Move from 15" to Dewalt 13" planer?

[Curt Harms]

I think that the bottom line here is that it's not really going to save you any space because it's so heavy and will have to live on a stand anway. IE, it's not really buying you anything other than maybe the rubber rollers being able to better handle thinner materials. I'll also agree with Aaron that if space is a concern, a jointer/thicknesser combo is often a great solution.

Yup, J/P combos can be had with a few different cutterheads including helical. My J/P requires a space 2' X 5' for storage. That gets me a 12" jointer and 12" induction planer both driven by an induction motor so no screaming meeme. Pretty good deal really if you can get past the purchase $$$$ and the change over which is not as big a deal as it's made out to be, at least for me.

[Mark Rainey]

I had a Dewalt 735 for 6 years. A great machine but the screaming sound is obnoxious. When a belt I replaced broke again, I decided enough is enough. I bought a Makita planer for $200 more. It is significantly quieter. I am glad I did.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Regarding noise, the DW735 is among the loudest power tools I have ever used and I have used hundreds. Maybe a step down from jackhammer and modified chainsaw.

I owned one for 6 or 7 years and generally liked it for what it was, but it’s extremely loud and no way it’s going to replace or come close to the production performance of a larger 15” + iron machine. 1/32” passes with hardwoods generally.

Footprint on a stand / cart is very close to a 15” iron machine, so no real space savings unless you have some type of modular/custom storage arrangement. I would not want to be lifting it / having to move it to store it away with any sort of regularity.

I upgraded to a 20” SCM and kept the 735 around for about 6 months, but it just collected dust and I sold it to a friend who uses it for planing thin guitar parts.

[mike stenson]

I find all these references to how loud the Dewalt is absolutely ludicrous. Most bench top and stationary power tools generate a lot of noise. Invest in good hearing protection and you’ll barely notice that it’s on.

I tend to agree. It's loud, there's no denying that. Does there exist a planar that's less than 80db? Then again, I don't have close neighbors either.

[Michael Burnside]

Yea, I think it's mainly a "neighbor" or living inside the dwelling thing, I would assume? I find the dust collector being "too loud" argument as equally absurd if it's just the noise in the shop. Don't skimp on quality ear protection and it's a non issue for the woodworker.

[Mark Rainey]

My Dewalt scream easily goes over 100db when planing wood. CDC recommends DOUBLE hearing protection at that level

[mike stenson]

My Dewalt scream easily goes over 100db when planing wood. CDC recommends DOUBLE hearing protection at that level

I wear electronic shooting muffs with about a 30db drop when I use any power tool. But it's a good point.

once you're also adding dust collection etc, it's probably into 'double protection' levels anyway.

[Dave VanDewerker]

My Dewalt is significantly quieter with the Steelex head than with straight knifes, still loud, but not nearly as much.

[Michael Burnside]

I wear electronic shooting muffs with about a 30db drop when I use any power tool. But it's a good point.

once you're also adding dust collection etc, it's probably into 'double protection' levels anyway.

One thing to remember is that dB is not additive, it is logarithmic. So two sources that are both 100dB (pretty rare I think) the noise level would only be a 3dB increase (103dB) from doubling the source power. Any other sources that are lower than this have even less impact. This doesn't take into account wave cancelation.

I can't imagine the DeWalt being that loud, but maybe it is. Ideally you want to be less than 70dB at your ear. I'd say your 30dB hearing protection is actually pretty good, but maybe on the edge for a 100dB tool.

In my shop I measured SPL from my DC and CNC (my loudest tools) which are around 86-88dB and I wear 30dB over-the-ear protection and occasionally a set of Festool plugs that are rated at 25dB.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I wear electronic shooting muffs with about a 30db drop when I use any power tool. But it's a good point.

once you're also adding dust collection etc, it's probably into 'double protection' levels anyway.

Gonna guess Pro Ears Gold. That’s what I wear. Bought it for the range, now also use it in the shop. Silence is golden. Pun definitely intended.

[Gordon Dale]

Oliver has a benchtop planer with a helical head. The guys at my local woodcraft store prefer it to the Dewalt and claim it is quieter. I have no experience with either machine. Just passing it along as an option.

[Jim Becker]

I find all these references to how loud the Dewalt is absolutely ludicrous. Most bench top and stationary power tools generate a lot of noise. Invest in good hearing protection and you’ll barely notice that it’s on.

The DW735 has been known from the very beginning when it was introduced years ago to be an "exceptional screamer" compared to other portables.

[Mike Cutler]

Several years ago I was looking for a planer with a helical head for my hobby woodshop. I ended up with a 15" Grizzly because I found a good deal on a used one. It's a nice planer, but it's taking up a lot of space in my small garage for the amount that I use it. I've been thinking of replacing it with a Dewalt 735 with a Shelix head. Is this a crazy idea, or a reasonable way to save space in a small shop? I wouldn't really miss the extra 2" in width, and think the Dewalt might work better on thinner boards, or when I want to take a light cut that would leave marks from the infeed roller with the Grizzly.

Geoff
I'm sorry, but I gotta take the opposite position here. Trading a 500lb, 15" planer, for a bench top machine that weighs 1/5 the weight, is not a path I would take.
The Dewalt has been extremely well received since it's inception, and has proved to be a winner, Other than the noise level, everyone loves them, but it is not a replacement for a 3HP, 500lb. planer.
A planer, and a jointer, can never be too big. The amount of floor space requires comes down to the board being run through them.
I would need to be extremely limited on floor space to trade the Grizzly, for the Dewalt.

[glenn bradley]

I think that the bottom line here is that it's not really going to save you any space because it's so heavy and will have to live on a stand anway. IE, it's not really buying you anything other than maybe the rubber rollers being able to better handle thinner materials. I'll also agree with Aaron that if space is a concern, a jointer/thicknesser combo is often a great solution.

This was my experience. The footprint isn't all that different and the 735 isn't really portable.

[Curt Harms]

I tend to agree. It's loud, there's no denying that. Does there exist a planar that's less than 80db? Then again, I don't have close neighbors either.

One thing I've read - don't have and never used a DeWalt 735 - is, if you're using good dust/chip collection, remove the impeller on the integral fan. Doesn't make a huge difference but it helps. The fan is there for people that don't have suitable dust collection. Again, no first hand experience with it.