Get the best one you can afford.

 

Ditto!

 

I have the Dewalt DW734. I don't have any experience with any of the other planers. Mine has worked well for me. I have planed everything from hard maple to soft white pine. It has performed well for me over the last two years. No helical head. Just the basic style of blades made for it.

I ruined one set of the cutters planing pallet boards. My bad.

Good luck in your search.

 

I believe the DW 735 with helical head has won all the ribbons lately.

 

It's a great planer with the straight blades, I had the 734 and while it is a great planer, the 735 has some definite advantages over the 734 in my opinion.

Jerry B.

 

Hi Colin,
I have a Canadian Tire 12.5 Planer and I get along just fine with it. I do a lot of oak, 6-10"and have no trouble. Just don't rush it . I can do 1/32 per pass quite easily. I've done probably 700 feet on the blades I purchased on line from Rockler. Set up is important and roll out stands are handy for the 6-8 foot boards but if you set up your roll out feed and roll out tables as shown, snipe is not a problem. Make sawdust.

 

I agree with Marco. Get what you can afford. Do some online research I know the helix heads are nice but they are very expensive . The bits a not cheap. But now is the time to look for something with all the sale going on.Good Luck

 

Colin, I agree with both Jim and Mike. I have a DW734 and am very happy with it. It's very accurate and leaves a finish that requires little or no sanding. I've shaved as little as 1/64" from a board and my digital caliper said that's exactly what it took.

You didn't tell us what types of projects you intend to do. I'm a hobbyist and the boards I run through the planner are usually hardwood both domestic and exotic. I've never used the entire 12 1/2" capacity and i usually only run one or two boards through at a time. I buy most of my wood online or at a big box store so it's smooth to begin with and relatively free of any major knots or metal.

If you intend to run a lot of rough cut and/or wide boards for big projects you may want to consider going with a larger machine. I use straight blades but one of the advantages of a helical head is that, if you nick one or more of the knives you can rotate them without having to change out an entire knife or whole set of knives. From what I've read, since I never used them, all helical heads are not created equal so, if you decide to go with one, do your research. They are very expensive compared to a set of straight knives so you want to make the best decision for the type of woodworking that you do.

After you make your decision, let us know what you decide and why. That info can help others in the Forum who are trying to make a similar decision.

 

Hi Colin,
I also own a Mastercraft from Canadian Tire. I have had no problems with it.
I fully agree with getting the best you can afford, but it also depends on what you will do with it. I own many tools from Canadian Tire and have found most of them are fine for a hobbiest like myself. If you plan on using it frequently and for hours each time, then I would invest in higher quality. The spiral cutters are much more expensive, but you simply turn them for a fresh cutting surface. If you use your machine properly and don't hit nails or if you don't use it for glue removal, regular blades have worked for many people for many years. Good luck with your purchase.
Dan

 

Dewalt with shilex helical head is what I have had for several years now. I love it! The only thing better IMHO would be a large commercial planer.

 

If you are going to do a lot of planing the helical heads will do a very fine job, and they are relatively easy to replace cutters on. Being carbide they will stay sharp a lot longer than the high carbon steel in regular planer blades. They also cost a great deal more money than a planer with blades. The real choice is yours to make depending on the amount of lumber you wish to plane.

Gerry

 

I have a Makita planer I like, but don't really use all that much as yet. If I had to do it over I'd probably get the DeWalt 735. Hellical heads are really nice, but would stretch my budget way too far. There were complaints at one time that the DeWalt's blades didn't stay sharp long, but I don't know if that's still true. Would love to know if they changed materials and improved the working life. I did find that Infinity Tools makes an aftermarket set of blades that they say lasts far longer: Carbide Tipped Knives For DeWalt 735 Planer, 3-Pc.-Carbide Router Bits | Router Bit Sets | Shaper Cutters | Saw Blades | Planer Knives | Jointer Knives | Infinity Cutting Tools

 

I have a Delta wood planer I bought about 15 years ago and am very happy with it. Mine is a 12 1/2 in., but in my opinion wider is better. Spiral cutter heads are nice, but more expensive. If you can get a three blade head with two speed in a 13 in., that would probably be great. This is just my opinion, I'm sure others will disagree, but that is what makes life interesting. Good luck with your search and your in-laws.

Tom B.

 

My first was a 12" delta lunchbox,did the job for years, knives were ok and easy to get.after that burnt out got a 400mm makita,really liked it ,knives could be re sharpened,lots of power,but the urathane rollers were a sore spot and was the end of mine,bought a dewalt 735 about 2 years ago,so far so good,knives do nick easy, if I had the shop I have now 2 years ago may have considered a 15" stationary

 

Hey, Colin; if you're doing some price comparison shopping, here's some current ones from KMS Tools (North of 49)...
https://www.kmstools.com/general-international-13-helical-head-planer-11287
https://www.kmstools.com/dewalt-13-portable-thickness-planer-1753
https://www.kmstools.com/king-canada-12-1-2-portable-thickness-planer-62169

Maybe they'll throw in free shipping? They are really into online sales.

 

I'm glad you asked the question because I'm also looking for a planer. I'm looking at the Dewalt 735X. It comes with an extra set of blades and the input and output shelf.
$554.08 at Home Depot, $563 at Lowes and $559.78 at Sears. You can get it cheaper online with free shipping and no sales tax, but there seems to be a problem with machines with a date prior to 2010, so I will order it from a local store so I can check the date.
The 735 has 2 speeds and the 735X comes with the extra set of blades.

 

I don't know if you are aware, but to my knowledge, Sears warranties all their tools for life. This means that they will fix or replace any damaged tools at their cost, even though you did not buy the planer originally. You might want to take a few minutes and contact them just in case they can help you out. Good luck with this and in 2015. Pierre

 

Hi.I have Dewalt 734 that I have owned for quite a few years. Dust collection leaves a lot to be desired, but over all a good planer. I too ruined a set of blades planing pallet boards, I won't ever do that again,the money saved is not worth the cost of a new set of knifes.

 

Thanks for all the help. I went with a Dewalt 735 and an extra set of blades. I also picked up a jet 22-44 pro drum sander. I build stuff from family signs to kitchen tables and built in entertainment centers. I was an hour late at getting a grizzly 20 inch stationary planer for 500 bucks. So he made a great deal with the Dewalt and jet drum sander.

 

Enjoy your planer Colin
Btw
What part of the country you in?

 

I am from manitoba.

 

Practically neighbours.,ontario is right next door
Lol
Good luck with the 735,I have had mine about a year

 

You Did good Colin. The 735 is hands down the best for the money out there . I had one for several years and planed a lot of rough sawn lumber with it. I had it hooked to a dust collector and it would fill a garbage can fast. I put a wixey digital read out on it,they make a model for it. If you raise the infeed/outfeed tables a 16" on the outboard ends you will eliminate snipe on the end of your board. You can even get carbide blades for it they are spendy but supposed to out last 5 sets of HSS blades. I used the HSS blades, they are sharpened on both side so you just flip them over. Changing blades is a snap as they have pins and holes to locate them. You will like that machine

Herb

 

If you have an industrial grinding shop near you they can resharpen the dewalt blades

 

I have a 13" Ridgid and was having problems with figured wood.
I swapped out the cutters and put in a helix head and have had no problems since.

Buck

 

What did your helix head set you back? Was it easy to change out. I have a couple of 12-1/2 inch planers and was thinking that a helix cutter head might be a big improvement over blades.

Gerry

 

Gerry, I don't remember the exact cost but I think it was in the $400 range.
When looking around you'll find that with some planers it is hard to find helical
heads that are made for it. Also be sure to get a picture of the head because
some have more cutters than others. I didn't do this and ended up with one that
really could use more cutters. As far as swapping out the heads, it isn't real difficult
but does require several hours. On my Ridgid I had to tear it down pretty far.

Buck

 

Thanks for the feedback Buck

Gerry

 

12 inch wadkin bursgreen combination planer thicknesser with spiral cutter head never had any problems