Should I spring for a DW735 planer?

[johnp001]

Hello,

I have always tinkered around with wood and am starting my first piece of furniture (night stand found in Wood magazine).

I have recently picked up about 1600 feet of boards ranging 6~11 inches in width), about 1/2 were previously run through a poor planer (i.e. blades must have had some chips) and the other half are rough cut. I believe the wood is a mixture of cherry, maple, white and red oak.

My question is this: Should I spring for a DW735 ($557) or hold back and get a DW734 ($377)? Will planing be a normal part of wood working even after my rough cut wood has been initially planned?

[LCHIEN]

the really proper complement of tools for working on rough lumber is a
Jointer - for making one side flat and straight and for putting one adjacent, straight edge on at 90.0 degrees.

Thickness Planer - for making the second side parallel to the first (after run thru the Jointer) and to a determined thickness.

Table saw - to rip the second edge 90 degrees and the width to a precise determined value.

So the question to you is do you have a jointer to use with your new planer?
with 1600 bd feet of lumber that is rough cut then you will need both these tools.
I would own such tools and use them as needed to prepare the rough wood (rather than planing all the wood at once).
As you work on different projects you may find you need different thicknesses for example.

Both dewalt planers have a good reputation, they will both probably do a good job.

[Skaning]

About 10 years ago I sprung for a DW 733. I never looked back at that purchase. It's been the go to device for me when I needed thinner material than 3/4 ', That said it does not have the internal blower that the 735 has and the 733 will produce an awesome amount of shavings. My Shopvac simply will NOT keep up and I would get a lot of blowback through the front.

My eventual solution was a steel city mini dust collector that fits on the outlet. That has "for me" got the problem under control until I get to a better dust collection system.

The 734 looks very similar to my 733 so I would think that the performance would be about the same.

The 735 on the other hand is a half inch wider (never had a need to go wider than 11 1/2") and has an additional blower to clear chips out of the machine. That I think is the most significant difference. There appears to be some other "user friendly features added BUT the infeed and outfeed extensions are extra on the 735 and you will want those.

[sweensdv]

Yes you should.

[BigguyZ]

I'd say it all depends on your budget. If getting the 735 means not having a jointer, then get the 734 (I've also heard the Rigid is a good one, with a lifetime warranty). If you have a jointer, and/or will be able to get one either way, I'd say the difference in cost isn't extreme, and with the 735 you're getting one of the best jointers on the market- until you go over $1k.

[JimD]

I have an old INCA 8 5/8 jointer/planner. The planner attachment is a movable plate over the jointer blades and you manually feed the wood through. It takes quite a bit of force to get the wood through and I did not enjoy using it. As a jointer, it is fine but is relatively short - not much over 3 feet. So it works but doesn't straighten things as effectively as a longer jointer would.

I bought an old Ryobi AP-10, the original "lunch box" planner from a friend for $100. I've used it to plane several hundred board feet so far. There have been very few boards I've had to rip down so it would fit through the planner. It snipes and he head doesn't lock down so there is some thickness variation from at least those sources. The variation is typically less than 1/64th, however, so it is not unlivable. I had to sharpen the blades to get it working but after that, it has been fine.

I nearly never use the INCA in it's jointer mode despite the fact that it works well. For wood that will be held flat by the structure of what you are making (a solid wood top attached to a cabinet, for instance) I would probably just use the planner. But for something like a door, it is pretty necessary to have flat wood. Of course, even if it starts flat it may not stay that way. But still it is a very good idea for some boards to be really flat. Typical jointers are not as wide as the boards I like to use for things like cabinet or table tops. My 8 5/8 one is relatively wide. A more typical 6 inch jointer would do a board for a door frame but not many boards I would use for a drawer front or cabinet/table top.

I thickness planner is very nice to have. You can get by without the jointer although it affects some projects adversely. It is really better to prepare the wood as Loring suggests. I can't comment on the difference between the DeWalt models you are thinking of but both are newer/nicer than my old Ryobi. I have money I could spend on tools but the limitations of my old Ryobi have not made a nicer planner a priority for me. Maybe if I used one of them I would change my mind but I doubt it, the Ryobi basically does OK.

I would get a planner but I haven't decided this is one of those tools where a top of the line model is necessary. I will also say that I've noticed it is nice to work with well made/designed tools. The Ryobi doesn't bug me but I have no doubt there are nicer tools.

Jim

[jeepman71]

The 734 does have the internal blower.

Jim

[toolguy1000]

i'm cheap. i'd look into the ridgid 4330 and try to find a store that honors the HF "20% off on any single item coupon" . that gets you a 3 blade 13" planer (rated a best buy in wood magazines latest comparative 13' benchtop planer test) that's the equivalent of the 734 for a lower price and the coverage (with the appropriate registration) of ridgid's Lifetime Service Agreement. problems with the 734 a few years after purchase are your headache. with the LSA, there's no headache .

[tommyt654]

I'd go this route , http://www.lowes.com/pd_263870-26463...=R#reviews_tab , and get HD to pm , http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053 , this less the 10% and that should bring it down to about $425 +tax, You'll get a helical head that will out perform those other machines completely.Also regarding the LSA, has anyone here ever had to utilize it. My understanding from a techie at our local service shop is that unless you have it properly registered(a royal pita) and have your original receipt and they actually have whatever part is broken in stock your at best looking at months before you'll see anything getting repaired. Pretty much a con job to get you to purchase that tool. However I have several of the Ridgid tools and they all have given me absolutely no troubles so far. But I didn't buy them because of the LSA. I purchased them because of their reliability vs other brands in general and overall performance. Thats a major factor when I have made purchases from HD for them not the LSA which as stated is more a ploy than something I would count on. I'd suggest you go to ridgidforum.com and search LSA for more info on what they really cover and what problems usually evolve fron it. Just my 2 cents

[sweensdv]

The 734 does have the internal blower.

Jim

No it doesn't but the 735 does.

[jeepman71]

I had to check the manual and I am wrong. My bad.

Jim

[JR]

I completely disagree with all the comments posted so far. You need a bandsaw with at least 12" of resaw capability, plus an army of Lie-Nielsen hand planes. Budget about $2,500.

I'm joking.

You absolutey need a planer right away, and a jointer as soon as you can afford one. Craigslist is your friend here.

I have a Ridgid planer. After several years of use I recently turned around the blades to the unused side and tuned up the machine. I am now getting nice clean cuts and have another set of blades waiting in the wings.

You don't need to break the bank on this purchase. Find a planer with a locking cutter height adjustment and start making wood chips!

JR

[pelligrini]

The 735 is a great machine for a portable planer. Although, it isn't easily portable. I got tired of carrying mine around real quick and built a flip-top cart for it. The chip fan works well, but it adds a lot of noise. You will also want to get the infeed tables for it, or make some shop made support. More than likely you'll get some snipe without the tables.

There are a lot of other options in lunchbox planers, especially cheaper options. If you have the coin, the 735 is a nice one.

Adding a jointer would be good, especially for that much wood. There are other methods in getting your stock straight. Quite often I'll just grab my old Stanley No 8 or No 7 and just quickly plane a decent edge. If I have a lot of material to prep I'll wheel out my jointer.

[toolguy1000]

I'd go this route , http://www.lowes.com/pd_263870-26463...=R#reviews_tab , and get HD to pm , http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053 , this less the 10% and that should bring it down to about $425 +tax, You'll get a helical head that will out perform those other machines completely.Also regarding the LSA, has anyone here ever had to utilize it. My understanding from a techie at our local service shop is that unless you have it properly registered(a royal pita) and have your original receipt and they actually have whatever part is broken in stock your at best looking at months before you'll see anything getting repaired. Pretty much a con job to get you to purchase that tool. However I have several of the Ridgid tools and they all have given me absolutely no troubles so far. But I didn't buy them because of the LSA. I purchased them because of their reliability vs other brands in general and overall performance. Thats a major factor when I have made purchases from HD for them not the LSA which as stated is more a ploy than something I would count on. I'd suggest you go to ridgidforum.com and search LSA for more info on what they really cover and what problems usually evolve fron it. Just my 2 cents

there are two sides to every pancake. one of my sons is a commercial/industrial plumber and uses his ridgid tools in extremely harsh circumstances. on more than one occasion, he has mentioned that he's glad he uses ridgid and that we've taken the minimal time to register them correcty for the LSA. several of his tools have been repaired under the LSA which, according to him, has saved him a lot of money by not having to replace those tools. no con job here.

as far as searching the ridgid forum for LSA issues, invariably, those threads are started by 1 or 2 post newbies who were either misinformed by store personnel or didn't follow the procedure as detailed by the program information included with every new power tool (online registration, about 10 minutes, and mailing a copy of the receipt and upc from the packaging, 10 more minutes. or just mail the registration form with a copy of the receipt and upc, 15 mins total. doesn't sound overly onerous for the coverage offered) and are ranting for the sake of hearing themslves rant. i've had a couple tools repaired under ridgid's warranty programs, and i've never been disappointed with their service, even where my older, gray emerson built stationary power tools are concerned. IMHO, the fact that the 4330 is a ridgid is a "pro", not a "con"

[phrog]

There are a number of good thickness planers on the market. But whatever brand or model you decide on, be sure to get one with a locking cutterhead.