# Jammed Dewalt 13" planer



## lewplauny (Mar 4, 2011)

New Lumberjock signed up to see if any old Lumberjock can tell me the proper sequence to disassemble a Dewalt DW735 13" planer. Hand crank will not move up or down and left front post (facing feed side of planer) appears to be jammed and lower than right side post. I have downloaded the schematics from Dewalt Service Net but I have not idea of the proper sequence of disassembly other than the bare description in the Instruction Manual that came with the machine.

I know that usually there is a "right" way to take a machine apart and re-assemble and would appreciate any advice on disassembly sequence and any trouble spots (there usually are a few) to watch out for.

Thanks a million.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

I have no idea about that machine but I can offer this everything you make shure you can undo and put everthing in it's proper place like all the screws and parts to the machine itself. If you ever taken anything apart like a machine follow your first mind and just go about it very carefully. These are the rules I always follow when serviceing a machine in my shop and the shop at work.


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## Lumber2Sawdust (Jul 22, 2010)

I bought a 735 off of CL a couple months ago. It was hard to crank, and it actually planed a little lopsided - one side thicker than the other. I was able to correct it by adjusting the spockets on each post. I can't tell you the "official" sequence, but I had to remove some of the yellow housing on the machine to get at the parts properly. (hint - there is a screw holding the housing on hidden behind the "depth of cut" plate). When you take the top off, you will see there is a chain (looks like a bicycle chain) running around the perimeter of the machine, which is what turns the spocket on each post. There is a tensioner for it near the front of the machine. I removed the tensioner so that the chain would be free of each spocket. Then you can turn them individually (just do them in small increments to you don't rack/twist it). I raised each one up to the top of the post, and put a straight edge across the post/sprocket to make sure they were all exactly flush with the top. After doing that, I put the chain back on, and it cranked up/down like a new machine. It only took about an hour, which isn't bad since I didn't really know what I was doing when I started. Well worth the effort though.

Like Ike said above, keep close track of where screws/parts came from to make assembly easier. The stuff I removed was really just the outer shell. The only real mechanical stuff to mess with was the chain/sprockets.

If this was working normally and just started happening, you may want to check the teeth on the post that is low. Something may have broken, or the chain dropped off, or something like that. Make a note of how much tension the chain has when you open it up. If it has a lot of slack, that may have been the source of the problem.

PM me if you have any questions.

Good luck


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## lewplauny (Mar 4, 2011)

thanks gang - I got it fixed
I will write up the step sequence as soon as I can in case someone else needs it
thanks Lew


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## lewplauny (Mar 4, 2011)

Gang - for anyone who needs it - here is the sequence for DeWalt DW735 disassembly and how to repair the jamming of the hand crank handle. Mine now is smoother than it was when new.

DeWalt DW735 Disassembly of Planer Covers
On the first of March 2011 while planing cherry boards the hand crank that raises and lowers the cutter head/ roller assembly jammed and would not crank up or down. The hand crank had always been tough to turn on my machine and had only operated smoothly for a couple inches near the bottom of the cutting depth range. To clear the jam I had to disassembly the DW735 covers to discover my problem. The Service Net website for DeWalt provided poor schematics of the machine but offered no documentation on disassembly. Their only suggestion was to ship it to a service center. I did find a forum on the Lumberjocks website where a woodworker with a new DW735 had also jammed his hand crank and took his to a service center. The center fixed the machine. The cause was one of the four chrome screw posts (the front left post facing the in feed table)on which the cutter head travels had loosened and was turning when he turned the hand crank. Eventually it had turned to the point that cutter head assembly was out of level and jammed the assembly against the other three posts. Because I could find no forum that described how to disassemble the DW735 and DeWalt customer support was no help, the following is a description of how to take the DW735 apart to fix the jam problem.
I would recommend anyone doing this to place the planer on a workbench so the planer can be rotated and tilted to access fasteners and to have a strong light source on the work space. One will be removing a number of screws and bolts so I recommend replacing the screws and bolts into their holes after planer parts are removed. I found having a complete set of regular and metric T shaped Allen wrenches and good set of Philips head screwdrivers helpful. I would also recommend reading all of the below before starting to disassemble the DW735.
1. Remove the yellow plastic top cover by removing the 4 hex bolts with the DeWalt 5/32 Allen wrench and set aside, replace hex bolts in the holes. Note that when this top is installed it presses down and activates an cross shaped safety switch on the top right of the cutter/roller assembly. When the top is off, the On/Off switch will not work. If you later wish to test the planer with the top off ( be careful if the cutters are exposed ), you must depress this chrome colored switch with a piece of wood or a tool.
2. The Power Switch and Circuit Breaker mountings on the front of the planer do not have to be removed in order to remove the yellow plastic "Cover Assembly". They also do not have to be removed to loosen the front panel.
3. I removed both the left and right black side covers from the "Cover Assembly" which makes the "Cover Assembly" removal easier, exposed the interior gears for inspection. No work needed done on the side assemblies.
4. If you are wondering the "Cover Assembly", Part No. 5140010-75, is the yellow plastic cover you need to remove to clear the jam and adjust the post travel. Not obvious when just looking at the machine is the "Cover Assembly" is a molded continuous 4 sided plastic that you have to loosen and lift up over the 4 chrome posts to remove.
5. The large black carry handles (the DW735 is almost too heavy to be called portable) have to be removed with a #6 metric Allen wrench because the inside notches in the handle extend over the edge of the yellow plastic side assembly.
6. There are 3 Philips screws that need to be removed at the top of the front panel to loosen the front panel.
7. The Material Removal Scale hides a Philips screw in the center of the cover front which has to be removed to loosen the front panel bottom. There are two small flat head 7/64 or #3 metric hex bolts left and right on the front panel that also need removed. Replace all in their holes.
8. There are 2 Philips screws at the back of the yellow cover that need to be removed.
9. The 2 speed Speed Lever Control must be removed with a 5/32 Allen wrench.
10. The crank wheel needs to be removed with a 5/32 Allen wrench.
11. In order to have enough wiring loose to lift the "Cover Assembly" over the 4 chrome screw posts, you will need to unscrew the 2 Philips screws holding the 2 green ground wires to the base. There is a black screw with a small black lock washer between the wire connector and the black base. The lock washers are hard to see (black on black on black) so don't lose them. Replace screws.
12. In order to raise the "Cover Assembly" over the chrome posts and set it aside you will also have to remove 2 Philips screws from a black bracket holding the power wires to the right side of the base assembly. I did not have to remove any of the switch snap on wiring connectors in order to lift the "Cover Assembly" over the chrome posts and I could set the cover far enough aside to work on the post assemblies.
13. The front panel cover has to be removed because it hides 2 long 5/32 hex bolts that hold the "Cover Assembly" to the cutter/roller assembly base. There are 2 Philips screws that need to be removed at the back of the "Cover Assembly".
14. The depth gauge on the front right chrome post also needs to be removed to remove the "Cover Assembly". Top of chrome post is 5/32 Allen and bottom is 2 Philips screws.
15. The back side of the "Cover Assembly" can be pressed out and lifted up over the dust chute but;
16. With the "Cover Assembly" set aside, I could not move the jammed sprockets, drive chain or twist the chrome posts by hand. To test further I had to remove the chain drive that circumvents the 4 chrome post sprockets. To do this, loosen the 2 Philips screws that hold the chain tension bracket. Be careful to use a tight fitting Philips screw driver. I had to put down pressure on the screw driver and add torque to the screw driver with an open ended wrench on the screw driver shaft. The screws were really tight. 
17. I completely removed the chain and thoroughly cleaned the sprockets, chain and posts.
18. Eureka. With the chain removed I could easily turn the sprockets with channel locks. Although I moved the sprockets to test them, I did not move them far and I made sure I returned them to their original position. I tried to hand twist the 4 chrome posts. 3 were tight. The cause of my jam was a loose left front chrome post turning until it jammed my other 3 sprocket posts.
19. I tightened the loose post by sliding that corner of the planer off the edge of my workbench. The bottom of the chrome post has a detent for an open end wrench to fit onto and the hex bolt head underneath the planer cast base is a #6 metric Allen head. If I had been smarter, I could have tested for this hex bolt looseness from underneath before disassembly but I would have had to disassemble to fix the jam anyway.
20. I tightened the loose post (and checked the other 3). As the post spirals looked symmetric, I assumed it did not matter what position the post was in when tightened. 
21. With the chain off, the sprocket assemblies move easily with a channel lock pliers. I did not move the 3 tight posts' sprockets but moved the loose post's sprocket height to match the sprocket height of the other three. I measured carefully from both the bottom and the top of the other 3 posts.
22. I replaced the chain, the chain tension bracket and fitted the hand wheel. The cutter assembly moved smoothly to the top. Actually smoother than it moved when the planer was new. I re-cleaned the posts and WD40'd the parts.
23. With the jam fixed I reversed the sequence of operations above.
24. If you need to disassemble the minimum depth stop knob control, note that inside the plastic knob that you spin for min depth there is hex set screw that holds in a small spring and a detent ball bearing. Remove the hex set screw, spring and ball bearing with a magnet before removing the hex bolt holding the control wheel on. Otherwise the ball bearing finds the floor quickly.
25. Note that when the 
26. If you decide to change planer knife edges (knives have two reversible sharpened edges) use the magnets on the DeWalt hex wrench to lift the knife clamp and to lift and reverse the knife edge. I did use a longer stronger T handle hex wrench to remove and replace the hex head screws as they were really in tight. Those magnets on the DeWalt hex wrench handle are a great finger saving idea. Push down on the knife roller lock on the left side of the roller to unlock and roll the knife roller with a piece of wood. The Operating Manual instructions and hints work good doing this.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

i gotta say lew that there is gonne be some guy out there searching the internet all red in the face, lips tight and scowling. Typing into the search query … "stupid dewalt planer all f$%*ed up". Then hes going to stumble upon this post and you my friend, will be a hero. That is one hell of a write up .. thanks for posting


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

On my favorites list for sure. Thanks Lew.
- JJ


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## Cato (May 1, 2009)

Lew, thanks a million for the post on your repair. I saved in my file in case I ever have to use it.

Love the planer, and hope I don't have to take it apart.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Heck. I'M bookmarking this, and I have a Ridgid planer !

It's so cool when folks take the time to do write-ups like this…..


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

Good job. Appreciate the post.

I too am bookmarking this because I'm sure that someday my 735 will need disassembly for something, if not a loose post.


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## mcase (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks for the effort. Very thorough. I have not had this problem - yet. But I'll print this up for future reference. Thanks


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## randamadee (Apr 5, 2011)

hate to burst lew's bubble but i have a way easier way. stumbled across this looking for something else. i am on my second one of these planers now, the first having serviced many years, and the base plate started to delam from skid plate and so foolishly i got rid of it to buy a new planer. did alot of shopping around and ended up getting another dewalt. well, through copious amounts of planing the same thing started happening, and as it was under warranty i was able to get another complete base. what did i discover? once the base is off( and all it takes is 4 allan key bolts and a screw to remove the base from the posts) you have the ability to move each post independently to correct any skew. keep your eye out for more craigslist deals, cause that is one easy fix. and to let you know, i replace the rollers while i was at it, as they got chewed on a salvage job. a bunch of old fir floor boards that had face nails, so i ground them off on the back side and planed on the good side. sure it ruined a set of blades as well as the rollers, but nothing is 160 bucks is worth the one of a kind look. and by the way, after installing the new base i decided to rip off the the skid plate from the base plate. all it is is a 1/32 inch sheet of stainless steel that was contact cemented on(albeit with heat and pressure i am sure) but next time this happens(and it will be when i don't have warranty left) i can assure you all i will do is stay-put a peice of formica or the like. way to easy. happy planing.


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## idigjars (Mar 15, 2011)

Hey, thank you for the instructions. I have one of these planers and have never had any issues but your info will help me if I ever do. Paul


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I hope favoriting this doesn't give my planer any ideas. Thanks!


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## Sequoiah66 (Mar 13, 2013)

I understand this post is a bit old, but I'm facing this problem now and would love to do this "the easy way". So could you give me more information about your: "you have the ability to move each post independently to correct any skew."

How to move the post and set it properly and how to correct skew with the minimum amount of trial and error?

Thanks!


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## Shroom (Nov 11, 2014)

I must say, this post helped me get my 735 back into tip top shape. Thanks for the help!

I found a calipers to be extremely helpful to get all four height adjustment sprockets dialed in. I used the spreader arms of a caliper to measure between the top of the aluminum planer base and the black underside of the planer housing. (Find the four bench-top mounting holes in the base and measure from that flat surface on up.) I then very slowly turned each adjustment sprocket until all corners matched within a few thousands of an inch.

After a good cleaning and some oil, she works better than when she was new.

Hope that helps!


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## Woodie04 (May 5, 2009)

This post helped me a ton. I logged on here when the height adjustment wheel on my brand new 735 planer became VERY hard to turn - I almost had to force it, so I knew something was very wrong. The Dewalt site was no help. After reading, and then printing Lew's post, I took off the top of the planer, and found - lo - it was chuck full of sawdust. The dust chute had become plugged, and all the chips were stuck inside.

After 30 minutes with a shopvac and some forced air, the wheel turns fine now. But to be safe and avoid a repeat incident, I removed the small-er dust system from the dust chute, and attached a Delta DC with a 6 inch hose. I think I should be fine now, but it's amazing how fast that dust chute plugged up. I have only run a few boards through the 735. But it shows too how powerful the chip ejection is on this planer. And if it starts to plug up, look out.

Thanks Lew.


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## forgottenoak (Feb 12, 2015)

My 735 is out of level and I stumbled across this thread. I'm trying to remove the 4 bolts on the bottom of the base and posts with an allen key, but the bolts won't budge. I even tried hammering the allen key to try to loosen the bolts with no luck. Anyone have any good ideas? Much appreciated


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## greenacres2 (Jun 18, 2012)

The replacement bolts appear to be pre-loaded with blue Loc-tite, if that provides any clue. Do you have access to a cordless impact wrench? Mine has been a great blessing more times than i can count!!
earl


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## forgottenoak (Feb 12, 2015)

I have a cordless impact drill that I tried, but that didn't work either.


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## ORGramps (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm a newbie to this site who has a DW735 that I have a jammed depth adjustment "challenge" with. It is disassembled and setting on a side bench as I write this. Went out an found a used Delta 12" planner so I could finish a desk I was building for friend. I had looked high and low through Dewalt web sites trying to find out how to free-up a frozen post with out any success and was too stubborn to take the Dewalt to a shop and have it cost me a couple hundred. I haven't time now to get at my planner, but have filed this web page and will get back to it in a couple weeks. Got a pen order I'm focusing on now. Many thanks to Lew and Rand for your posts.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

I'm headed to my shop, in about an hour.
I'll have this post open, on my tablet….
As I tackle the jammed lifting mechanism on my DW735.

If you hear any foul language….
I apologize in advance!!!


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## forgottenoak (Feb 12, 2015)

Ha good luck! I went out and bought an impact wrench to try to loosen the 4 bolts under the base, but it only worked on one of them. The other three I got loose by using a socket wrench and a hammer. Damn those bolts were tight. Once off though it's a breeze to fix!


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## JRSloan (Mar 10, 2016)

First, let me say the DW735 has been the best planer (of 4) that I've used over 20-odd years. It works fine with my dust-collection setup, gives me smoooooooth results when I have sharp blades and a clean platen. If I was still in my twenties, I think I might date DeWalt's DW735 design engineer (at my age, nobody would care.)

OK, having said that I admit this one's all my own fault: I was trying to take 1/32" cuts off a stack of seasoned, jointed rough-sawn hard maple boards. But one of the shorts was too small to span the rollers, got caught between them, met up with the spinning knives, and shot out the FRONT of my planer at about Mach 2. 
The wood survived with some slashes from the knives, but while escaping removed the depth gauge part (that tells how much the next pass thru is set to remove) on its way out the door. In the next minute of shock, the rollers continued rolling other wood along the platen, and the knives still whirled, but I couldn't get them down low enough to skim (or touch, even) the 1/2" maple I was trying to plane. Thanks to earlier comments on this site, I unplugged, opened the top and emptied a handful of chips and shavings blocking the dust collector chute. Then I cleaned the platen, wiped down the rollers w/alcohol, tried several adjustments, all to no avail. I get no measurement of cut (that part is broken for sure) and can't get the cutter to engage the wood when the rollers pull it through.

I'm hoping somebody here can give me a quick diagnosis and a road map for getting in to replace the damaged depth parts. I went to the DeWalt site for their Owners' Manual, diagrams and photos, then a referral to EReplacementParts.com; there I found another set (better ones, but no photos) of the exploded view plus listed parts prices, but I think I have some homework still before making the trip to the repair shop.

Any ideas?


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## ryanjg117 (May 20, 2015)

I'm having an issue with my DW735x - the height adjustment is stuck, but only going down. I raised the planer head as high as I could to clean the rollers and lube the base, and wasn't able to bring it back down - it's stuck at about the 3" point.

I followed the steps in this thread to disassemble it. Noticed a little bit of dust inside the enclosure, but not enough to cause the chains to bind. Vacuumed everything but it was still stuck. Removed the chain and tried to manually move the sprockets downward. The left two sprockets get stuck, while the right two sprokets still have some movement.

I'm guessing the head might be skewed, but I've depth-measured each corner and they seem really close.

Should I attempt to loosen the left posts to correct for the potential skew?


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## JacobLund (Dec 16, 2016)

Great thread.

I have a post sprocket that has cracked. How do I get the sprocket nut off so I can replace the sprocket?

Any help would be great.


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## Brandon923 (Mar 17, 2017)

I have it apart and chain is off and can only move one sprocket freely. How do i free up the other 3 sprockets?


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## pontic (Sep 25, 2016)

Ditto.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

My 735 is new enough, and not used enough, to have hit a problem - so far. But I def want this thread in my favorites because one thing i can count on is wanting to find it again some day.


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## martinv (Jan 10, 2018)

I just joined, and it is because of this thread. My brand new right out of the box 735 (as of yesterday morning) has this problem, and it is at a DeWalt service center for repair. With this information I would do the repair myself if it were not under warranty, but perhaps other issues will be found. Great posts in this thread, especially by lewplauny and randamadee. Thanks, gents! I'll get some pics of some of my projects up as payback (not much payback you'll likely say…)


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

I've just joined this group because of your posts about the Dewalt 735 raising issues. I bought mine used(but very new) on a Facebook marketplace site. Works like a charm, but will not raise above the 2 1/2 to 3 inch level. Will tear into it based on suggestions noted, and hopefully will fix the problem. I'm sure this is why the guy sold it. Shame on him for not telling me, and shame on me for not operating the crank all the way before buying it.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Gotta love a post from 03-05-2011 bringing in new members.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> I've just joined this group because of your posts about the Dewalt 735 raising issues. I bought mine used(but very new) on a Facebook marketplace site. Works like a charm, but will not raise above the 2 1/2 to 3 inch level.  Will tear into it based on suggestions noted, and hopefully will fix the problem. I'm sure this is why the guy sold it. Shame on him for not telling me, and shame on me for not operating the crank all the way before buying it.
> 
> - Greghc48


Check out this video ( Tip, take digital photos as you dissemble.)






https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disassemble+Dewalt+DW735+13%E2%80%9D+planer


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## ryanjg117 (May 20, 2015)

> Gotta love a post from 03-05-2011 bringing in new members.
> 
> - therealSteveN


Tru dat. I discovered the best fix for this issue was purchasing a Woodmaster 18" planer with helical head. Solved the jamming problem immediately.


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

> I've just joined this group because of your posts about the Dewalt 735 raising issues. I bought mine used(but very new) on a Facebook marketplace site. Works like a charm, but will not raise above the 2 1/2 to 3 inch level. Will tear into it based on suggestions noted, and hopefully will fix the problem. I'm sure this is why the guy sold it. Shame on him for not telling me, and shame on me for not operating the crank all the way before buying it.
> 
> - Greghc48





> Gang - for anyone who needs it - here is the sequence for DeWalt DW735 disassembly and how to repair the jamming of the hand crank handle. Mine now is smoother than it was when new.
> 
> DeWalt DW735 Disassembly of Planer Covers
> On the first of March 2011 while planing cherry boards the hand crank that raises and lowers the cutter head/ roller assembly jammed and would not crank up or down. The hand crank had always been tough to turn on my machine and had only operated smoothly for a couple inches near the bottom of the cutting depth range. To clear the jam I had to disassembly the DW735 covers to discover my problem. The Service Net website for DeWalt provided poor schematics of the machine but offered no documentation on disassembly. Their only suggestion was to ship it to a service center. I did find a forum on the Lumberjocks website where a woodworker with a new DW735 had also jammed his hand crank and took his to a service center. The center fixed the machine. The cause was one of the four chrome screw posts (the front left post facing the in feed table)on which the cutter head travels had loosened and was turning when he turned the hand crank. Eventually it had turned to the point that cutter head assembly was out of level and jammed the assembly against the other three posts. Because I could find no forum that described how to disassemble the DW735 and DeWalt customer support was no help, the following is a description of how to take the DW735 apart to fix the jam problem.
> ...


Per Lee's great instructions, I took my Dewalt 735 apart today. I bought mine used, but fairly new on Facebook Marketplace. My Planer would not raise above 2-3 inches without putting the gorilla push to it. I found one chrome post slightly loose, and another post sprocket (left front) frozen at the height above 2-3 inches. All other posts moved freely with the chain off. I cleaned / lubed all chrome posts, and then verified the left front post sprocket would move at lower levels - which it did. That told me there was something wrong with that one post. After more investigation, I found some spikes/burrs on the left front post and carefully filed them off. Clearly a manufacturing problem. After lubing, ensuring all sprockets were the same height and then reassembled, I can now move the deck up and down without great difficulty. I do believe the post was bad from the factory. I avoided a costly repair bill as those posts, along with the gears are listed for $128.00 on Ereplacements! Way too much money for repairing a nearly new, but used unit. Thanks again to all on this site. Great help!


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

Per Lee's great instructions, I took my Dewalt 735 apart today. I bought mine used, but fairly new on Facebook Marketplace. My Planer would not raise above 2-3 inches without putting the gorilla push to it. I found one chrome post slightly loose, and another post sprocket (left front) frozen at the height above 2-3 inches. All other posts moved freely with the chain off. I cleaned / lubed all chrome posts, and then verified the left front post sprocket would move at lower levels - which it did. That told me there was something wrong with that one post. After more investigation, I found some spikes/burrs on the left front post and carefully filed them off. Clearly a manufacturing problem. After lubing, ensuring all sprockets were the same height and then reassembled, I can now move the deck up and down without great difficulty. I do believe the post was bad from the factory. I avoided a costly repair bill as those posts, along with the gears are listed for $128.00 on Ereplacements! Way too much money for repairing a nearly new, but used unit. Thanks again to all on this site. Great help!

-Greg, North Carolina


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

> I've just joined this group because of your posts about the Dewalt 735 raising issues. I bought mine used(but very new) on a Facebook marketplace site. Works like a charm, but will not raise above the 2 1/2 to 3 inch level. Will tear into it based on suggestions noted, and hopefully will fix the problem. I'm sure this is why the guy sold it. Shame on him for not telling me, and shame on me for not operating the crank all the way before buying it.
> 
> - Greghc48
> 
> ...


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

- lewplauny

Kudos to you. Lot better and helpful than saying* " I discovered the best fix for this issue was purchasing a Woodmaster 18" planer with helical head. Solved the jamming problem immediately."*

- Greghc48
[/QUOTE]


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## jcollins11 (Dec 20, 2020)

> Great thread.
> 
> I have a post sprocket that has cracked. How do I get the sprocket nut off so I can replace the sprocket?
> 
> ...


I'm one of what seems like many who have joined just because of this thread.

Can anyone advise on this one? I picked up a used 735 that was stuck, got it apart and found this to be the issue. I've got a sprocket ordered, but can't seem to get the old one off.


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

Jcollins11,

I'm not sure how to get those chrome posts off either. Fornutately, I didn't have to replace, as they are pretty expensive. But, like you, I'd like to know how to get them off for replacement.


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## jcollins11 (Dec 20, 2020)

> Jcollins11,
> 
> I'm not sure how to get those chrome posts off either. Fornutately, I didn't have to replace, as they are pretty expensive. But, like you, I'd like to know how to get them off for replacement.
> 
> - Greghc48


I'm not trying to get the posts off. There's a nut that holds the sprocket on, I need to remove that so I can get a broken sprocket off.


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## Sam26 (Dec 27, 2020)

Hi, I'm another one reeled into lumberjocks because of this thread. Here's my problem: planer travels up and down just fine, but it's 13 thousandths off left-right. How does one adjust that? The sprockets are too coarse to use for this purpose…one tooth is a significant move. Do you loosen the screws holding the post down onto the bases and then rotate the posts on one side using a wrench?


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

I think there is a hex nut at the bottom of each chrome post that you might be able to loosen, then possibly turn the post to adjust. That would be my guess, but not overly sure. Looking forward to someone that confirm….


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## Sam26 (Dec 27, 2020)

> I think there is a hex nut at the bottom of each chrome post that you might be able to loosen, then possibly turn the post to adjust. That would be my guess, but not overly sure. Looking forward to someone that confirm….


That's pretty much it. Each chrome post/column is held in place at the bottom with an allen cap screw that goes up through the base of the planer into the column. You loosen that screw (they are tight!) and then turn the column slightly one way or the other to fine tune the height of the carriage on one side. There is a flat space on the bottom of the columns that seems to have been put there to let you do this with a large open-ended wrench.

Note that you don't have to turn a column much! A full turn of a column would move the chassis by 1/4." I ended up having to move the two columns on one side of my planer by about 30 degrees. If you don't move both columns on one side, you risk skewing the chassis and making it impossible to move up or down.


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

> I think there is a hex nut at the bottom of each chrome post that you might be able to loosen, then possibly turn the post to adjust. That would be my guess, but not overly sure. Looking forward to someone that confirm….
> 
> That s pretty much it. Each chrome post/column is held in place at the bottom with an allen cap screw that goes up through the base of the planer into the column. You loosen that screw (they are tight!) and then turn the column slightly one way or the other to fine tune the height of the carriage on one side. There is a flat space on the bottom of the columns that seems to have been put there to let you do this with a large open-ended wrench.
> 
> ...


Great info - That will help many of us trying to work on the Dewalt 735.. thanks for posting.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

I'm having the same issue with mine, and that's after having it fixed by a repair place a few months ago. It was working perfectly, but then I want to use it and… damn.

Questions:

Do you have to remove the plastics to get at the allen screws? (I could look, but I'm too busy right now to bother detaching it from its base.)

And how do you tell which post(s) need adjusting?

TIA


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## Sam26 (Dec 27, 2020)

> Do you have to remove the plastics to get at the allen screws? (I could look, but I m too busy right now to bother detaching it from its base.) And how do you tell which post(s) need adjusting?


The allen screws are visible as soon as you put the planer on its side. (At least that's the way it is on the bigger DW735).

If you're adjusting because the head is binding, it doesn't matter which side you adjust. Just try turning a little in one direction and if that doesn't work, try the other. If you're adjusting because the head is out of parallel, you need to figure out which side is cutting high and which side is cutting low by running a board through and measuring BEFORE you start messing with things. Once you establish that, go to one side or the other and then adjust as necessary. It's reasonably obvious when you look at it and hard to explain otherwise.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> Do you have to remove the plastics to get at the allen screws? (I could look, but I m too busy right now to bother detaching it from its base.) And how do you tell which post(s) need adjusting?
> 
> The allen screws are visible as soon as you put the planer on its side. (At least that s the way it is on the bigger DW735).
> 
> ...


Thanks Sam.

It turned out that it just needed all the sawdust cleaning out of it (mainly blowing it out with a shop vac, but also scraping it off the parts with the gear, the thing that rides up and down the threads on the poles). I had no idea the built-in fan wouldn't take care of that, but I'm very happy to have it working perfectly again!

And yeah, it's the 735X.


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## Stew535 (Jun 9, 2021)

QA must be real bad at Dewalt! I had to adjust 3 of the posts. Worse one was back right hand. It was off Almost 2 turns. Now I can adjust with ease up and down. Thanks for info all!


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

Stew, was it a new one?


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## Stew535 (Jun 9, 2021)

Yes. Just got it from Grizzly.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

That shouldn't happen.

But to tell you the truth, I keep thinking there has to be a better way to design it so the threads don't get covered with sawdust - much as I like the machine.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> That shouldn t happen.
> 
> But to tell you the truth, I keep thinking there has to be a better way to design it so the threads don t get covered with sawdust - much as I like the machine.
> 
> - nickbatz


Better design = more money. Many don't want to pay for more. My Dewalt 735 has never jammed or had issues with dust on the threads in the 10-15 years I have had it. It doesn't to seem to be a widespread problem.


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

> That shouldn t happen.
> 
> But to tell you the truth, I keep thinking there has to be a better way to design it so the threads don t get covered with sawdust - much as I like the machine.
> 
> ...


I don't see how you could possibly avoid dust in the threads, unless you have a big dust extraction system. Or unless you blow it out after using it, which is what I learned to do.

If you open the thing up after using it (with its own fan with a bag attached to a tube), there is dust all over the place. It doesn't get it all.

And design can = more money, but not always. In this case I'd imagine there are ways to seal off the threads.


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## justinbouchardw (Jul 9, 2021)

I just made an account so I could thank the genius @lewplauny who figured this out. Had this issue and this post helped me fix it!



> Gang - for anyone who needs it - here is the sequence for DeWalt DW735 disassembly and how to repair the jamming of the hand crank handle. Mine now is smoother than it was when new.
> 
> DeWalt DW735 Disassembly of Planer Covers
> On the first of March 2011 while planing cherry boards the hand crank that raises and lowers the cutter head/ roller assembly jammed and would not crank up or down. The hand crank had always been tough to turn on my machine and had only operated smoothly for a couple inches near the bottom of the cutting depth range. To clear the jam I had to disassembly the DW735 covers to discover my problem. The Service Net website for DeWalt provided poor schematics of the machine but offered no documentation on disassembly. Their only suggestion was to ship it to a service center. I did find a forum on the Lumberjocks website where a woodworker with a new DW735 had also jammed his hand crank and took his to a service center. The center fixed the machine. The cause was one of the four chrome screw posts (the front left post facing the in feed table)on which the cutter head travels had loosened and was turning when he turned the hand crank. Eventually it had turned to the point that cutter head assembly was out of level and jammed the assembly against the other three posts. Because I could find no forum that described how to disassemble the DW735 and DeWalt customer support was no help, the following is a description of how to take the DW735 apart to fix the jam problem.
> ...


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## Smilkas (Jul 27, 2021)

Greg,
I went through the disassembly process, cleaned everything, adjusted the posts so they were all parallel to the bed, and dry lubed the posts and sprockets. It is better but still kind of difficult to raise and lower. Any more advise?


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## justinbouchardw (Jul 9, 2021)

I bet the leveling gears are not even. I was struggling a bit on that as well. Ended up raising them all to the very top to be flush with the post, then putting the chain back on carefully to have them all move at the same time.



> Greg,
> I went through the disassembly process, cleaned everything, adjusted the posts so they were all parallel to the bed, and dry lubed the posts and sprockets. It is better but still kind of difficult to raise and lower. Any more advise?
> 
> - Smilkas


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## nickbatz (Mar 7, 2018)

The $100 I spent having a repair place fix my machine is looking better and better as I come back to this thread.


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

> I bet the leveling gears are not even. I was struggling a bit on that as well. Ended up raising them all to the very top to be flush with the post, then putting the chain back on carefully to have them all move at the same time.
> 
> Greg,
> I went through the disassembly process, cleaned everything, adjusted the posts so they were all parallel to the bed, and dry lubed the posts and sprockets. It is better but still kind of difficult to raise and lower. Any more advise?
> ...


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

> I bet the leveling gears are not even. I was struggling a bit on that as well. Ended up raising them all to the very top to be flush with the post, then putting the chain back on carefully to have them all move at the same time.
> 
> Greg,
> I went through the disassembly process, cleaned everything, adjusted the posts so they were all parallel to the bed, and dry lubed the posts and sprockets. It is better but still kind of difficult to raise and lower. Any more advise?
> ...


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## Greghc48 (Nov 25, 2020)

Smilkas -

I'd suggest checking the vertical posts for any burrs, then file them slightly. I found one post on mine with burrs - either damage or from mfr. after I filed them off, the planer raising was a lot easier. Keep them lubed too….

Greg


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## Woodlistener (11 mo ago)

After following the instructions to disassemble the planer I found a much easier way that required only the removal of the depth gage and the 4 caps on top of the post. I used a cut off piece of a wire coat hanger with a positive stop to measure the distance between the sprocket and the top of the post then turned the offending post to match the other three and tightened the screw on the bottom of the post.


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