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Thread: Why Did Dewalt Make Their 735 Planer So LOUD!

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  1. #1
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    Why Did Dewalt Make Their 735 Planer So LOUD!

    The last two days I've been planing for kitchen cabinets. That DW735 is crazy loud! Today I put in ear plugs and then put noise canceling headphones over that and that planer was still screaming loud.

    With workplace noise being recognized as a health hazard, couldn't Dewalt engineers have figured out a way to lower the decibels?
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  2. #2
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    It's the loudest piece of equipment I have. I hesitate to use it sometimes just because it's so loud. It's crazy loud when it's just on, but it goes up to 11 when it's cutting.

  3. #3
    Planers are loud, portable planers are really loud. No way around it, unless you want to go full neander.

  4. #4
    The air being pulled across the cutters is the reason the planer is so loud. Aside from getting helical cutterheads (which seems like a cost mismatch between the machine and the tool), you could try to insert some soundproofing material between your planer and the surface it's fixed to. That should quiet it down some by creating a barrier to the surface amplifying the sound.

  5. #5
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    I have the Dewalt mounted to the same cabinet as the Delta I had for years. The Dewalt is screaming loud compared to the Delta. I know part of it is the fan Dewalt installed. That thing throws chips across the harbor! And maybe three cutter heads on the Dewalt as opposed to two on the Delta adds some decibels but it seems to me Dewalt could have done something to quiet that beast down to a roar.

    I did get some relief in round two today. I had some Aearo ear plugs I got at work and used them instead of the box store cheapos. That brought the noise to tolerable. With the headphones on, I couldn't hear the dust collector at all. But once I turned that planer on, it made itself well known!
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    I have the Dewalt mounted to the same cabinet as the Delta I had for years. The Dewalt is screaming loud compared to the Delta. I know part of it is the fan Dewalt installed. That thing throws chips across the harbor! And maybe three cutter heads on the Dewalt as opposed to two on the Delta adds some decibels but it seems to me Dewalt could have done something to quiet that beast down to a roar.

    I did get some relief in round two today. I had some Aearo ear plugs I got at work and used them instead of the box store cheapos. That brought the noise to tolerable. With the headphones on, I couldn't hear the dust collector at all. But once I turned that planer on, it made itself well known!
    You have the single best lunchbox planer with regards to performance, and price. Its one of those deal with it situations. The day you decide to gather your chips you will undoubtedly appreciate the noisy fan that can "blow chips across the harbor" OR into your trash can with the dust bag add on that works pretty darn well.

    As has been stated. A wood shop is an extremely noisy place. Imagine being in a shop with a planer, shaper, CNC, sander, multiple hand sanders, and so on, all operating at once. The 735 would sound like a whisper.

    When you move up the ladder,.. you move up the ladder on all levels.

  7. #7
    Why?

    Spend on a good pair of ear muffs or plugs and problem solved.

    I know of no lunchbox planer that is quiet.

    Simon

  8. #8
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    I had a Delta lunchbox for some years. It was used approximately twice each year. The first time caused such a shock to my system that it required several month and much alcohol to recover. The second time because the alcohol had warn off.

    This is a true story. Well almost.

    About 5 years ago I purchased a Hammer A3-31 combination planer-jointer, and never looked back. It advertises the spiral helical blades as "silent", and they truly are. One can actually have a conversation alongside the running machine.

    I imagine that the noise comes from the motor type used as well as the way the blades strike the wood. It is doubtful that you will achieve silence or even a noise reduction without changing the type of machine.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  9. Like Johnny said portable planers are very loud. I can't wait to get my big planer moved into the shop to replace my dw734!

  10. #10
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    I sold my Delta screamer with it’s universal motor and bought a 3hp PM15. The PM is still loud but it’s a lower pitch loud that’s easier on my ears.
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  11. #11
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    1. To make it cheap and compact, they use a universal motor. Universal motors are loud. Mentally compare the decibel level of a circ saw running with no load, and cabinet saw (probably with 3X the torque). This is by far the biggest design choice they made contributing to the noise level.

    2. It's got a squirrel cage blower pushing chips through a sound-bright plastic housing. More noise.

    3. High speed knives taking whacks out of lumber generate a lot of noise.

    4. Not enough mass to damp any of the vibrations all the above set up.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    1. To make it cheap and compact, they use a universal motor. Universal motors are loud. Mentally compare the decibel level of a circ saw running with no load, and cabinet saw (probably with 3X the torque). This is by far the biggest design choice they made contributing to the noise level.

    2. It's got a squirrel cage blower pushing chips through a sound-bright plastic housing. More noise.

    3. High speed knives taking whacks out of lumber generate a lot of noise.

    4. Not enough mass to damp any of the vibrations all the above set up.
    I don't have a DW7XX but if I did and was hooking it up to an adequate dust collector, I'd think about removing the fan to see if/how much that helps. Maybe consider one of the segmented cutterheads, they're supposed to help quite a bit.

  13. #13
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    The DeWalt is a premium lunchbox planer, but it is loud!
    I'm really happy I have a Jet 15" floor model planer. It's also loud, but those lunchbox planer are a different kind of loud. Maybe it's the frequency? I don't know.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  14. #14
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    It is loud because they choose to make it loud by using cheaper materials knowing people would buy it because it costs less. I read people here saying you might want to use hearing protection? Any tool with a universal motor needs hearing protection. really should use one with a drill since it is so close to your ears
    Bill D

    Note that many of the cheap ear muffs cancel much less noise then the better quality ones. like double or triple since DB is a log scale.
    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 03-08-2018 at 10:57 AM.

  15. #15
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    As others have noted, the helical cutting head substantially reduced the noise level of my 735. It is still slightly louder than my dust collection system, though. I highly recommend the upgrade, which cost me $400, although replacements may be even better route.

    With my severe hearing loss and need for hearing aids, I always use hearing protection when operating any machine. SensGard is a passive (non-electronic) noise cancelling device that has 30+ dB reduction. They can be worn with safety glasses without any reduction in effectiveness. I recommend them as well.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

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