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need help with buying planer

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Mitch Mitchell

Member
Messages
12
Location
Warren, MI>
Hello,

I'm new to woodworking and I'm finding that having a thickness planer would get rid of alot of problems.
My wife told me to go get one :}. I was looking at the dewalt 735,because of 3 blades and 2 speeds.My question
is do I really need all that? That is the max on planer budget and would prefer to buy used.I have seen
them on craigslit for 300 to 350......Any input would really help out.....thanks

This is a great forum........
 
welcome to the bunch mitch! as for planers, i have, and can highly recommend rigid's 3 blade planer. i've had one for a little over a year now, and i've fed everything through it, and it keeps coming back for more. at roughly $400 at home depot new, not a bad bargain.
 
Welcome to FFW Mitch:wave: We have quite a few members that have the DW735 including me and speaking for myself I really like it and would by one again with out question:thumb:
 
On the theory of "Buy once, cry once" I'd recommend biting the bullet and getting the 735. It's a real workhorse, and has a great reputation. Buying a lesser (cheaper) planer might be okay, but every time there's a tear-out, or some snipe, you'll wonder "Should I have gotten the 735 instead..."

If you want to go upwards from a so-called 'portable' planer, then I'd look at the Delta or Grizzley 15" models. They're much more powerful, and built like tanks. Pretty pricey, though. They make the 735 seem cheap! (price-wise, not quality-wise).
 
Welcome aboard, Mitch! You'll find this Family a great bunch of folks.

I bought a 735 a little over a year ago and think it's great! If you haven't already, check Amazon. When I was ready to buy, I caught the 735X package, which included an extra set of blades and the tables for $100 less than the plain 735 package at the Borg.
 
You don't "need" all that but they are "nice to have" features. The built in dust blower is especially nice if you don't have a dust collection system. The slower speed option is nice too because it leaves a smoother finish, but I don't consider the planer to be a true finishing machine. Inevitably the blades will end up with a nick in them, and the finish is dependent on the condition of the blades, so that finish quality is fleeting. I do feel that a snipe reduction system of some sort (cutterhead lock or 4-post thread design) are important, as well as dust chute capability...not all the cheapest models have those features. The DW735 gets great reviews, but the DW734, Delta 22-580, 22-590, Makita, Ridgid, and Steel City planers also get very good marks...many for less money. All are very capable of an excellent finish when the blades are fresh, and all have reasonable reliability track records AFAIK.
 
I vote for DeWalt planer also. Mine isn't the newest one of the bunch, bought over 12 years ago. But it has been a workhorse and has done beautiful work for me. Welcome to the family.
 
before you make your final decision, consider dust collection and power source.
if you dont have a 220 line, you might not be able to handle anything larger than the 735.
dust blower in the 735 is a nice feature if you dont have a collector.
 
wow i guess its the 735 .....I do have a dust collector and 220 plugs...220 is one of the first things i did.
I thank you all for the very fast response and it has been very helpful.
once again thank you very much.................
 
Or maybe you just get lucky like I did. I spent a good bit of time researching and trying to figure out what would work best for me and I guess my wonderful wifey just got tired of me taking too long to choose. She came in one afternoon back in October with a couple of grocery bags and asked me to help her get some stuff out of the trunk. I'm thinking I'm going to be carrying in some groceries but when I opened the trunk there sat a shiny new Craftsman model 21758 12 1/2" planer. I've used it quite a bit and although I'd love the features of the Dewalt 735 i'm pretty happy with this bad boy.
 
i was wondering about the Steel City Tool Works 40300H 13-Inch Planer with 26 insert Spiral Cutterhead. Lowes has that for 560.00
or should I just stay with 735......Amazon has the 735X for 558.00 and free shipping..................I dont know anything about
Steel city tool works...just a thought.........
 
Mine is a Grizzly smaller unit than you are considering. For my uses it is fine.
However, if I were to buy another planer it would - MUST - have an accurate, resettable thickness setting guide. A digital read out would be perfect.
 
Well I just got the planer today and right out the box I planed 4 pcs to same size and they were
within .005 of each other....I really like it and im glad i came here for advice......thank all of you very very much..........
 
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