can't help you with the DeWalt stuff, but two speeds is really a nice feature.

Joe

[Jim Becker]

735 gets my vote of those two. Heavier. Dual speed definitely a good thing to have when you work with figured stock or are whacking down rough lumber. Three-knife head is also nice...more cuts per inch. Only downside is the noise level which is purported to be quite high. But that's what hearing protection is for... ;)

[John Miliunas]

I'll echo what Jim said. The 735. Heavier, 3 knives and the slower feed rate is nice for more figured woods, though one still needs to be cautious and take tiny passes! The extension tables are very nice, though you can do without them by making your own "extended" bed out of some melamine-covered shelving. That's what I used to use on my old Ryobi and worked quite well, though not as convenient as the easily removable extensions from Dewalt. :) :cool:

[Mike Stanton]

I have the dewalt 735 planerand it is great I don't have to sand very much now.And the chip fan helps a lot. Mike :D

[Bill Lewis]

Get the 735. Any other Dewalt model would be a step backward that would keep you thinking later that maybe you should've gotten it in the first place. Not that the 734 is a bad planer either.

I have a 733, and I have considered upgrading to the 735. I stop thinking about upgrading every time I use it. It still does a good job. Of course, I don't know what I'm missing either, and that's probably a good thing too.

[Michael Gabbay]

I have the older 733 and it does a fine job. I know of a few people who have had the broken sproket issue with the 735. Although a pain, DeWalt has been sending multiples of the replacement parts.

John - I'm surprised you did not push the Yorkie! :D

Mike

[Dale Rodabaugh]

Well looks like I am shot down here already.I just bought the 734 a couple of months ago,and I am very happy with it.it has the 3 blade system,but only one speed.I know the 735 is a really nice machine,but after you buy it yiu have to buy the infeed and outfeed tables.I couldnt justify the extra$$$$$$.The 734 works just fine for me.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[scott spencer]

Both are well rated. Whether or not you can justify the cost difference really depends on you and your circumstances. No doubt the 735 is their flagship and has some added features, but either should do a fine job. I'd probably view the added $170 as lumber!

[John Miliunas]

John - I'm surprised you did not push the Yorkie! :D

Mike

Mike, I would gladly do so, were it not for the fact that Jim specifically inquired about spending the $150.00 difference between the 735 and 734. The Yorkie, though a great deal, IMHO, is just "slightly" more than either of those two!:D :) :cool:

[Tim Morton]

Mike, I would gladly do so, were it not for the fact that Jim specifically inquired about spending the $150.00 difference between the 735 and 734. The Yorkie, though a great deal, IMHO, is just "slightly" more than either of those two!:D :) :cool:

yeah but the yorkie is so cool!!! I have a ridgid lunchbox planer that is on the real short list to be replaced....it is the wimpiest of all my tools...I too thought you wuld find a tactful way to at least have him consider the yorkie...:D:D:D

[John Miliunas]

yeah but the yorkie is so cool!!! I have a ridgid lunchbox planer that is on the real short list to be replaced....it is the wimpiest of all my tools...I too thought you wuld find a tactful way to at least have him consider the yorkie...:D:D:D

Ahhh, my friend, but you see, in a roundabout way, Mike G. and YOU just did!:D :) :cool:

[Jim Dunn]

Regretabley my "wife" will not be swayed by you evil :) people suggesting I spend more than the alotted amount. She may want a new drill press in the future.

[Jules Dominguez]

I bought a 735 earlier this year and am satisfied with it so far. The extension tables and dust collector rig are worth the extra $. You can add either at a later date, but unless you have a dust collector, you'll need their dust collector stuff immediately.

I made my own stand with locking casters, will send you pics if you get one and are interested.

[Dave Malen]

Jim,
You can get a reconditioned 735 with a year warrenty from Tool Kings Ebay store for 359 with free shipping.

Dave

[Mike Weaver]

.... She may want a new drill press in the future.

Jim,
THAT fact, in and of itself is a hidden gloat if ever I've seen one!

...says the guy whose wife actually wanted a vaccuum cleaner for Christmas one year.:D

Cheers,
-Mike

[Ned Bulken]

I have a 734 in my shop, and it is terrific, it replaced a venerable delta lunchbox planer, followed by a generous friend's loaner DW733. You wont' be sorry with either the 733 or 734. I haven't used the 735, but hear there have been some service issues with them.

edit, one of my partner's and my favorite features on the 734 is the turret depth stop, which allows 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 repeatable accurate depth settings. we do a lot of scrollwork, so the 1/4 is nice for panels for that, and the 3/4 is probably our most used setting. Spot on and easy to set and forget, just run them through with no issues.

oh, and almost forgot, the 3 blade cutterhead is wonderful as well, we only have the single speed, but with the depth stop and the locking mechanism for the head, we get virtually no snipe at all. The old Delta, we were constantly losing 3 or 4 " of stock, this is 'cut to finished length', plane to thickness.

[Jim Dunn]

I bought a 735 earlier this year and am satisfied with it so far. The extension tables and dust collector rig are worth the extra $. You can add either at a later date, but unless you have a dust collector, you'll need their dust collector stuff immediately.

I made my own stand with locking casters, will send you pics if you get one and are interested.

Would be interested in looking at your stand. Just post it here for all to see please.

Jim

[Jules Dominguez]

Here's a simple stand I built for my 735. The tabletop is 3/4" pine plywood edged with a 3/4" strip of oak. The legs are (each) two 2x4's planed and glued in an el shape. The aprons are planed 2x4's with a half lap cut in the ends and are screwed into the inside of the els of the legs. The shelf is 3/8" plywood. It has four swiveling, locking casters screwed directly to the bottoms of the legs. Tabletop dimensions are 35x25 3/8". Height of tabletop from floor is 30 1/2 inches, which puts the infeed table close to hand height for me. The tabletop and shelf are screwed down to the aprons, which adds to the rigidity of the structure. The weight of the machine goes pretty much straight down through the legs. The casters lock down tight or allow it to be easiily rolled around the shop, including through inside doors. I think I sprayed some leftover poly (spray can) on the top but otherwise didn't finish it.

[Jim Dunn]

Very nice Jules. I like the banding detail on the top.

[Jim Dunn]

Jim,
THAT fact, in and of itself is a hidden gloat if ever I've seen one!

...says the guy whose wife actually wanted a vaccuum cleaner for Christmas one year.:D

Cheers,
-Mike

Oh didn't you mean a "Dust Collection" system honey? Same thing aint it? (as I duck for cover):eek:

[Jules Dominguez]

Nothing about that stand is meant to be pretty, Jim. It's purely a utility item. The oak edging is to cover the splintery plywood edge.