Do I really need Dewalt's top 'o the line planer?

[Bay Area Dave]

ONE percent? :)

dave

B a r r y B u r k e J r . wrote:

[Swingman]

That's pretty damn high for a bass player!

[Swingman]

It all boils down to how attitude and how you move your fingers. I've perfected a fake that has cameramen and photographers zeroing in on me when the guitar player takes a ride ... really p*sses him off. ;>)

Besides, at my age the chicks are no longer an issue, so you gotta do something for entertainment.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

Free beer?

Barry

[Bob S.]

Dave,

Unless your 733 has a problem or the alignment fixtures are cracked or something - they do damn near a perfect job. But I understand when you say that you get less than satisfactory readings using a dial indicator to check their alignment.

I'll make an assumption that you are using that nice shiny base plate right below the blades as the spot to place you dial indicator - right? If so, then that is your problem - not the blade aligners.

Remove that base (one small screw in each corner) and then measure and I'll bet you will find a world of difference! If the blades are higher at one end than the other its probably not the blades that need alignment - it's the whole upper mechanism. Remember that post I made several weeks ago (the one you said in a moment of weakness - was a keeper)? Go to their site and check out the alignment procedures.

I've had my 733 all apart recently just to clean, lube and align it and after re-assembling everything and checking, the 10" wide board I tested was the same thickness on each side after planing.

The only problem I've ever had aligning the blades was trying to use a cracked alignment fixture - which I didn't notice but it sure misaligned the blades alright... They sent me a replacement and it takes about 10 mins to replace and re-align a set of blades.

Bob S.

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

I remember seeing Chicago at Tanglewood, which is normally the summer home of the Boston Pops, about 15 years ago. One of the spotlights kept picking up the trombone player during trumpet solos. After about five times, the trombone player put his horn down and pointed at the trumpet player.

Do you have DirecTV? If so have you caught Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the freeview yet? GREAT SHOW!

Barry

[Swingman]

Now you're talking!!

[Swingman]

Nope, I'd love to see it though ... but I'll tell you who blew both me and my 18 year old daughter away last night. I had an early gig, from 3 to 7, at a big ole Texas dance hall and really wasn't up for more music, but I got back just in time to see the Diana Krall Trio on the Ovation channel ... man oh man, that is some of the hottest playing I've seen in years. The bass player is absolutely a-w-e-s-o-m-e, as is everyone.

That said, I need to look into getting an industrial strength planer ... these lunch boxes just aren't cutting it any more for me. I've got a project coming up with a 7' X 4' X 2" table top, with 4" square legs and I'm thinking of upgrading my Ridgid. Nothing against the Ridgid, as its does a fine job on 3/4" stock, but for some reason I really have to struggle with it on thicker material. I'll probably keep it. What's that they say - can't have too many planers, right?

[Bay Area Dave]

A weak moment? Nah, that WAS a keeper! I've got it securely tucked away in a Word document.

Anywho, I've already done the chain adjustment thingy. It worked well to adjust for a slightly cocked cutter head. The trouble I have is getting new blades both set to exactly the same height, even when using those plastic/magnetic fixtures. Their positions vary a bit when I place them on the cutter head. Maybe I'm missing something, but I fooled around with them and found that while they get the blades in the ballpark, I still need to recheck with a dial indicator. But then again I'm fussy about anything that needs to be at right angles or flat, or even.

dave

Bob S. wrote:

[Steve]

I have the 734.

Actually had the choice of the three but opted for the middle road simply 'cuz it gives the "shine" of the higher end while letting me hang onto that other hundred bucks.

At the same time, it's the piece of tooling that will be around for a while.

The 733s are harder and harder to find and more than likely the two-knife blade replacement sets will be scarce or hard(er) to find in the near future as well. (Although the cost of the two-blade knife set for the 733 is less than half the cost of the three-knife 734/735 replacement blade set -- $60 for knives is getting a bit steep!)

[RWM]

I agree that selling old stuff can be a pain in the butt, but I have found a way that sorts out most of bottom feeders. I have access to the Microsoft internal classified ads so advertise the item and ask for a small donation to Habitat For Humanity. Last month I did it with a nice portable miter stand. The guy was thrilled to get it and the charity got a check for $30. I am going to do it again tomorrow with a 6" grinder that I no longer use.

Bob McBreen - Yarrow Point, WA