best portable thickness planers
forestgirl
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
First thing you might want to ask is “Is it a good idea to use a planer to remove paint?” I choose not to use my planer for that purpose. If you go ahead, though, good idea to test the paint for lead so you know how much breathing protection you might need.
IMHO, the best portable planer is the DeWalt 735, 13″, 2-speed planer.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Replies
thanks, seems to be the consensus
"Best" is a subjective term, and varies depending on the objectives, price point, and other factors. There are several that consisently get high marks, all of which I'd consider if I were in the market...the best deals change from day to day.
The DW735 gets plenty of accollades but it's also $550 without tables. It does offer dual speeds, triple blades, and a built in chip ejector which is handy if you don't have a DC. The DW734 gets overshadowed often by the 735 but is often the better bargain depending on the particular deal. The 734 has single speed and triple blades, without the chip ejector but it does include the infeed/outfeed tables.
The Delta 22-580 gets high grades too, and offers dual speeds, and infeed/outfeed tables. Delta also has the TP400LS that's a decent machine with the essential basic features (cutterhead lock/dust chute)...it was on sale for $270 delivered thru Amazon a couple of weeks ago. At that price is a great deal.
The Ridgid 1300 has alot fans as a alot of machine for the price in the $350 range.
The Makita also gets kudos from owners as a being a very reliable machine.
All of these should do a great job. You may not need the very best to for the task you described, and none are considered a finishing tool....some touch up with fine sandpaper is always recommnended, especially as the blades wear a bit. They're all better with new blades but they don't stay that way long. Watch the sales and grab a good deal. I've removed paint with my planer, but expect to chew up the blades quickly.
I have an old Delta 22-540 12 inch tool that I have had for 8 years and it just keeps perking. I have eyed several of the more recent models with their improvements in hopes that mine will give out but it won,t give up. My reason for buying it in the first place goes back to my high school teaching. I bought one for the school that we put through the mill as a finish planer for 4 or 5 years. If a tool will hold up to teenage pressure, it will hold up under most situations so I bought one for myself upon retirement 8 years ago. It has its quirks but you get used to dealing with them.
Hey Al,
Over the years as a contractor, I was used to burning out one Delta a year. After four or so years, I tried the Makita and six years later (or more) it just keeps going. Blade changes are easy and I have done all of the no nos, plywood, mdf, paint removal, the works. Don't ignore the warnings about paint dust, however. A dust hood and a simple collector will do wonders, plus it will help the machine to run a bit cleaner. I have a full DC, but I have heard that people get good results with a separator & shop vac. It's worth looking into.
Good luck.
John
thank you john,good advice
A1,
I had your planer also; replaced it with Delta 12.5-inch single speed with a head lock and blades that are easier to change. The new one almost never snipes which was my problem with the 22-540. Whatever you buy, get one with the head lock. IMHO, there are several good models available.Cadiddlehopper
I am wondering why the original msg was deleted. Yesterday, I spoke with the DeWalt repair center in Mobile, AL. In the last year they had 10 DW735's come in for repair/adjustment of some type. No specifics were available. He said they are still on the original design. This center covers a large portion of the Gulf Coast from Biloxi. MS to Pendacola, FL.
Are you sure that you addressed this to the correct person? :I am wondering why the original msg was deleted.Yesterday, I spoke with the DeWalt repair center in Mobile, AL. In the last year they had 10 DW735's come in for repair/adjustment of some type. No specifics were available. He said they are still on the original design. This center covers a large portion of the Gulf Coast from Biloxi. MS to Pendacola, FL.Cadid
That's less than one per month. Not bad at all considering the size of the region.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
You were the last one to post on this topic. Since the original was deleted, I could not respond to him/her.I posted hoping the information would benefit the others who are participating in this thread.Greg
I have a DW735 that I bought when my DW733 started to give me troubles. Here are some of my observations between the two.The blades on the 733 can be resharpened, the 735 are reversable but must be replaced after both sides are used. Blade changes are equally easy on both.The chip ejector on the 735 is awesome. It's basically an internal fan/impeller that absolutely blasts the chips out the DC port. I have a light duty DC system and the 733 was always clogging it up. The 735 never clogs the DC. This is the only useful advantage of the 735 over the 733 in my mind.As for snipe, every machine and every person's experience seems to be different. My 733 never sniped at all up until it was on its last legs. The 735 snipes worse than the 733 did, both deeper, and a longer sniped area. I think the latter is because there is a greater distance between the feed rollers and the cutterhead. This is not a problem when cleaning up a 2x4, but is a real downer on a nice piece of wood.The infeed and outfeed tables are not included in the 735. Add them into the price, you'll need them. Ohh - your big box retailer doesn't sell them, or the spare blades you'll need? Mine either. I had to order them from someone else.The 735 seems slightly noisier than the 733.I think if I was going to buy a new planer today, I'd go with the 733 (assuming it is still available . . .!) and reduce the length of the run to the dust collector.
The 733 was replaced by the 734. Only difference AFAIK is the 734 has replaceable blades like the 735.
I think the 734 also has triple blades like the 735.
"I think the 734 also has triple blades like the 735."
Right
And from my experience the 733 has a hand crank that folds down, but the 734 has a round knob that stands up above the top of the planer. Not a problem for most people but I needed to redo my storage shelving to accommodate it along with the stand I sit it on besides the TS. FWIW I tend to be packing my planer from shop to job site at the moment, so if you are looking to fold up your planer at the end of the day and move it around, I would suggest checking out the dust/chip cowling removal procedure. The DW has really small screws that seem easy to lose and leaving the extension wings down when loading is a PITA! I have been fooling around with some longer hex bolts to make this easier. Greg
I am a fan of my Ridgid 13" planer. $350.00 Dust hood, Extra set of reversible knives and a stand included. Use a dust collector, or shop vac and seperator and you are ready to go right out of the box (except for the 20 minutes to put the stand together). I also am impressed with it's snipe lock.
Just my .02
Bob
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