Advice on a thicknesser

**skullmonkee** · 15th November 2018, 08:58 PM

Hi there

I'm wondering if anyone could give me some advice on a thicknesser. Most of the material ill be working with will be kiln dried stock that ill be using for various furniture pieces among other things. Tte biggest use will be planing hardwood stock similar to that offered by Matthews Timber or equivalent stores.

I'm currently looking at the Dewalt DW735-Xe. I've had a quick look in Mitre 10 and it looks solid (way better than the Ryobi i've seen, which felt like a toy in comparison). I can probably get it online for about $1100 or so. But how do people think this machine compares to something from Carbatec? I understand there are numerous Carbatec models to choose from which compare to or exceed the Dewalt specs. But how do they actually compare in performance/accuracy/real life use? In this instance I don't really have a fixed cost; I'm basically just looking for something i can rely on to do a good job, without overspending. I'm not going to be planing lumber made out of diamonds, but i also I don't want to be frustrated with something that is annoying or finicky to use. I'd rather spend a bit more to ensure this.

Portability is also not an issue for me, so if the Dewalt model charges a premium for this it may be worth looking elsewhere.

**crowie** · 15th November 2018, 09:12 PM

G'Day Sir,
I have a Dewalt DW735-XE, it replaced a Made in Taiwan two blade unit which was very noisy; the DW735 three blade gave a heaps better finish and quieter.
After owning the DW735 for a few years I upgraded the cutterhead to a Byrd Shelix Cutterhead and WOW, what a difference; hand smooth finish and quiet enough to hold a conversation only a metre from the machine when running old Aussie through it.
You mention Matthews Timber as one of your timber sources so I'm thinking you are Sydney, Australia based?
If so and you'd like a demo with my DW735 setup, drop me a note to get it organized.
Cheers, crowie

**orraloon** · 15th November 2018, 11:17 PM

I took up the demo offer by crowie a couple of years ago and as you can guess I went and bought one. Have to say its a step up from the other benchtop machines. A cast iron 15'' machine would be better still but lots more dollars.
At just over a thou the 735 is pretty good value.
Regards
John

**ian** · 16th November 2018, 02:22 PM

I can relate both my experience and the deWalt's 735's reputation.
The 3 blade cutter head is said to give a finish equivalent to, if not slightly better than that from a lower end segmented cutter head. Note that a segmented cutter head is a step or two down from the Byrd Shelix cutter head Crowie refers to.

Last February I got to give the one owned by the guy (Jollie) renting across the road a good workout. I was very happy with the machine's performance and the finish it left. Jollie even used his machine to flatten some end grain cutting boards he had made. So I'd say the 735 is a very good buy.
and IMO it's a much better deal than the any of the two knife bench top offerings, including those with segmented cutter heads.

don't forget that you will need a chip collector of some sort. Jollie used a "dust deputy" Dust DeputyÂ® Deluxe - Lee Valley Tools teamed with a Rigid shop vac. Based on the dust inside his garage, this combination seemed to work OK.

**jms_8087** · 17th November 2018, 09:17 AM

The 735 is a solid machine, I had one before I upgraded to a bigger machine. I also installed a Byrd cutter head into it and the difference in cut quality and noise reduction was amazing.

I gave my 735 absolute hell and it never missed a beat, you won't be disappointed with one if you decide to go down this path having said that you should also look at what bigger machines are out there.

Good luck.

J.s

**skullmonkee** · 18th November 2018, 08:13 PM

G'Day Sir,
I have a Dewalt DW735-XE, it replaced a Made in Taiwan two blade unit which was very noisy; the DW735 three blade gave a heaps better finish and quieter.
After owning the DW735 for a few years I upgraded the cutterhead to a Byrd Shelix Cutterhead and WOW, what a difference; hand smooth finish and quiet enough to hold a conversation only a metre from the machine when running old Aussie through it.
You mention Matthews Timber as one of your timber sources so I'm thinking you are Sydney, Australia based?
If so and you'd like a demo with my DW735 setup, drop me a note to get it organized.
Cheers, crowie

Thanks a lot for this information. There's actually a Matthews Timber in Melbourne too, which is where i'm based. I think if i were to get this model, i'd probably eventually upgrade the blades too, though mabey after a time. Appreciate the info on your experience with upgrading the cutterhead.

Have to say its a step up from the other benchtop machines. A cast iron 15'' machine would be better still but lots more dollars.
At just over a thou the 735 is pretty good value.

This is good to know. I'm not short on space, so a benchtop model isn't a requirement for me. I'm mainly looking for something with good quality, without spending too much on what i don't need. I'm hoping/thinking that the 735 fits the bill.

The 735 is a solid machine, I had one before I upgraded to a bigger machine. I also installed a Byrd cutter head into it and the difference in cut quality and noise reduction was amazing.

I gave my 735 absolute hell and it never missed a beat, you won't be disappointed with one if you decide to go down this path having said that you should also look at what bigger machines are out there.

Cheers. Its good to know that if i cant find anything good second hand or with decent value, that the 735 is an excellent solution.

Thanks to everyone who managed to reply.

Thread: Advice on a thicknesser

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Advice on a thicknesser

Similar Threads

Thicknesser advice

Thicknesser Advice

Thicknesser advice please.

thicknesser advice.....please

Thicknesser advice

Posting Permissions