Hi all,
Can anyone tell me how to make my dw 735 act like a planer?
Brand new. Blades dull out of the box. Replaced them with brand new. Dull after a few feet.
But here is my real problem. With new blades, this machine won’t feed stock of any size. I have tried every size from 3″ wide up to 12″ wide. The only thing I get is slipping rollers and burning knife marks. The rollers actually do turn (I do not have the broken gear syndrome) but just don’t grip the wood.
Today, I tried to plane 45 pieces of beech 4 5/8″ wide down from 15/16 rough to 3/4″. I did this in four passes with the final pass taking 20 thousands. The entire time I had to push the stock thru the planer (even on the final 20 thou pass). When I ran the 12″ wide board, I really just gave up after 3 passes and pulled out an older 13″ Rigid which ran perfectly. So exactly why will this planer accept a 13″ wide board? In my experience, calling it an 8″ wide planer is a joke (I’ve run a lot of that as well).
This is not operator error. I used to be a machinist and know how to run and use power tools.
So my questions are…. cause I didn’t want to have to take it apart to figure this out if someone already had the answers….
Is there an adjustment on the rollers to encourage them to push down harder on the wood and grip it better?
Is there a way to recondition these rollers so that they are more gripsy?
Is there a third party roller that works better?
Is anyone else having the same experience and do you know how DW is handling these claims?
Where is it that I have to look to find the relevant date for the drive gear?
And finally the only really important question…..
Does anyone want to buy this machine? I am so getting a stationary one that works like a tool should!
Thanks for any help you can offer. To tell the truth, I have been kicking myself ever since I got it out of the box and turned it on for the first time (it is louder than anything else in the known universe and now I have to stand next to it). I hate dewalt tools. In fact every one that I have ever used except for two, I have hated terribly (the brad nailer and the miter saw stand and my miter saw stand broke after only 2 months of service).
Thanks again for any help and sorry to post with such a surly tone.
Rob Kress
Replies
Rob, I don't know this tool, but I do know that there is a DW planer (the new one, I believe) that does have a problem that might be exactly the problem your's has. Do a search on DW 735 (or some variants) and you might find your answer. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
I know that on most "portable" planers (I know the DW735 weighs like 90 lbs.) it is very difficult to adjust the rollers. Because of the indexed knifes they assume no adjustments will be necessary. You said you are experienced with machines, and I believe you. However we all make dumb butt mistakes so dont hate me for saying this.... are you sure you put the knifes on with the bevel the right way? Beyond that I say dont jack with it any more call Dewalt and send it back to them for another one. Or if you got it at Home Depot give it back to them, they have always taken care of me in those situations. Other than the gear problem people seem to be happy with the tool, so I assume you got a lemon.
Good luck,
Mike
Rob,
I have the DW735 and went through three of them at the beginning with the broken sprocket problem but that is not your problem. The previous threads were all about the sprocket problem which is solved now; yours is different but if I had that much trouble with a new one I would ship it back or call DW. Mine has none of those problems; it is a beefy cutting machine that has great finishes.
There's no reason to drive yourself crazy struggling with this machine. It's a dud, but a good one is an excellent machine from what I've heard.
In an earlier thread, ToolGuy said:
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 11/22/2004 12:13 pm ET by forestgirl
Edited 11/22/2004 12:14 pm ET by forestgirl
Sounds to me like you got a bad one. I went thru 3 destroyed ones in shipping before I got a good one. I haven't had any problems with mine the last year and am still on the original knives, & I've sent alot of hard to plane material thru it. Works like a champ.
I don't know what the problem is, but it sounds like it is definately not working properly.
I will still suggest that the problem is lack of maintainance.
Wood often sticks to the bed which prevents the wood from moving.
One cure is to spray a bit of "Slipit" (or other friction reducing material) on the bed. Not only does this make the machine feed better it also reduces the noise. Always wear ear protection.
How well does it work? I had big pile of rough mahogany to plane. eventually I was unable to plane 1/4 turn (.015") off of 3" wide pieces. A bit of "Slipit" on the bed. And I was taking 1/2 turn (.030") off of 10" wide pieces.
(By the way the planer has 13"+ between the guides so you can plane 13" wide material.)
Thanks everyone for the replies. Indeed it was a maintenance issue....
I called dewalt this morning and their recommendation was to wax the table (did that with bee's wax) and clean the rollers with mineral spirits (did that).
The thing still screams like a crashing airplane but it does it now whilst taking off stock like mad.
Unfortunately, return of this machine is not an option and the date code looks to be 2003. So, I'll just be working with it for a while until I can take a break to get it sold and a new stationary in my possession.
Thanks again for your suggestions
Rob Kress
If you're lucky, the bearings will give way during the warrantee period, and you can send it back and get a new one! LOL! Yep, those benchtops are noisy buggers.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The new DeWalt is very loud, even compared to other bench top machines.
The source of the noise seems to be the tiny impeller they installed to evacuate chips through a hose and directly into a dust container. The impeller spins at very high speeds, I would guess it runs at over 10,000 RPM, and it is a siren.
Don't know of any fix, but I suppose it could be disabled as long as the machine was connected to a central dust collection system.
John W.
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