DEWALT DW733 12-1/2" Portable Thickness Planer





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Product Description -- DeWalt's sturdy four-column planer is a great addition in any workshop--and, because it's easily portable, transition to the job site is always an option. Thanks to the largest material support table of any portable planer on the market and a tight-locking cutterhead, boards feed through effortlessly with minimal snipe. We also liked how easy it is to measure precise cuts with the turret stops (set at 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of an inch). There's also a calibrated depth crank that adjusts 1/16 of an inch with each full rotation. Unlike other portable planers, DeWalt's provides an easy-to-read gauge of how much material each pass removes as well as the amount left over on the original board. Rather than using double-edged knives, this model takes two big M2 high-speed steel knives with single-surface cutting areas that deliver an impressive 64.1 cuts per inch. Changing knives took us a mere 10 minutes (and we were new to this design) and--better yet--they can be resharpened multiple times rather than discarded after one use. Powered by 15 amps with a no-load speed of 10,000 rpm, DeWalt's easily transported planer is a nice combination of high performance and convenience. Each planer ships with an extra set of knives, magnets, and wrenches.

From the Manufacturer -- The only thickness planer on the market with a four-column Head Lock, plus an infeed and outfeed table 40% larger than the leading competition, to aid in the reduction of snipe. The turret depth stop allows you to return to frequently used thicknesses (1/4-, 1/2-, 3/4-inch) quickly and easily. Maximum depth of cut is 1/8" (less than 5-1/2" wide). There's also a material removal scale that shows how much material is being removed and a depth scale which shows how much material is left. The DW733 is armed with a powerful 15 amp motor which rotates the cutterhead at 10,000 rpm, making 64 cuts per inch. Sharpenable knives made of M2 laminated steel create a smooth surface finish. A magnetic gauge that precisely holds the knives in place, freeing up your hands, makes changing knives easy. Includes an extra set of knives and dust hood a $84.99 value. One year warranty, one year service contract, 30 day no-risk trial

Valuable tool! -- I've had mine for almost a month now. Have planed over 200 feet of air dried, 6" wide, rough sawn red oak. The first set of blades are dull enough to change. I am very happy with this tool so far. The dust hood is definitely a must, and I feel it should be included with the planer. The only minor problem that I have encountered, is that the infeed rollers get dirty quick and begin to slip. But with a little shove, the wood is on its way again. I am however disappointed that amazon deleted the few negative reviews that were here a couple weeks ago. They were not obnoxious, they were just being honest about their bad encounters with the tool. By deleteing these comments, it makes these reviews almost useless.
Amazon, being critical of a tool is a good thing. It makes the manufacturers aware that there may be problems, and it only makes for finer quality tools in the future.

Reviews:

GREAT MACHINE -- I purchased my planer about 3 months ago and have used it on approximatly 300 board feet of oak and maple and I am still on the first set, first side of the blades. I compared planers for about 2 months, read Wood Mag. reviews and decided on the DeWalt. There is little of no snipe due to the extra long infeed and outfeed tables. It was easy to set up because you take it out of the box, unfold the tables, plug it in and your in business. I really enjoy the thickness indicator that tells you how much wood you are removing. I would recommend this machine to anyone who does a lot of planning.

If a woodchuck could chuck wood -- I like this planer just fine. However I must admit that this is the only one I have ever used. I had a friend who had a maple tree fall in his yard. We went our and ripped about 40, 12" x 30" x 3" blocks with our chain saws. (without a ripping chain). The blocks were in terrible shape. I have run these through this planner and now have 40 pieces of 1" x12"x30 beautiful marbled maple. I had to run each piece through about 20- 25 times to get all the chain saw marks out. So I would guess that is about 2500 board feet of nasty rock hard maple. NO PROBLEM. This thing is like a ginsui knife, I took one of the pieces and ran it through to see how fine I could finish it, a buddy of mine needed a custom size cutting board for his kitchen cabinet. I hardly need to sand it when I was done. The one problem I had was when I bought it the screw that holds the handle on was not long enough and I stripped the hole, but it stays on with gravity just fine. I Also would like two speeds, as with most of my reviews this is my fault for not spending the money.

Great Litte Machine! -- You will be hard pressed to find a planer that will do a better job than this DW733. Set up was a snap, maybe an hour to remove from the box and double check all adjustments. If you do the basics - keep knives sharp, in and out tables adjusted properly and provide support for long pieces - this machine will give you great results. Snipe is minimal to non-existant. The dust hood & my 650cfm dust collector eliminates 95% of all chips.

Excellent Product -- I bought this planer 10 months ago and just got around to using it. I am impressed! Set up was easy right out of the box. The planer makes super smooth cuts with no snipe. Dewalt has upgraded to a 3 knife model, but it is hard to see how they could improve on this one. The dust hood does a good job with my shop vac attached with very few chips ending up on the table. The only negative I have found so far is the carrying handles. If you don't carry it level the planer can shift on the telescopic handles and pinch your hand.

A RUGGERED MACHINE -- Compared to other portable planers I have used in the past, this one seems to be the most solidly built. I have owned this tool for well over 5 years now and I can honestly say that it was put through its pace and then some. There are nonetheless a few problems with it, one of them being clogging and that happens generally with green woods and wider boards; something that can be remedeed with a dust collection system. My main issue with this machine is with the feed rollers that seize and can create havoc. Hard to reach bushings with no grease fittings just ask for trouble. The chain and sproket assembly also gets filled with shavings and need to be cleaned regularly (Another hard to reach place). On the older models like mine, the scale is practically impossible to read, but on the other hand, the old foldable crank handle is much better than the new one that always sticks out and ends up broken. Providing this tool is used for what it is intended to, it is a crisp planer that yields excellent results. The column lock is good at preventing sniping (but watch for your knuckles with thicker stock, that lever can bite!) In my opinion, a few minor refinements and a major bearing job on the rollers would turn this planer into a serious tool. Also, I much prefer the resharpenable knifes over the new disposable ones in the new model, even if it's only two instead of three.

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