DP735 Planer End Effects

[Mike OMelia]

I was lucky to run across one of these for sale. $300! In perfect shape, light use. I saw it when I bought it, there are some end effects on both ends. A visible line across board and a slight apparent depth change. Is this normal? Is it technique related? I do want to eventually install a spiral head. I have a picture, but its hard to see.

Edit: Sorry, DW735

[Mike OMelia]

I saw on Amazon, infeed, outfeed tables for $46. Is that a good price?

[Brian Henderson]

You're getting snipe. It's what happens when the board is no longer supported by both the infeed and outfeed rollers. You might notice that, at the end, the board slaps down on the planer outfeed. That's snipe. It's not that hard to fix, you can just run another sacrificial board through before and after, those boards will get the snipe and your workpiece will not, you can support the piece feeding in and out, which will minimize snipe, you can adjust the infeed and outfeed tables up slightly which will also minimize it. It's just inherent with the design of most lunchbox planers.

Good job on the purchase, that's a great price.

[Jack Lemley]

Sounds like you are describing "snipe. I have the DW735 with the Byrd head on it and the extension tables. I had a problem with snipe until I adjusted my tables and my technique of feeding stock through the planer. I still get a small amount of snipe but can easily be sanded out. $46 sounds like a good price for the tables to me but I haven't done a search on them so there may be a lower price out there somewhere.

Jack

[Cary Falk]

It is called snipe. It happens when the weight of the board overcomes the pressure of the outfeed roller and the end of the board raises up into the knives. Infeed and outfeed tables will help as well as raising the board on the outfeed table with your hand a little as it comes out. If you get the tables set them so that the outer most ends are about the thickness of a dime above the table. Easiest way to do this is to get a level or straight edge and set it on 2 dimes at each end of the table. Raise the ends of the tables to touch.

[Lee Schierer]

As others have said what you are seeing is snipe and it can be cured. I have a Delta 12-/12" lunch box style planer and I eliminated snipe by mount the planer in a table with longer solid in feed and out feed tables that are exactly even with the plane bed. You can see the table in the photo below.
lsfence1.jpg

[glenn bradley]

A new word for your vocabulary ;-) Snipe is a feed path control issue. In the example below the stock is feeding left to right. As it leaves the control of the infeed roller (the roller on the left) the improperly supported stock weight causes the feed path to foul. This can also be caused by the absence of a carriage lock (allowing the cutterhead assembly to shift under stress) although the DW735's design does not require one. Therefor I would look to your stock support on the infeed and outfeed as a solution. Unsupported infeed path can leave you with snipe on the leading edge as well.

Planer Snipe.jpg

I have adjusted snipe out on dad's DW735 by raising the outer ends of the tables about 1/16" This fix only works if the stock being cut is long enough to engage the tables and be exposed to the effects of the adjustment. That is, it will work for a 30" long board but, not a 13" long board for example.

Some folks deal with snipe by hot-gluing sacrificial boards to the ends of more precious stock when additional spoil cannot be tolerated.

Snipe cure long stock.JPG

This same method allows "too short" pieces to be thickness planed as well.

plane small stock.JPG

HTH

[Dan Friedrichs]

"Tweaking" the height of the (optional) outfeed tables might help. Really, some degree of snipe will occur, no matter what, unless you do what Glenn suggested re: sacrificial strips. Unless the amount is excessive, you can also just ignore it (and sand it out).

[Brian Henderson]

"Tweaking" the height of the (optional) outfeed tables might help. Really, some degree of snipe will occur, no matter what, unless you do what Glenn suggested re: sacrificial strips. Unless the amount is excessive, you can also just ignore it (and sand it out).

Or you can just calculate the waste into your parts list and cut it off at the end.

[Mike OMelia]

Thank you. I do not have much experience with planers. Heard about snipe. and its not bad, easily sanded out. Just wanted to be sure I understood what was going on. I mostly build guitars, and this was an almost unneeded addition to the shop. But at $300... oh well, it has a new home and a new job to do (brace work thicknessing and shaping). I will order those infeed outfeed tables and adjust as suggested. I normally did this work on my Jet 22-44 drum sander. But its slow going that way.

[Mike OMelia]

I am not going to dive in with the spiral head just yet. But I wouldn't mind learning some. I've heard about the diameter install issue, etc. OEM diameter, or smaller, less complicated install diameter? Crap, from what I can see, Id have more in the head than I do in the machine!

[Nick Decker]

... I normally did this work on my Jet 22-44 drum sander. But its slow going that way.

In that case, you'll soon appreciate your drum sander even more, as it deals with snipe removal very quickly. The snipe on my planer is rarely more than a few thousandths. Couple of passes through the sander, snipe be gone.

[Mark Bolton]

Snipe on those planers is completely hit and miss. Some can be cured with board support, others will snipe regardless of what you do.

True snipe has nothing to do with board support at all. It has to do with flexure in the head. The board enters the planer and the infeed side of the head rocks up slightly under load (taking slack/backlash out of the posts), then on the outfeed end the reverse happens. Hence your issues on both ends of the work. Even large commercial planers often can suffer from snipe and no amount of board support or lifting the in-feed or out-feed side of the board will make an ounce of difference.

We ran thousands of feet of material through a 735 that we had as a job site planer. You could lift up on the infeed board so much that you would raise the planer off the table, and then move the outfeed side and do the same, and you would still have snipe. You could bolt the planer to the table so you couldnt lift the planer at all and you could put as much upward lift on the in and out feed as you wanted and you would still get snipe.

The reason it happened regardless of supporting, or excessively raising, the in and out feed side of the board is because its simply flexure in the head.

Some 735's have a lot. Some have a little, some have none, and some have so little that its minimized enough that with additional support (in and outfeed tables) its acceptable.

The answer is to just plan the loss into your project. A planer is a roughing tool. Its not meant to leave you a finished surface. Some people who may not suffer from snipe may take 1/64" passes or less (very light).

Use your planer for what it is. A roughing tool. Be honest with yourself that your knives will be perfect for one board and one board only then you will see nicks, and defects in your surface that will require sanding. Swap your knives often to avioid burnishing which will haunt you in finishing especially if you use waterborne finishes.

Just my .02

[Ron Citerone]

<p>

The reason it happened regardless of supporting, or excessively raising, the in and out feed side of the board is because its simply flexure in the head. Some 735's have a lot. Some have a little, some have none, and some have so little that its minimized enough that with additional support (in and outfeed tables) its acceptable. The answer is to just plan the loss into your project.

Mark is so right here I can't stand it, (lol) The length of the lost wood is 2.5 to 3&quot; on each end on my portable planers. You can use a part that has some sap wood or sometning else you don't want in you finished project to get cut off. The ends of the board probably have hairline cracks etc. that you will cut off to square the piece many times any way. When gluing pieces for a panel offsetting the pieces reduces waste by 50%. I just don't see how the cost of the cutoffs can ever justify the cost of heliptical cutters except in a high production environment. (and you might end up with snipe any way) I have a dry sink that I made 20 years ago that I thought I sanded the snipe out, but in the right light I still see it............cut it off and use it to smoke your pork roast........you will be a happy man! My 2 cents. Ron</p>

[Mike OMelia]

In that case, you'll soon appreciate your drum sander even more, as it deals with snipe removal very quickly. The snipe on my planer is rarely more than a few thousandths. Couple of passes through the sander, snipe be gone.

Yeah, not overly worried. Just bought the feed tables.