DP735 Planer End Effects

[Larry Frank]

I have my infeed and out feed tables tipped up by about 1/8". This is good but still some snipe.

When I can not tolerate any snipe, I use an extra board. I run all the boards I need thru the planer end to end and also run a 2 ft trash board before and after. I typically pick up some cheap pine boards to do this.

[lowell holmes]

Jason nailed it. Lift up on the end of the board as it leaves the planer. I've experienced snipe with both of the planers I've owned.

Also, you can push a board through with a piece of scrap the same thickness. That will migrate the snipe to the scrap.

[Mike OMelia]

OK, now that I got the tables installed, I see how they work. Just how do you adjust the height?

[Kevin Smira]

Mike...where in huntsville are you? Might be helpful for someone here to come show you? I don’t own a 735, but my ridgid planer has adjustment Volta to help level the infeed/outfeed tables relative to the machine itself...

BTW, I’m in Harvest/Monrovia if you are near...

[Mark Canada]

I never had the outfeed tables on my DW735, but you can virtually eliminate snipe by running one board after another (of the same thickness!!) end to end. So as one piece's end makes it to the edge of the planer you push another board up against it and keep pushing until its into the cutter - usually this requires me to stand to the side of the planer with one piece in my left end, pushing it in, and supporting the piece coming out with my right. For the last piece you can lift it up as it comes out - with flexible thicknesses of wood, it's best to use one hand as a fulcum near the planer and pull up with the other. This pushes the board down into to the table at the same time giving it a bit of a lift.


If you're working with hardwoods, blunt blades can definitely increase snipe HUGELY. Walnut I can go from barely feeling it with new blades to 2mm of snipe with blunt blades - I guess the wood gets pulled up more by the blunt blades. They also tear the wood more and give more pull out on figured sections of the wood. If you're starting to think your blades are getting just a touch blunt (pull out in figured sections) just rotate one of the 3 blades - its often enough to significantly improve the cut.


Another tip for the DW735 when installing new blades: Install all the blades pushed all the way to the right (the mounting points give you about 1/8" sideways movement) - if you start to see streaking or lines on your planed wood, and the blades are not blunt yet, push one blade across to the left. You now have the bits of blade that are causing streaking or lines offset from each other, so the clean sections will do a pass over the damaged section and clean it up - the result is like you just flipped or changed the blades. That combined with flipping just one blade can give you significantly longer blade life. You can move 2 blades, and flip two blades... so 6x the life of the blades!


If the planer is struggling to pull wood through (I find this on Beech and Maple more than anything because they are so glossy smooth after planing), brush the rollers off and give the bed a coat of Bostik GlideCote - that stuff is *incredible* an wood will glide through without the drive wheels slipping.


Finally, check over the heads on your bolts. I had one bolt head come free from the threaded section (manufacturing defect) - it was shot through the bed of the planer, then dented the top of my cast iron table saw. The whole planer jumped about 1.5" high from the shock of losing the bolt head. Trashed a whole new set of blades. The head bounced around inside the cutter area as the wood was going through, then as soon as the wood was clear it was shot through by one of the blades - pretty scary to think what would have happened if that came out the front or back of the planer rather than straight down. Given it has enough power to go straight through the sheet metal of the base and still make a dent in cast iron, that's a trip in an ambulance if it hits you! Given it's pre-owned, I'd just check to make sure the previous owner didn't overtorque the bolts. It took 2yrs for mine to let lose and I don't over torque the bolts... I've not really heard of it as an issue, but its worth checking! After a heart attack in 2016, I don't need that kind of stress in my life!

[Randy Heinemann]

The screws on the sides which hold the tables are the places to adjust the tables up or down. You just have to loosen them enough to be able to move the inner edge of the table downward till the outer edge is above the inner edge the desired amount (1/16" - 1/8"). Lay a straight edge or a board which you know is perfectly straight on edge across the 2 tables through the planer. That will show you when the tables are angled the way you want them. It might take a little experimentation but you will know when you have it right because you will notice virtually no snipe.

[Mike OMelia]

I’m in Hampton Cove. I’ll look at those screws. Did not notice there was any play in them