Looking for a Planer

Ed3443 said:

I have been looking to get a planer. I have been thinking about the Dewalt 735X. I have seen great reviews on this site as well as other places. I then saw the Makita 2012NB. I am looking to use this for general use as well as for nicer work. I have also thought about spending more for a Grizzly. It might be nice to have a larger planer, but cash is tight. Any thoughts?

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Good morning,

Have you considered spending just a bit more money and getting a machine that will basically not wear out?

Wood Master Tools has 3 models to choose from and are excellent, long lasting machines.
Models available are the following:
12 inch model 712
18 inch model 718
25 inch model 725

I have had the model 718 since about 1991 and have used it a lot, both as a planer and moulder.
I also have the model 725 with the Helical head for about 15 years. Both have and are serving me well.

They are easy to maintain and up keep is minimal.
I know you want to watch the budget like the rest of us but... they are great machines and this is my 2 cents worth of feed back.

Regards,

Tim of ZWW&S

I have had a Dewalt 735 for about 10 years. It is a great planner. If I had to replace the Dewalt I would get a spiral head type planner. They are quieter and have a better finish. My knives on the 735 are the Dewalt OEM type. They are easy to chip on glue or other things I cannot even figure out why it chipped. When my knives chip I have to run a piece through twice so I can get rid of the little ridges left by the blade chips. The blades on the spirals have 4 sides and you can turn just one or two of them if a chip occurs. The carbide lasts much longer than HHS and in the end they may even be cheaper all things considered. I have researched the Byrd Shelix but cannot justify the cust to upgrade for a 10 year old planner.

So as I said earlier I would go with a spiral carbide head on anything new I bought.

The sales sometimes include the infeed/outfeed tables and a stand. You really need to have the planner anchored. If you want the Dewalt try to get the package with the infeed/outfeed, extra knife set and the stand. I just wish Dewalt had a Byrd option from the start instead of adding it later.

I have never owned a Cutech and cannot compare.
I have owned the DeWalt 734, Grizzly 0550, Grizzly 1037Z, and the Grizzly 0454Z.

The DeWalt 734 is a decent planer for the $$$ and used a good deal. It has 3 cutters compared to the 733 which has 2. Very load, but I don't think a quiet planer exists no matter the cutter type.
This planer is not crazy heavy as others may be, and could work to your advantage if you need to move and store often. 80 pounds I think, and you most likely have an electrical outlet that will carry.
I used a 115v / 20 amp circuit and all was well. Excellent chip removal also.
The cutter head is what is adjusted on the 734, not the feed table. This makes having an infeed and outfeed table much more user friendly as no adjustment are necessary for detached outfeed tables.
Greatest limitation in my use was width. I often needed to plane something that is greater than the capacity (12-1/2 inches?).
I do not recall what the hp was for the DeWalt 734 but it was sufficient for hardwoods as this is what I plane mostly..
I have no complaints of the DeWalt as it planed everything I put thru it with no issues and seemed to have decent power.... except it was portable. This meant - before I bought the DeWalt stand, I moved it where I needed by carrying. I am not the young buck I once was and seem to forget this at times. I know 80 pounds is not a large amount of weight, but it has its moments.
The factory blades done well. Were still sharp when I sold a few months ago.
I sold this planer after 2 years as I just "needed the room".
Rating - 7 (based on MY value, comfort, durability, functionality, and capability).

I bought the Grizzly 0550 (15 inch) back in the mid 90's and used it much in its time. Good planer. Noisy. Heavy. Decent power. Requires 240v power but the foot print is similar to the DeWalt. It is on wheels, no carrying.
Have not used this planer for many years as it is stored in the back and difficult to get too.
This one cost twice as much as the DeWalt but I don't recall the DeWalt line of planers being available in the mid 90's.
It has the cutterhead adjustment on top as well, not the feed bed. Big advantage. I believe this is a 2 hp planer.
Again, greatest limitation I experienced when using this planer was capacity. I often needed to plane something greater than 15 inches. Excellent chip removal.
I think this rascal is obsolete for purchase from Grizzly today.
Rating - 7 (based on MY value, comfort, durability, functionality, and capability).

I purchased a 20 inch (0454Z) from Grizzly last March hoping to satisfy the capacity issue (will see about that).
It has a larger foot print and heavy. Very heavy. But, it does come on casters. 5 hp. 240v is required. This one does have the spiral head. Still noisy, but much quieter. I am not so sure it can be heard across the holler as the others could.
Plenty of power.
You could buy several DeWalt 734 planers for what this one cost (somewhere around $2900 maybe?).
The cutterhead adjustment on the 20 is on the feed bed. This is not a huge anti-stimulant, but it can be a nuisance at times as the detached feed bed will be at different heights of the outfeed table.
I will down-grade the chip removal to "Good" on the 20. It does fine, but dust collector is required or it WILL plug up.
Rating - 7 (based on MY value, comfort, durability, functionality, and capability).

I have no comment on the 1037Z as of yet. It has never been used. But it is a bit of a runt compared to the other 2. I think it is a 13 inch. I bought it just to make mouldings that I have never made yet.
Rating - 10 (based on how pretty it is).

I find it difficult to rate the planers as instructed as I had a very good idea what I was getting when I purchased each, and each met my expectations, and each performed well in their purpose and done their intended job well.

KC