Care and Feeding the DeWalt DW735 Thickness Planer 

A down to earth real man, no stupid ham acting, just great technical experience.

As someone new to using this kind of machinery, I want to thank you for putting your great experience and knowledge into everything I have watched so far on your channel. All this is valuable and gives me the confidence that I can use and service the equipment I get do produce the results I want. Your love of woodworking shines and is a pleasure to watch. It is rare to find someone willing to pass on their hard earned knowledge these days and I look forward to watching many more of your videos. And as far as the quality of your videos goes, this is far better than many of the videos I have watched before finding your channel.

Matt Thank you for this video (I am now a subscriber) I' bought my dewalt 735 new a year ago and now am experiencing snipe and bogging down with 8-9 inch boards. Actually had to help push some of them them through. (Waxing the table did help) I will follow your EXCELLENT video step by step as I flip the blades and clean it. I suspect when I'm done with your maintenance video I will once again be in love with my Dewalt 735

Thanks for producing this video. Your explanations are clear and photography is excellent. This is a keeper for those of us who own a Dewalt 735 but don't use it as often as we would like. Thanks again.

I was contemplating switching to a helical cutter head for my DW735 but what you said makes sense about the scallops. I get them with my jointer (it has a helical cutter) if I push wood thru too fast. I think you just saved me $500! Changing the knives on the planer is much easier than on a jointer anyway because of the time involved for alignment (on a jointer) so is not a big deal. Thanks for the info. You’re very direct with no messing around.

I've searched high and low for a video on this planer. Relatively new to woodworking so the pace and attention to detail throughout was absolutely perfect! I couldn't care less about "production quality" - just keep doing what you're doing here and I'll be a subscriber for life!

I'm planning on buying this thickness planer and you have just given me a wealth of information on its care and maintenance, thank you. I've been subscribed for awhile now, and I always enjoy your content. I'm learning a lot from you thank you again.

Your videos are way better than the fancy edited ones. Knowledge and experience make you an expert. Subscribing!

This is a very well-done video… I must say that I do have the helical cutterhead in my DeWalt 735 and I have found it to be absolutely wonderful. I see no evidence of any scallops or imperfection in the surface being planed. While the helical head represent a significant investment I feel that they are Worth every penny. Two years later I’m still on my first set of carbide knives.

The tip on shifting the new blades all as far as they go on one side is brilliant. Easy to overlook, but could save a replacement right there. I can really appreciate someone who takes pride in maintaining their tools properly and using them they way they were designed. Most people abuse their tools and wonder why they fail or don’t produce the results they expect.

Thank you for this amazing video. You are a blessing to all beginner/intermediate woodworkers out there!

Holy crap. If I send you a list of everything I own, will you do maintenance videos for them all? Outstanding information presented succinctly. Thank you.

I can't believe how much priceless info is in here...great video, wall to wall helpful insights, and this is now my go to reference for planers! And don't sweat the production aspects, that'll just become second nature with time, and there's plenty of great camera angles in here to really see what you're talking about. The info you provide is awesome and you do it in a very easy to follow manner while also covering the why's and how's, that's what's most important.

Excellent, informative video. Just bought a 735 and have been viewing boatloads of videos on it. Your video Matt is one of the most helpful I have seen. Thanks again. Cheers, Mike.

Well done video. I bought my 735 used and the first time I went to change the blades, there were two screws that would not budge - had to use a cold chisel to cut slots in them so I could get them out. Now when I change blades I wipe a little Moovit on the threads and torque them to 50 in-lbs using a FAT wrench. Silicone can cause fish-eyes in many film finishes, so perhaps not the best choice for a lubricant spray.

Who needs fancy video production!? The info is important and well presented.

bought one at the flea market and it worked great, but now I'm gonna go in and clean it up. Thanks for the tips and information. Really a big help!!! :-)

Thank You for the great information!!! I just bought that DW735 planer, have not even plugged it in yet!!! Will do a check over an a polish job before ever starting it!!!!

MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) is great for cleaning the rollers. Back in the day we used to use it to clean printer platens. It would clean without destroying the platen. Other products such as alcohol would dissolve the platen making it gummy.

had one off these planers for years now , have run a lot of hardwood through it, great little planer , but the dewalt blades are garbage , there other manufactures that make much better blades for this planer, I do this same stuff on my planer on a regular bases . Nice video .

Just bought one, and this was helpful and you're right, one speck of dust and you have a nick in their blades. Might I suggest that you wear a dust mask/respirator when you use compressed air to blow out the dust and put all that dust in the air that you are breathing.

Well I just bought one yesterday. And after watching this video.. got me more excited..plus you got a subscriber 👍👍

Hi Mat ( I hope I get you Name right), I really appreciate your detailed videos, especially ones about maintenance over the machines. Really needed staff if you love your tools and you want them to work as long as possible. Base on your inputs I have made a decision of buying DW735 and I am expecting one to come shortly. Thank you for all your advices and will be waiting for new. Best Regards, Julian.

Thank you for convincing me to stick with a full blade as opposed to a helical Awesome advice followed with you normal sensible rational reasoning

thank you, very good info as I'm about to buy the 735X hopefully

This is like a day at the spa for that lucky Dewalt - you've inspired me to grow my lubricant and spray collection!

I installed a helical head cutter in my dw735 about 6 months ago. It's true that that you can't take off as much per pass but l haven't noticed the scallop ing you mentioned. On the slow speed it leaves a smooth surface. After changing out about 2 dozen knives and the cost rising I made the switch. I still miss the old Powermatic we had at my last place of employment. If you could get the wood under the head it went thru.

...Outstanding tutorial on planer maintenance. The beauty of it is it applies to most if not all thickness planers. Can't go wrong having an air blower at hand too. I'm of the thought that mineral spirits would do the trick for cleaning off gum & sap & just a little easier on the sniffer, ( nose )... Excellent tips on lubricating the chains too. Waxing & buffing the tables, great idea. I have been researching the DW734 planer which includes the tables & seems to get positive reviews as well, however I will look a little closer at this machine before making a decision. Thank you for putting this out there. Bill Farr... :-)

Hey Matt, great video. I just purchased this exact unit and set it up in my shop. So far it is amazing and can't believe I never owned one. My jointer has been doing all my work through the years but this works fantastic. You can do so much more with this unit. Thanks again!!! Al

Your presentation was great don't change a thing. No editing needed because your honesty and expertise shines through. I have been looking at planners for quiet a while and you just sealed the deal on the dewalt 735 any thoughts on an affordable joiner I can pair with it to get the job done. I would love to here your thoughts.

Awesome vid... thanks for sharing

Boeshield T-9 is the best lubricant for the chains. It is a waxy lubricant that is carried with a very thin solvent that dries after application. The result is a dry surface that does not attract dust, and the waxy lubricant is carried to the innermost part of the chain links.

Great info. Thank you

Nicely done video. I am purchasing this planer and loved the details you included. Appreciate your hard work!

Great video

Thanks for this informative and well-executed tutorial! Just got a DW735x and the companion rolling stand and hope to maiden them over the next weekend. So coming across this video today was perfect timing. I appreciate your approach to content in this video which strikes a good balance between maintaining pace while still providing detailed, accurate commentary. This video explains and demonstrates the value of an organized thoughtful approach to planer maintenance. I plan to implement versions of your approach to tracking both blade and blade edge changes. I also appreciate your commentary on the ability to offset blades to potentially minimize or eliminate ridges after blades get nicked. Have to think a little about that, the manual is pretty vague so I need to actually see the registration system to understand by how much the blades can be shifted. Finally I was interested to see your thoughts on the helical cutterheads. I gather you don't subscribe to the notion that helical arrangement of the carbide cutters leads to smoother result as all cuts are made with a shearing action. In my case I plan to stick with the OEM arrangment unless it becomes problematic due to excessive blade changes or poor performance in figured boards.

great vid. thanks kindly

I'm getting ready to change the blades o my planer. I'm glad I saw your video first it will make things easier since it's the first time I've changed them.

You rock!! Thanks

I just purchased mine and found this to be very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos. Keep doing what you do!

My DW735 has been converted to a helical cutter head and I get a super smooth finish out of it. My experience with the DeWalt head and knives is that the blades always dulled rapidly. I plane a lit of hardwood and I was having to change the knives every time I turned around. Now, a nick in a cutter, one screw, turn the cutter, and I’m off to work again. Best bucks I’ve ever spent.

....."nostalgia taking over reality". I live that mantra on a daily basis. Even learned a thing or two along the way.

As a DIY newbie wood worker I’ve learned so much from your videos. Thank you very much! For all you do for the channel.

Excellent video and process. Thank you for sharing and your video skills are excellent. Don't change.

Hello, First off Thank you for the well detailed and easy to understand tutorial videos that you have provided. I purchased a DW 735 a few years back and have had the misfortune of running into a problem with the screw height adjustments jamming and no I can no longer raise or lower the cutter head. I have tried to find some vids on how to solve this problem but no luck. The units top covers have been taken apart and its been thoroughly cleaned along with lubricating the screw spindles. The chain tension is good and I can not visually seen any issues. Wondering due to the amount of experience you have with this unit if you have any suggestions or problem solving tips. Thanks in advance, Chris

I love mine. I do a couple steps out of your order. I clean the rollers and everyother part after removing the blades. I've used to many band-aids early on. Last step is installing those very sharp blades. But thanks for some cleaning tips I had not been doing!

This is the type of person you want to buy your used tools from! Excellent video sir.

Great video work! No apologies necessary! I like the straightforward approach. Thank you for the post.

The best piece of unsolicited advice I can offer in respect to these planers is go big and invest in the shelix head. I did and I'm finally happy with its performance. Well worth the money.

i'll care for and feed it but i'm not taking it out for walks!!!

Nice! Thanks for sharing this as i found it very informative and covered some things that I would have missed on my soon upcoming maintenance for my 735. Blades are still giving a nice finish but I'll need to slide one (wasn't aware that you could do this so that's good to know) and my feed rollers definitely need cleaning. Also like your wax application technique. I've been using an automotive paste wax which works well but I'll try your French Polish method this time! Thanks for sharing!

Really great video! Thank you, I have a 735 and never changed the blades (I don't have time to work in my shop so the 735 doesn't get much use). I will know what to do when I need do maintenance. I subscribed to your channel. Thanks again!

Dewalt should hire you! Best info I’ve seen on my planer by far. Learned a lot. Thanks.

Retired aviator here ... 80. Outstanding video. 4.0 production. Two crits. Not so much upfront background explanation needed. And, 2, spend just a tad more focus on the cutter head detent thing. Watched the vid. Went out to shop, pulled top cover and dust collector, but couldn't get the cutter head to rotate, by hand that is. Came back to your great vid, and found the subtlely mentioned 'detent'. Went back ... worked easily of course. Thank you. Have vid saved and am sure will refer to it in future, when I'm ready to change the cutters. This machine is a miracle. Will never forget the moment I pulled a rough cut stick of cedar, straight from my local sawmill, out of it. Couldn't believe my eyes! It's become a joyous occasion almost, every time I run the planer. I keep thinking each piece is the prettiest piece of wood I've ever seen ... then comes the next. I have an almost endless supply of wood now available because of this machine ... and the fact that I live in the wilderness. Maple, Walnut, Oak, Pine, Black Cherry, old torn-down barn, school, and house woods. Not to mention salvaged pallet woods! But none of that would be useful if I didn't have the DeWalt.. AND ... your excellent assistance in caring for it. It is fairly new and I've been terrifically intimidated by prospects of having to eventually change the cutter blades. I've been dreading it so much, for fear I'd probably seriously damage the machine. After your video, and my little foray today, into just taking the covers off, and cleaning it out? No longer! I've seen the innards, and things aren't nearly as intimidating as before. THANK YOU .... great job with this video! Complex, great machine ... but you made caring for it sooo much easier now. Do take care.

Great video! On the cart, are the legs angled outwards?

Tri-Flow is for mountain bike chains? I had no idea all these years. I've always used it for my tools.

Unfortunately the kind of mid range planer, that the DW735 is, is not available in Europe or maybe even outside North America... sigh... The 730/733 is a light weight (which of course can be practical in a van or truck), but nowhere near as sturdy and able as yours, as I'm sure you already know... And the higher range Hammer, STMs, Robland and Felders, well... They're just a bit out of my league, both pertaining to price and space... Too bad. A really cool tool.

Matt, great video. You might want to check out this recent video review from Jay Bates' website where he upgrades his DW735 with a new blade with a unique configuration by a company called Shelix: jayscustomcreations.com/2018/06/planer-upgrade-dw735-shelix/

No need to apologize for editing of this excellent video. Lots of good tips. Concise and to the point. Really enjoyed watching.

Excellent video, would you share the drawing of you steel stand for your Dewalt DW735? Thanks

Absolutely terrific. You treat your tools better than most people treat their spouses! You are obviously passionate about what you do. Thank you.

Great demonstration of blade change and routine maintenance. Thank you for making it. Seeing you clean and wax the area below the blades made me nervous though. I'll be doing that part while the blades are removed.

Great video. Very informative. Do you have any tips to decrease snipe on this plainer? Keep up the great work.

Thought you were going to show how you run the boards thru and what adjustments you made. Depth of cut, can you change height midway thru a cut.? Stuff like that.

Thanks for this!

Thanks for the comments about the helical cutter head. That was very helpful and actually changed my plans.

I have nicked my blades, but your video will help me flip the blades around, thanks

Best video yet. I love the no-nonsense way you film and not treat us like elementary school kids. I'm subscribing right now.

New to site and loved maintenance of planer video. I have same unit, however the planer speed control knob is stuck in high speed position. I’m unable to change speed. Could you address fixing this problem? Thanks

Hi, recently picked up one of these, it looks new and the seller assured me that it was however it doesn’t want to feed through the timber. It doesn’t seem to even grab no matter what height adjustment I use. Looking at the belt it’s not broken so am not sure what the problem is. any tips?

I just bought a 735 and the hand wheel seems really stiff. I found your video while trying to find out if my machine is a dud as shipped or needs to be tuned in some way. I need a firm grip to adjust the height on mine and it's enough work that I want to change hands two or three times to crank from 1/8" up to the full 6".

Shaner saying hi from Canada..I like how you take care of your things & I'm the same way when it comes to my tools and vehicle. I always say if you look after your stuff it will look after you when you need it. I just got a 735 planer and can't wait to use it. Keep up the good work and videos.

Thank you for your professional insight. I purchased this unit, & the stand. Thank you for saving me some cash on the helical coil head cutter. Looks like I need to get some silicone spray, some paste wax, & chain lube. Back to Home Depot. Thank you again, you are an asset to your trade.

That’s most annoying this planner is not available in the U.K. only the 733 is. I do a lot of window restoration and am looking for a mobile thicknesser to carry about I prefer a 3 knife block though.

You just blew my mind with the wax rag applicator. Why didn't I think of that before??

Just bought one of these. My first planer. Excellent video; thanks a bunch. Quality is good, no worries there.

Thank you for the in depth description of how you maintain this planer. I appreciate your attention to detail. I need to rotate my first set of blades and found this very helpful.

Awesome info ! No need to put locktite on the screws holding the knives ?

Wait... that’s looks like the BS1000 😁

Thanks very much for such an informative video....my planner works a lot better now after your maintenance tips. I was blowing sawdust all over the place till I saw your set up. I hunted around and found a collection bag off a Stihl blower vac and hooked it up as did. No more dust everywhere.

Thanks for this. My wife got them this planer and a dewalt plunge router for my B-day/christmas. First did a butcher block top using cheap pine lumber. Toward the end of the run I noticed that as my "Collection bag" A.K.A. an old pillow case and spring clamp. was getting full I got some chunks of wood on the rollers when I planed one that was sitting at the edge of the garage (raining that day). I guess it was little wet. It made impressions on the wood. Its a learning process right? About to run a few things through it and remembered I needed to clean up the rollers! Thanks for the info.

Why take the bolts out in pattern on one blade (and explain why) but not the others

Wow. Like being there. Shifting the blades! VERY clever.

Very nice and informative - I share your desire to keep things neat & clean. Best wishes.

I just upgraded to from a makita planet to the Dewalt DW735x. I’m excited to see the results. I love the video and you gave a lot of great and useful information. You’re a great teacher!! Thank You Sir!!

Great video - content is king! I subscribed. Pretty much all the positive comments everyone else has said. I just ordered a 735x, Farm & Fleet have them for $539 and I got Home Depot to price match (Needed to use my gift cards) . Look forward to more videos! (Maybe a younger person can remember - LOL, guess I'm not a younger person)

I was debating upon which thickness planer to buy... thinking they were pretty much all the same. You’ve demonstrated the detailed thought DeWalt has designed into the DW-735, making my choice clear. I hope DeWalt pays you a commission. Thanks!

Is there a reason why the motor cover is off your table saw?

Thanks so much for the info. Very helpful. Where did you get the bag that you put on the top of your garbage can? I have a small shop but was thinking your solution for dust collection is what I'll do.

YEA! No 30 seconds of intro video effects followed by tons of blah blah blah yak yak yak before anything useful. Thank you 🙏

Thank you. Well done. I have one brand new and it is difficult to raise and lower, At 105 lbs I hate to wrap and send back, Any thoughts? I understand there is some auto locking feature to the height adjustment. I suspect one post is stuck on lock- but I just don’t know. I was jealous watching you crank yours with ease.

That was Next Level! While I am not a Dewalt fan the 735 is an excellent planer. I've had one for years and also have to attachment for the hose /bag. I use a woven leaf bag acquired from the feed and seed store. I have touched up dull blades with a fine diamond stone and while not like new I use those resharpened blades for rough stock removal.

As much as you use the planer... surprised you haven’t installed a Wixey electronic gauge. Watch a demo of it here on RU-vid and you will be sold.

Do you have any problem with silicone on the finished product? I know it messes up any clear coat finish with fisheyes

You have one of the best channels on wood working on RU-vid, thanks

Those chip breakers are sharp... I was cringing watching you wipe the inside out with a rag... I did the same thing and it sliced through the rag and into my knuckle... It was so sharp, I didn't even realize I had sliced my knuckle open until I saw blood all over the machine and on the workshop floor and wondered... Where the hell did that come from? It didn't start hurting... until I finally saw where the blood was coming from... Didn't even feel it, that is how sharp they are...

I subscribed to your channel and let my friends know on your concepts and efficiency in saving time and doing extraordinary work that we all should do for prep work when working on replacing blades. I’ll be using my planer and plan on getting the helical for wood shavings in order to cold smoke mackerel. I will be planing up apple and yellow birch wood. Unless standard blades are better for shaving production but I’m looking for the fastest means to exude shavings from planer most efficiently. I did think about a joiner or shaper blade and powdered dust works best for smoldering the shavings. I do not go above 100F for heat in my cold smoke chamber. I look forward to learning new things and found a great channel here. I’ve refrained from using wood chips because of too much heat generation but can modify that by using a longer piece of piping. Plus nobody around here has any birch wood chips as yellow birch is my primary wood of preference. I always think 5-6 moves ahead and have a racing mind but was thinking about what happens after using certain woods you need to be attentive to the gummy woods like pine and clean out the plastic exit hole. You answered my question on what is best that I can use but wondering if their would be a toxicity to the wood using a wax or any kind of coating. ? I’ve used in my chainsaw olive oil for bar chain oil and believe the taste of the cold smoked flavor was altered. It tastes like ham using yellow birch wood shavings and powder for smoldering my cold smoked mackerel when the shavings came directly from a joiner my friend had. The texture is reminiscent of cheese and no comparison to hot smoked mackerel. Yeah and that is why I want carbide blades from the helical to get gobs of shavings more efficiently. You answered my question on that. I do plane on wanting to make a black walnut table and will see what you have available on making tables. Anyways I strayed off but always believe it is important to use your mind and always learn new things.

Great Video you have provided, you take care of your tools the way a professional woodworker should. Fancy smancy, give me this sort of Video every time and I love the glitches it makes it more honest and a little humorous actually.. Many thanks!! Iain Chalmers Glasgow Uk!!!

Great video and it/you made my mind up on what planer I'll be getting after another mfg's one quit with large sparks and smoke from the motor after planing one board and not with an aggressive cut. Great advise on what this video showed. I have an old HEAVY 12" Boice Crane planer I've used in the past but don't like it all that well and of course no parts if I should need any.

Very informative and disciplined video...No chatter chatter just straight information and advice...Thank you