DeWalt planer for $260 at HD

[Charles in Lorette]

I had to go into the city tonight for a hockey game. I decided to go a little early to hit HD to check out their mitre saw stands (another thread).

I noticed they were clearing out a bunch of seasonal junk as well as some tools. They had the DeWalt 12 1/2" planer (DW734) on sale at $349 down from $399. Big deal I thought.

Then I went over to the tool section and saw the same planer marked down to $260. This is when it got interesting. So I counted their stock and they have 3 in boxes that I could see plus the one display model on the shelf.

So it's decision time for me tonight. What would you guys do? I don't have a planer now, but if I wait a year to get one, I'll probably be paying $600 for the 13" DeWalt or $1000+ for a 15" unit.

Should be an easy decision, shouldn't it? Question is, is the DW734 worth buying or should the $260 be put towards a bigger/better/newer model?

[JG]

For $260 it is a great deal. A lot of people seem to like them. JG

http://www.amazon.com/DeWalt-DW734-2...0?ie=UTF8&s=hi

[Marc in Aylmer, QC]

Hi,
I used to own that planer and it was a workhorse. One of the jobs I did with it was to plane enough reclaimed 100 year old pine to make 32 kitchen cabinet doors. That pine had giant knots in it. At 260$ it sounds like a good deal to me. At that price I wouldn't go a year without a planer waiting to save money for a bigger model. You can always sell it at that time. That being said I now have the dw734 and prefer that one to the dw733. Because the dust collection is better, there is no head locking mechanism to bother me, and it's good to have to speeds to choose from.

marc

[OttawaP]

I have a 734 and it's a great little planer. It does need to be hooked up to a dust collector or shop vac and it is VERY loud. So hearing protection is a good idea.

Paul

[mreza]

I second what Paul said. It's a good planer and at that price it's a great deal!
I paid $380 for mine

[Charles in Lorette]

Thanks for the info/advice guys. I was at HD as soon as they opened at noon today and walked out with one 5 minutes later.

I've been playing with it in the shop since I got home. It did a surprising good job on the maple that I was running through it. Blew the breaker once. My fault, I was taking too much meat off in one pass and also had the dust collector plugged into the same circuit.

[OttawaP]

Thanks for the info/advice guys. I was at HD as soon as they opened at noon today and walked out with one 5 minutes later.

I've been playing with it in the shop since I got home. It did a surprising good job on the maple that I was running through it. Blew the breaker once. My fault, I was taking too much meat off in one pass and also had the dust collector plugged into the same circuit.

Keep the passes light, to about 1/32 or so. It's better to take two light passes than than 1 big one. The dewalts have a fast feed rate because of the third blade so it's not time consuming to go lightly and reduces any chance of tearout to a bare minimum.

Paul

[The ORB]

I saw that deal yesterday at the HD in Markham on Hwy48 and they only had one left plus the display. A planer has been on the wish list for a while, but I couldn't justify the $500-$600 for either of the Dewalts or the Ridgid that all looked good. It seemed like a great deal but I wanted to check the reviews of the 734 again before buying it. Decided this morning to get it but to save a wasted trip called the store, what a nightmare. Got through to the hardware/tools area and asked the guy whether they had any Dewalt DW734 Thickness Planers left. He goes to check and leaves me on hold for about 10 minutes, comes back and says we dont sell Dewalt Planers! I politely explain that I saw a stack of 735s and one 734 in his store yesterday in addition to the two display models. I explained that these are big powertools not hand planes. He grunts and reluctantly goes off to check again, another 5 minutes on hold. He comes back on and again tells me, in a far from polite tone, that they dont have ANY Dewalt planers, "they must have all sold out". So I find this very hard to believe, but thank him, hang up and drive into the store anyway. Sure enough there are the same big stack of yellow Dewalt Planer boxes plus the display models right in the middle of the tool area. The 734 was still there so I grabbed it. Where the heck do they find these guys that work in HD? It wasn't as though I was asking a hard question or being difficult, I even tried to help him by describing the product.

Anyway I think I got a good deal.

[Charles in Lorette]

I thought of phoning HD to put one aside for me instead of driving in to pick it up. I was going to be in there the next day anyway. But then I thought about how many people work there, how many of them know what a planer is, and then picking it up would probably be a nightmare too. I just made the trip and saved myself the aggravation.

I remember when HD first came to Winnipeg. They touted themselves as having employees that had experience in various trades, so when you went into the plumbing department, a plumber would help you out with your questions. It may have been the case back then, but now I know it's different.

A few months ago, I was doing a roofing job and needed a few roof jacks. Well, they went through about 3 employees looking for them for me. I could tell by the look on their faces that they had no idea what a roof jack was. C'mon just admit it, and save us all some time here!!

[KenR in Whitby]

Picked one up at the HD in North Whitby this morning. They had three left plus the display unit in case anyone is interested in getting one.

KenR

[Chris in Pickering]

Does this planer come with a DC hookup? 2" 4" ?????
I had the 735 and regret selling it once I rebuilt my big Poitras. Its handy to have both a Stationary and "lunch box" style. Often the smaller planers provide a better finish with their high RPM's and cut/inch count.
I may just get me one.

[The ORB]

Does this planer come with a DC hookup? 2" 4" ?????
I had the 735 and regret selling it once I rebuilt my big Poitras. Its handy to have both a Stationary and "lunch box" style. Often the smaller planers provide a better finish with their high RPM's and cut/inch count.
I may just get me one.

Yeah mine came with a basic plastic dust chute that clips onto the back of the machine and seems to do a fair job of capturing the copious volume of chips. The chute itself I think is a 4" but its also has an adapter that reduces it down to fit my Ridgid shopvac (I guess that is around 2.5").

After a few test runs on scrap 2x6 its seems to work fine. I'll just have to figure out a proper stand to mount it on.

[Skloon]

They have them in Edmonton too picked one up in Strathcona had five left tonight

[Henry from Winnipeg]

Charles,

Which Home Depot did you go to?

Henry from Winnipeg