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Snipe problems with Dewalt 735 Planer

33K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  tmx 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
After I bought this planer I noticed a snipe mark consistantly at 2 1/2" from the end of the board I am planing. I had read somewhere of this issue with this this Model planer so I purchased the table extensions as the article stated that they helped solve the issue. I am seeing no difference since installing the table extensions. Has anyone else had the same experience and is there a fix for it.
 
#2 ·
i don't have this planer but if you put about an 1/8" slope on the in/out feed tables you should get less or no snipe. like if your looking at the planer from the side tha tables should look like a "V" almost that explanation is just to give you a mental pic. obveiously tha tables souldn't be that high but like i said if u put a straight edge from one side to the other and adjust the tables so there is about 1/8" + or - under the straight edge and the top of the table closest to the machine. try and keep us posted!
 
#5 ·
Greetings bullseye: I don't own this planer either..I have a Delta…, but they are all the same. I mean you have adjustments on the bottom bolts and rods to help take out the snipe. The simplest solution if you still get snipe…. just cut your boards about 3-4" longer than your needed length, and trim the snipe off…....done….
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
From what I've read online and the reviews on this site Its one of the best bench top planers out there.. I've had mine for about 5yrs now and once and a great while I'll get alittle snipe but that was because the board was a little warped or the material was thin and springs upward slightly . When I'm feeding stock through it I'll slightly lift up on the wood untill I feel alittle presure but once it starts feeding into the planer I let go… and as it comes out I'll lift up on it again slightly and kind of push down on the board as it exits the planer.
 
#8 ·
I haven't run the planer but I did check the the slope of the tables and they are both up and I am wondering if they are up too much. The gap at the planer table looks to be about 3/16" and I'm not sure where it should be there wern't any adjustment recommendations only assembly instructions.
 
#9 ·
The outfeed table has to support the piece without it sloping down. If it slopes down it's as if it is falling out of the planer. Bigike is right about the 1/8 or so. There are adjustment screws under the outfeed table to "raise it up". The farthest point from the planer is where you want it to be higher, and the weight of the material running through the feeds should make the material flat as it is fed through. So any more then 1/8 may be to much unless you are feeding something real heavy. You may consider building an entirely new table that you fit all the way through the planer. You would lose the thickness of the material you use, but could just deduct it as you set your height. I'd post pictures, and I may still, but I'm a little lazy right now. LOL.
 
#11 ·
I have the Dewalt DW734. I adjust the tables so that with a straight edge running across the far ends of both in/outfeed tables it is roughly the width of a penny above the fixed table. This configuration reduces (although doesn't completely eliminate snipe) to the point where it is removed with a light sanding. If I need absolute perfection, I plane all the stock before cutting to length. That way I can cut any snipe off the ends and interior cuts are not affected.
 
#12 ·
I have this planer with the extension tables. Out of the box it was putting some serious snipe on some SYP boards I was resawing and milling and I was very unhappy. I then ran some Oak, Maple and Ash through it and strangely there was practically no snipe and what was present will easily sand out without much effort.
 
#13 ·
The material I have been running is hard maple, so your telling me if I run softer woods the snipe will be more prevailent. I like the a lot of the recommendations so far. Looks like it need to experiment with this planer to see what it may like.
 
#15 ·
I have a DW733, and bigike is right. If I set my tables so they are dead flat with the bed, I get snipe like crazy. With the outside ends of the tables tweaked a skosh under 1/8", the snipe goes away. If I am planing anything longer than about 2 feet, or if the stock is heavy (e.g 5/4 oak), I set up a couple of roller stands for outfeed support.
 
#16 ·
I think all planers leave snipe, some may leave more than others, but it is almost always there. I have the Dewalt 735 and get very little snipe, sometimes I have to look really hard to see it, but it is almost always there. I bought the planer wothout the outfeed tables and ended up purchasing them shortly after. They came set up as described by bigike, and like I said, there is very little snipe. I also wax all tables with Renaissance Wax (http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=462), this may or may not help with snipe, but it sure helps the boards slide through smoothly. Other than that, I have been using the planer as is, right out of the box.

One more thing, I notice with my planer that the larger the amount of material that I try to take off per pass, the larger the amount of snipe (to a certain point, it's not exactly proportional). If you take smaller cuts at slower speeds, I think this will help reduce snipe. Also, another suggestion was given that has helped me, lift the board slightly in the infeed/outfeed, just until the second roller engages on the infeed side and then lift again when the first roller disengages on the outfeed side. I hope that made sense.

Steve
 
#17 ·
I do the same as you Steve for the most part. I don't like to take off much on each pass either since I noticed the less I take off the less snipe I have. I think the main issue is to get the less amount of snipe as possible so we can go over a light sanding if need be. If not, it's cutting the board we need a little extra long then cutting the snipe off.

Kevin
 
#18 ·
The head on mine seems to be on a rocker like fixture. When both sides of the cutter head are engaged the cut is planar. As the board passes off the first set of rollers the cutter head drops producing the snipe.
Best solution is to follow the final cut with a sacrificial board to hold the head in place.
All the other suggestions help as well .
Making the final cuts less agressive helps keep the snipe to a minimum.
 
#19 ·
I have a 735 and when I originally installed the extended tables they were just a hair higher on the outside ends similar to the video that khays provided. I dont think I have mine quite as sloped as in the video, but the theory is the same. I dont have any problems with snipe. I do, however, if planing a very long board, hold my finger tips on the bottom of the board as it extends way beyond the table to support it until it clears the cutter.
 
#21 ·
I've got the 735 and I sometimes get snipe but like Steve said, its when I'm taking big passes on the faster speed, usually 1/16". When I get down to the final passes I switch over to the slower speed and take about 1/32", and it gets ride of the snipe in a pass or 2.
 
#22 ·
I like the idea of the sacrificial board but I need to play and adjust the tables to and experiment with the ideas given. The video at www.woodmagazine.com seems to have a logical way of adjusting tables a lot like bigikes suggestions. I also haven't tried holding up the end of the board. Hoping for some time tomorrow to try some of this things out. Thank you all for the advice, it's great to have support when you arn't familiar with an issue.
 
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