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Thread: Dewalt 735X maximum stock weight question

  1. #1

    Dewalt 735X maximum stock weight question

    This weekend I broke down and picked up a Dewalt planer (735X) after struggling for hours to smooth/square several 2x4s I'm using to build a bench and it seems to be doing and excellent job so far but I am going to have to still use my bench planes for a lot of the work on this project since I have no jointer.

    I was hoping I could save a little time by running each half of my bench top through the planer to get a two flat faces. The top is comprised of 8 2x4s laminated with Titebond III. It's pretty heavy but I can still move it around the shop by myself. I'd guess it must weigh something like 80lbs.

    Can I run this thing through my planer or will the rollers bog down? It measures ~11" wide and 3" thick. Obviously, I'll get a workout moving this around since I'll have to take off 1/32 at a time but I'm ok with that.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Camillus, NY
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    I use a roller stand on the input side, out a few feet and an exit side roller stand. The machine will drive it if the roller stands and planer are at same height.
    Jerry

    "It is better to fail in originality than succeed in imitation" - Herman Melville

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Texas Hill Country
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    705
    I'll be following this thread Alex as I bought the 735x late last year. My next project will be to build a mobile cabinet/base for it then to do as you're doing and build a workbench using SYP. Also, planning on the benchtop to be around 3"-3.25" thick. So hearing if this is possible has great interest to me. Please share pics as you progress with your workbench build!

    Good luck!
    Mike

  4. #4
    Two sections of laminated Beech went through the same model planer for my hardwood bench, no problems at all. Can't imagine that this would be too much for the machine. i ahve always jointed things by hand, but I am in your boat...no powered jointer.

    Should be buying a jointer fairly soon.

    Chris

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
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    Orange County, CA
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    274
    If you have the in feed and out feed tables installed and adjusted as recommended, I would at least adjust them so they are level with the platen, not raised at the ends, maybe even remove them.

    Saw a setup a few years where a person was planning a large long beam. He had supported the beam by the ends and was using a lunchbox planer upside-down on the beam, propelling itself down the beam as it surfaced the beam.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    Houston, Texas area
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    1,308
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Kaufman View Post
    ....

    Saw a setup a few years where a person was planning a large long beam. He had supported the beam by the ends and was using a lunchbox planer upside-down on the beam, propelling itself down the beam as it surfaced the beam.
    Very ingenious, and for some reason somewhat scary to me.
    Mark McFarlane

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    NE Iowa
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    Years ago I worked with a Amish crew who did post and beam construction projects. The leader of that crew had built an iron frame for supporting long timbers - up to 24' long and up to 12" X 12" square - with angle iron rails parallel to the timber. He mounted the top half of a lunchbox planer in a frame with wheels to run on the rails. They would level the timbers on the rails, set the planer head for a 1/8 or so cut at the high spot of the timber and then turn it on to plane the length of the beam or post. But the planer wasn't heavy enough to reliably crawl the timbers without riding up, so the Amish kids in the crew (they often go to work as adults after 8th grade - 14 or so) would ride the planer to hold it down. They did all the exposed, finished timber surfaces that way. They did this on the project I was involved with using the electric motor in the planer. Later, Eli modified the thong to run off a mounted 7hp Tecumseh 4 cycle. I'm guessing several OSHA folks had unexplained heart attacks as the karma from the kids riding that sled filtered through the universe.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Wright View Post
    I use a roller stand on the input side, out a few feet and an exit side roller stand. The machine will drive it if the roller stands and planer are at same height.
    I ran my bench tops (3.5"x12"x90") through my 735. They are Ash @ ~100lbs each. As Jerry said, get >good< roller stands on both sides set at the right height and then you might have to provide a gentle push to keep it feeding thru steadily.
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Delphos,Oh
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    5
    I was able to run two 3" thick 10" wide 15' long laminated maple halves through mine. If I had to guess I would say that they weighed well over a 100 pounds each. Just make sure that you keep your planer feed rollers wiped off and it will pull just fine with the proper supports.

  10. #10
    Wow.... I'm impressed and yet stunned/alarmed all at the same time!


    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    Years ago I worked with a Amish crew who did post and beam construction projects. The leader of that crew had built an iron frame for supporting long timbers - up to 24' long and up to 12" X 12" square - with angle iron rails parallel to the timber. He mounted the top half of a lunchbox planer in a frame with wheels to run on the rails. They would level the timbers on the rails, set the planer head for a 1/8 or so cut at the high spot of the timber and then turn it on to plane the length of the beam or post. But the planer wasn't heavy enough to reliably crawl the timbers without riding up, so the Amish kids in the crew (they often go to work as adults after 8th grade - 14 or so) would ride the planer to hold it down. They did all the exposed, finished timber surfaces that way. They did this on the project I was involved with using the electric motor in the planer. Later, Eli modified the thong to run off a mounted 7hp Tecumseh 4 cycle. I'm guessing several OSHA folks had unexplained heart attacks as the karma from the kids riding that sled filtered through the universe.

  11. #11
    Ok now I have a new question:

    Dust collection is proving to be a major priority suddenly. As I suspect many have mistakenly done before, I spent the money for the machine but failed to budget for dust collection. I ran 2 inch hose from the planer into a sealed up trash bag which worked reasonably well but didn't catch fine dust which blew out a vent hole I created so the bag didn't burst from the air pressure (the planer has a powerful internal fan).

    Last night, I did some poking around and instead sealed up a 5 gal bucket with an inlet from the planer and an outlet to my shop vac but the bucket is only catching about 15% of the waste. This isn't a workable solution obviously so now I'm looking at a cyclone like this:

    http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/pag...t=1,42401&ap=1

    My thought though is that the Dust Deputy is designed more for dust collection from hand held power tools and not a planer. Will this thing be overwhelmed by my planer?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Camillus, NY
    Posts
    356
    I use a dust collector with 33 gal barrel with plastic lid sold by Woodcraft where the heavy chips fall out. The barrel should work on the way to a shop vac also. The blower on the 735 is a beast and will move chips into my DC whether it is on or not. I also tried the cloth bag on a barrel system that Dewalt sells. OK for most chips but no good for dust. Only usable in a garage or outdoors.
    Jerry

    "It is better to fail in originality than succeed in imitation" - Herman Melville

  13. #13
    Hmm, i was hoping for something that would be easier to empty as i don't use my machines very much so I'd rather save space with something like a bucket to empty. I can just empty this into the driveway which has giant potholes which need filling anyway, or into a compost heap etc. A 33 gallon barrel would prove harder for me to deal with, I think.

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