New Planer-What should I know?

[Tom Hamilton]

Hi Fellow Creekers:

Brown delivered a new DeWalt 735 Planer yesterday (Ebay, recon, new warrenty, $385) (I won't spend bandwidth on a photo) and I'm anxious to learn how to use it safely and efficiently. :D

The manual is minimalist at best and Amazon and Taunton Press searches have not turned up a "Tips" book for Planers. :confused:

So, I thought I'd open the spigot a little bit and see what came from the Creek.;)

Comfy chair is beside the bank, note pad and save button at the ready, and the valve is open.

What to do or not to do?

Any special tips that will save trouble or injury?

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you unpacked yours?

Tom, in Houston, with life jacket at the ready in case the water gets too high. :D

[John Hedges]

Not really much to know. Pretty simple machine and self explanatory. This was my first planer as well, and with only the basic knowlege of what a planer is and how it works there were no real questions for me.

[Ian Barley]

I suspect that you will get lots of good stuff. My starters are :-

The blades must be kept sharp. If they are disposable keep at least one spare set in stock. If they are resharpenable, find a good service and be wiling to use it often. If you start to wonder whether the blades are sharp enough they almost certainly are not.

Lube the bed. Keep it clean and wax it every now and then. That way the energy going into the machine can be used for cutting rather than dragging timber across a sticky bed.

Next....

[Ron Wright]

Tom,
I think you will be very happy. I would suggest getting the infeed and outfeed table extensions. These make the snipe much less. I also suggest good hearing protection while in use. This is an extremely loud machine. Great exaust and hooks up well to DC.

[Ron Blaise]

Keep your blades sharp & if you don't have one get a DC. That was my first planer too & it's a good one for a bench top.

[Bill White]

Don't have the 735, just the 733 (about which I am well pleased).
1. Don't take real big "bites". Be moderate in the depth of cut.

2. Keep the feed rollers clean. I use denatured alcohol after each use to keep junk off the rollers.

3. Don't try to plane anything under 12-15 inches long. If you must plane shorts, use a long "sled" with stops attached to prevent the workpiece from being thrown out.

4. I sometimes angle heavily figured workpieces into the feed side. Helps to reduce tear out. A light dampening of the workpiece will also help.

5. Watch grain direction as you feed the workpiece. If you're planing against the grain you will see tear out.

6. Wax the feed bed on the planer. It'll help the workpiece slide smoothly thru the planer.

Good luck. I know that you will enjoy the new "toy".
Bill

[Mark Berenbrok]

1. Wear hearing protection.
2. Keep the bed and rollers clean. I use mineral spirits or alcohol and a paper towel. Even a small amount of pitch buildup can make planing a chore. Treat the bed with something like Topcoat to keep it slippery.
3. Get a few extra sets of knives.
4. Plane all the wood for a project at the same time. Even small differences in thickness can be a headache.
5. I usually plane some inexpensive wood with the good stuff and use it for jig setups. No use experimenting with your good wood.
6. Use an outfeed table.
7. Plan for snipe.

[Brent Harral]

Ear protection and dust collection! OK, four. That chip ejection fan in addition to the usual lunchbox screaming is LOUD. I highly recommend it being hooked up to a DC unless you want high speed chips shooting about 12 feet behind planer. Anyway, that is a great little finish planer you picked up. I bought one last year in addition to my 15" and it's been a champ. Let's see..usage tips...first put a nice coat of paste wax on that steal bed it has. It's not as slick as most cast iron beds and it'll give the feed rollers a break. Always start by lowering the cutting head TO the boards (slowly) so it just nibbles and you can get a feel for how much you can take off in a pass. Different widths and differents wood add to the "how much" but after a while you'll know it's limits. I'd say 1/32 on a 6" wide piece of hardwood is about right. Changing blades on that thing is unbelievabley easy, it's almost like cheating :D You can also shift the knife in it's slots when you get a nick. I say "when" because while those disposables are SHARP, they are thin and really don't stay crisp for too long. You should pop the top of it and check out the guts/blades just to get a feel for the machine. Dewalt has outdone themselves with convenience with a builtin hex wrench with magnets on the end (to grab the blades and blade cover), and even a little shelf inside to put the screws. If you got the infeed/outfeed beds, set the ends a hair higher than level to the planer bed. If you don't have them I would highly suggest those or some other support because it's a small bed and you will get snipe if you don't tip the board up - plus you'll have to really work quick if doing shorter pieces before they fall off the bed! I rarely go to the 178 CPI setting becuase the quicker feed setting is so good....you be the judge :D

Well, that's about all I can think of about that planer.. have fun.

[Roy Hatch]

Tom, You've received about all of the suggestions that I could have made with perhaps one exception. Take a look at the wood that you are about to plane and inspect for cleanliness. Often you will find rough sawn wood that has dirt or sand on the surface. This will dull your blades as fast as anything I can think of. I have occasionally used a stiff bristle brush on boards before planing. It all depends on how the wood has been handled and where it's been stored.
My model 733 is several years old and has never skipped a beat. I have, however, had the blades sharpened a couple of times. That's just part of owning a planer. You've got a good one - enjoy it.
Roy

[Mark Rios]

Congrats on the DW735.

I apologize if this has been mentioned (I didn't see it though) or if you already know this. The disposable blades are two edged. Like having a second set of blades. you just turn them over. Some have said that their blades didn't last very long and some have had them last for a year. Just depends on your usage I'd say. Have fun with it; I really like mine.

[Tom Hamilton]

Thanks for the tips and heads-up.


Wax applied, hearing protection at the ready.

Off to the wood store tomorrow for some practice pieces.

Best regards, Tom

[Reg Mitchell]

Tom....bet to get the blade replacments from the bay....they are pretty expensive from Dewalt....about 25 to 35 bucks from the bay....:)

[Ted Jay]

Hi Fellow Creekers:

Brown delivered a new DeWalt 735 Planer yesterday (Ebay, recon, new warrenty, $385) (I won't spend bandwidth on a photo) and I'm anxious to learn how to use it safely and efficiently. :D

The manual is minimalist at best and Amazon and Taunton Press searches have not turned up a "Tips" book for Planers. :confused:

So, I thought I'd open the spigot a little bit and see what came from the Creek.;)

Comfy chair is beside the bank, note pad and save button at the ready, and the valve is open.

What to do or not to do?

Any special tips that will save trouble or injury?

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you unpacked yours?

Tom, in Houston, with life jacket at the ready in case the water gets too high. :D
This is the same one I've been thinking of getting, just waiting on the funds to arrive. That and a band saw for doing some 10"+ resawing, but i haven't made my mind up yet on which brand.
Oh, and hi from Katy!!

[Tyler Howell]

Any planer check for metal, and brush dirt an rocks off the surface.
DAMHIKT:o

[Tom Hamilton]

One question that came to mind: can one use a planer to remove finish?

For example, I'm experimenting with different finishes and decide I don't like the blo/walnut stain combo on maple (or whatever).

If there any harm to running the board through the planer and trying another combination?

Avoid paint? Varnish?

What do you all think?

Thanks, Tom

[Tyler Howell]

One question that came to mind: can one use a planer to remove finish?

For example, I'm experimenting with different finishes and decide I don't like the blo/walnut stain combo on maple (or whatever).

If there any harm to running the board through the planer and trying another combination?

Avoid paint? Varnish?

What do you all think?

Thanks, Tom
Go for it Tom, It's a great paint stripper

[Joseph N. Myers]

If you hit metal, you'll get nicks in the blades. If this happens, what you want to do is move one of the blades either right or left so there will be a non-nicked area over the nicked area.

Usually I start off with the blades all the way to the right. When nicked, I move one of them to the middle. Then all the way to the left. But pick the best method for your planer (I have three different ones with different widths, number of blades, single/double sided and formats, i.e., with/ without slots).

Another thing I do is to keep the old blades and use them when I doing really rough planing, i.e., skip planing and/or the first pass on wood that might have metal in it. Don't really like to do it but does save my new(er) blades.

You can take say two old sets and make up a new "old" set but the width of the blades will probably be different. If you're blades have slots in them, that is a problem. If not, i.e., springs that push the blades out to some sort of "blade setting jig", no problem.

Another thing I did was to buy one of those metal detectors, about $20 that actually does work, not great but not too bad. Really worth the time and money if your wood "might" have metal in it. I paid for mine many times over in saved blades.

Regards, Joe

[Bruce Page]

One question that came to mind: can one use a planer to remove finish?

For example, I'm experimenting with different finishes and decide I don't like the blo/walnut stain combo on maple (or whatever).

If there any harm to running the board through the planer and trying another combination?

Avoid paint? Varnish?

What do you all think?

Thanks, Tom
It shouldn't hurt a thing as long as the finish is dry. (the dryer the better)

[Randy Looney]

Go buy a small Metal Detector from Ace Hardware or some place like that. I use alot of reclaimed wood and have found alot of hidden nails, Screws and Staples.

[Larry Norton]

Tom, I have the 735 and love it. One thing I suggest is to take the top off and loosen the screws holding each knife. Move all 3 knives to the left as far as they will go. when you see a raised line on the planed board, slide one of the knives about a sixteenth to the right. When you start to get another line, move the next knife a sixteenth to the right. By the time you get all 3 knives all the way to the right, they will probably be dull. Turn them around and start over again.

Don't waste your money on the chip collection cloth hood.

[Fred Voorhees]

My biggest, and only really, complaint about the machine is that its outfeed capability, is lacking. There is practically NO outfeed table to the machine unless you go with the outfeed tables at additional cost. I complained to a DeWalt rep at a local woodworking show about that and he said that he had heard the same complaint a number of times. I got around that deal by building my planer into one of my workbenches. This had been planned for a long time so I knew right away about not needing the extra cost outfeed and infeed beds. The pic is below of my installation.

The planer is LOUD! But you have to expect that with lunchbox planers. I do occasionally use the finishing speed of the planer, but to be honest, you don't really need it. Use the dimensioning speed - it's faster and produces a darned near finish as good as the finishing speed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Freddieboy/Message%20board%20photos/benchtop6.jpg

[Tyler Howell]

This is my solution to Storage and Fred's outfeed issue. That's the Ridgid MSUV
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11296&d=1097499071 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11296&d=1097499071)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11297&d=1097499102 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11297&d=1097499102)

[Jim W. White]

Tyler,

That's a great idea. I think I'll hit the big orange box this weekend. They were still priced at $99 when i was there last week but I couldn't pull the trigger based off the limited use I would have for relocating the compound miter saw once in a while.

thanks!!!

Jim in Idaho

[Tom Hamilton]

Thanks for all the tips.


Tyler the mobile stand is a very clever. Do you have royality rights or can any of us Creeker's "borrow" The Tyler Method.

Adjusting the blades sideways is something I would not have thought of. Good Tip.

Thanks, I'm off to make thick rough wood, thinner and smoother.

Thanks, Tom

[Charlie Plesums]

With any of the planers with disposable blades, put a magic marker stripe on the "second' side so you know when you are on the first vs. second side of the blades.

Be sure the first side is absolutely flat (as in Jointer) before planing. That by itself eliminates much of the snipe, (virtually all of it in my setup).