Thread: Dewalt vs Carbatec

if your not going to use it heaps then the desalt is a good choice, get the aftermarket blades and its included blower (if you dont have a DE) will be better.

Originally Posted by Damienol

WWF,

The wife is getting me a thicknesser tomorrow for Xmas.
I have done much research and am down to the Dewalt 735 and the new 13" Carbatec Spiral head thicknesser.

i can get the Dwalt for $899 and the Carbatec for $665.

There is not a lot of info on the Carbatec however every one seems to recommend spiral head cutters (not sure why really).
Plenty of reviews on the Dewalt and they are all pretty good. Some folk talk about swapping out the blades with a spiral head for $800. ###!

i am a hobbiest who strives for perfection. I am likely to use this kit half a dozen times a year for ever.

advice please!

You want believe how great the spiral cutter is - i could not exist without it now - cuts sanding down as well - awesome

Must admit i just bought the carbatec one and am blown away by the finish ,so smooth. i put a 100x100 length of old dirty jarrah through it and it was like putting a piece of pine through it

Here are a few reviews on the Dewalt - all good and it's my next planned purchase.
I will also be purchasing Byrd Shelix Cutterhead to retrofit to it as all the reviews confirm it takes recycled timber to a sanded finish ready to use on anything; a great purchase for my money....

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f154/r...knesser-25413/

DeWalt - 735 Benchtop Planer - Fine Woodworking Tool Review

DeWALT DW735 13", Heavy Duty Thickness Planer Review

Review: DeWalt DW735 Heavy-Duty 13" Three Knife, Two Speed Thickness Planer - by tooldad @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

I'm in the same position. I have a reasonable amount of hardwood left over from building and I'd like to clean it up for two desktops (two sons) and several bookcases etc.
I've used the Dewalt a few times (borrowed a carpenters) to thickness up for window frames and the bloody thing is very noisy and the supplied blades dulled very quickly with the blackbutt I was running through.
The carbatec spiral head 13" sounds like a good compromise, not a full spiral but maybe better than slapping the timber with knife blades. I need advice from people with experience so chime in people, especially Damienol . What did you get and how did it go ?

I'm also sick of the dust so will probably go for the Dust Deputy as I've a few buckets around (built from straw so I have about 9 buckets left over from mudding) uless someone tells me the clearvue cv06-mini is better.

Originally Posted by crash486

The carbatec spiral head 13" sounds like a good compromise, not a full spiral but maybe better than slapping the timber with knife blades. I need advice from people with experience so chime in people, especially Damienol . What did you get and how did it go ?

I'm also sick of the dust so will probably go for the Dust Deputy as I've a few buckets around (built from straw so I have about 9 buckets left over from mudding) uless someone tells me the clearvue cv06-mini is better.

I have the carbatec 13" unit paired with a carbatec 1hp dusty and am very pleased with the results!

I've run a huge quantity of Acacia (also a hardwood) through with no sign of the blades dulling.
Given each individual blade unit (26 in total I think) is only $6 (if you nick one you don't have to replace the whole lot!), and each has 2 usable cutting edges, you can save a lot on blades compared to straight bladed units.

Only real issue is that the cutter head comes delivered with an oily/grease compound throughout which you will need to clear before running the 'good' wood through.
I simply ran a sacrificial pine panel (300mm wide) through in 1mm passes from 19mm down to 5mm thick which seemed to do the job. The key appeared to be getting some heat into the head with multiple passes so the grease was 'thrown' out while the blades were spinning.

While the unit is a lot quieter than the Dewalt you'll still need to wear ear muffs!

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Pete

Thanks Pete. I've got some Bluegum steps to build so I might take the plunge.

Thanks again.