In reading the opinions on the DeWalt 735 planer, the opinions are either very favorable or very negative, on this FWW forum and other forums. The negative comments often focus on the blades and how fast they wear out. I emailed DeWalt for their comments as I thought it was strange I had not seen any post from a company rep to address the negative comments since the comments were prevalent and stretched back since the planer was rolled out. Anyway, they responded within a day. Here is my question and the company’s response:
(Bob) Do you have documentation that addresses the most common complaint about this planer – the poor quality and low life of the blades? There are enough negative comments on this issue on various forums to make it an issue that DeWalt has likely addressed.
(DeWalt) Dear Bob, we believe the following information addresses your inquiry.
We have been gathering samples of the blades to make improvements on them. The improvements are forthcoming.
The average life of the blades is 3000-5000 linear feet.
The blade life will vary as there are many determining factors including, but not limited to:
1) Wood Type and Hardness
2) Wood Condition – Knots, burls, cupped, warped, etc.
3) Wood Moisture Content
4) Depth and Width of Cut -It is best to take off a little more per pass than several very fine passes. The larger chips can help with blade life
5) Dust collection – The larger the chips the better the heat is carried away from the blade, which allow the blade to remain sharp for a longer period of time
6) we Recommend using the faster feed rate.
7) Only run the wood through on the slower feed rate for your final pass or when planning exotic woods that are prone to have tear out issues.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you. If your question remains unresolved or if you require additional information please update this incident.
Replies
For what its worth, I replaced the blades with a Shelix cutter head. Worth its weight in gold. Damn near as expensive as the original machine. I love the combination.
Cheers,
Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Robert,
That machine is a toy even though it is one of the most expensive. I owned one when I built my house and couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
Here's what I didn't like.....
Very expensive for what it is
dull blades quickly
supersonic loud
blades nick easily and quickly
feed is marginal at best
perpetually cleaning the rollers to make it feed
after cleaning rollers, still have to push stock through cause it slipped
limited capacity
did I mention supersonic loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the one good thing....
once I learned the machine, it was repeatable on cut. So I could dial into below .01 inches if I needed to.
At the same time that I owned this machine I also had the first gen rigid machine right next to it. That machine is an overall better machine and I used it more. Plus, way better value for the money. Actually it's not unfair to say that it was a night and day difference between the two machines. And I still use that rigid at times for certain tasks.
So here's some free advice. If you are going to be working with lumber in the rough (that's the only way I get my stock), you really deserve a serious machine. I purchased a 16" Laguna and love it. You will in the long run, save money on stock and the machine could pay for itself over time if you do a lot of work.
If you are not doing a lot of work and only doing occasional planing, get the rigid machine. It is really just a better value.
Seriously, don't be misled by the few people who have had good experiences with the Dewalt machine. I'm sure there are maybe 20% out there that function well. And those people have good reason to talk the machine up. But the other 80% really are THAT bad. So which machine will you get when you pick yours up at the store??
Rob Kress
<<I'm sure there are maybe 20% out there that function well. And those people have good reason to talk the machine up. But the other 80% really are THAT bad.>>I would be interested in your source(s) for that statement.Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Me too.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I'm betting against a source ever being provided.93.56% of all statistics are made up on the spot.Bought my 735 reconditioned, because someone else had had trouble with it, and got it for about $450.I've had no trouble with it, and am quite pleased with its performance.
Edited 8/30/2009 7:09 am by Jammersix
I must say I love mine too. I have looked at upgrading to one of the Shelix heads, but for now this works great.
Bio.
I guess there are a whole bunch of us twenty per-centers out there :-)I wonder if we will ever get a "source" for that statement. Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
I guess I'm in the 20% as well... Actually none of the owners I know have had any problem.I only recently flipped the blades.
Count me in too, as one of the people very satisfied with my 735, My neighbor has one also and is very satisfied. Amazing, huh?
lostcreek
Guys,I was just exaggerating to make my point. This is kind of a chuckle really. I'm sorry I ruffled feathers.Listen here's the deal, my experience with that machine was really terrible. So maybe instead of 20% good, there are 80% good. And then my question still applies.... which one will you get when you go pick yours up at the store. Or maybe there are 99.9999% good and I just got a lemon.Glad you are all so satisfied.Rob Kress:) BIG SMILE
Rob,Thanks for the clarification. It's not at all clear reading your post that you were exaggerating or joking at all. It don't think that any tool manufacturer has never produced a single lemon. What matters is how they work to resolve the problem.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
It's a good thing this wasn't a thread about hand planes. I probably would have been kicked off the island!!YikesRob
Wonder what would happen if you said the same thing about a LN... Can you imagine?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com
and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com) - Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Edited 8/31/2009 7:36 pm by flairwoodworks
Wouldn't trade mine for any other "lunchbox planer" not that this is one. It is much more of a substantial machine. However, i don't belive it was designed for agressive, rough use. However, if you like the words accuracy and precision, you will like this machine.
I think what a lot of folks consider fast blade dulling is really not that bad. The fact is that when new, the blades hum through anything like it is butter, as long as you aren't hogging off 1/8th inch. However, the "razor sharpness" wears off pretty quick. But, it really works quite fine for a while before I notice any high ridges or difficult feeding. In fact, I have been waiting a while to notice enough wear to change mine out.
I abused a set once when I used it to run about 150 board feet of chestnut through it to clean it up. The boards were about 5/4 and covered in dirt, grime, and a lot of chewing gum. (They came from some church pews that were soaked after Hurricane Ivan.) The blades still were useable an surprisingly quite sharp, considering. However, the rollers and bed needed a good cleaning.
I bought a Delta X5 15" for a deal, but it sits covered up in the corner waiting for something wider than 13" or something that needs a lot of rough work or "hogging".
I've run mine since the first year they came out (400 bucks- Lowes). Three sets of blades; thousands of feet of lumber. (Thousands of bucks worth of lumber anyway!)
Dan
Consider yourself cautioned and warned.....Philip Marcou
Well, I believe you exaggerated your credibility.
It would make my day to get 1000 linear feet out of a set of blades! I get the feeling the blade edge is very brittle and breaks off and then you get the nicks. I know for sure there has been no metal bits in the wood I have ran through it.
Its a shame because other things about the machine work well!
My old delta twin blade unit worked much better!
I have one and like it quit a bit - count me in the 20%. No problems. My blade wear dose seem to vary according to the wood used, I have some oak that seems to eat blades but then again it is some pretty hard oak.
"In reading the opinions on the DeWalt 735 planer, the opinions are either very favorable or very negative"
Robert, the problem is not with the machine. Everyone should be using quartersawn lumber for everything. That will make the machine hum. Just feed it only quartersawn lumber. It will also be good for torsion boxes...
:)
Andy
Why not aluminum instead of q-sawn wood?
It's more stabile, lightweight and it don't have those ugly medullary rays all over the place eaver.
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Too shiny. Makes the machines look dull. :)
SHINY! SHINY! SHINY!Oh, I said that out loud, didn't I?
This is shiny.
View Image
The gent leaning on the pickky built it from a kit. Supposedly a carbon copy of the one in the movie. Oh yeah, American Garffitti but that was prolly B4 your time.
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Only 20% of the people from our generation have seen American Graffiti.
Wouldn't question a jammer. Nice ride, eh?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Yar, it is that. :)
He wouldn't let me talk him into doing the interior. It's all p-wood 'cept the dash. For a finish it looks like he wiped off the yellow from a paintbrush, inside.
I told him, "Bob you horses patoot, all flash but nuthin in the pan".
Didn't work.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I've been on the 'net since I taught Gore what it could do.In all that time, through all the thousands of debates, I've never felt it necessary to look up a fact or a figure.At best, fact checking would be tedious, at worst, it would be inconvenient, and require more art in formulating a position.I am, of course, a vegetarian who eats meat, as well as undisputed head of my household.I speak with our only voice on the internet, I determine how we will both vote, I set our household policy regarding the War on Terror, and determine which political signs belong in our yard.That I may have my time free, to properly attend to these weighty endeavors, as well as my other heavy yoke of responsibilities, my wife takes care of the mundane, day-to-day details of running the household.Like the money.
Well I can see this thread has degenerated into sufficiently nothing. Whatever we were discussing, must not have been really important. Nice looking car but I get nervous around cars and woodworking ever since I caught my brother using one of my chisels to work on his engine.
I use Infinity carbide blades with my Dewalt 735. It has transformed my experience with it. The factory blades dulled extremely quickly when i put hard maple through it.John
John,
Wow!
$250 for the set. Hmmmmmm they better be good. I'm about due for new ones but will have to give the carbides some serious thought at that price.
Are they really that good?
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
They are really that good. We work in maple pretty often, and it has made a big difference.John
Knotsters,
I just got an email from Infinity with a discount code of 20% off one item through 9/8. I wish I had it back when I bought the carbide blades. Enjoy! Still trying to decide if it worth going with carbide on my 8" jointer. The HSS blades seem to have held up well, and respond well to being honed. Here is the info on the discount;>It's easy to take advantage of this offer. Just enter the code: LDSALE09 in the "Shipping Instructions / Comments" section of the checkout page and we'll apply the discount for you. Please note: your confirmation will not reflect the discount as we have to apply this manually. However, before charging your credit card we'll apply the 20% savings to the highest price item in your cart that qualifies for the deal. *The following items are excluded from this sale; Dadonator 8" stacked dado set, router table packages, INCRA brand products, JESSEM brand products and our saw blade packages. Thanks and happy woodworking!Internet Sales Team
Infinity Cutting Tools
When I bought mine it was $375 at a show and they threw in a 5" ROS. Both have turned out great for me. I don't plane a lot of material but after nearly 3 years I'm beginning to see ridges so time for a shift of the blade(s).
Lately I've been planing a fair amount of cedar, knots everywhere. The ridges aren't as dramatic in hardwood though. Prolly the same kind of principal as with hand planes. Gotta be ssssssharp!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Classic movie. They wouldn't show it in my kindergarden class, but I saw it a few times later on...Shiny chrome is not before my time. I had a few caddies and bikes when I was younger. :) Andy
It's close! The major difference that I see, and one that would be hard to duplicate today, is the original had 4 2-barrel Rochester carbs with stacks. A website with a lot of photos is here!
Regardless of the carbs, it is a beautiful coupe that I would be proud to own.
Bruce
"A man's got to know his limitations." Dirty Harry Calahan
Edited 9/2/2009 9:37 pm ET by Wingdoctor
There's a few things I wouldn't want original technology on.For instance, the original must have had drum brakes, and tires with no steel in them.
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