ToolBox Blog

DEWALT DW734 Heavy Duty 15 Amp 12-1/2-Inch Benchtop Planer

Rating:
Description: (by Dewalt)

	Powerful 15.0 Amp, 10,000 rpm motor handles larger, deeper cuts in hardwoods.
	Three knife cutter-head provides 96 cuts per inch, one of the finest finishes of any portable planer.
	Disposible, reversible knives deliver 30% more knife life and make knife change fast and easy.
	Four-column carriage lock drastically reduces the movement that causes snipe.
	Extra-long infeed and outfeed tables provide 33-1/2″ of material support.
	Material removal gauge and thickness scale deliver accurate cuts with every pass.
	Turret depth stop allows users to return to their most frequently used depths with ease.

Experience: The Dewalt 734 planer served me well for several years of contractor-style use. That is, this planer has been from shop to jobsite and has been fed every variety of hard and soft woods in every thickness and dimension that it could handle. Comments: I replaced the blades several times over the years and did a complete maintenance overhaul December of 2005 because it locked up, preventing height adjustment. After intensive cleaning I was able to get the threads moving again however this machine had a problem from day one with the locking mechanism. For about 6 months I used a hammer to release the lever, sometimes prying at the metal band leading to a clamp around the uprights, grrr…. Pressing down on the lock lever would apply the brake but it wouldn’t come loose without a tap. After a while, I disabled the problematic lock eliminating the need to tap the left side with a hammer to raise or lower the thing. In spite of the issues, which have been changed in the newer DW735, owning a planer is necessary for my work and the DEWALT DW734 got the job done. At the moment it runs but for some reason the wood will not pass through. Instead of taking it apart again, I bought the Ridgid R4330. Links: DW734 at Dewalt (product data) DEWALT DW734 at Amazon

Filed under: Planers | Tagged: Dewalt, Thickness Planer