DW735 fan removal for 6" duct

[Josh Kocher]

I currently connect a DW735 to a 4" drop from my DC - a 2HP Oneida. It actually reduces even more into the planer to only 2.5".

This seems less than ideal.

So I'd like to open it up to accommodate a 5" or 6" connection and I'd like to hear from anyone that may have done similar. How did you do it and how did it work out?

A couple questions:
Thoughts on removing the blower completely and just go in through the existing hole on the back? Or cut in through the top?

Did you fabricate a shroud around the cutter head inside the unit? Or somehow modify the existing shroud around the cutterhead? I wonder how effective it would be to just vent the whole box without much of a shroud, or just a basic deflector.

Any issues? Overheating? Accumulation of chips inside the planer?

Comments are appreciated.

[Mike Henderson]

I can't help you with your specific question but my 735 vents very well in stock form. Never had any reason to modify the chip collection.

Mike

[Mike Ontko]

I'm wondering why you'd want to go to these lengths as well. Why not just get a bigger and better planer? The DW735 is one of, if not the top-performing 'lunchbox' style planers on the market. The chip ejection port is intended for use with 4" hoses (I connect mine directly to a 1-1/2 hp Jet DC1100A using a 10-foot 4" hose). Mine still tosses out a few chips from all sides, so the ejection and collection isn't 100.00% effective, but I accept that as part of the design and possibly a limitation of this style of planer.

[Mark Bolton]

I'd echo Mike's reply. We had a 753 for field use and used it with the onboard fan, 4" flex hose, to the fabric cover that goes over a trashcan. It would inflate that fabric up taught and never saw the first chip come out from under that planer. The dust collection from it with the on-board fan was impressive to say the least. If you have it blowing into a 4" DC hose and are getting a spec of dust or chips out of your planer I'd be looking for other problems. Bad or plugged fan, or something, because those things are monsters with their on board DC.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Low-pressure, high-volume air (such as what you get from your 6" duct) will capture lots of fine dust, but that's not what you have - you have big chips being thrown by a high-speed cutter. You need high-velocity air to overcome the kinetic energy of the chips.

Even if you could remove the built-in blower and hack in a 6" port, there isn't much space for intake air surrounding the cutter, so it probably won't help at all.

If you really think it'd be useful, take the lid off, unplug the blower, take the shroud off, and mock up something with cardboard and duct tape. I'd bet it makes things worse, not better. A few chips getting thrown is likely unavoidable, no matter how good your dust collection is.

[glenn bradley]

You're not getting the answers you expected probably. The 735 does fine as is and if it is not, I do not think a larger port is your answer. If you are getting spoil on your material something is going on even without a DC hooked up. If your fan is shot, I would look to replacing that before performing major surgery and ending up with sub-optimal collection due to velocity. Just my .02.

[Larry Frank]

The 735 is amazing for dust collection as it is. I have no idea why you would want to put a 6" port on it.

Just for information, I can only pull 260 cfm from the port on my 735. I am using a 5 hp cyclone. The actual port is only about 2-1/2" on the planer but it works great.

[Josh Kocher]

Yeah, not the answers I am looking for.

The port is only 2.5" and it does "fine" but I think I can do better bypassing the blower and drop some of the noise in the process... It doesn't look like major surgery if I go in the back, just some tinkering and build a shroud.

Larry, as you said 260 CFM from a 5HP... That's not much... And it's because you're restricted to that 2.5".

I think I can probably get in the neighborhood of 800cfm off my cyclone with a bigger hookup.

So... Anyone who has tried it?

[Dan Friedrichs]

Larry, as you said 260 CFM from a 5HP... That's not much... And it's because you're restricted to that 2.5".

Josh, just to be clear on something: the Bill Pentz-esqe "You need 1,000CFM!" claims are what is believed to be needed to move static, fine dust. If you're getting insufficient chip collection on the 735, it's likely because the cutter is "throwing" them, and there is insufficient air velocity (not volume!) to overcome their kinetic energy. More CFM will not "fix" your problem!

Moreover, even if you were to remove the blower and hack a 6" port into the back, that will only move the 800cfm you claim if you also have AT LEAST 6" of intake space. Take a look around the cutter head - there's no where near the area equivalent to 6" diameter circle. Are you going to cut an intake hole in the front, too?

I don't think you'll find anyone who has tried this, because it seems like a really bad idea...

[Randy Heinemann]

I've used the 735 for many years with an Oneida 1 1/2 HP cyclone (most recently the V1500). I reduce my my drop used for the planer to 4" and use the 4" adapter that came with the planer. True, it does reduce further to 2 1/2" into the planer but, with the fan assist, I collect virtually 100% of the chips and dust. In fact, except for my jointer, the 735 allows the least dust/chips to escape. I'm actually not sure how it could be any better. With a 2HP Oneida, I would think it would be even better than mine. One thing that does reduce collection efficiency is a clogged collector filter. You didn't say whether yours was a 2HP cyclone with HEPA filter or not, but the filter pleats must not be completely filled with dust or the effectiveness drops quite a bit.

[Josh Kocher]

So... Anyone who has tried it?

[Geoff Crimmins]

I have a friend who has a 735 planer. He has a couple of pieces of 4" flex hose that he uses to hook various machines up to his dust collector. The other day he was in a hurry when he hooked the hose up to the planer. He planed several boards with no problem, but noticed there were wood chips blowing out of his bandsaw. He realized he had accidently hooked the flex hose between the planer and the bandsaw. The planer was working great, and was blowing all of the chips clear through the hose, into the bandsaw, and then onto the floor. If the planer dust collection works fine with no dust collector, I'm not sure why a 4" hose wouldn't be enough. If you're not happy with it, you might hook the planer up to a 4" hose like normal, and then hook a Big Gulp hood up to another DC hose and set it next to the planer to suck up any fine dust that might leak out of the planer. If you really want to run a 6" hose to your planer, it might be best to get a larger planer that has a 6" dust port. A larger planer with an induction motor and a helical head would also be much quieter than the DeWalt.

[Josh Kocher]

Yawn...

So... Anyone who has tried it?

[Josh Kocher]

Seriously.

I'm not trying to dismiss what you're saying. Just looking for a new contribution.

Why mess around, I get what some of you are saying and that works for you, but I say why not.

I've used larger planers with better dust collection and no integrated blowers, hooked up to similar DC as mine.

This machine was designed for people without efficient dust collectors. The manual recommends you don't use one...

Buy a machine with a bigger connection? Why? When I can modify this one...

[Rick Potter]

Apparently you will be the first to try it.

Let us know how it works out please.