Great Deal on Dewalt DW735 Planer? Need one?

[Daviddubya]

Matthew - I am curious to know about how much life you got from your DW735 blades.  Do you have a feel for how many board feet you ran or how much time you planed before the blades went dull?

If the Dewalt blades dulled more quickly than you would expect, try calling Dewalt and telling them your story.  My bet is that you will get a new blade set free.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

David,
Good question...

This this discussion got me thinking about blade life.  Unfortunately, I really can't say whether I got good longevity or not, since this was my first planer.  Actually, it was my first set of blades.

My instinct is that the blades lasted pretty long.  I mean, I don't feel like they went too quickly.  And I ran a lot of hardwood with them, including loads of hard maple.  Sorry, I know "loads" is not too exact.  Also, when I first got my planer and I was pretty inept at using it, I often hogged off way more material than I should have.  I learned after that to take off small amounts.

In the future, I am going to try and keep better track of blade life!

Matthew

 

[Dan Clark]

David,

I can't find a starting price of $500.  I just checked Home Depot.   There is a $75 discount + $60 rebate. But the starting price is $550, not $500. So the net price is $415 and NOT $365 or $385.   My target is in the mid $300's.

Thanks,

Dan.

Dan - Check out post #17 in this thread:
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=55131

David,

I'll stop by HD and Lowes tomorrow, and start "workin' the process".  (That's my way of setting a goal and crunching the alternatives until I get a combo of price and availability that feels right.

Many thanks,

Dan.

 

[Dan Clark]

Matthew,

Thanks for the great feedback. 

Regarding the new board, I think that's an excellent idea.  One belief that I've held for a long time is that a combination of Festool tools plus "traditional" tools (planers, bandsaws, drill presses, hand tools, etc.) are necessary. 

However, there are two caveats.  First, the combination will depend on your needs and be different for different people.  Second, your combination will also depend on your mindset.  I.e, it's not enough to merely buy Festools.  You may have to approach problems differently. 

Here's an obvious example...  If a person has a production shop and makes the same small parts day after day, a traditional tablesaw plus DC may be just the ticket.  On the other hand, if the parts are different sizes and at a customer location, then the traditional tablesaw might not be the best alternative.  However, if you keep the same mindset and continue to think that the tablesaw is ALWAYS the superior alternative, you'll drag a contractors saw to the customer site even when an MFT + guide rail + TS55 + CT is the better alternative.   

The problem with all of this is that many times, it's difficult to know what is the right combination.  For many people, adding a planer to the Festool mix may be the best alternative.  For others, maybe a bandsaw fits nicely too.  I see this new board as a way of opening up the dialog to let people discuss how their other tools fit in their overall processes.

Thanks and regards,

Dan.

 

[Dan Clark]

Hi.  Apparently HD is offering a 20% discount.  That plus the $60 rebate from Dewalt is enough make me move forward.  Also, I decide to get a Domino.

Many thanks for the great feedback.

Regards,

Dan.