DeWalt Planer Maintenance ???

[lago]

I have a DW735 planer about 5 1/2 yrs old and have run several 100 bf of lumber thru it already.

I recently started having problems with it. I think the rollers may be dirty since the boards sometimes seem to bind. The main problem I am having is that it makes a noise when raising & lowering the cutter heat. Also, the cutterhead doesn't move as smoothly as it should. For lack of a better description, it makes a chattering noise. I haven't had time to really take a close look to see where the noise is coming from, other than around the cutterhead.

Per the manual, no maintenance requirements can be found, other than take it to the service center on annual basis for cleaning, inspection, and lubrication of gear case. The prices starts out at $99 with a max charge of $215.

Should I go to the service center or first try some additional cleaning?

Any comments?



TIA
Ken

[pelligrini]

I've got a 735, but it isn't that old.

I'll clean the rollers once or twice a year depending on the buildup, and wax the tables a little more often. I use a small amount of some Bit&blade cleaner I got in a Boeshield package on a shop towel to clean the rollers. I also use paste wax on the screws when I do the rollers.

[jussi]

Did you wax the table?

[sweensdv]

Yes, you should wax the tables.

[chris64]

What do you wax the table with?

[pelligrini]

I use Minwax paste wax, because I didn't see any Johnsons when I was at the store. Most all my tools get a wipe down with it.

[chris64]

Can you also use the minwax on the BT table?

[pelligrini]

Oh yea, it makes everything slide easily and also protects from the black marks from the aluminium. I'll use a little on the SMT sliding parts too. Don't wax the rails though, the fence can have problems locking down properly.

[mpc]

The 735 "opens up" fairly easily. The only maintenance I do is to open it up and use compressed air to blow out any trapped sawdust. One side of the 735 has a couple small gears and a short chain as part of the roller drive mechanism (if I remember correctly) and those gears don't like debris in them - they bust in half. Clean them out and possibly add a little generic gear lube/grease if they look bone dry. These gears are covered by the side bulge in the case - remove that cover and you'll see them.

mpc

[Bruce Cohen]

Ken,

When was the last time you checked/changed the blades??

Also, I clean the rubber feed rollers with denatured alcohol.

Best of luck,

Bruce

[tommyt654]

In agree with mpc on this one mine had a similiar problem a few mo,s back and I just gave it a good blow and lube and she worked fine afterwards, might be worth a try over the possibility of $215.

[pelligrini]

I just got done cleaning & waxing mine. I forgot how much SYP I had run through it recently. I ended up having to use a brass brush and some saw blade cleaner to get the knives and holding mechanisms clean. It took a bunch of effort to get the rollers clean too. I think I need to step up the cleaning intervals.

[lago]

I think I have taken care of the problem. My main concern was the noise & roughness when I made a change to the cutter head height. I sprayed the screws on each sie with Liquid Wrench PTF dry lube and it works a whole lot better.

I do realize I need to replace the blades. I have run several hundred BF of read oak thru it on the same blades. One of these days, I need to reverse them.

I do need to clean the rollers once I have time. Right now, I am pretty busy trying to finish up a restore on an old Delta jointer.

Thanks for your input.

Ken