Why Did Dewalt Make Their 735 Planer So LOUD!

[Julie Moriarty]

The last two days I've been planing for kitchen cabinets. That DW735 is crazy loud! Today I put in ear plugs and then put noise canceling headphones over that and that planer was still screaming loud.

With workplace noise being recognized as a health hazard, couldn't Dewalt engineers have figured out a way to lower the decibels?

[Nick Shattuck]

It's the loudest piece of equipment I have. I hesitate to use it sometimes just because it's so loud. It's crazy loud when it's just on, but it goes up to 11 when it's cutting.

[johnny means]

Planers are loud, portable planers are really loud. No way around it, unless you want to go full neander.

[Alex Tonin]

The air being pulled across the cutters is the reason the planer is so loud. Aside from getting helical cutterheads (which seems like a cost mismatch between the machine and the tool), you could try to insert some soundproofing material between your planer and the surface it's fixed to. That should quiet it down some by creating a barrier to the surface amplifying the sound.

[Julie Moriarty]

I have the Dewalt mounted to the same cabinet as the Delta I had for years. The Dewalt is screaming loud compared to the Delta. I know part of it is the fan Dewalt installed. That thing throws chips across the harbor! And maybe three cutter heads on the Dewalt as opposed to two on the Delta adds some decibels but it seems to me Dewalt could have done something to quiet that beast down to a roar.

I did get some relief in round two today. I had some Aearo ear plugs I got at work and used them instead of the box store cheapos. That brought the noise to tolerable. With the headphones on, I couldn't hear the dust collector at all. But once I turned that planer on, it made itself well known!

[Grant Aldridge]

Like Johnny said portable planers are very loud. I can't wait to get my big planer moved into the shop to replace my dw734!

[Bruce Page]

I sold my Delta screamer with it’s universal motor and bought a 3hp PM15. The PM is still loud but it’s a lower pitch loud that’s easier on my ears.

[Steve Demuth]

1. To make it cheap and compact, they use a universal motor. Universal motors are loud. Mentally compare the decibel level of a circ saw running with no load, and cabinet saw (probably with 3X the torque). This is by far the biggest design choice they made contributing to the noise level.

2. It's got a squirrel cage blower pushing chips through a sound-bright plastic housing. More noise.

3. High speed knives taking whacks out of lumber generate a lot of noise.

4. Not enough mass to damp any of the vibrations all the above set up.

[Mark Bolton]

I have the Dewalt mounted to the same cabinet as the Delta I had for years. The Dewalt is screaming loud compared to the Delta. I know part of it is the fan Dewalt installed. That thing throws chips across the harbor! And maybe three cutter heads on the Dewalt as opposed to two on the Delta adds some decibels but it seems to me Dewalt could have done something to quiet that beast down to a roar.

I did get some relief in round two today. I had some Aearo ear plugs I got at work and used them instead of the box store cheapos. That brought the noise to tolerable. With the headphones on, I couldn't hear the dust collector at all. But once I turned that planer on, it made itself well known!

You have the single best lunchbox planer with regards to performance, and price. Its one of those deal with it situations. The day you decide to gather your chips you will undoubtedly appreciate the noisy fan that can "blow chips across the harbor" OR into your trash can with the dust bag add on that works pretty darn well.

As has been stated. A wood shop is an extremely noisy place. Imagine being in a shop with a planer, shaper, CNC, sander, multiple hand sanders, and so on, all operating at once. The 735 would sound like a whisper.

When you move up the ladder,.. you move up the ladder on all levels.

[Simon MacGowen]

Why?

Spend on a good pair of ear muffs or plugs and problem solved.

I know of no lunchbox planer that is quiet.

Simon

[Derek Cohen]

I had a Delta lunchbox for some years. It was used approximately twice each year. The first time caused such a shock to my system that it required several month and much alcohol to recover. The second time because the alcohol had warn off.

This is a true story. Well almost. :)

About 5 years ago I purchased a Hammer A3-31 combination planer-jointer, and never looked back. It advertises the spiral helical blades as "silent", and they truly are. One can actually have a conversation alongside the running machine.

I imagine that the noise comes from the motor type used as well as the way the blades strike the wood. It is doubtful that you will achieve silence or even a noise reduction without changing the type of machine.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

Planers and Jointers (and J/P combos) tend to be almost the loudest tools in the shop for some reason...I guess the small diameter of the cutter-heads and the subsequent freqent contact of the cutters with the material help to cause that. And those like the Dewalt that use Universal motors up things a notch just because that's a "feature" of Universal motors. Stationary planers are not quiet (especially when dust collection is running for some reason), but they are not nearly as loud as portables like the Dewalt and similar because induction motors are naturally less noisy. So that's at least an option for you if the noise level remains too high...move up to a stationary tool with an induction motor.

[Mike Henderson]

I got my 735 from a commercial cabinet maker. He had his shop in one of those places you rent - it looks like a storage place but people use them for a wide variety of things. Well, when he started using the 735, the neighbors started complaining about the noise. He eventually had to go to a floor model with an induction motor. I knew him and when he found out that I was looking for a planer, he made me a deal - $350 (or was it $300 - it's been so long I don't remember).

It's still loud, but I wear hearing aids and they act like noise limiters so it's not so bad.

Mike

[Darcy Warner]

My 30" buss is not very loud sitting there just running, the smaller and lighter things are, the louder they tend to be.

[Marc Burt]

There have been few shop days as happy as when I got rid of my lunchbox planer. Now if I could figure out something to do with my routers and chop saw.

Also, I recently upgraded my j/p with a helical cutter and that REALLY lessened the noise, which was already really way lower than the lunchbox.

[Bill Sutherland]

My wife complained every time I used mine. I still have it but find my Supermax 19-38 gets what I need done fast enough for me and I had to use it anyway after running through the 735. I’m going to hang on to it for a little while then see if I ever need it. I haven’t used it in over a year so this could be the last year I keep it.

[Randy Viellenave]

They are loud indeed. If still too loud, I suggest getting a set of hearing protection ear muffs. I have seen some with 37db attenuation (used to max out about 26db), and I would estimate noise cancelling headphones (Bose) to be about 15db. I have had pretty good luck using sound "isolation" ear buds (playing music) with hearing protection on top of that. Of course your neighbors can still hear it, but for extended run it helps to have the extra attenuation.

[Frank Martin]

Noise was the reason for me to upgrade to a jointer/planer combo shortly after I started with this hobby. Mine was a Delta. Could not tolerate it even with all the hearing protection.

[Ben Zara]

I was running my dewalt 734 one night and my wife came bursting in said it sounds like there is an air raid siren going off.

I just took delivery of a hammer a3 41D a few weeks ago.

If u have neighbors the 734 and 735 are kind of a no-no.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Short answer: that stuff is loud.

When I decided to purchase my (first) lunchbox planer I was aware it would be something difficult to cope for its noise so I listened at the (brick and mortar) shop from where I purchased it all models they had available, something around a half dozen. Makita's won... but for small margins as all of them where a nuisance to listen.

There is several references in the net (like that (http://www.bestplaners.com/makita-2012nb-review/)) praising Makita's 2012NB as one of the quietest solutions as my own non scientific findings.

It looks the more feasible alternative to that noise level is to purchase a bigger 500+ pound planer with different motors and a big mass of steel to dump vibrations... it is out of consideration for my own use for its size and price.

You have my solidarity.

[Steve Demuth]

Planers and Jointers (and J/P combos) tend to be almost the loudest tools in the shop for some reason...I guess the small diameter of the cutter-heads and the subsequent freqent contact of the cutters with the material help to cause that. And those like the Dewalt that use Universal motors up things a notch just because that's a "feature" of Universal motors. Stationary planers are not quiet (especially when dust collection is running for some reason), but they are not nearly as loud as portables like the Dewalt and similar because induction motors are naturally less noisy. So that's at least an option for you if the noise level remains too high...move up to a stationary tool with an induction motor.

Planers/jointers and universal motors are both loud for the same reason - they run a high-rpm shaft with intermittent physical contact against a fixed resistance - the commutator against the brushes in the case of the motor, the knives against the wood in the case of the cutters. Lot's of impacts and all at an base frequency squarely in our peak hearing range (1000Hz - 15,000Hz or so). They are almost literally noise machines in other words. Add in the fact that lunch box planers have very little physical mass and inadequate rigidity to damp vibration, plus multiple parts small enough to resonate at those frequencies - well let's just say they're not quite purpose built sirens, but they are close.

I find active noise dampening muffs extremely useful in the shop because they don't prevent conversation or hearing your hand tools when the screamers are off, but are excellent at filtering out the white noise of a universal motor or cutting head.

[Rod Sheridan]

Julie, go visit someone who owns a Felder or Hammer unit with the Silent Power head, bring a sound level meter with you.

I couldn't believe it the first time I used one............Rod.

[Gregory King]

That's what I like about my General 130. She's no lunch box but she's portable and quiet. Really quiet. Could use without ear protection, but I don't.

[Curt Harms]

1. To make it cheap and compact, they use a universal motor. Universal motors are loud. Mentally compare the decibel level of a circ saw running with no load, and cabinet saw (probably with 3X the torque). This is by far the biggest design choice they made contributing to the noise level.

2. It's got a squirrel cage blower pushing chips through a sound-bright plastic housing. More noise.

3. High speed knives taking whacks out of lumber generate a lot of noise.

4. Not enough mass to damp any of the vibrations all the above set up.

I don't have a DW7XX but if I did and was hooking it up to an adequate dust collector, I'd think about removing the fan to see if/how much that helps. Maybe consider one of the segmented cutterheads, they're supposed to help quite a bit.

[Mike Cutler]

The DeWalt is a premium lunchbox planer, but it is loud!
I'm really happy I have a Jet 15" floor model planer. It's also loud, but those lunchbox planer are a different kind of loud. Maybe it's the frequency? I don't know.

[Bill Dufour]

It is loud because they choose to make it loud by using cheaper materials knowing people would buy it because it costs less. I read people here saying you might want to use hearing protection? Any tool with a universal motor needs hearing protection. really should use one with a drill since it is so close to your ears
Bill D

Note that many of the cheap ear muffs cancel much less noise then the better quality ones. like double or triple since DB is a log scale.

[David Utterback]

As others have noted, the helical cutting head substantially reduced the noise level of my 735. It is still slightly louder than my dust collection system, though. I highly recommend the upgrade, which cost me $400, although replacements may be even better route.

With my severe hearing loss and need for hearing aids, I always use hearing protection when operating any machine. SensGard is a passive (non-electronic) noise cancelling device that has 30+ dB reduction. They can be worn with safety glasses without any reduction in effectiveness. I recommend them as well.

[Brian Holcombe]

I'm checking those out David, I use 3M currently and they're OK but definitely are not as effective when wearing glasses.

[scott spencer]

All the portable planers I've ever used and heard were loud, but you'd get no argument from me if you claimed the DW735 was the loudest! The DW735 was being demonstrated at a wwing show round the time it was introduced...you could hear all over the entire convention center where the show was being held. One of my neighbors who lives 5 doors down bought one several years ago, and when run always sounded like its in my driveway! In contrast, the Makita portable claims to be among the quietest. I always use both ear plugs and ear muffs when I run a portable planer.

[Jim Becker]

The DW735 has been "known" as a "screamer" since it was first released! It's a good tool, however.

[Rod Sheridan]

That's what I like about my General 130. She's no lunch box but she's portable and quiet. Really quiet. Could use without ear protection, but I don't.

That's what I replaced, the Silent Power head is about 10dBA quieter than the General............Rod.

[Julie Moriarty]

Julie, go visit someone who owns a Felder or Hammer unit with the Silent Power head, bring a sound level meter with you.

I couldn't believe it the first time I used one............Rod.

I've seen the videos and it's impressive. If I found a few grand sitting around I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

I worked construction for 35 years. I'm used to noise. But when it got really loud, I'd pop in the ear plugs. I've been running power tools in my workshop for almost as long and I always wear hearing protection. When I first ran the Delta planer some 15+ years ago, yeah, it was loud, but tolerable with hearing protection. But the Dewalt takes noise to a whole different level.

The Aearo ear plugs and noise canceling headphones make the Dewalt planer tolerable. Using the same hearing protection with the table saw or the router or the bandsaw or miter saw - all with the DC running - I can barely hear anything. But that Dewalt? No problem hearing that thing.

I've heard you can download a decibel app for your phone. If I find one, I'll run post the numbers here and see how the different power tools compare.

[Julie Moriarty]

I downloaded db:Sound Meter Pro onto my phone. Here's the numbers for the power tools in my garage workshop:

Delta 3/4HP Dust Collector.................90db
Jet 18" Bandsaw..............................94db
Delta Contractor Tablesaw.................98db
Bosch Router (3HP)..........................98db
Dewalt 735 Planer...........................126db

https://koi-care.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/decibel-comparison-chart.jpg

When I get a chance, I'll run the numbers on the Delta planer, now in the hands of my neighbor.

[Bert McMahan]

I downloaded db:Sound Meter Pro onto my phone. Here's the numbers for the power tools in my garage workshop:

Delta 3/4HP Dust Collector.................90db
Jet 18" Bandsaw..............................94db
Delta Contractor Tablesaw.................98db
Bosch Router (3HP)..........................98db
Dewalt 735 Planer...........................126db

https://koi-care.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/decibel-comparison-chart.jpg

When I get a chance, I'll run the numbers on the Delta planer, now in the hands of my neighbor.

Note those are A-weighted (and there are different scales, A is used for hearing related measurements but some very loud things like gunshots are often done on the C scale) plus phone mics aren't calibrated to an absolute scale. The app should be good for a comparison between your tools but probably shouldn't be compared TOO closely to other sounds. It also depends heavily on how far away you are from a noise source and what the conditions are; something in an enclosed room will be far louder than something in a big open field.

Make sure you take your noise measurements the same distance away from your power tools to get the best results.

[David Utterback]

Not surprising that the 735 exceeds the perceived threshold of pain!

Bert's recommendations are spot on. 3 feet from the source is often used for measurements. I think I will try the app to check out the machines in my shop including my brand new Fein dust extractor (which just received poor ratings in a recent post right after I purchased it :().

[Julie Moriarty]

One thing I forgot to mention - All db readings were taken with just the machine running, not under load. I have some more boards to mill today so I'll record the readings under load.

[Jim Becker]

Julie, suggest you check it with both the DC running and the DC not running as you put some wood through...'curious about the results.

[Nick Decker]

"... plus phone mics aren't calibrated to an absolute scale."

This is important, because phone mics have auto level adjustment. When your phone mic hears something loud it turns itself down, so you're not getting a true reading of absolute loudness for the app to measure.

The app might tell you if one machine is louder than another, but I wouldn't use its values to compare to anything absolute, like the chart posted.

[mark kosse]

You should hear my Powermatic 225 when the blades get a little dull. I'll strike fear into the soul. Even 3/4 a ton of cast iron doesn't stop the sound.

[Jay Larson]

No argument from me, although I have a 734. Foam fitting ear plugs and muffs. Still noticeable with the planer and DC running. One more reason why I built my shop in an out building. I don't think it would have been allowed in a basement shop. My neighbor hasn't complained, but I make sure I do not run it later in the evening.

[Nick Decker]

I'm lucky to have tolerant neighbors. The occasional gift of a box or cutting board helps. :)

[Mark Bolton]

Ill tell you when that 735 will get REALLY LOUD is when you have a batch of material to run and your knives are about ripe, and you dont have a fresh set so you opt to run them with the dull knives. Thats when your world will be shaken.

Straight knife planers are just loud period. Other than for the few nanoseconds when your knives are perfectly sharp on the first board fed you are progressively dealing with duller and duller knives. The more dull they get they begin to slam into the board. When you get boards that tend to lift a little off the planer table (or wait til your around a planer with bed rollers that are set fairly high) you will get a resonance in your ears that will drive you nuts. Pull your ear protection off for a second and it will cross your eyes and make your vision go blurry.

Bed rollers up on our machine with band sawn material that has heavy saw marks will start a resonant frequency that will rock your world.

The take away from all of this for me? Plane lumber as rarely as humanly possible. If your able to pay 50, 60, 70, cents a board foot to have your material pre-surfaced, do it. The cost of the planer, cost of the knives, cost of dealing with the chips, the fact that no small planer is going to hog off enough material to go from dead rough to final planed dimension in a single pass..

Scrap surfacing your material other than when there is no other option possible. From a business standpoint it is the single biggest money loser in our shop.

We all have to do it from time to time but when I have to bring in dead rough material its miserable from the start.

We pay $0.34 per board foot for S2S and SLR1E. I cant handle the chips on a thousand feet dead rough of lumber for that.

[Julie Moriarty]

The under load results were interesting. These numbers are all with the DC running...

Miter saw.........112db
Tablesaw.........104db
Planer..............118db

Yep. The planer went from 126db before feeding in the wood down to 118db under load. It seems whatever noise the DC was making had no effect on readings. I know I can't hear it over the noise of the planer.

As far as the mic on the phone, all I know is my ears hurt when that planer is running, even with ear plugs in. So if 120db is the threshold of pain, I'd say the original 126db on the planer is fairly accurate. IIRC, with my old Delta planer, it got louder under load. The Dewalt definitely dropped the db meter needle under load.

I'd be interested to see db readings with a spiral cutterhead installed on the 735.

[Nick Decker]

No doubt small planers will hurt your ears, beyond whatever present discomfort you feel. My guess is that the dust collector noise is below the level of the planer noise, so it doesn't register.

My hearing is terrible, considerable upper frequency loss. Thank you, Led Zeppelin.

[Grant Wilkinson]

If you have a dust collector hooked up the 735, an easy way to quiet it down considerably is to remove the impeller from the dust extractor that is built in. I did that years ago. I still have excellent dust collection and the sound level is much lower. Much of the noise is from that fast spinning "turbine".

[Timothy Shouldice]

I am sensitive to noise and use good quality sound blocking earmuffs. My 735 may be the loudest of my tools but the earmuffs bring the sound down low enough that it isn't an issue.

[Al Launier]

I don't have a problem with loudness from my DW735. Perhaps it's because I'm almost deaf. ;) Sometimes a negative is good.

[David Utterback]

Downloaded 2 apps for sound measurement (Sound Meter Pro (same as Julie used) and Sound Meter (top rated)) and took measurements in my basement shop. It has concrete floor and walls. All measurements were at 3 ft from sources and 3 ft above floor level.

Both sets of results are BOGUS!! None exceeded 79 dB. The second app had slightly higher results.

Planer (with spiral head)..........78 dB
2 HP, 8" jointer ......................78 dB
1.5 HP Delta dust collector ......76 dB
Table saw .............................74 dB
Air cleaner (on low setting) .....61 dB

Under load, the jointer (edge jointing 1" board) and planer (3" wide maple) readings increase by 1 dB. One should be able to carry on conversations with a little effort at these levels. That is not the case with any of these machines except the air cleaner. My guess, is that the microphone and processing on my phone (Samsung 7) dampen the readings.

I am tempted to get my hands on a real SPL meter to see the actual levels. I also wonder why my readings are so different from Julie's. Different phone?


The under load results were interesting. These numbers are all with the DC running...

Miter saw.........112db
Tablesaw.........104db
Planer..............118db

Yep. The planer went from 126db before feeding in the wood down to 118db under load. It seems whatever noise the DC was making had no effect on readings. I know I can't hear it over the noise of the planer.

As far as the mic on the phone, all I know is my ears hurt when that planer is running, even with ear plugs in. So if 120db is the threshold of pain, I'd say the original 126db on the planer is fairly accurate. IIRC, with my old Delta planer, it got louder under load. The Dewalt definitely dropped the db meter needle under load.

I'd be interested to see db readings with a spiral cutterhead installed on the 735.

[michael langman]

If you buy the 3M 1100 earplugs and put them in your ears by the instructions, they work better then most other ear plugs.
You have to pull the top of your ear up and rearward while inserting the ear plug. Let the earplug expand for a few seconds and then release your ear.
I have worked around 20 to 30- 50 ton to 300 ton metal stamping presses and the noise level was like going into a war zone every morning.
I wore those earplugs and Peltor -30Db ear muffs and my hearing is still fine at 62.
I own the Dewalt 734 and do think it is quite loud.

[Julie Moriarty]

I also wonder why my readings are so different from Julie's. Different phone?
I have a Samsung Galaxy J7. It's about 6 months old. Don't know if that makes any difference though.

[Randy Heinemann]

All those dB readings are still below the upper safe numbers with good hearing protection. I use foam in-ear plugs which cut noise by 30 dB. I would never operate any of my machines without hearing protection so the noise isn’t relevant for me considering the 735 gives me superior results.

[Steve H Graham]

I have this planer, and I have found that 3 cents' worth of ear plugs solves the problem. On the other hand, I have a Rikon planer/jointer which is nearly silent, and naturally, one wonders whether DeWalt could have spent 10 dollars more and made the 735 equally quiet.

Makes me wonder what kind of motor is in there and how hard it would be to replace it with one from Ebay.

Is it the motor that makes the noise or the blower? If it's the blower, I guess there is no solution.

[Jason Lester]

I have this planer, and I have found that 3 cents' worth of ear plugs solves the problem. On the other hand, I have a Rikon planer/jointer which is nearly silent, and naturally, one wonders whether DeWalt could have spent 10 dollars more and made the 735 equally quiet.

Makes me wonder what kind of motor is in there and how hard it would be to replace it with one from Ebay.

Is it the motor that makes the noise or the blower? If it's the blower, I guess there is no solution.

I have the 734 which is also incredibly loud. It doesn't have the blower, so that's definitely not all of it.

[Steve H Graham]

I read that the cheap universal motor is the problem. For kicks I looked into the difficulty of putting an induction motor in its place, and I was told that there are no standard NEMA sizes for universal motors, so you can't just look up a frame number and do a swap.

[Jim Becker]

Steve, I think that quite often, you'll find that so-called "universal motors" are just not that. Many are designed into the tool and machines like portable planers are like that because of how things need to fit together in a compact form factor.

[Mike Henderson]

Steve, I think that quite often, you'll find that so-called "universal motors" are just not that. Many are designed into the tool and machines like portable planers are like that because of how things need to fit together in a compact form factor.

I think they're called "Universal motors" because they can operate on AC or DC, not because they can fit anywhere. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_motor) has an article on them.

But the reason they're used has to do with HP and physical size. HP for a motor is calculated by taking the torque times the RPM, times a numerical factor. An induction motor, operated at 60 Hz, has a maximum RPM of 3600, and will actually be less because slip is required for it to operated. That's why a 2-pole, 60 Hz, induction motor is usually rated at 3450 RPM (at full load). Since the induction motor has a fairly low RPM, it has to have a lot of torque to produce a certain amount of HP, and that makes the induction motor big. Note that a 2HP 4-pole, 1725 RPM motor will be physically larger than a 2HP 2-pole 3450 RPM motor. The 4-pole motor has to produce twice the torque as the 2-pole motor and that means bigger field coils.

The universal motor removes that RPM limitation. It's fairly common for a universal motor to operate at 20,000 or more RPM. And that means it doesn't have to produce as much torque to produce 2HP as a 2 HP 2-pole induction motor. Since it doesn't have to produce as much torque, the field coils can be quite a bit smaller, leading to a much smaller motor.

The major disadvantages of universal motors are that the brushes require maintenance and the high RPMs generate more noise. Note that brushless motors are essentially universal motors without the brushes - but have a fair amount of electronics. Brushless motors are limited in HP because they require permanent magnets for the rotor and there's a limit to the strength of the magnets you can fit on a rotor.

Mike

[Aircraft during WWII (and probably other times) used 400Hz power systems. This allowed induction motors to be quite a bit smaller (and lighter) than if they had used 60 Hz.]

[Curt Harms]

I have this planer, and I have found that 3 cents' worth of ear plugs solves the problem. On the other hand, I have a Rikon planer/jointer which is nearly silent, and naturally, one wonders whether DeWalt could have spent 10 dollars more and made the 735 equally quiet.

Makes me wonder what kind of motor is in there and how hard it would be to replace it with one from Ebay.

Is it the motor that makes the noise or the blower? If it's the blower, I guess there is no solution.

I think they're both offenders and I think it unlikely an induction motor could be fitted. I do seem to recall someone that had their DW735 hooked up to a regular dust collector or cyclone that removed the fan, the dust collection was still okay and the machine was quieter. I imagine that removing the fan and fitting a spiral head would be quieter but a DW735 + spiral head is getting near a 15" cast iron planer $$, especially used.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Curt: In my previous reply, I mentioned that I had removed the dust extraction impeller and it quieted my 735 down quite a bit. It's still not quiet like a big, floor standing planer with a spiral head, but the neck breaking scream is gone, and dust collection is still excellent.

[Mike Cary]

When you have to call and get a quote, the price point may not make Hammer a viable option.

Why does Dewalt make their planer so loud? because they hate us.

I just sold my floor planer and bought the 735 (again) it was my first planer, I sold it when I bought a 15” Grizzly. I love it. Not much anyone can do about neighbor complaints, I don’t have that problem and the wife understands. It’s not like it runs constantly. I wear hearing protection.

I do have another planer that is just slightly quieter although it only runs on a quarter or less horsepower. It’s called a scrub plane.

[Simon MacGowen]

I am tempted to get my hands on a real SPL meter to see the actual levels. I also wonder why my readings are so different from Julie's. Different phone?

That is the only way you can find the actual dB readings. It is a well known issue that those digital meters don't give you correct readings. My vac, as loud as a plane taking off, was under 80dB according to one of these phone meters.

Simon

[Julie Moriarty]

Mike Henderson, thanks for the detailed explanation regarding induction and universal motors. The Dewalt 735 is a pricey portable planer and putting in an induction motor may have taken it out of the competition for portable planers. Personally, I don't know why they felt the need to add the chip ejector to the planer as it would add to the cost and, apparently, adds to the noise. I ran my old Delta with the DC and never had any issues with waste collection. But I will admit when I turn on the planer, the drum of the cyclone, while the DC is running, actually pressurizes. That chip ejector moves a lot of air.

Mike Cary, you can get the price of Felder or Hammer products online by simply creating a login. The 10" Hammer jointer/planer lists at $3599. The 12" is $4195 and the 16" is $5759. And those prices do not include their Silent Power cutter block, which takes the 10" J/P to $4379. To me, that makes adding the spiral cutter block to the Dewalt a pretty good deal. But when I watched this video, I sure wished I could afford the Hammer. The db meter test starts around 1:45.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=FVNWrF8XzpA

[Jim Becker]

Julie, the chip ejector is actually a good idea for all the folks who don't use the machine with an external dust collector because you need to get the chips away from the rollers to maintain high quality on the material being processed. It's one of the things that Dewalt considered that isn't found in "budget" machines that do the same function, IMHO. Remember, there are a lot of folks who use these things on job sites. The general contractor who did our addition in 2008 had one in what is now our media room for onsite stock milling for certain aspects of the trim work.

[Julie Moriarty]

In trying to picture one on a jobsite, I can just imagine the safety inspector coming along and shutting down the operation. Matthais Wendel has a video showing how far those chips can fly. I can just see plywood walls being erected, caution signs posted about the hazard, PPE requirements when entering the "blast zone". It would be quite a sight.

But really, I hadn't considered the 735 on a jobsite. I worked mostly commercial jobs and practically all the millwork was done offsite. I rarely even saw a table saw. But I can just see a safety inspector walking into an area where the 735 was blasting chips across the room. There would more than chips flying!

[Curt Harms]

You can get a fabric hood affair that attaches the the blower outlet and fits over a garbage can which takes care of the flying chips but probably requires a pretty healthy blower.

[Larry Frank]

All the complaints about the 735 seem a bit off. It is a very good planer in the price range and one of the most popular. If you do not like it for the noise or the chips flying, get a different one. Most people love the chip ejector and just attach a hose to it.

I have one, and use cheap foam earplugs. It has been a real work horse for me.

[Brian Nguyen]

Mike:
Curious to know why you went back to the 735 from the 15" Grizzly. I have a 735, but I seem to get regular suggestions to ditch it for a Grizzly floorstanding model.

[John Sanford]

One thing that has to be considered when dealing with noisy machines is the environment. Some shops are echo chambers, others are seriously quiet. And yes, the DW735 is a screamer, it got the cops called on me once. By the time they showed up, I was already done, and it was barely past 8pm, so other than making me annoyed with the neighbor who called, it was no biggie. I was annoyed with the neighbor because they didn't bother to talk to me, they just called.

[Mike Cary]

Mike:
Curious to know why you went back to the 735 from the 15" Grizzly. I have a 735, but I seem to get regular suggestions to ditch it for a Grizzly floorstanding model.

The Dewalt just fit better with my style of wood working. First the floor model was cast iron and weighted a ton. I have limited space so it had to be on wheels. It did not have a single place to put and keep it, so it was not "stationary" It sat low, which is great when running a bunch of heavy boards through, but I don't do that. I just readjusted my work flow, I break down the boards before jointing and planing.

I have moved more towards hand tools. Less test cutting. Along with that move came the 735. I moved it to a higher stand and I use it for more than thickness planing. I usually set boundaries and goals for my projects. A little game I play that fosters skills and practice with aspects of my woodworking. (Its my hobby, I can afford such silliness). My most recent project, the limit I put on myself was "No Tablesaw". It required a bunch of pieces that were 1" wide. I ripped them on the bandsaw but I needed to plane off the sawmarks while keeping the sides perfectly parallel. I didn't trust my handplaning yet since its all new, so I just ran them through the planer. The 735 was perfect for that. No snipe, no roller marks, the sharp disposable knifes left a finish ready edge, and the detents makes it easy to set it back up for a repeatable result.

Anyway, that's why I switched and I'm so glad I did. Sounds like a commercial. For the record, the planer and a ROS is all I have with Dewalt on it, oh yeah a compressor too. There are many applications for a floor planer that makes it a better choice. But as a hobbiest, its just not necessary for me.

[Julie Moriarty]

All the complaints about the 735 seem a bit off. It is a very good planer in the price range and one of the most popular. If you do not like it for the noise or the chips flying, get a different one. Most people love the chip ejector and just attach a hose to it.

I have one, and use cheap foam earplugs. It has been a real work horse for me.

Larry, my personal experience is the 735 delivers similar results to the old Delta it replaced. Since I purchased the 735 I've run a couple hundred feet or more through it. Woods ranged from utile to maple to 30 year old hard pine. So far I've seen nothing that wows me over what I got with the Delta. I had the Delta set up with tables on both ends that completely eliminated snipe. Using the extension wings that came the 735, I have not been able to duplicate that. So for me, I can't say the Dewalt 735 is superior to the Delta I had, except in that it has two feed speeds. I do notice very good results on the slow speed but have not been able to eliminate snipe using the wings.

That said, it's why I spoke about the 735 being much louder. It was the only noticeable difference I saw compared to my old Delta.

[Larry Frank]

If you really like the Old Delta I would find another. But I do not know if another small planer with a chip ejector. If the noise bothers you just use the 3M foam earplugs which give a 29 db noise reduction

When I want to eliminate snipe, I run boards end to end thru the 735 and use a scrap board at the beginning and end. I have adjusted my tables to minimize snipe and the best I could do is to reduce it to a few thousandth s. You could still feel it or measure it. I set my wings with a precision straight edge and feeler gauges.

If I have floorboards and need to do some heavy planer, I have a 15" - 3 hp to do the work and it is a bit quieter.

[Warren Lake]

volume test is interesting so just what are we seeing there? Is that hand mic going into the sound meter or to a speaker? when the boards go through the sound meter is measuring from the mic on the meter and not the mic in his hand, My Ivie has an omini directional mic on it but mic placement would need to be the same on both machines, not only distance but as simple as one side could be louder than the other. Clearly the head is a lot quieter but if we are to go by the numbers then position of the mic should be the same. The statement about having to change three knives if you get a nick, you dont you shift one knife.

[Julie Moriarty]

If you really like the Old Delta I would find another. But I do not know if another small planer with a chip ejector. If the noise bothers you just use the 3M foam earplugs which give a 29 db noise reduction.
I've already bought into the 735. I don't want to take a loss selling it and buy something else. And when I have the funds, I'll probably upgrade to a spiral head. That was my long term plan in buying the 735.

This thread was never about me being so unhappy with the 735 that I was thinking I made a mistake buying it. I was just wondering why Dewalt couldn't have kept the noise in line with other benchtop planers. And I think I now know why.

Thanks to all who have contributed.

[Len Mullin]

I agree with this statement, I have no issues or complaints concerning my 735. Yes, it's a bit loud, but not to loud if you use hearing protection. And I do wear hearing protection, I put it on as soon as I enter my shop. All of my shop equipment makes noise, so I put on my hearing protection before any piece of equipment gets turned on.
Len


All the complaints about the 735 seem a bit off. It is a very good planer in the price range and one of the most popular. If you do not like it for the noise or the chips flying, get a different one. Most people love the chip ejector and just attach a hose to it.

I have one, and use cheap foam earplugs. It has been a real work horse for me.