what model planer to buy?

[Bret Ferris]

Hey guys i am newer to woodworking. I am looking for some guidance in what brand bench top planer to buy. I have a small shop so i will never be getting a floor model so i am looking for one that will last me for a while. In your opinions and experience with bench top planers is it worth spending the money on the Dewalt 735x opposed to going with the Ridgid R4331. Is the quality of the cut better or will both do the same job milling down the lumber? Or do you recommend another brand to buy? Hopefully there will be some deals coming up this weekend.

[glenn bradley]

IF you don't go for the DW735 this will get pretty subjective. If I were going to spend the money for the Ridgid I would just go a few dollars more for the DW734. It is still 3 reversible blades (thicker longer lasting blades) and has a carriage lock. In lieu of the height mechanism on the DW735 that doesn't need a carriage lock I would not want a lunchbox planer without it. When I sold my DW734 it went to a pro shop that already had one in addition to other floor standing planers. Their DW734 got more use than the big iron and they wanted another one. Others will have other opinions based on their experiences.

[Jim Becker]

DW735 is the "gold standard" (pardon the pun) of the portable planer marketplace and has been for years. While it's a "screamer" noise-wise, it's a solid performer with heft and features that just are not equalled from other offers out there.

[Myles Moran]

I'll also be jumping on the dw735 bandwagon. It's a very nice machine, being able to run stock faster is great for saving time (especially when I make loose tenons, I can take a piece of scrap down to thickness really fast) and hasn't let me down yet. It's done everything I've asked of it, and I'd buy another tomorrow if mine went missing.

[Rob Luter]

I’ve heard the 735 is real nice. I got a Ridgid on sale at Home Depot 10 years ago and it’s still running strong. I’m still on the original blades. It came with a set of spares and they’ll probably get installed sometime this year.

[Mike Kees]

I have never used a 735,however I do own a 734. It gets used on jobsites and sits on a shelf until I need it for that use. It is a great little planer,much better than the Delta one I started with. The double sided knives and indexed head are real nice ,the head locks with a lever . It also has a three knife head unlike the two knife head my old Delta had.

[Pete Costa]

i'm a big fan of the 735 as well for my hobby shop. In addition to solid general performance noted above, the chip exhaust feature helps even an underpowered DC keep up during heavier planing. What has really impressed me is the thought they put into things like onboard tool storage and ease of blade changing. Heck, the manual was even comprehensible. Pete

[Robert London]

I’ve had the cutech 13” spiral carbide for awhile and pretty pleased with it. Much quieter than straight blades. Not a true helical, but for the same price as the dewalt with straight knife, it’s worth considering. It’s made in Taiwan and a nice machine for the money. I’d go with any spiral cutter... jet, Rikon, grizzly, cutech over a straight knife lunchbox planer. They are freaking loud so be wary of your neighbors and fellow house mates.

One positive about the dewalt is you can get a better spiral cutter, but now you’re up in the $1000 range. I paid 650 for mine

https://cutech.tools/collections/pla...31617274282087

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[Lisa Starr]

I regularly use a 15" floor standing model in my own shop., but recently used a DW735 helping a friend with a project. I was very impressed with it, except for the noise level. Of course, even mine isn't exactly quiet. The DW735 made consistent thickness pieces and reasonable finishes, very comparable to that of my "iron". If this is going to be the long term machine that you indicate, don't consider a lesser model to save a few dollars. You'll end up wishing you hadn't as your skills advance and you'll need to upgrade. Do it right the first time.

[michael langman]

I was fortunate to get a little used dw734 for 225.00. The owner wanted 250 but I noticed the posts got slightly rusty from neglect and he dropped the price some.

Posts cleaned up with some work and the planer has worked well and done a great job making parallel surfaces.

Well worth the wait for me in finding one versus new. But I would get a new one if I had too.

[William Hodge]

This thread is interesting.

Given what I'm reading about the Dewalt 735, it looks like a good planer to use for taking the last 1/32" off wood, for a good finish.
The 20" planer leaves an uneven surface due to vibration in the head. I have been;looking at getting a better planer, but I think I'm going to try the Dewalt. $650. isn't much for a tool that could make the wood smoother. The planers I have been looking at, 20" and bigger industrial planers, go for $6k used. The planer I have, and the Dewalt, might work well together.

The 12" Delta planer I have is for planing wood with sand on it. That poor thing is 24 years old, and still running.

[Jim Becker]

From a finishing perspective, these portable planers are a little better, as you note, William. A good part of that is the fact that they use rubber/composite rollers rather than the seerated feed rollers that most of the larger, stationary thicknessers do. So if you need to take off a "whisker", there's no marking that's deeper than the cut. I use my drum sander to creep up on a critical thickness if necessary so I can avoid marking from rollers.

[Mark Gibney]

Jim I sometimes wonder if the serrated feed rollers on the industrial machines can be replaced with a rubber roller to avoid the marring that can happen with a light cut?

[Jim Becker]

Maybe, but they are not going to feed as well in some cases. Thicknessers are not really "finishing" tools. Whether replacements exist would likely come from demand.

[Rich Aldrich]

For the Dewalt DW 735, if you have a good dust collection system, you can take the fan off the motor to reduce noise. Dewalt recommends removing the fan when connected to a dust collector.