Still Looking To Upgrade

Al Launier

Member
Messages
1,683
Location
Bedford, NH
Ever since I joined up with you folks, I've had the bug to upgrade my shop. Since the beginning of the year I've actually bought a few pieces of equipment (more than I anticipated). And, thanks to the recommendations & advice from many of you, and some great deals on CL, my shop is starting to look like I could actually make things in there. :thumb: The list has shortened considerably, but a few things "may" still be outstanding

One of them would be (I think) a thickness planer. Seems like that could have quite a few project applications. After checking around, it appears that for my level of woodworking, a DeWalt DW734 may do this trick. Although I just read an older post by Ned Bulken about a Steel City 40100 13" lunchbox planer that received good reviews. So, I'm still debating & Checking around. I have seen a couple of tempting CL ads (http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/tls/4065258947.html) & (http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/4035726413.html) that may be of interest???

In any event, I'm going back for more advice & recommendations from the Pros on FWW. What do you think?

Thanks as always.
 
If money was not in this I would hold out for the 735. New that one (a 734) can be got for 400 so 200 would be as much as I would pay for it. My vote keep looking.
 
The DW 735 hooks up to dust collection and I think the DW 734 does not, having a basement shop also, I sure like my DW 735, it is rock solid and much less mess when attached to dust collection:)
 
The DW 735 hooks up to dust collection and I think the DW 734 does not, having a basement shop also, I sure like my DW 735, it is rock solid and much less mess when attached to dust collection:)

The DW734 does not have the blower featured on the DW735, but it does have a 4" dust port that worked fine on my 1 1/2 hp dust collector system.

I agree with Chuck about pricing. I traded my 734 and a 6" Ridgid jointer for the equivalent of $400 in services.

Tony
 
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I'm with Tom on the DW735. It's definitely worth a few more bucks! Amazon has it for just under $550 today for the package that includes additional blades plus infeed and outfeed tables.
 
Thanks for the info on the dust port on he DW 734 Tony:thumb: my brother has the 734 and always let's the dust fly so I assumed no collection as he has a cyclone:huh:
 
I used a DW734 for years. Three knife head (much beefier knives than the DW735) , carriage lock, good dust collection and includes the adjustable infeed/outfeed tables. I sold mine to a professional shop, that despite having some monster old-iron planers available, found their DW734 their go-to machine. They wanted a spare. Mine went for $275 (Familywoodworking member price) with fairly new knives on it, two sets of new knives ($50 a set) and a Wixey DRO (about $50 IIRC) so the CL ad prices don't excite me much.

The DW735 adds a second (slower) speed which is really nice. The elevation mechanism is massive for a lunchbox planer and the tables are adjustable to cure snipe although they are an accessory. The deal Bill mentions above would push me to the DW735 if I were looking for new.
 
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My 734 is on semi-permanent loan to my Mom after I got the Hammer A3-31 in. It was a very capable machine indeed and the dust collection was decent once hooked up. It has a little plastic DC guide that before I hooked it up to actual collection would clog up fiercely so I'd actually removed it. I didn't use it with the DC much though because I got the DC about the same time as the Hammer (the hammer just plain won't work without DC). It was a real nice capable machine for sure so if there was a good enough of a deal I think it could still be in the running... Obviously if you can find a good deal on a 735 even better :D

The steel city (close the to the same price new) has a helical head (on the 40200H and 40300H) which could be nice. If nothing else the carbide inserts should last a bit longer than straight knives. If you only plane as much as I do though you'll only have to change the straights every 3-4 years which isn't all that onerous I suppose. Of course they also have three models - the 40100H is straight knife. I'm having some trouble figuring the difference between the 40200H and 40300H - I think the 40200H maybe? has a beefier up/down maybe? its $100 more anyway.

If you can can sneak in another $100 or so you start to see some larger machines like http://nh.craigslist.org/tls/4041252125.html which are heavier duty.... Now as to whether they actually cut better is somewhat debated. The lunchbox planers usually run the cutterhead faster which nominally makes for a cleaner cut (although the bigger machine is more stable) and you'll probably find one of those closer to new cheaper so... six of one...

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One other thing to note is that the smaller lunchboxes as a class are LOUD!! The smaller higher speed cutter head has a definite air siren effect. The spiral on the SC would help that quite a bit. The larger planers aren't quite as bad either. My A3-31 has a bit of a whine but its not near the ear piercing scream the 734 had either.
 
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Thanks Guys, appreciate your input.

Frankly, as I've mentioned before, I don't expect to do much in the way of woodworking, just on a casual, or repair basis. Yet, when I do work with wood, or with anything else for that matter, I appreciate quality equipment, not necessarily the best, but decent. Using quality tools usually reflect themselves in the quality of work produced. I'll keep looking for a good deal on a good tool. I'm in no hurry, just like to be equipped.

Maybe the DW735 should be on the Christmas list??? ;)
 
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I had a dw733 for many years. It was a great tool. I sold it about 6 months ago and bought the 735. So far I'm not totally impressed with it. I've had a snipe issue since it was new and nothing I've done regarding adjustments has reduced it. If I remember right the dw734 is about $299 at Lowes. Another thing I don't like about the 735 is the dust shoot. It's located right in the middle of the end the board board exits and it's a real pain to keep my dc hose out of the way to reach around and grab shorter boards. Even with it's good points I don't think it's worth the money.

Al keep checking CL. If you find a planer that looks like it may be OK have the guy run a few boards through it before you buy it.
 
My 734 is literally gathering dust. My buddy already had a planer. (I was going to get mine repaired & loan it to him after some local flooding swamped his shop. I am still find of that old hunk of iron... My vote would be for a 734 vs a 735. My steel city works great for the price. I do wish I'd saved a bit more & picked up the helical head model though. That is probably just a case of tool lust though.


Ned
 
... Another thing I don't like about the 735 is the dust shoot. It's located right in the middle of the end the board board exits and it's a real pain to keep my dc hose out of the way to reach around and grab shorter boards. Even with it's good points I don't think it's worth the money. ...

All I have to do is swing the DC hose to the side and I have no problem. Another solution is placing a 90° sweep at the output of the 735 to direct the hose away. There's always a way.
 
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