DW735 w/shelix head - how risky to bypass breaker?

[Sam Shankar]

455856Hi folks,

I bought a DW735 a couple of years ago that the owner had upgraded to a Shelix helical head. It has been a finicky machine for me. As many here have pointed out, the planer is not really designed to drive the helical head, and it's easy to trip the 18A internal breaker. And the breaker, once it trips a few times, seems to go on a hair trigger and get easier and easier to trip, triggering a downward cycle of despair.

I figured this issue out relatively soon after I bought the planer two years ago. (The owner never mentioned it, but caveat emptor.) After I replaced the breaker I've gotten about a year of light use out of the machine without complaint. But now I'm in trip-town constantly again. I've ordered another breaker, and I'm wondering just how risky it is to bypass the darn thing in the meantime. Is the main risk overheating the motor? And if so, can I keep an eye on that by occasionally lifting the cover and checking it with my hand to see if it's getting hot?

Just to save you from asking:
* tables are waxed
* cutters are sharp and relatively recently rotated
* rollers are clean
* the planer is on its own 20A circuit, 124v measured at the outlet.
* I haven't noticed any binding or weird noises that would suggest a faulty bearing.
* when I say it "trips easily" I mean I can only take one or two 1/64" cuts on 8" wide cherry board without getting a trip.

Thanks in advance for thoughts. I fear I am headed eventually towards replacing this tool and my (very nice) 8" helical jointer with a 12" combo machine. I just don't have the room for a stationary planer and nothing I've read suggests that there's a significantly better benchtop planer out there.

[Mike Henderson]

The risk you take by bypassing the circuit breaker is that the motor may overheat and fail. I don't know how likely it is that the motor will fail from occasional overloads.

If it was my unit, I'd either bypass the breaker or get one of a slightly larger capacity, maybe 20 amps. If you can't find one to fit, I'd make an external box with the slightly larger breaker and bypass the internal one.

Mike

[Bruce Lowekamp]

From what I’ve read, some of the DW735s with the reduced size Shelix head had problems (I guess there’s some variance in alignment so some got less cut depth than others), where they had to be cranked down hard to make a cut. I wonder if yours has that problem, and there’s more load on the motor because it’s being cranked down so hard.

I seem to remember reading Byrd would help exchange the cutters for people with that problem. You’re not the original owner, and they’re backed up for months, but it might not hurt to give them a call and ask.

I’d also go with a 20A breaker, but I’d see if you could get a good discount on a full-sized replacement from Byrd.

Bruce

[Rich Aldrich]

If you have it connected to a dust collector, you can remove the blower from the motor. The blower blows the chips out but isn't needed if you have adequate vacuum (air flow) from your dust collector. This will reduce the load on the motor.

[Alex Zeller]

What size circuit is it plugged into? Chances are it's a 20 amp circuit (but you'll have to confirm that). If so there's not much risk as 20 amps is 20 amps no matter where the breaker is located on the circuit. But the breaker in your electrical panel is most likely a higher quality one than the one in the planer. Back in the day when you could get 100w incandescent light bulbs you could add a couple to a circuit to confirm the internal circuit breaker was still operating at it's rating. For example if you plugged in three 100w bulbs into a 20 amp circuit along with your planer the breaker in the electrical panel should trip before the internal one.

Ideally the breaker in the electrical panel is designed to protect the wiring in the house, not the tool plugged into it. But the breaker doesn't care what it's protecting. If you have it plugged into a 30 amp circuit, rare but can be found, that someone decided to wire in 20 amp outlets then you could easily do real damage to both the planer and possibly a fire. If you are not 100% sure I would suggest getting an in-line 20 amp circuit breaker. They look like a short extension cord.

[Charles Coolidge]

The troubleshooting guide has a section on tripping breakers which suggests this planer is finicky from the factory. Dull knives, depth of cut, feed rate are listed as potential causes. And NO you can't bypass the breaker it's there to protect the wiring in your house/shop from starting a fire.

[Richard Coers]

The troubleshooting guide has a section on tripping breakers which suggests this planer is finicky from the factory. Dull knives, depth of cut, feed rate are listed as potential causes. And NO you can't bypass the breaker it's there to protect the wiring in your house/shop from starting a fire.
I believe the OP is talking about the overload protection in the machine. Not the house breaker box

[Charles Coolidge]

I believe the OP is talking about the overload protection in the machine. Not the house breaker box


An even worse idea imo.

[Clark Hussey]

I ran mine for a while, without the breaker installed. The breaker that comes installed started popping almost right away. After installing a new breaker, I have not had any issues.

[glenn bradley]

My concern here is the thousands of these machines that run fine. Makes me wonder why the few having trouble (even after replacing the overload device) are having it. This is obviously not a problem with the machine design. A few bad parts that got by QA maybe. Once replaced though, all should be well. If the canary falls of the perch, you don't nail him to it ;-)

[jim sauterer]

Have you actually taken the amp draw with a meter to observe trip point.I had similar problem with jet dust collection.popping at 6 amps and circuit breaker was 15.installed new breaker and no more problems.

[Sam Shankar]

1) In general, I share everyone's head-scratch about the excess power draw here. On one hand, that ain't right, but on the other, tons of people report this problem after the Shelix upgrade. And *of course* I'm not talking about defeating the 20A breaker on the house panel.

2) Disconnecting the fan from the motor is brilliant. I have it on a dust collector, so chips shouldn't be a problem.

3) How much of a useful diagnostic is the exterior temperature of the motor? After I did the bypass, I ran a mid-sized (for me) planing job, hand-checking motor warmth throughout. It barely warmed up. No question I would have tripped the breaker with the job repeatedly if it had been installed.

4) How do I know if I have a "reduced size Shelix head?" I certainly haven't had the sense that I am 'cranking things down' to get it to cut, but I don't have anything to compare to either. The planer is a model year 2012, so it's not THAT old and presumably the Shelix is younger than that.

5) I haven't taken the amp draw with a meter. I haven't ever tripped the 20A panel breaker either.

I ordered two new breakers at $12 ea. If a new one settles things down, I'll go with it for a while and then, if things get bad again in a year, I'll swap it out for the second new one and put the whole works up for sale (with appropriate warnings/disclaimers etc.--I don't need bad karma!). I get far too little woodworking time as it is and I'd rather spend it using machines than repairing them.

[Doug Wisecup]

I have just recently been dealing with the very same issue (overload breaker on machine tripping much too easily). I just today installed a replacement breaker, and it seems to be much better. Would need to plane some more to be sure, but after about 30 bf, it hasn't tripped, and I'm sure it would have with original part. The knife longevity on this machine is horrible! I would love to get helical heads, but no money for that anytime soon.

[Bruce Lowekamp]

The best explanation I’ve seeen is at https://shelixheads.com/SHELIX_for_dewalt_13_inch_Planer_(DW-735) which claims Byrd will exchange them for $50 (and 6 months of wait at this point). I don’t know if that would really explain it though.

One thing that I think hasn’t been mentioned in this thread is measuring the voltage while the planer is planing wood. It might not hurt to swap out the 18A for a 20A breaker, but if your voltage is dropping from 124V to 100V while working, you might have a different wiring problem.

Bruce

[William Hodge]

I have just recently been dealing with the very same issue (overload breaker on machine tripping much too easily). I just today installed a replacement breaker, and it seems to be much better. Would need to plane some more to be sure, but after about 30 bf, it hasn't tripped, and I'm sure it would have with original part. The knife longevity on this machine is horrible! I would love to get helical heads, but no money for that anytime soon.


What are you running through the planer?

I have had a 735 for nine moths, and I have run about 1000 board feet of lumber through it, two faces. All the wood has gone through my rough planer first. Any sand has been cleaned off. Still, I haven't changed the knives yet. They are the steel ones from the factory. I make sure the wood never touches the floor.

[Andrew Hughes]

I have just recently been dealing with the very same issue (overload breaker on machine tripping much too easily). I just today installed a replacement breaker, and it seems to be much better. Would need to plane some more to be sure, but after about 30 bf, it hasn't tripped, and I'm sure it would have with original part. The knife longevity on this machine is horrible! I would love to get helical heads, but no money for that anytime soon.

Your better off with infinity carbide tipped knives. They are pricey but leave a perfect surface and can be resharpened easily with a homemade fixture.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

A motor requires an overload protection which is different from an over-current breaker. An overload is essentially a slow trip breaker. It allows the motor to be overloaded for a period of time (typically to overcome startup current and such). The overload trips when the motor is overloaded for a longer period of time in order to protect the motor.
I have to assume Dewalt designed the correct size overload in the breaker and it wouldn't be advisable to bypass or remove it.
I do own the planer but not the shelix head. I have seen videos showing measurements that indicate it does increase the current which can indeed overload the motor.

[Doug Wisecup]

I wish I could get that kind of mileage from my knives! I'm running mostly cherry, next walnut, a little oak. The wood has never been on the floor, and I clean very well with a wire brush. in 2 years I have planed app. 400- 450 bf. I have have used both sides of 2 sets, and first side of second set. I never see the finish deteriorate all that much, maybe a few minor nicks, it just quickly begins to load the motor heavily, and the rollers can hardly feed board through. I have never even tried more that 1/4 turn on hardwood, it's no use. I have watched woodworking sites for articles concerning the DW735 since before I got it, and have been amazed at how far divided the results people are having with the life of the blades. I can assure you, there is no question when mine are dull, and it doesn't take long. My lumber is good quality, not a lot of knots or figure. Today I planed 2 1x8 white oak boards to truly test the new OL breaker(it held fine) but I virtually had to push it through, dropped to 1/8 turn, finally gave up. This was clear lumber, no knots or figure at all, had already been planed, I needed thinner stock for drawers. I sure hope I can scrape up some $$ for insert head someday!

[Clark Hussey]

Doug, I had the same issue with the straight knives. I upgraded to the Lux cutter head, the smaller one. Have not had an issue since. This week I have been planning cherry. Running the planner on slow speed. I’m turning the gauge anywhere from a quarter to a half turn. The wood was 4/4 to start took it down to 3/4. Only issue is now I have 2 husky garbage bags of chips. I have also replaced the on board circuit breaker. No issues since then.455936

[William Hodge]

I wish I could get that kind of mileage from my knives! I'm running mostly cherry, next walnut, a little oak. The wood has never been on the floor, and I clean very well with a wire brush. in 2 years I have planed app. 400- 450 bf. I have have used both sides of 2 sets, and first side of second set. I never see the finish deteriorate all that much, maybe a few minor nicks, it just quickly begins to load the motor heavily, and the rollers can hardly feed board through. I have never even tried more that 1/4 turn on hardwood, it's no use. I have watched woodworking sites for articles concerning the DW735 since before I got it, and have been amazed at how far divided the results people are having with the life of the blades. I can assure you, there is no question when mine are dull, and it doesn't take long. My lumber is good quality, not a lot of knots or figure. Today I planed 2 1x8 white oak boards to truly test the new OL breaker(it held fine) but I virtually had to push it through, dropped to 1/8 turn, finally gave up. This was clear lumber, no knots or figure at all, had already been planed, I needed thinner stock for drawers. I sure hope I can scrape up some $$ for insert head someday!


I'm sorry to hear about the difficulty in running oak. It sounds like you're running clean wood.

I only have ever taken 1/32" off at a time, all Sapele. I have to wax the beds with paraffin and clean the rollers with isopropyl alcohol. The paraffin is good,because I can hit the infeed bed with it while the machine is running.

[Sam Shankar]

A motor requires an overload protection which is different from an over-current breaker. An overload is essentially a slow trip breaker. It allows the motor to be overloaded for a period of time (typically to overcome startup current and such). The overload trips when the motor is overloaded for a longer period of time in order to protect the motor.

My question is: protect the motor from what? Overheating? If so, can I monitor that independently...by leaving the cover loose on the planer and touching the motor housing occasionally while working the planer?

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have a 733 that I bought used at an auction that began tripping the internal breaker constantly several years ago. I decided that I didn't have much to lose on a $120 planer than had already more than paid for itself in work done, so I took out the breaker and connected the wires, and it has run fine ever since. I don't push it really hard, mostly I am just planing 1-3 boards at a time but occasionally I've run it for an hour at a time.

[Randy Heinemann]

It would appear to me that there is always some risk bypassing a motor overload protection. You might get away with it, you might now. The overload protection is there for a reason. I've used my 735 for more than 10 years without the machine's protection being tripped once; with the original head in place. The 735 is a bench top planer, not made to be used like a 15" 220V planer. It's a great compromise that produces great results for people who aren't commercial furniture or cabinet makers. It's just not meant for commercial use where the user is trying to push 100's or 1,000's of board feet of hardwood through the machine as fast as possible. That's true regardless of whether the head was replaced by the Shelix or not.

[Sam Shankar]

It's a great compromise that produces great results for people who aren't commercial furniture or cabinet makers.

I'm nowhere near that. I probably run this thing for a half hour a couple of times a month. 15 hours of use a year, TOPS. So you can see why I'm getting frustrated at "motor protection" trips.

[Doug Wisecup]

Thank you Andrew for the recommendation, if I am able to make that purchase, I will give the Infinity some consideration. I want to say that I am well pleased with the quality of the finish I get with the 735, and I have very little problem with snipe. At this time my need for planing lumber is quite low, so I'm in no hurry to step up to better blades. I apologize to the OP if I have hijacked this thread. Thanks to all, this site is certainly one of the best sources of good info I know about.

[Randy Heinemann]

I've been tempted to install the Shelix head on my 735 several times, but just couldn't justify it on a planer that is already 10 years old. Plus, I believe that power tools are designed with certain specs in mind and for the equipment that is provided with the tool. Since it appears that the Shelix head requires more power to drive it through the wood, the motor and overload, as well as the rest of the planer aren't really designed with that cutterhead in mind. In fact, I'd doubt that it would even have entered the mind of whoever designed the planer because either the Shelix head wasn't available or it wasn't practical to equip the planer with it. Thus, the planer functions as it was designed well; with the helical head maybe not as well. I love the helical head and have one onmy Jet 8" jointer, but that machine was designed with the motor and electricals to match. If Jet felt a 220V 2HP motor was needed for that machine, cutting an 8" path, what kind of stress must the Shelix head be placing on the motor taking up to a 13" pass. The motor and overload protection just aren't designed to deal with that, I think, but, of course, that's just my opinion and I'm completely happy with the tool as it came from the factory.

[Robert Mayer]

bummer to hear, this is first I have heard about it. I have one more set of straight knives to burn through before going to a shelix. The planer really does bog down on 8"+ wide boards pretty bad, even with very light passes. Other than that I really like the planer.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

My question is: protect the motor from what? Overheating? If so, can I monitor that independently...by leaving the cover loose on the planer and touching the motor housing occasionally while working the planer?

That is a good question. My concern would be that it could become a fire hazard. The first level of protection prevents overheating of the motor so it won't burn up the motor (motor windings have a thin layer of varnish). But if you're not concerned with losing the motor then you could risk the overheating and motor failure. Overheating of a woodworking tool isn't my favorite risk but as you indicated, you will be there with it so likely you could deal with any consequences.

So if you're not concerned with losing the motor then you likely wouldn't be risking a lot by eliminating the protection.

[Curt Harms]

As Eric says if you don't care about the motor then do what you want. The risk with using "touch the motor" to determine temperature is that the motor may not be the same temp in the middle as it is on the outside, it may be hotter.

[Randy Heinemann]

Robert - I've used the planer for the 10+ years with the original head and HSS knives. I replace the knives with Dewalt knives rather than buying after-market knives. I have found a good jig and method, I believe, for honing the knives at least once without negative effects. I don't find that the planer bogs down taking 1/32" off in a pass and that is what I stick to; less when I reach the last 1/32". The surfaces do sometimes have ridges but they are easily sanded off during surface prep and have never caused me a problem. I don't work as a professional cabinet/furniture maker or remodeler, etc. so it's not a problem that it may take a little bit longer to plane boards. It is true that I don't plane a huge amount at any one time because I just plane what I need for the piece I'm making. While I understand the issues that people reported, I don't feel that I have had virtually any problems with the machine the whole time I owned it. I would love to have a helical head planer. There is just nothing better than a helical head for planing or jointing. However, I still believe that, if the 735 was designed to handle that kind of a head it would have been offered as an option by now, given the popularity of both the planer and the Shelix head, especially now that there are other bench top planers on the market with at least some type of head that resembles a helical head. My opinion, of course, seems to run contrary to many or maybe most of the people that post, but the planer has served me well as is and I generally don't mess with success.

[Keegan Shields]

I've run my 735 with a Shelix head for a few years and never had a problem. Make sure you don't trust the depth of cut gauge after the conversion though. I think the heads are different diameters and I've accidently taken some really heavy cuts on 12" boards that the planer did not appreciate. I'd also check to ensure the carbide cutters are sharp.

I've also had those overload breakers go bad on my table saw so switching it out to a known good breaker would be my next step. If that doesn't work, I'd try the chip blower delete.

[Alex Zeller]

If you want to keep an eye on the motor temp a simple contact thermometer would do the job and can be had on Amazon for about $30. The probe is just thin wire the a tiny thermistor. A simple search says keep the motor below 100c and you shouldn't have an issue. Most can go well above that. Something like this (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SH4F0LK/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?pd_rd_i=B00SH4F0LK&pd_rd_w=jM6lt&pf_rd_p=085568d9-3b13-4ac1-8ae4-24a26c00cb0c&pd_rd_wg=nmXdk&pf_rd_r=RCH3BT1P4YA3SGJRK2JE&pd_rd_r=9cbb86c4-85ec-44d8-81d2-4a1004fb7747&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNjUwSkNSR01EWDdBJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzUyMTk0M0E1SFJSQlc2SFJJTiZlbmN yeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjM4OTYwM0Y5T0hSS1k2UEtRJndpZGdld E5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmR vTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1) . Here's a K type probe. The tiny silver piece at the end of the blue wire is the sensor.
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