Dewalt 735. Upgrade or Replace?

[Mike Congiusti]

Hi all,
I posted last week on an issue with my DeWalt 735 planner. I’m getting ridges on the wood and while they sand off easy, it’s a concern. I’ve had this machine 2 years with no issues and after replacing the knives the issue comes back. No, I don’t store the wood vertically and the ends are cut off. Also, my garage floor has an epoxy finish. I don’t know what can be nicking the blades after just a few passes.

So, my question is, should I look to upgrade the cutter head to a helix or look to buy a new planer with the helix head. I searched out some models from Grizzly, Jet and Shop Fox. None of them received stellar reviews. Am I just wasting my money looking to upgrade the cutter? The cost of the 735 + the new cutter head puts the unit over 1K. I can buy any of the above for a lot less. I can't put in a floor model, no space.

I’m spoiled as before I retired and downsized my basement shop sported a 20” Powermatic 209HH. It would never fit into my garage.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mel Fulks]

Those knives are thin , the steep bevel of the 1/8th knives makes the difference. Even the 1/8th inch thick knives will have striations
unless they are of the best steels like M2 , or T1. The remedy for removing striations is sandpaper or a “card scraper “.
Molten gold has no scratches, but as soon as it cools down …it gets scratches.

[Bernie Kopfer]

If your considering replacing it, you might look at the Oliver planer with a Byrd head factory built.

[Andrew Hughes]

I recommend infinity carbide tipped knives. Infinity also sells a high speed knife that I haven’t tried but heard reports they are better then oem tin foil blades.
I had a 735 with the carbide knives and it left a far better surface then my planer with a bryd head.
Good Luck

[Mark Wedel]

While you note that a new 735 + helical head is more than other new options, you already have a 735. So for a fair comparison, you would have to see how much you could sell the 735 for towards buying a new planer.
I upgraded my 735 to a helical cutterhead and I am happy with it. It sounds like you are sort of trying to compare how good the 735 is versus the alternatives, and I can't speak to that (not having any of them). But it sounds like the other ones are cheaper, but maybe not as good a helical 735, so then it becomes evaluating that cost difference, which is probably a fairly personal thing.

[George Yetka]

Whichever way you go a helical head will also be saving your hearing. I moved to a combo machine but I can tell you that I bought my machine used and sold it for basically the same price, really only cost me a set of blades. So you can get money out of the 735 if you plan to sell it. So $3-400 on top of the 600 a shelix head costs puts you in at 1000. 15" Laguna/powermatic/jet with a Helical cutter all sit around 4500. At those prices you can also include Hammer combo machine. grizzly has a 13" lunchbox with helical for $700 and a few offerings in the 2k range. You may have better offerings in the 1k-2k region used.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-13-2-hp-benchtop-planer-with-helical-cutterhead/g0940

[Aaron Inami]

I actually use the Infinity knives for my 735:

https://www.infinitytools.com/hss-knives-for-dewalt-735-planer

They are definitely NOT thin metal blades. They seem to work well. However, I hate using my 735 because of the noise. Other bench-top planers are said to be quieter, but you really need a good dust collection system for those.

I also have the 4" dust port upgrade in my planer:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1386229710/dewalt-dw735-planer-dust-upgrade

[Brian Gumpper]

Out of curiosity I looked up the Shop Fox, too bad they don't show a picture of the head but it appears to be the Shinmax or similar. I did notice the inserts are HSS and not carbide which isn't an issue just need to replace more often. The one thing I would make sure is that the inserts are not proprietary because Grizzly can be very proud of their inserts.

[Mike Congiusti]

Out of curiosity I looked up the Shop Fox, too bad they don't show a picture of the head but it appears to be the Shinmax or similar. I did notice the inserts are HSS and not carbide which isn't an issue just need to replace more often. The one thing I would make sure is that the inserts are not proprietary because Grizzly can be very proud of their inserts.


To answer some of the questions asked. I have min gorilla for dust collection. I looked at the Shop Fox, Grizzly and Jet. Too many comments on sniping and insert issues. I checked out the Oliver unit and it received very high marks and I read an article on Fine Woodworking from a year ago and it too gave it high marks. It comes with a real shelix head and a wixy gage as well. The cost is $999. I checked out the price of replacing the shelix on the DeWalt and Amazon has it for $429 & $499 from different sellers. Buying it directly from Byrd is $525.

I will think about it over the holiday's. I can probably sell the DeWalt with the wixey gage on it for $500. It I bought the Oliver it would be a wash and I also would not have to go through replacing the head on the DeWalt.

[Patrick Varley]

There are other (cheaper) options for a spiral head in the 735. Earlier this year I put a spiral head in an older Grizzly jointer from FindBuyTool. Have been quite happy with it. They have a head for the 735, and I'm probably going to pull the trigger when it's on sale for the holiday.

Admittedly, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Not a great website name. But seems like it may be somewhat similar to SpeTool.

https://www.findbuytool.com/products/dewalt-13-planer-helical-cutterhead-oem?_pos=2&_psq=dw735&_ss=e&_v=1.0

[Mike Congiusti]

There are other (cheaper) options for a spiral head in the 735. Earlier this year I put a spiral head in an older Grizzly jointer from FindBuyTool. Have been quite happy with it. They have a head for the 735, and I'm probably going to pull the trigger when it's on sale for the holiday.

Admittedly, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Not a great website name. But seems like it may be somewhat similar to SpeTool.

https://www.findbuytool.com/products/dewalt-13-planer-helical-cutterhead-oem?_pos=2&_psq=dw735&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Patrick,

Thanks for the link. It's an excellent price but it does not show who manufatcures it. I found the Byrd head at Holbren for $399 and free shipping. I've bought lots of stuff with them over the years. I'm affraid if I have an issue with it who do you call?

I think I will pull the trigger and get the byrd head ordered today.

Thanks,

Mike

[Keegan Shields]

The 735 works well with the Byrd head. Just take shallow (1/4-1/2 turn depending on stock width) passes. You’ll like it.

[Dan Barber]

Mike, it looks that helical cutter head that Patric linked too is a two row design, not 4 like the Byrd. It looks like it's probably from China, that fact and fewer cutters might explain the hefty price difference. I wonder based on the reviews if it takes less HP and might be quieter than the Byrd? I have the Byrd in my 735 and it does a great job.

[Patrick Varley]

Mike, it looks that helical cutter head that Patric linked too is a two row design, not 4 like the Byrd. It looks like it's probably from China, that fact and fewer cutters might explain the hefty price difference. I wonder based on the reviews if it takes less HP and might be quieter than the Byrd? I have the Byrd in my 735 and it does a great job.

That company sells a 2-row and a 4-row. The 4-row (which I linked), actually has more cutters than the Byrd (56 vs. 40).

Now the point of "who makes this" is absolutely accurate. It's coming out of some Chinesium factory, fronted by a Hong Kong-based distributor. I'm on the record as being ok with taking a gamble on some of these things, understanding that I might be SOL if something goes wrong. But if you aren't one for gambling, the Byrd head is the right choice.

[Dan Barber]

Patrick, yes you are correct about your link to the 4 row, I forgot I then clicked on the two row link that was even cheaper. I'm not opposed to other country of origin products, I have many and sometimes I have taken that risk too - Banggood for some tools for instance. It can be a bit of a roll of the dice, but sometimes the quality is quite good for the price.

[David Kenagy]

Everybody's results differ, but here were mine:
Replaced the cutter with a Byrd helical head. Cut quality was great. But it heated up in long sessions and the reset button wouldn't work until it cooled down. (BTW, I made thickness changes of 1/4 turn per pass. I think that's 1/64") Also, circuit breakers flipped so often that I figured my old house needed some panel attention (not for this reason, alone). Replaced the panel and gave the DeWalt its own breaker and circuit. Back in business and spent an afternoon planing oak for a project. Motor burned out. Replaced it, but by now I've bought that DW735 twice.

My conclusion: it's an excellent planer. But it wasn't engineered for a helical head, which added to the resistance that the motor faces. It gave me hints at the unit overload switch and the circuit breaker. I didn't listen, so the motor burned up. It (probably) also wasn't intended for taking 40 Bd Ft of oak and planing to 3/4" at one time. I simply outgrew my excellent planer. If your space or your budget won't allow a floor planer, then the DW 735 is a good choice, especially if you don't need frequent planing with lots of Bd Ft per session. If you do, just anticipate replacing the motors from time to time.

[Myles Moran]

It (probably) also wasn't intended for taking 40 Bd Ft of oak and planing to 3/4" at one time.

I have run about 50 square feet of 5/4 hickory through my dw735 in one session to get it down to 1". It could be that I was working on a dedicated 20 amp circuit right by the panel, but I didn't have any issues with the motor overload tripping or the breaker tripping. The passes were mostly 1/2 turn, or 1/32.

[Mike Congiusti]

I have run about 50 square feet of 5/4 hickory through my dw735 in one session to get it down to 1". It could be that I was working on a dedicated 20 amp circuit right by the panel, but I didn't have any issues with the motor overload tripping or the breaker tripping. The passes were mostly 1/2 turn, or 1/32.

Do you have the Byrd head in it?

[Randy Heinemann]

I personally never had significant problems with the Dewalt 735 as originally equipped with Dewalt knives. I was willing to take samller amounts off in each pass and found that this practice made the knives last longer with less chips. I also found a honing jig (Deulen Tools) which allowed me to get at least one additional life per set of knives with no noticeable difference in cut quality. I recently decided, after more than 10 years, to upgrade to a new helical head planer. After some research I went with the Olive 12 1/2" bench planer with a Byrd head. It's about $1,000. While I haven't used it much since upgrading I found that it produces an excellent cut during my testing and limited use. I was also able to sell my Dewalt planer for $350 which made the net cost of the Oliver planer $650.

I have always felt that tools like the Dewalt 735 are manufactured as designed and should not be changed. My research also showed me that I probably would have trouble doing the upgrade myself, that having another company do the upgrade would be excessively expensive. While I'm sure there are many who have done the upgrade to the Byrd head and don't have problems, there are also those who have upgraded and do have problems like breakers tripping, the machines overload tripping, and various other miscellaneous issues. As for sound, I'm sure helical heads reduce the sound generated by the machine, but no one should ever use a planer without hearing protection. Hearing is to useful and non-replaceable to risk losing it. So the reduced sound really shouldn't be significant in your decision.

I'm not sure what the problem is with your planer. Each woodworker must do what he/she thinks is best for the work they do. I would, though, consider selling the 735 if you're not satisfied and buying the Oliver. It is the only benchtop planer available with a true Byrd helical head and, therefore, the cut is likely to be superior to the other benchtops with carbide insert heads. I think you'd be satisfied with the Oliver. It's a great alternative.

[James Jayko]

I did the Byrd head in the DeWalt. I'm sure something else could be 'better' (mostly, quieter and wider), but if you already have the DeWalt and the size works for you, the Byrd is a great upgrade. Your $500 planer is already a sunk cost...you own it.

[Myles Moran]

Do you have the Byrd head in it?

No, this was with stock blades.

[Warren Lake]

says you have an epoxy floor, what does that mean, are you putting your wood on the floor? Sand and grit from your shoes doesnt care what kind of floor you have if you get in your wood you will chip your knives.

[Keegan Shields]

Everybody's results differ, but here were mine:
Replaced the cutter with a Byrd helical head. Cut quality was great. But it heated up in long sessions and the reset button wouldn't work until it cooled down. (BTW, I made thickness changes of 1/4 turn per pass. I think that's 1/64") Also, circuit breakers flipped so often that I figured my old house needed some panel attention (not for this reason, alone). Replaced the panel and gave the DeWalt its own breaker and circuit. Back in business and spent an afternoon planing oak for a project. Motor burned out. Replaced it, but by now I've bought that DW735 twice.

My conclusion: it's an excellent planer. But it wasn't engineered for a helical head, which added to the resistance that the motor faces. It gave me hints at the unit overload switch and the circuit breaker. I didn't listen, so the motor burned up. It (probably) also wasn't intended for taking 40 Bd Ft of oak and planing to 3/4" at one time. I simply outgrew my excellent planer. If your space or your budget won't allow a floor planer, then the DW 735 is a good choice, especially if you don't need frequent planing with lots of Bd Ft per session. If you do, just anticipate replacing the motors from time to time.

Sounds like you were taking too heavy of a cut.

I planed 12” white oak blanks for stair treads for 2 hours in 100f Texas weather and never had an overheating issue using a 1/4 turn.

One of the reasons I moved from a 735 with Byrd head to a larger floor-standing planer was to hog off more material per pass and spend less time standing at the planer. But I can still overload my 4hp J/P if I use it incorrectly.

[Mike Congiusti]

says you have an epoxy floor, what does that mean, are you putting your wood on the floor? Sand and grit from your shoes doesnt care what kind of floor you have if you get in your wood you will chip your knives.


All my wood is stored horizontally on wood racks mounted to my wall. I had no problems for 2 years until now. Hope the Byrd head works with no issues. I have no room for a floor unit.

[Mark Wedel]

The other advantage I find with the helical cutters is that the wood shavings are more confetti like in shape, where as with straight knives, the cuttings can be long strips that more easily clog the dust collection system.

This isn't specific to the dewalt 735, but it does make using a planer and jointer with helical cutters preferable for me in that regard.

[Andrew Hughes]

Putting a carbide insert head in bench top planer like the 735 is a lot like putting a negative rake Radial arm saw blade on a contractor table saw with a weak induction motor. Not a good idea. See pic and know the hidden truth.
Its not really a upgrade.
Insert don’t cut or scoop like a knife head they scrape out little flakes of wood. Insert have a 30 degree facebevel if they were not rounded and tilted I wager the power factor would be almost doubled.
Many don’t know how hard the motor is working. That face bevel creates a neutral rake. Knives have a forward rake.
It’s more obvious with a jointer because it’s hand fed.
My planer has a 3hp motor I can hear the motor if I try to take anything more then 1/6 cut.
The planer has a limiter @ 1/8
Good Luck

[Dan Barber]

But with a properly designed heliacal head the inserts are contacting the wood at a skewed angle. So the angle of attack of the insert is not just the 30 degrees of the insert. The insert contact's the wood at a compound angle, so it scoopes, not scrapes. If the design was not such, there would not be as many satisfied users as there are. The Dewalt 735 is not a high HP machine and it handles it just fine, you can't take large cuts with that machine no matter the cutter head that is installed. It's noisy as hell, but it gets the job done just fine and IMHO and others it's better with a helical head than the OEM blades. And as an aside, I just put a negative rake blade in my Milwaukee M18 Miter saw and it handles it wonderfully.

[Andrew Hughes]

The inserts are carbide because hss wouldn’t last very long. I remember reading about the heat and possibly a chemical reaction that happens with some woods and steel. That’s why the proper hook angle Coupled with good high speed steel make for a better surface.
Even with bandsaw blades we know the tooth geometry size of the gullet tooth set is important.
Everyone has the right to tool up any way they like. Some guys will run table saw blades for years after they could use a sharpening. Carbide will crush smash and tear apart wood fibers in all machines if the power is there.
Try it in a hand plane and you will be shocked and disappointed how awful it really is .
Good Luck

[Keegan Shields]

Putting a carbide insert head in bench top planer like the 735 is a lot like putting a negative rake Radial arm saw blade on a contractor table saw with a weak induction motor. Not a good idea. See pic and know the hidden truth.
Its not really a upgrade.
Insert don’t cut or scoop like a knife head they scrape out little flakes of wood. Insert have a 30 degree facebevel if they were not rounded and tilted I wager the power factor would be almost doubled.
Many don’t know how hard the motor is working. That face bevel creates a neutral rake. Knives have a forward rake.
It’s more obvious with a jointer because it’s hand fed.
My planer has a 3hp motor I can hear the motor if I try to take anything more then 1/6 cut.
The planer has a limiter @ 1/8
Good Luck

BS. There are thousands of satisfied customers using the 735 Byrd head in question. There are tens of thousands of helical heads in use on the US jointer/planer market. I’ve owned both and they both worked very well. Many others on this forum have had the same experience.

One guy burned out two motors and had overheating problems. From personal experience, I know it’s easy to take too thick of a pass on a DW735. With either type of head. If your machine is overheating, you are likely doing it wrong.

[Andrew Hughes]

I’m not saying they don’t work.
I have a one in my planer the most boring machine i use.
The point I’m making its not a upgrade Like everyone is reporting. Carbide knives are better. I had a jointer with a insert head. I also had a 735 with carbide knives.
Don’t get all butt hurt Keegan. I’m not saying you wasn’t your money.
Good Luck

[Keegan Shields]

I’m not saying they don’t work.
I have a one in my planer the most boring machine i use.
The point I’m making its not a upgrade Like everyone is reporting. Carbide knives are better. I had a jointer with a insert head. I also had a 735 with carbide knives.
Don’t get all butt hurt Keegan. I’m not saying you wasn’t your money.
Good Luck

To be clear, you’re saying the Byrd heads do work, but they aren’t an upgrade? Do you have personal experience with a Byrd head in a 735?

I no longer own a 735, but the helical head performed well and didn’t require an insert rotation in the 2 years I owned it. The downside, as I stated, is the light passes required. I’ve read feedback from other users that rotating the inserts can reduce the finish quality, but have no personal experience with that.

[Andrew Hughes]

I have a bryd head in my powermatic planer.
I’m posting two pics can you guess what side is with a insert head that’s less then 10 years old and a knife head that’s over 50 years old.
Its obvious I’m not going to convince you that knives can perform as well as I say. It took me some time in years to figure out how to mill with high speed steel. First step buy good Hss say no to low quality cheap knives on Amazon.

[Brian Gumpper]

I’ve read feedback from other users that rotating the inserts can reduce the finish quality, but have no personal experience with that.

I'm willing to bet that those uses didn't follow the procedure to seat the inserts, didn't clean the seats and/or possibly didn't torque them down. Seating the inserts properly has a procedure and despite what some of my customers have done, you cannot take a ratchet to them and go full bore.

[John Kananis]

No experience with the Byrd head but I still own my 735 with straight knives and also own a 3hp floor standing machine with helical head. Run a spalted maple board through a straight knife machine and then the other side on a planer with helical head. The difference will be quite large. For instance.

Andrew, that second pic looks very, very wrong. Something isn't working correctly there.

Edit: sorry, forgot to comment on the OP...I would upgrade to a larger more capable machine when I could and keep the straight knives in the machine (and your money in your pocket).

[Andrew Hughes]

That's the surface a bryd head leaves on soft wood like port orford cedar. This planer is almost done with its second seton inserts.
Everything torqued to speck and clean. If your insert head doesn’t leave a surface like this give it time it will eventually
Good Luck

[Keegan Shields]

That's the surface MY bryd head leaves on soft wood like port orford cedar. This planer is almost done with its second seton inserts.
Everything torqued to speck and clean. If your insert head doesn’t leave a surface like this give it time it will eventually
Good Luck

Clearly, your inserts are ready to be rotated or you have some other issue going on...

I've had four machines with insert heads, 3 Byrd, 1 Felder, and none of them have had any trouble with tear out in any hardness of wood, including pine, cedar, and basswood. I've rotated the inserts on two of the machines.

As far as surface finish goes, yes sharp straight knives leave a better finish in most woods. However, a thickness planer's job isn't to leave a finish ready surface. Its job is to reduce the thickness of a workpiece and leave a surface with no tear out. I hate sharpening knives and setting them. Insert heads excel at that all three.

Lets not move the goal posts eh?

[Keegan Shields]

I have a bryd head in my powermatic planer.
I’m posting two pics can you guess what side is with a insert head that’s less then 10 years old and a knife head that’s over 50 years old.
Its obvious I’m not going to convince you that knives can perform as well as I say. It took me some time in years to figure out how to mill with high speed steel. First step buy good Hss say no to low quality cheap knives on Amazon.

Its clear you don't have personal experience with a DW735/Byrd head combination, which was what the OP is asking about.

Try not to get out over your ski's friend...

[Andrew Hughes]

I have enough experience to suggest a better combination. The op isn’t asking for anyone to validate his choice anymore now my words carry on to the passer bye.
Keep your 735 a knife machine if the awful oem knives aren’t good enough try the infinity after market blades. The carbide tipped will absolutely satisfy. In the past I’ve posted a simple fixture to sharpen dewalt knives. If you want to see it and can’t find it let me know. I can post it.
Thats my message.
Good Luck

[Curt Harms]

BS. There are thousands of satisfied customers using the 735 Byrd head in question. There are tens of thousands of helical heads in use on the US jointer/planer market. I’ve owned both and they both worked very well. Many others on this forum have had the same experience.

One guy burned out two motors and had overheating problems. From personal experience, I know it’s easy to take too thick of a pass on a DW735. With either type of head. If your machine is overheating, you are likely doing it wrong.

That sounds like an ammeter might be a good investment. I'm pretty sure an ammeter is cheaper than a replacement motor. A brief search on Ebay shows something that seems suitable for $13.99 free shipping (https://www.ebay.com/itm/113787546335?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110 006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D25777 9%26meid%3D93bfd6baaccf4ac0a4bb860fbcb0e125%26pid% 3D101875%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D315039114412%26 itm%3D113787546335%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D4429 486%26algv%3DSimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda 85KnnRecallV1V2V4ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRan kerAndBertRecallWithVMEV3CPCEmbeddingSearchQAuto%2 6brand%3DBrand&_trksid=p4429486.c101875.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A11378754633593bfd6baaccf4ac0a4bb860 fbcb0e125%7Cenc%3AAQAIAAABYMF6rapl24zPGkjYHfiSlLTu BicNRv1Nr6Iohq4bMvd7DlxPac1R4%252FnhV6ZdsOB3e44VPD g3LMjzKh6h9F%252BnyuldWK33VEcBpK6UyRXA9oDADzwEJIB% 252BjrUQktYR0EluQdk0jMCISI62ak4peNZttnRbSFGqwdC47q FkTZC5xxTjp9bHcL3qg0RoXvktnjH9RWf0tTssj2rrnKTzzgFm Fz5kRXJn6RXJT%252BJNKWmFZiOX5NTrpOXV2bZCXLCPla%252 B8yz1%252F3FDZxDIVdviisUSEANywrn8VVPp41bPxXI8oiFI8 BxU6U4cSKtKazo%252FvnmqLVZyZmMsaFNMqk2OX9hmEhhccwM 8aYYSSXLd%252FzBrOymTTcGRbY6XuJMQBgZ55J%252FhjImEz w%252BxkdoMYaF893uW9sjhqetOMWjseU8t56Yw2wZXZI%252B CNCqFxqjGtVgh8yq%252FNnE3UzsnMi%252FAkFp1X8vRwjB0% 253D%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A4429486)

[James Jayko]

You two should meet out by the bus entrance and settle this like men lol

FWIW, I have the DeWalt with the Shellix head and it works great.

[Mark Wedel]

I actually remember some youtube video of someone comparing amperage draw of the 735 with helical cutterhead and straight knives. I don't remember the specifics of which helical cutter they used, but the results where the 735 draw a little less power when using the helical cutterhead vs straight knives. My recollection is that the test methodology seemed reasonable (as reasonable as you can get when you are feeding something that is never going to be 100% consistent like wood through the machine)

[Cameron Wood]

If the machine performed well for two years and now does not, even after replacing the knives (if this is correct), it would be good to figure out the cause of the problem before replacing more knives..

[Curt Harms]

I actually remember some youtube video of someone comparing amperage draw of the 735 with helical cutterhead and straight knives. I don't remember the specifics of which helical cutter they used, but the results where the 735 draw a little less power when using the helical cutterhead vs straight knives. My recollection is that the test methodology seemed reasonable (as reasonable as you can get when you are feeding something that is never going to be 100% consistent like wood through the machine)

Depth of cut would be one variable. I use the Jet jointer/planer as an example. Jet sells two machines, JJP-12 with straight knives (since replaced with a new model) and JJP-12HH with helical head. AFAIK they were identical except for the cutterhead. The feed speeds were different, 20 FPM for the straight knife and 12 FPM for the helical. The motors were the same, the reason for the slower feed speed for the helical head was said to be power requirement. Byrd makes a helical head to refit the Jet JJP-12. I asked about power and they claimed their (Byrd's) head would work at 20 PFM. I figured they would but at reduced depth of cut. Other people that retrofitted JJP-12s bought the parts to slow the feed speed. If I were to make that change, I'd probably get an ammeter to mount to the machine, simpler than replacing parts. If I don't exceed the rated amperage I shouldn't damage anything. I haven't so far felt the need for the helical head.

[David Kenagy]

I should have mentioned another factor that (I think) affects the labor we're putting that motor through: sharpness
I was tempted to leave the cutters as I received them until a chip or something obvious told me they were dull. But when I noticed that the boards were slowing down their pass rate, I figured the cutter wasn't removing enough and the outfeed roller might slip because of the excess remaining thickness. The slippage improved a lot when I rotated Byrd cutters that still felt sharp to touch. I suspect that such adds to the labor we're putting the motor through.

I think the higher amp circuit reduces the amount of tripping if the DW735 is drawing more than 15 A. But a 20 A breaker shouldn't reduce the amperage that the motor consumes, nor the heat if that amperage exceeds the engineered value. If I'm right, then the fact my motor burned out (and yours didn't) wouldn't be affected by a higher-rated breaker. In fact, if the breaker isn't stopping the abuse when we get > 15A, then I should be at greater risk of overheating and motor damage. Sharper cutters, though....

[Mike Congiusti]

It seems I ignited a storm. But it is good to have a conversation and discuss everyone’s opinion.

So, I ordered the Byrd head, and it came on Thursday. I installed it today and it took about an hour and a half. It was pretty easy.

My $.02. The sound of just running the machine sounds deeper. As I run work through it the high pitch sound is gone. I ran some oak and cherry, and the boards came out clean, no ridges and perfectly smooth. Does it run and sound like my old Powermatic 209HH….. not even close. LOL

For me, I hope this puts this to rest as I have several projects going on in the next few months.

Thanks all for your input.

[Robert London]

When I rotated the cutters on my helical head, I had some ridges and uneven planing. It’s very easy to get debris under the cutters, so make sure it’s blown out and they are seated correctly. After I did that, it was back to normal and smooth again.

[Alan Salgado]

That company sells a 2-row and a 4-row. The 4-row (which I linked), actually has more cutters than the Byrd (56 vs. 40).

Now the point of "who makes this" is absolutely accurate. It's coming out of some Chinesium factory, fronted by a Hong Kong-based distributor. I'm on the record as being ok with taking a gamble on some of these things, understanding that I might be SOL if something goes wrong. But if you aren't one for gambling, the Byrd head is the right choice.

I just purchased a helical cutter head for my Ridgid TP1300 from FindBuyTool.com and I have to admit the machining is what I would expect from the price point. The male threads on one end required some filing to get the nut to go on smoothly. The seats for all the cutter heads seemed a bit rough. While installing the cutters, 2 or 3 of them cracked and one even shattered. I thought it was overtightening, but when I replaced and tightened with the same tension, they seated fine.
The machine spun up fine and a test board revealed more snipe at the tail than I'm used to so I had to adjust both tables. But the noise was considerably lower and the cut was smooth.

[Patrick Varley]

I just purchased a helical cutter head for my Ridgid TP1300 from FindBuyTool.com and I have to admit the machining is what I would expect from the price point. The male threads on one end required some filing to get the nut to go on smoothly. The seats for all the cutter heads seemed a bit rough. While installing the cutters, 2 or 3 of them cracked and one even shattered. I thought it was overtightening, but when I replaced and tightened with the same tension, they seated fine.
The machine spun up fine and a test board revealed more snipe at the tail than I'm used to so I had to adjust both tables. But the noise was considerably lower and the cut was smooth.

I actually did end up buying one for my 735, as well. For the price, I can't complain. I didn't note any glaring machining issues, and installed without trouble.I didn't have any of the inserts shatter or crack, but I did use a torque screwdriver to get them to spec.

I suppose this is the issue with a budget option. Could be hit or miss from one unit to the next. I have to say that the performance seems to be as expected. Just ran about 50 board feet of birch through it without issue. Haven't had the breaker trip, but I only take a fat 1/32 on a pass. Can't speak to the longevity yet, but even if I only get a limited period out of it, I'll be happy.

[Rick Potter]

Late to the party as usual. I seem to remember several years back that poeple were complaining about excess wear and ridges using genuine De Walt knives. I don't remember hearing about any recall on knives, but the complaints stopped after a few months. I have three extra sets of De Walt knives that I purchased on sale about then and have always wondered if they were good ones or not.

Actually I may never know. I purchased my planer when they were pretty new (10+ years ago?), and I use it reasonably often in DIY years and mostly on oak, poplar and pine. I take cuts mostly at half a turn, and I am still on the first set of knives, and have only shifted one blade over a bit when I got a nick several years ago.

I think I was lucky and got the 'magic blades' when I first purchased at a show.

[Robert Hayward]

I think I was lucky and got the 'magic blades' when I first purchased at a show.
I had a set of those magical blades for my 735. They seemed to be cutting good forever. Then I knicked a blade on a knot. Flipped the blades to the new side and could not believe the difference. The "magical" blades were cutting good and smooth but the new side was like a different machine. In hindsight the blades were dull and I did not realize it until I cut with a new edge.

[Jim Becker]

I had a set of those magical blades for my 735. They seemed to be cutting good forever. Then I knicked a blade on a knot. Flipped the blades to the new side and could not believe the difference. The "magical" blades were cutting good and smooth but the new side was like a different machine. In hindsight the blades were dull and I did not realize it until I cut with a new edge.
We humans don't necessarily see gradual change very well, whether it's kids growing up or planer knives getting dull. A long, drawn out process can lead to complacency sometimes and relative to the planer knives, sometimes folks forget that they are "disposables". (yea, some can be resharpened, but more and more folks use machines that just use replacement) I'm guilty of the same with my Tersa knives as they cut so well even when worn. It's only when a nick occurs and I go to reposition a knife or two slightly to remedy that I notice how worn/dirty they have become over time.