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Thread: Planer Won't Maintain Thickness

  1. #31
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    Julie,by any chance is it under warrantee ?
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  2. #32
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    Julie, David's question about running other stock through is a good one. Trying that might help to figure out if the problem is electrical or stock related. Unless, of course, the B. walnut has trashed the knives.

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    Julie,by any chance is it under warrantee ?
    Yes, Ken, it's still under warranty. I got a hold of Dewalt. They sent me a shipping label and it's going out tomorrow.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nick Decker View Post
    Julie, David's question about running other stock through is a good one. Trying that might help to figure out if the problem is electrical or stock related. Unless, of course, the B. walnut has trashed the knives.
    I'm thinking the knives are trashed. If so, it sure didn't take much. I'm really surprised how little it takes to bring this planer down. 20 years with a Delta 22-540 and I never had these kinds of problems. In all that time I went through maybe 5-6 sets of knives and I used that thing as much as I use the Dewalt with woods like hickory, ebony, bubinga, walnut, cocobolo, African hardwoods, figured maple, etc. That Delta handled it all. I figured the only reason I'd ever need a floor model planer was for boards wider than 12".
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  4. #34
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    Last night I went to print out the UPS label. When I got to the section about UPS picking up the planer, I discovered Dewalt doesn't pay for that part of the shipping. This morning I put the box on a hand truck, wheeled it out to the SUV, opened the hatch and when I went to lift the box into the back I realized 90+ pounds is a lot heavier than it used to be. WHEW! I did manage to get it in back but I think I'll ask for help unloading it at the UPS store.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  5. #35
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    Just want to add one more observation that may be relevant to the hardness of the wood or the poor edge holding of the Dewalt knives...

    The Bolivian walnut I've been ripping has a LOT of tension in the boards. I've never seen wood move so much. I don't have a power jointer so I've been using hand planes to joint an edge on the boards after ripping. Thus far I've probably put in 2-3 hours hand jointing the edges. I'm using a #7, #62 and bronze edge plane. I haven't noticed any signs of dulling in the plane irons.

    I don't know if this is testament to the high quality of LN plane irons or the poor quality of Dewalt planer knives. I realize I'm not comparing apples to apples but I think this, and the fact the Delta planer never had these problems, speak more to the poor quality of Dewalt HHS knives than anything else.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  6. #36
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    I'm curious, because I've never owned or used the 735. I'm well aware that it's widely regarded as the best benchtop planer available, but what is it about its design that gives it that edge? I knew about the complaints about the knives, but this is the first I've heard about the "automatic" head lock not being quite so automatic. Seems that several people have posted their work arounds for that.

  7. #37
    Julie ,they are poor quality,but no worse than the steel that are stock in new large planers. I think the main problems with
    the Dewalt are the shallow cut and real slow feed rate. Slow feed is a fast edge killer even with high quality knives. I would use only carbide in that machine.

  8. #38
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    Thanks for that Mel, can we go back to a question Julie asked earlier (inquiring minds want to know)- Does anybody use the carbide knives on the 735? I looked them up, the site claims they last 10x longer than HSS, and if they do, then it is a good deal.

  9. #39
    Thermal overloads that trip stuff are not all the same from machine to machine, My hand circular saw could out power my Sears landfill radial arm saw by a long shot, I took out its overload many times with not much of a load, its in the back yard now which is good no more grief.

    Your breaker being tripped in the power box, they get weaker as they are tripped as well more times more easier it is to trip. If i had ever had kept using that sears saw which was just for cross cutting rough I would have taken the overload out, if that led to burning it out that would have been fine. I did that to a carpenter once ripping 16 foot Abeco. Breaker in the saw kept tripping, took it out and in half an hour burned out the saw. He went home and got a smaller one

  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Viellenave View Post
    Thanks for that Mel, can we go back to a question Julie asked earlier (inquiring minds want to know)- Does anybody use the carbide knives on the 735? I looked them up, the site claims they last 10x longer than HSS, and if they do, then it is a good deal.
    I have used them in fact I sold my 735 with the knives in.
    I also have posted many time a jig to sharpen the infinity knifes.
    The leave a very nice surface way better then a bryd head.
    Aj

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    Not since the overload started tripping. But I have run sipo, Florida pine, figured cherry and maple through the planer recently. All that was done with the first edge of the factory knives.


    None of those boards have been planed by me. That's how they came from the yard.

    I spoke with Dewalt today. They sent me a UPS label so I can send it to the service center in Tampa. Tampa is a 2 hour drive from here. I called Tampa and asked them if they had had complaints about dropping heads and tripping overloads. The guy there said he hadn't seen anything come in with those problems. He just said send it in with a note on the problems I'm having.

    Last night I was all set to bite the bullet on a Shelix, seeing how fast the HSS knives dull. I might still do that, depending on what the service guys say.
    Julie, I had a 735 that I upgraded with the Shelix head. Afterwards, I had really nice surfaces, but I had to take even lighter cuts than I’d previously done with the straight knives on wider boards. Otherwise I regularly had the planer overload trip on me. Got so frustrated with being unable to do a wide planing pass at anything other than a minuscule depth, that I sold it and upgraded to a Hammer A3-31 with the silent power, (helical), head. I lost an inch of planing width, but no longer have any issues with being underpowered.

    Clint

  12. #42
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    I have used two 735s a lot -- a former shopmate's and my own -- and I've never experienced the lock failure, the need to take passes shallower than 1/32", nor a tripped overload. Maybe yours is a lemon? On the other hand, when calling DeWalt/Porter Cable customer service about a Porter Cable tool I bought, I never got a helpful response, so your luck is better there. With multiple problems at less than a year old, this seems like something the manufacturer should replace with a new tool and not make you pay for shipping. Good luck getting a reasonable response from them. You deserve an award for patience.

  13. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    Just want to add one more observation that may be relevant to the hardness of the wood or the poor edge holding of the Dewalt knives...

    The Bolivian walnut I've been ripping has a LOT of tension in the boards. I've never seen wood move so much. I don't have a power jointer so I've been using hand planes to joint an edge on the boards after ripping. Thus far I've probably put in 2-3 hours hand jointing the edges. I'm using a #7, #62 and bronze edge plane. I haven't noticed any signs of dulling in the plane irons.

    I don't know if this is testament to the high quality of LN plane irons or the poor quality of Dewalt planer knives. I realize I'm not comparing apples to apples but I think this, and the fact the Delta planer never had these problems, speak more to the poor quality of Dewalt HHS knives than anything else.
    If you've been hand planing for three hours without sharpening, it's time to sharpen. I normally resharpen ever 15-20 minutes of hand planing work.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  14. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clint Baxter View Post
    Julie, I had a 735 that I upgraded with the Shelix head. Afterwards, I had really nice surfaces, but I had to take even lighter cuts than I’d previously done with the straight knives on wider boards. Otherwise I regularly had the planer overload trip on me. Got so frustrated with being unable to do a wide planing pass at anything other than a minuscule depth, that I sold it and upgraded to a Hammer A3-31 with the silent power, (helical), head. I lost an inch of planing width, but no longer have any issues with being underpowered.

    Clint
    Clint,

    When considering carbide straight knives and the Shelix, I ran across a Stumpy Nubs video. In it he claimed the Shelix requires more power to run it, or, as you stated, taking a lighter pass. The theory is straight knives give the motor a split second break between knife cuts whereas with a Shelix or spiral cutterhead, there is no break. Does this sound plausible?

    I was thinking of changing to the Shelix once the planer comes back but if that power theory is true, the Shelix is virtually useless. I'm already down having to take passes of 1/100" to avoid tripping the overload. I'm beginning to see the 735 more as a toy than the best benchtop planer on the market. I thought buying the 735 was going to be an upgrade to the Delta 22-540 but so far the opposite has been true.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  15. #45
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    I believe the reason why a insert head take more power and feed pressure in a planer and jointer is a 35 Degree face bevel on each insert.
    This is more of a scrap as it drags through the wood longer at a slight angle.

    With straight knife each knife goes along scooping out little bits of wood. That’s why it’s important each knife is set the same. So they all do the same scoop.
    Aj

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