Planer Blade Blues

[James Tibbetts]

I have always sworn by my DW735 until the last 2 days that I have spent swearing at it. I can get about half of the blade screws out.
The other half strip out inside the Allen head recess. I have tried heat with no luck, Liquid wrench, screw extractors.. all with no success.
The head will not remove from the unit without removing the blade and there is no room to Dremel a straight blade screw driver slot into most of the remaining screw heads.
Any helpful suggestions?
About one more day of this and I will have a new boat anchor. :mad:

[Bill Dufour]

Use a dental pick to remove all the crud in the allen recess. This allows the wrench to seat all the way down to reduce strip out.
Replace the china junk screws with USA or Europe ones. You may have to shatter the blade to get the screws loose. Those hammer down impact wrenches work well for this situation. Use heat from a small torch with a guard of tile with a hole drilled just big enough to clear the screw head. this helps form overheating the other bits nearby. too hot will soften the screws. You may want to soften them latter to drill them out.
Bill D.

[James Tibbetts]

Thanks Bill. I will try the tile shield idea tomorrow.
I don't understand what you mean by "hammer down impact wrench".
Today I ordered hardened replacement screws. Any reason to NOT use anti-seize compound when I install the new screws?

[Tom Blank]

Quality drivers that are true to size and fit are also critical. Wiha and Bondhus are two good brands.

[Jim Morgan]

I bought my DW735 used several years ago; the first time I had to change the blades, there were a couple of screws that refused to budge. In the end, I used a freshly sharpened cold chisel, first held vertically to cut a slot in each screw head, then at an angle on just the 3 o'clock side to get the screw moving a little. I replaced the offending screws and wiped some Moovit on the threads when reinstalling. Several more blade shifts & flips down the road, no more problems.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Just in case Bill isn't around, here is a link to a hammer screw driver. https://www.harborfreight.com/impact-screwdriver-set-with-case-37530.html
Beating on the end with a hammer produces a rotation of the bit.
As for anti-seize, I've used it for years on my 735 and never had an issue getting the screws out to replace the blades, or to them backing out.

[Martin Siebert]

I have a 735 and have had the same problem. The ones that spun inside the torx head are best having the head drilled off. Once you get them all off the blade will come out. There should be no tension on the threaded part that is left and it spins right out. At least they all did on mine. If the threaded portion is stuck in the cutterhead then left hand twist drill bits are your next bet. The key to using them successfully is to very carefully center punch the threaded portion you are trying to remove so the drill bit begins cutting exactly dead perfect center. It will go so far and then it should grab the broken bolt and spin it out once it is relieved enough. All this sounds real simple and it looks even better when it works right.
Once you have them all out and are ready to proceed you are best to order the new bolt kit from DeWalt. Those blade retaining screws are special. They have a very shallow head and thus the torx part is not very deep. The ones that come in the kit are supplied with a new wrench and seem to be made a little better. It is probably a good idea to chase the threads in the cutter head with a tap and apply anti-seize grease to the new bolts. Best of luck and remember, when you get good and sick of playing with it you can always order a Shelix and be done.

[Lee Schierer]

When using an Allen wrench it is just about mandatory to use high quality wrenches to avoid rounding out the hex. I prefer Bondhus wrenches. A machinist taught me that it is a good idea to insert your wrench in the head and give the wrench a good whack with a small hammer to break the oxidation loose to make it easier to remove the screw.

[michael langman]

What Martin said has worked for me.
If you drill through the center of the screw head with a drill 1/8" bigger then the outside diameter of the thread the head separates as the cutting angle on the drill reaches the corner of the screw between the threads and head of bolt. Then the threaded part od the screw will spin right out.

The reason the screws are hard to come out is because the seating surface of the screw head and the surface of the blade are so flat that they tighten up too much. Both the screw and the blade are hardened so the do not give when trying to loosen them.They act like a flathead screw which will snap when it is loosened.The screws were over tightened at the factory.

Keep an eye on the tips on your Allen wrenches. When they begin to round over, either grind the tips down on a grinder, carefully as not to lose the temper or buy a goo set of allen wrenches as Lee has said.

[James Tibbetts]

Thanks for the input guys. I was hesitant to bang on the screws for fear of damaging the bearings. I will try the chisel approach next and if no luck there I'll be off to HF.
Thanks for that link Grant. I know exactly what Bill was talking about now. Good news on the anti-seize also guys.
Tom I think part of the problem was the wrench.. the tip rounded over ever so slightly and I think that contributed to starting the strip out. I'm familiar with Bondhus as a reputable brand. Added that to the shopping list.

[James Tibbetts]

Success with the cold chisel method !!
New hardened screws should be here tomorrow and in go the carbide blades.
Martin a Shelix was on my mind before I even started this blade change. I have to run some jatoba which I was pretty sure would scoff at the condition of the HSS blades, hence the change over to carbide.
Had I been able to remove the cutter head without removing the blades I may well have ordered the Shelix then and there.
Thanks to everyone for the informative replies.

[Rick Gibson]

I have the delta 13" planer and had the same problem. Once out I replaced them with hex head bolts. No problem getting them out now. If you have the room in yours that may be an option.

[Andrew Hughes]

Your did right going with carbide. I had a Dewalt 735 with Infinity carbide blades I ran shorts stuff in ebony, teak and some rosewoods the blades held up great for more then a year.
When the knives dull they will become loud . Don’t send them out use the jig I posted in another thread.
I can repost if you missed it.
Good luck

[James Tibbetts]

I thought about those Rick but I wasn't sure I had clearance. I found hardened screws that combined with a little anti-seize should prevent this debacle in the future.

[James Tibbetts]

I picked these up from Brain at Holbren when he had the special on them. Been waiting for a good reason to change them in. The jatoba was the winner.