Bench Planer??

[jimmyG]

The thing that worried me most about a bench planer was running boards that have knots.  I've read about them exploding, getting stuck and damaging the cutter blades. Didn't know if it was a problem with spiral cutters. Either way I'm wondering if they would be more trouble than they're worth for a new hobbyist woodworker??

[Scrappile]

1 hour ago, jimmyG said:

The thing that worried me most about a bench planer was running boards that have knots.  I've read about them exploding, getting stuck and damaging the cutter blades. Didn't know if it was a problem with spiral cutters. Either way I'm wondering if they would be more trouble than they're worth for a new hobbyist woodworker??

I can only tell you my experience.  I have had one in my shop for many years.  Have done quite a bit of planing And this is the first time I have heard of this.  Not saying it couldn't/wouldn't happen, but I have never experinced it.  The only complaint I have with a planer is they are darn noisy.  You need good hearing protection and chip collection.

Edited January 28, 2024 by Scrappile

[jimmyG]

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

I can only tell you my experience.  I have had one in my shop for many years.  Have done quite a bit of planing And this is the first time I have heard of this.  Not saying it couldn't/wouldn't happen, but I have never experinced it.  The only complaint I have with a planer is they are darn noisy.  You need good hearing protection and chip collection.

I'm the kind of person who over thinks things to death and watches too many YouTube videos.  Ever since I bought that Dewalt scroll saw 4 months ago,  it's the most used tool in my work shop.  There are many hand and power tools I own that don't see much action and wanted to make sure a $500 planer doesn't become one also!

[Scrappile]

1 hour ago, jimmyG said:

I'm the kind of person who over thinks things to death and watches too many YouTube videos.  Ever since I bought that Dewalt scroll saw 4 months ago,  it's the most used tool in my work shop.  There are many hand and power tools I own that don't see much action and wanted to make sure a $500 planer doesn't become one also!

I had a Delta  for years, I used it a lot when I was into building some boats and cigarbox guitars, and street organ... I think it was wearing it out so when DeWalt had a sale on their 734 Planer I purchased one.  I know the 735 is somewhat more popular, But I am very happy with the 734.  I am a hobbist and cannot think of any reason I would need one better than the 734 model.  It does a beautiful job even better than the Delta did.  If I was a cabinet maker or something then maybe.  But for me I have no complaints with the 734 model.  Nothing wrong with watching youTube videos.  That is my go to fix it expert for many, many repairs.  

[jimmyG]

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

I had a Delta  for years, I used it a lot when I was into building some boats and cigarbox guitars, and street organ... I think it was wearing it out so when DeWalt had a sale on their 734 Planer I purchased one.  I know the 735 is somewhat more popular, But I am very happy with the 734.  I am a hobbist and cannot think of any reason I would need one better than the 734 model.  It does a beautiful job even better than the Delta did.  If I was a cabinet maker or something then maybe.  But for me I have no complaints with the 734 model.  Nothing wrong with watching youTube videos.  That is my go to fix it expert for many, many repairs.  

I've had the 734 in my HD cart many times but never pulled the trigger  in fact it's in there right now and also have a 10% off coupon that's good till end of month...  Decisions  decisions 

[Joe W.]

Regards planers and jointers - up to this point, I set them to take only a small amount off with each pass - say 1/32 or at most a 1/16 of an inch.  So far, no problems experienced with lack of power or unusual happenings (i.e.; exploding knots).
My motivation for getting the milling tools is that I'm a S.O.B. (read:  Sweet Old Boy) whose thrifty (read: tightwad) and likes to get the most out of good wood other people discard. 
Plus, I promised my wife I'd make her a large storage cabinet for her cake making supplies.  Yeah, I'll go with the last one and use my wife as an excuse for getting all those tools. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

5 hours ago, jimmyG said:

I've had the 734 in my HD cart many times but never pulled the trigger  in fact it's in there right now and also have a 10% off coupon that's good till end of month...  Decisions  decisions 

I highly suggest if you are thinking buying the 734 to step up to the 735X you will see a difference and with the 2 speeds it will be worth the money. You are nearly there anyway. As far as the knot thing, you should not be running boards with big knots in the first place. Tiny knots are fine. But what you describe can happen at a tablesaw as well. Knots are unpredictable. Besides they are very hard and will dull blades quickly and may even nick them. As far as those spiral blades, they are good because you basically have 4 sides of the blades so if you nick one easy to change and replace or just spin around. But they all must sit perfectly in the holders so any debris must be cleaned out. They will slice the board as opposed to chop and rip a board with standard blades. There are different terms when talking spiral rollers. It is just a matter of how the blade is oriented on the roller. Some are on an extreme angle. The advantage to those blades is the shearing cut and smoothness you get as opposed to standard blades which can also cause divots and snipe more so. But spiral blades are more expensive and the blades are not able to be sharpened. They also are suppose to run quieter than standard blades. But same rules apply when running boards through planer. Small cuts is the way to go. Keep rollers clean and clear the chips. 

Edited January 29, 2024 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Bill WIlson]

I have a Dewalt 734.  When I got it, it was considerably cheaper than the 735.  I just took a quick look on Amazon and it seems that they are much closer in price than they used to be, at least right now..  Given that, I would have to agree with John that the 735X is a better buy.

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

$533 for 734 and $599 735X  Just beware there is a 735 Dewalt planer too. The Dewalt 735X is the better deal because it comes with the infeed and outfeed tables as the 735 does not. Also the 735X comes with an extra set of blades as the 735 does not and nor does the 734.  Just saying. If I were buying it is a no brainer. 

Edited January 29, 2024 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[jimmyG]

6 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

$533 for 734 and $599 

Still on the fence about a planer purchase if I would get enough use from it. I see many tools around that aren't getting used much

Plus still feeling the pain from writing that check for my 2024 Accord in December

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

3 minutes ago, jimmyG said:

Still on the fence about a planer purchase if I would get enough use from it. I see many tools around that aren't getting used much

Plus still feeling the pain from writing that check for my 2024 Accord in December

Careful prices change quickly. 

Understood. Alot has to do with the type of woodworking you do. If you buy dimensioned lumber and work with BB plywoods then the need is less. But if you buy lumber in the rough you are always dressing it down to sizes and thickness you want. That is why I own a drum sander as well because after the planer you need to sand. I get beautiful lumber after drum sanding. 

Edited January 29, 2024 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[jimmyG]

2 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Careful prices change quickly. 

Lowe's and HD had that 734 on sale two different times last year for $399 and I'm kicking myself for not jumping on it!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 minute ago, jimmyG said:

Lowe's and HD had that 734 on sale two different times last year for $399 and I'm kicking myself for not jumping on it!

Hey they could do so again. They may even have a closeout sale and do away with the 734 all together. They have been known to do this. 

[jimmyG]

Home Depot has the 735 with extra knives, both tables and a stand on sale for the next 13 hours...
Plus I have a 10% off coupon.........  

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, jimmyG said:

Home Depot has the 735 with extra knives, both tables and a stand on sale for the next 13 hours...
Plus I have a 10% off coupon.........  

That is exactly what I bought 2 years ago.. I liked my Ryobi planer but it was getting tired after about 13 years of service.. and I wanted a new DeWalt because of all the hype about it. I do love the DeWalt. especially with the rolling stand. I started out with lower end stuff and two years ago I upgraded my miter saw, table saw and planer to DeWalts with rolling stands. My old tools was on cheap Harbor Freight stands without wheels etc.. I'm glad to have the tools and the rolling stands are a big plus for me. These bigger tools are not the lightest to move around if you don't have a rolling stand. That said.. some people don't have the room and store the planers under a bench or something.. so the rolling stand might not be the best option. 

For the most part, I do buy dimensional lumber.. but 9 times out of 10 I run the boards through the planer just to take out any cupping etc.. so I would say dang near 99.8% of my projects went through the planer before I started scrolling on them. I also use a lot of plywood so many don't go through the planer either.. anything not plywood likely went through the planer though. 

I was in your shoes several years ago before having the planer.. I couldn't work without one now days.. It's nice to be able to make dimensional lumber whatever size you need / want. Plus you can go to local sawmills and pick up scraps and cutoffs and make use of rough cut lumber too.. which often times is cheaper.. Just inspect boards for dirt and grit before running them through.. many folks use old pallets.. Not me anymore.. the slight amount of dirt and grit on those things will dull planer knives very fast.. so fast it's cheaper to just buy lumber, LOL Knives are not super cheap so pay attention to what you putting through it.  

[jimmyG]

5 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

That is exactly what I bought 2 years ago.. I liked my Ryobi planer but it was getting tired after about 13 years of service.. and I wanted a new DeWalt because of all the hype about it. I do love the DeWalt. especially with the rolling stand. I started out with lower end stuff and two years ago I upgraded my miter saw, table saw and planer to DeWalts with rolling stands. My old tools was on cheap Harbor Freight stands without wheels etc.. I'm glad to have the tools and the rolling stands are a big plus for me. These bigger tools are not the lightest to move around if you don't have a rolling stand. That said.. some people don't have the room and store the planers under a bench or something.. so the rolling stand might not be the best option. 

For the most part, I do buy dimensional lumber.. but 9 times out of 10 I run the boards through the planer just to take out any cupping etc.. so I would say dang near 99.8% of my projects went through the planer before I started scrolling on them. I also use a lot of plywood so many don't go through the planer either.. anything not plywood likely went through the planer though. 

I was in your shoes several years ago before having the planer.. I couldn't work without one now days.. It's nice to be able to make dimensional lumber whatever size you need / want. Plus you can go to local sawmills and pick up scraps and cutoffs and make use of rough cut lumber too.. which often times is cheaper.. Just inspect boards for dirt and grit before running them through.. many folks use old pallets.. Not me anymore.. the slight amount of dirt and grit on those things will dull planer knives very fast.. so fast it's cheaper to just buy lumber, LOL Knives are not super cheap so pay attention to what you putting through it.  

That HD deal is really good but just starting woodworking a little over a year ago and not really building anything I'm going to wait on a planer.  It's been over a month since touched anything in the workshop.  I have a track record of jumping into hobbies, spending too much money and eventually loosing interest. I have OCD  ADD  and probably more three letter afflictions I don't even know about.  

[Bill WIlson]

I get where your coming from.  Most of us have been woodworking for some time and the acquisition of tools is just kind of the natural course of things.  That also means that we are pretty good at spending other people's money.  

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

10 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said:

I get where your coming from.  Most of us have been woodworking for some time and the acquisition of tools is just kind of the natural course of things. 

Quote

That also means that we are pretty good at spending other people's money.

  

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, jimmyG said:

That HD deal is really good but just starting woodworking a little over a year ago and not really building anything I'm going to wait on a planer.  It's been over a month since touched anything in the workshop.  I have a track record of jumping into hobbies, spending too much money and eventually loosing interest. I have OCD  ADD  and probably more three letter afflictions I don't even know about.  

I get where you're coming from as I was once in the same position. Which is why I started out and many times still do buy many factory refurbished tools as well as used.. You don't have to go "all in for top of the line tools " are they nicer? sometimes yes sometimes not really any nicer "functioning" but sometimes more user friendly. I started my scroll sawing business from a free hand-me-down 2 speed scroll saw that low was way too slow and fast was way too fast,LOL  and some scrap plywood from a roofing repair on my camper..

There is nothing wrong with getting a used or refurb tool.. keep an eye out for what they sell for and wait to pounce on one that is a good buy.. good enough that if you don't use it you can make money on if you sold it. 

[jimmyG]

Well Home Depot ran out of their $260 off deal on that 735X bundle..  Probably didn't have many to offer at that crazy price...    $649 was a great price, too bad it's up to $909 now!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

11 minutes ago, jimmyG said:

Well Home Depot ran out of their $260 off deal on that 735X bundle..  Probably didn't have many to offer at that crazy price...    $649 was a great price, too bad it's up to $909 now!

That is a rip off. The 735X planer is $600 and the stand is $157 Amazon.

[jimmyG]

9 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

That is a rip off. The 735X planer is $600 and the stand is $157 Amazon.

They also throw in an extra set of knives but it's still too much.
I wouldn't but any power tools especially that heavy on Amazon since they have a habit of making the buyer pay return shipping. (From some of the reviews I've seen)
For as little as I would end up using one I may settle for a Wen spiral in the near future.

[kmmcrafts]

3 hours ago, jimmyG said:

They also throw in an extra set of knives but it's still too much.
I wouldn't but any power tools especially that heavy on Amazon since they have a habit of making the buyer pay return shipping. (From some of the reviews I've seen)
For as little as I would end up using one I may settle for a Wen spiral in the near future.

Have you looked at used machines at all? 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/663565828936948/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A4a7ca7df-c582-4486-b0b0-31e17ca5ccec

Also many times you can go to the box stores and ask if they price match... many times they do.. 

[jimmyG]

59 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Have you looked at used machines at all? 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/663565828936948/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A4a7ca7df-c582-4486-b0b0-31e17ca5ccec

Also many times you can go to the box stores and ask if they price match... many times they do.. 

I don't do social media but I check Craigslist once and a while but it has too many scams and I actually don't want to buy a used machine.  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

7 hours ago, jimmyG said:

They also throw in an extra set of knives but it's still too much.
I wouldn't but any power tools especially that heavy on Amazon since they have a habit of making the buyer pay return shipping. (From some of the reviews I've seen)
For as little as I would end up using one I may settle for a Wen spiral in the near future.

If you read my other post. The 735X has the extras thus the X. They have the infeed and outfeed tables and the extra set of knives. The 735 has none of that just the planer. The cart is an add-on. No one offers that as a package regularly. That was a Home Depot special. Good luck if you ever decide to get a planer.