I am new to woodworking as well as to this site and just purchased my first planer, the Dewalt 735 portable model.
My first project called for some maple to be planned down to 3/4″ The first few passes were great but soon noticed I was getting parallel lines in the length direction of my stock. I was taking off 1/32 at a time on the higher cut per inch setting and still got these lines in my stock. I sanded the maple to 150 grit with my orbital sander before conditioning and staining…the board felt smooth but when the stain was applied these very uniform lines appeared in. I rotated the blades and that seemed to help for a few passes but has now begun creating these lines or impressions/scrapes. Is it an operator error or mechanical issue. Dewalt suggested it may be the bolt heads holding the knifes on but the lines are to close together to be the bolt heads.
Replies
If the lines are slightly raised they are caused by nicks in the planer's blades.
The nicks are caused by running into something like sand or gravel embedded in the wood. Sometimes knots will be hard enough to nick a blade also. Gravel or staples embedded in the end grain of the boards can also be a culprit. The solution in all of these cases is to brush off and thoroughly check your boards before you pass them through the machine and to avoid running knots through as much as possible.
If the DeWalt techs didn't mention nicks in the blades as the most probable cause they are clueless about what they are selling.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
John,
Thank you for your reply. The dewalt people did mention the possibility of nicks so I flipped the blades around and still got the same result on a fresh edge with very good quality maplen no knots or debris of any kind visible. The dewalt tech indicated that there may be a situation with the integrity of the blades and they were going to send me a free set to try. If that desn't work I am going to return the planer, unless, someone can shed some light on what the issue is.
Attached is a pic after I stained a coupel pieces up. The lines which were clearly visible after sanding and staining. I sanded the maple to 150 grit.
Thanks, Erik
Those aren't the type of lines left by nicks in the blade, it appears that wide sections of the edge have failed. It is possible that the blades were never hardened and are dulling in a matter of minutes.
John W.
Just an FYI to all that may be new at dealing with nicks: you don't have to replace the blade, just loosen it then slide it laterally in ether direction. Slide the other blade(s) in the opposite direction and this will offset the nicks making a smooth cut again.
Mumda, not a criticism as you make nice stuff, but read the posts carefully. It's not a notch in a blade but a band on the blade that's burning the wood as it was not hardened properly. Probably just a case of the Black and Pecker bookeepers found a cheaper source for the $30 blades and it results in losing a $400 sale of equipment. They never learn. Pat
Oh, i got that part Pat. I was just giving advice for those that actually do get a nick in the blades.And no, they never do learn. It always amazes me when these companies will change a process or material just to save $1 per machine.
Hey Mum,
Not sure about this chaps 735, but my 733 will not allow the blades to slide horizontally. Not to mention, it doesn't look like nicks to me, more like bad steel.
Lee
There's no slop at all either direction? I have had 3 different planers and all 3 I could slide right or left at least 1/32".And I understand the bad blade part, I was referring to nicks in good blades.
Almost a year ago I bought a new General International 15" planer to replace my old one, and on the first few boards I planed I noticed a 3/4" strip down the length of the boards, that appeared to be dished out, almost as if you had run a wide, very shallow flute down the length of the board. The surface of this area seemed to be almost burnished, and after a quick scan of the knives, which were perfectly set from the factory, I decided maybe something else was dragging on the stock as it passed through the planer. I didn't see anything, so I turned back to the knives and gave them a closer look. Here's what I found: On the bevel of one of the knives, where the hardened cutting edge was bonded to the knife body, there was a separation between the layers about 1/2" long. This separation ,I am supposing, caused a lack of support of the hardened cutting edge, and caused it to bow out the back of the knife about 1/64". Or...it just got a really good wack at the factory before installation.
Anyway, I called the dealer, and they gave me a brand new set of three high quality aftermarket knives, and other than that, there is not a bad thing I can say about my purchase. The dealer stepped up, and I am very happy with the results.
Don't know if this is your problem or not, but this is my experience, for what it's worth
Steve
My Delta 560 Planer develops a nick or 2 in about the 1st 20-30 bd feet of planing.
No, I don't hog off 1/2" per pass either.
Someone else nailed it...I think these disposable planer blades are very delicate.
Evan,
There are quite a few posts to this forum by people who have the same complaints/problem as you. It seems dewalt has used some kind of inferior steel in their knives for the 735. Some have suggested aftermarket knives that may hold up better. Personally, I would return the planer before it's too late and try another brand. Both ridgid and makita get glowing reviews from others here on Knots. Good luck
Lee
Erik,
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I was also interested in this planer. Check out the reviews in FWW by following this link:http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/toolguide/toolguideproduct.aspx?tab=_user&id=5712
Erik,
I do not have a 735m but I've been using a DeWalt 733 for several years and understand how these blades can nick just a John White mentioned. However, I'm not clear on a few things.
Looking at the image that you provided, I cannot tell if it is the dark or the light lines that are the problem. I can only assume that it is the dark lines as most maple is light in color. Having said that, it could well be that the stock is not being moved rapidly enough by the rollers and the stock is actually being burned due to heat from the rotating cutters. You did not mention how long your stock was so this may be a problem. I also believe that the burn could penetrate the wood sufficiently enough that sanding would not eliminate it. From what I believe you said, the lines were not visible after sanding, but reappeared after the finish was applied. This would indicate burning to me.
Someone mentioned wiping down the rollers and that is very good advice because it allows them to grip better if they are clean and sticky. It doesn't take them long to get burnished from the sawdust then they begin to slip. Plain water works fine.
When I plane long, dense stock, I make sure that the blades are sharp and the rollers clean. My 733 is not very powerful, so I take very light cuts just as I believe you are doing. Changing blades can be a pain, but in the long run, good results come from paying attention to these kinds of details.
As to the blades, I am still using the stock DeWalt blades and both sets have been sharpened 3-4 times. It only takes a short while to run them past my Tormek and I'm good to go. IMO, these blades dull very quickly, but it only takes a few minutes to replace them and so I'm happy to have the extra set. The second set came with the planer.
I hope you get your problem solved without having to return your machine. Good luck.
Thank you all for your feedback. After reviewing many posts here as well as on other sites it seems as though my issue is the poor quality of the non-resharpenable blades. I have learned that the dark lines as you stated phillip, are in fact burn marks which did not sand out and were not visible until after the piece was conditioned and stained. The burn marks formed because the knives slowed the travel through the planer because they were to dull. This was after just a few boards.
I have decided, after reading alot about this issue, to replace it with the Rigid brand planer from HD. Any thoughts on the Rigid Planer or other suggestins would be greatly appreciated. I like all the other aspects of the 735 but feel the blade issue will pose a lot of problems going forward.
Thanks again to all who replied.
Erik
Erik,I googled the DeWalt 735 and found a review that had pretty good things to say about it. You can take it for what it's worth. The reviewer was very impressed by the dust collections system. I can't say that about my 733.http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/dw735rvu.htmlI'm sure not trying to take sides, you know this machine better than I but I really don't think that the burn marks are simply the result of dull blades. It's the slipping rollers that are the culprit. From my experience, if the rollers are dirty, they will not grip properly. Period. This causes them to slip and this prevents the stock from moving past the blades at the rates the machine was designed for. This is compounded if the stock is heavy. The result, IMO, is the burning that you are now experienceing. You will get the same results on any machine that exhibits these same conditions.My second comment is this. Buying frm HD can be a big mistake. I have read in these very forums, that HD actually carries sub-par versions of well known brands. This was revealed by the discovery that model serial numbers that HD carried had an extra letter (or number, doesn't matter) added to the end of their stock. This designation was for a cheaper version of the actual machine it was trying to represent. The gentleman who made that discovery went by the name of "Glaucon". If you do shop HD just be sure you check and double-check the model numbers. Check this out.http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=22096.4That is the post number that Glaucon chats about this.It's truly a miracle that I found it at all. Read his words carefully.Luck.
I don't know about you but "non-resharpenable" is not something I would look for in a machine. If the knives are's tool steel or at least laminated, it's not necessarily the end of the world as long as the machine itself is of high quality. Aftermarket knives are available and a good set will pay for itself many times over its life. If there's no snipe or other surfacing issues, maybe the dealer where you bought your planer will fire up for a set of better knives. If not, I would return it and get something that won't need work after a couple of boards.
You have options here- buy locally or mail order. Big name brand or big store. FWIW, I have a Grizzly 12" and the knives are laminated. I have been very happy with it in price and performance after 12 years.
I bought a spare set of knives initially and learned the hard way about looking for nails immediately after installing the second set. By the time I saw it, there was nothing I could have done to save the edges but it was awfully good motivation to get a metal detector. The one I bought is the Little Wizard and it works for every kind of metal I tested- ferrous and non-ferrous. I don't like surprises like the ones from imbedded metal.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
I too have a 735 and have had no trouble with it at all. For what it is worth, the marks look to me more as a contact from bolt heads or some such. It seems they are too uniformly spaced to be a 'blade problem'.
Next - I have never had to run my machine in the 'fine cut' or 'slow feed' mode. I get just fine results at the faster speed.
Frosty
P.S. I did not buy my unit at HD.
you know, now that i think about it, i bought my 735 off of amazon and not at a big box store. i've had no problems with the cut or performance, in fact, i love this planer.
I understand that it isn't a nicked blade issue, but when that does happen (and it will happen) with your new planer just run the piece through twice at your final thickness - that will get rid of a majority of the nick. It sounds like you didn't discover your problem until after finish was applied and it was too late - I always wipe down a piece with denatured alcohol before finishing - that will reveal flaws before finishing without raising the grain.
I own a DW735 as well and I love it. I've used it for over a year now and still have the original knives in it, although I have flipped them once. I can't imagine a planer doing a better job than this one, but I can understand your frustration with having just bought a new tool. My suggestion would be to exchange it for another new 735 and see if it does the same. If it does, then get a different planer. My guess is you've gotten a planer with something wrong since you're using clean maple and it cuts good for a few passes. But don't back down from DeWalt: Make them stand behind their product even to the point of exchanging it and giving you new knives.
By the way, I don't buy that thread about the Makita planer being that good. Ridgid is good, from my experience using a friend's, but it doesn't have two speeds. The DeWalt 735 and Delta 22-580 are the ones to get.
Hi,
Sorry to hear of your bad luck with this tool. I foolishly sold one when relocating my shop last year, I could only take one truck load...anyway..I had superb results with it! I had a source for 1/4 sawn white oak which was rough sawn. I milled over 2000 bdft. with the same results I was used to getting with an industrial planer.
Yes you can kick the blades back and forth then flip them over. I used it for a year with the same set of knives and moving a bit at a time. $45 for a replacment set....
Dewalt does have some QC issues. I just got the 433 belt sander today and it's a lemon but I'll try another as I've used one aggresivley in the past with excellent results.
DW would do well to tighten ship as they do have cutting edge design with 2 above mentioned products.
10saw
Thank you guys for your responses. I actually returned mine and picked up the ridgid planer instead however, after inspecting the product I returned it as well. After reading all the positive posts here, I have decided to pick up the 735 for one more chance. I plan on getting it tomorrow. I will post my feedback of second unit.
Thanks again.
Erik
I bought a new 735 today from my local Dewalt tool supplier who was having a Fall Sale. Got the Planer, feed tables, dewalt sander and a delta portable down draft table for $545. Dwealt is giving a free orbital sander by mail in rebate for all 735 purchases now through 1/07. The down draft table was a result of the tool sale.
By the way I spoke with Dewalt reps who were on hand and they indicated that they have had a few issues with knife failure but nothing wide sweeping at this point. They also encouraged me to visit the local supplier if future problems arose, in lieu of the 800-dewalt number.
When I got home I planned down more of the maple with great results. Thanks to all who provided feedback. We will see long term though.
Thanks,
Erik-
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