DW735 knife longevity and Grizzly G0551

My apologies for yet another DW735 post, but....

What's knife life like on the DeWalt DW735? I'm considering blowing a little bit of my tax refund on either the DW735 or stretching a little more for the new Grizzly G0551 15" (BTW, anyone have this and can report on it's performance?)

I don't really need the extra 2" and I like the idea of only lugging ~95 lbs. into the basement instead of ~500 and having a semi-portable unit, but I'm concerned about the recurring cost of knives for the DeWalt, since it's a lighter-duty machine than the stationary Grizzly and they're disposable (not re-sharpenable, correct?).

I'll probably be working with rough lumber more than not, including maple, walnut, oak, and cherry. Any thoughts, opinions appreciated. Thanks.

Brian H (brian at hostetter dot net)

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Brian H
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The machine ain't got nothing to do with knife life. It's the type & quality of steel the knives are made of. Carbon steel the shortest life. A2 M2 tool steel will give you the longest for steel blades. Then there are carbide blades and they're different grades there also.

Reply to
<redd103

I spoke to the manager at my local Woodcraft about the economics of disposable blades vs re-sharpening. He said that, when you factor in the fact that most sharpenable knives can be sharpened a limited number of times, and when you consider the 3-knife Dewalt extends knife life 50% over a 2-knife planer, and when you consider the Dewalt disposables are reversible, so you get "two for one", then the cost is a wash. Only time will tell how this atually plays out, but he seemed pretty sure about himself. So, unless you need the extra 2" . . .

Cheers,

Scott

Reply to
Scott

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