DW735 13" Planer. Aftermarket Knives

Hi Geordie – No feedback on the Infinity knives for the 735, but I’ve got Infinity 6” jointer knives that are excellent, and every other cutter or blade that I’ve tried from Infinity has been top notch. I’d be inclined to trust their reputation.

Ouch, those blades are a bit pricey. The Lowes price for DeWalt are $55 but I suppose if these last longer… but for the price they should last a lot longer…

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

Interesting. I have had much better results from the OEM knives than from the Infinity Knives. Admittedly, the Infinity knives that I used were not their latest items. The quality of the wood surface coming out of my planer has been outstanding with the OEM knives; hardly needing sanding. The surface with the Infinity knives was okay, but not close to the smoothness of the DeWalt knives. I have not seen your review yet of the OEM knives. What was the issue you had?

-- CutNRun - So much wood, so many trails, so little time

I was just in my local dealer a few weeks ago buying new Dewalt knives for the 735. I asked about better knives and was told that Dimar makes some. I havn’t checked them out yet, but I was told they are significantly better for not too much more money. Might be worth a check.

I agree with cutnrun about the quality I get from the Dewalt knives, it’s very good, but the problem is they just don’t last long, especially when cutting very hard wood.

Maybe the (very pricey) carbide knives from Infinity are worth it?

Boom

dewalt has a real problem with the tool life of the 735 knives. i heard that an aftermarket knife manufacturer was looking at making a carbide knife (whick would be probably be at least $100) for the 735 (as opposed to the HSS in it now) , HSS is used my most manufacturers, but the tool life is dependent on tool geometry and alloying, machining and heat treatment. the 735 is the premier “portable planer” it this field of offerings, and its a shame dewalt has not admitted and rectified the problem, with a knife that is as good as the planer.

O.K… Thank you all. Some interesting feedback here.
I agree that the finish with sharp OEM knives is quite remarkable. Even at the normal 96 CPI I can get a surface that is almost equal to what I can from hand planing… and my hand plane iron is literally “razor” sharp. At 179 CPI, it is polished, even 800 grit would detract from the finish. In short.. a well planed surface should not need further sanding… BUT….
These OEM knives are weak and nick very easily. This leaves a ridge that now needs to be sanded. So.. if I have to sand after planing I might as well have a blade that that is thicker and less susceptible to nicking, gives not quite so good a finish but has a much longer working life. Even given the added cost of these blades they will be cheaper in the long run.
I work mainly with southern pine and cypress which might not be as hard as oak or walnut etc. but is extremely harsh on cutting tools…especially “deadhead” cypress which has a lot of embedded silica. This stuff knocks the edge off a blade in no time flat. No problem… Regular cleaning to remove the pitch and the judicious touch of a stone or diamond hone and off they go again. Indeed, and contrary to what DW might say, even their “disposable” knives can be touched up a time a two. Unless… they are nicked. Then chuck em out because re-grinding is not an option.
Standing next to the DW735 in my shop is a DeWalt – (formerly Atlas Machine Tool Co), 6.5” jointer, circa 1962. God knows how many trees have been reduced to chips by this beast. It has the original knives made by “The American Edge Tool Co.” I am not sure how many times they have been re-ground but unless I give them a taste of a something real hard they will for sure outlive me. Each of these blades weighs as much as the entire package of DW735s. This thing could eat the new “Yella Fella” blades and all.. lol.
Thanks Boomer99. I took a look at the Dimar site. http://www.dimarcanada.com No prices quoted but will check with them.
I think that I will end up with buying carbide blades simply because I need the portability that the 735 affords. My shop is small otherwise I would be putting this extra $250.00 cost into a big fat Jet or similar.
WotcheorHinnies
Geordie