I have been using a Delta 22-540 since shortly after they hit the market and it's seen better days. I want a new one but am undecided about which one. I would get a DeWalt 735 but I've heard too many negatives about the blades. I don't want to spend what it would take to get a Delta or Powermatic floor model but I want a good machine. Any recommendations?
Max
Blades on a planer are like tires on a car, a consumable item.
Check out Infinity Tool for carbide tipped planer blades.
Just bring deep pockets.
Lew
I was in the same boat. I did not want a machine with disposable blades. I bit the bullet once and for all and bought a 15" Delta stationary planer for about $1100. Grizzly has several planers that would perform as good as most any portable for not too much more money.
Oh, boy, here we go again. Do a Google Groups search on this newsgroup for posts about the DW735 -- especially posts by me.
Bottom line is, the knives on the DW735 can be resharpened multiple times before they need to be discarded. How many times? I dunno. I'm on either the 3rd or 4th resharp of my first set of blades. I *think* I probably have only one more left. DW tech support told me (off the record) that as long as they were at least 7/8" wide, they were still OK.
Sure -- the DW735. Beautiful cut quality. And the people who designed this machine were thinking. Everything is easy to use. The adjustment wheel moves the carriage up/down 1/16" per revolution -- perfect. The wide, flat top is ideal for setting boards on. *One* wrench undoes *all* the screws (contrast this to Delta, where you need one wrench to open the housing, and a different one to change the blades). Open the lid to change blades, and you see a guard inside that must be removed -- and it's held on by thumbscrews, on *tall* stanchions which are very easy to reach. And on and on... this is a well-designed machine that does its job very, very well.
Not worth it -- just hone the HSS blades when they get dull. :-)
I have a Delta 22-580 but haven't used it enough to know about blade life. Solid machine with a few nice features: Has a 'pop-up' indicator that helps in setting height for first pass 'bottom' setting that alllows you the set the max cut for repeatable thickness. I haven't used this feature yet so don't know how well it works. cutterhead lock two folding tables so it closes up fairly small but is heavy as all get out
I bought a Jet 16". Lots less than the 15" Delta and 15" Jet. Love it, but had to get a much bigger dust collector. My old Ridgid couldn't handle the chip volume.
Jim in the Bluegrass
Concur, and well said.
At this point it looks like it's between the DeWalt 735 and the 16" Jet. Southern Tool has the Jet for $975, free shipping. Hmmm. This may take a few days. Thank you all for your input.
Max
You just described my 5-year old 13 inch craftsman planer...
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