What's inside
- What the DeWalt DW735X is designed to do
- Three-knife cutterhead: the main performance advantage
- Two-speed feed: useful, but not a substitute for light finishing cuts
- Snipe control and surface consistency
- Portability: portable in theory, movable with planning
- Dust collection is not optional for comfortable use
- Long-term durability and ownership costs
- Who should buy the DeWalt DW735X?
- Verdict: a strong buy for serious portable planing
- Related Guides
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Yes—the DeWalt DW735X is worth buying for a serious woodworking shop if you need a powerful, repeatable benchtop planer and can accept its 92-pound weight, disposable knives, and dust-collection demands. The dewalt planer dw735x is not the cheapest 13-inch machine, but its three-knife cutterhead, selectable feed speeds, strong chip ejection, and solid ownership support make it one of the more capable portable planers for flattening rough boards and bringing stock to consistent thickness.
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What the DeWalt DW735X is designed to do
The DW735X is a 13-inch, corded thickness planer built for removing material from the top face of a board after one face has already been flattened. It accepts boards up to 13 inches wide and approximately 6 inches thick. Like other lunchbox-style planers, it is not a jointer: it will make a board thinner and parallel to its reference face, but it will not reliably straighten a bowed or twisted board on its own.
The machine uses a 15-amp motor and a three-knife cutterhead. Its cutterhead turns at approximately 10,000 revolutions per minute under load-free conditions, while the motor operates at a higher speed internally. DeWalt also supplies folding infeed and outfeed tables, a dust-ejection adapter, and an additional set of knives with the DW735X package. Package contents can vary by market, so confirm the exact listing before purchase.
| Specification or feature | DW735X detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum planing width | 13 inches | Handles most cabinet parts, shelves, trim, and furniture components |
| Maximum stock thickness | About 6 inches | Suitable for common furniture lumber and many reclaimed boards |
| Motor | 15 amps, corded | Strong cutting capacity, but it needs a suitable circuit and extension cord |
| Cutterhead | Three reversible disposable knives | More cutting edges than a two-knife design and quick replacement |
| Feed rates | Approximately 14 and 26 feet per minute | Choose a faster pass for removal or a slower pass for a finer finish |
| Machine weight | Approximately 92 pounds | Stable during use, but awkward to move without a stand or second person |
| Knife size | Approximately 12-1/2 inches long | Replacement knives are widely available, but they are a recurring cost |
Three-knife cutterhead: the main performance advantage
The three-knife cutterhead is one of the strongest reasons to choose this DeWalt planer over a basic two-knife benchtop model. Three knives distribute the cut more frequently around the rotating head, which helps the machine remove material efficiently while producing a relatively consistent surface. The result is especially noticeable when processing hardwoods or taking repeated passes through a large batch of boards.
The knives are double-edged and disposable rather than designed for sharpening. When one edge becomes dull, you rotate the knives to their unused edges; after both edges are worn or damaged, you replace the set. This saves time and avoids the setup difficulty of sharpening and balancing planer knives, but replacement costs add up for high-volume users.
A three-knife system does not make the planer immune to tear-out. Grain direction, species, cutting depth, and board support still matter. Reduce the depth of cut on figured or reversing grain, use the slower feed rate for the finishing passes, and avoid forcing dirty, painted, or embedded-metal stock through the cutterhead.
Two-speed feed: useful, but not a substitute for light finishing cuts
The DW735X has two feed speeds. The faster setting is appropriate for removing material when productivity matters. The slower setting increases the number of knife cuts per inch and generally leaves a cleaner surface, making it the better choice for the final pass or for difficult grain.
For example, suppose you need to reduce a board from 1 inch to 7/8 inch. Removing 1/16 inch from the top face and 1/16 inch from the bottom face requires two setup orientations and several passes, depending on board length and grain. A practical workflow is to make the heavier passes at the faster feed rate, then switch to the slower rate for the final 1/32-inch pass on each face. That approach is usually more useful than trying to remove the entire 1/8 inch in one cut.
Keep cuts modest. Although the planer can remove substantial material, the maximum depth depends on board width, species, moisture, and how steadily the stock enters the machine. Light cuts reduce motor strain, improve surface quality, and help prevent snipe.
Snipe control and surface consistency
Snipe is the shallow dip often left at the beginning or end of a board as it passes through a benchtop planer. The DW735X includes a carriage-locking mechanism intended to reduce movement of the cutterhead, and its folding tables provide useful support. These features help, but they do not guarantee snipe-free results.
For the best results, set the infeed and outfeed tables level with the planer bed, support long boards at the same height as the bed, and avoid pressing down on the board while it is under the cutterhead. Feed a second board immediately behind the first when appropriate, or plane sacrificial leaders and trailers for work where every inch matters. Marking the first and last few inches of a board can also help you plan where to cut away minor snipe.
If snipe suddenly becomes worse, check table alignment, carriage-lock use, loose fasteners, dirty rollers, and whether the board is entering or exiting at an angle. Excessive depth of cut is another common cause.
Portability: portable in theory, movable with planning
At roughly 92 pounds, the DW735X is portable compared with a stationary floor planer, but it is not a machine most users will casually carry from a shelf to a workbench. Its weight is beneficial during operation because it resists movement and vibration. The drawback is setup: a dedicated stand, mobile cart, or lift-assist arrangement makes ownership much more pleasant.
The folding tables reduce storage footprint, and the machine can fit in a compact shop when stored vertically or under a bench. However, leave enough clearance for long boards on both sides. A 6-foot board needs substantially more than 6 feet of unobstructed space because the operator must stand clear and support the stock before and after the cut.
Dust collection is not optional for comfortable use
The DW735X ejects chips forcefully through its dust port. That helps prevent buildup inside the machine, but it can quickly fill a shop with chips if the port is used without adequate extraction. Connect it to a capable shop vacuum for smaller work or a dust collector for frequent planing and long boards. Check the adapter diameter and airflow requirements of your setup before buying.
Do not allow chips to accumulate around the rollers, cutterhead housing, or motor vents. Disconnect power before cleaning, and use a brush or vacuum rather than compressed air that may drive debris deeper into bearings or electrical components.
Long-term durability and ownership costs
The DW735X is built for substantially more work than an occasional DIY planer, but it still has consumable and maintenance requirements. The knives normally wear first, followed by possible wear on feed rollers, belts, bearings, and the elevation mechanism. The exact service life depends heavily on board cleanliness, cutting depth, hours of use, and dust control.
- Rotate or replace knives when the surface becomes fuzzy, ridged, or noticeably rough.
- Clean resin from rollers so boards feed without slipping.
- Inspect the cutterhead area after planing reclaimed lumber or stock with knots.
- Keep the elevation columns clean and follow the manufacturer’s lubrication guidance rather than applying random grease.
- Use a dedicated circuit when practical, especially during deep cuts in dense hardwood.
- Never plane boards with hidden nails, screws, staples, or grit.
Its disposable knife design is convenient but not inexpensive over years of heavy use. A shop processing several hundred board-feet each month should budget for multiple replacement sets and compare that ongoing cost with a stationary planer using sharpenable or carbide insert tooling.
Who should buy the DeWalt DW735X?
| Your situation | Recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional projects and very limited budget | Consider a less expensive planer | The DW735X may be more capacity and recurring knife cost than needed |
| Regular furniture building or cabinet work | Buy the DW735X | Three knives, two feed rates, and 13-inch capacity suit repeated work |
| Small shop with no permanent machine space | Buy only with a cart or storage plan | Its footprint is manageable, but its 92-pound weight is not trivial |
| Very high production volume | Consider a stationary planer | Continuous work may justify greater capacity, quieter operation, and lower per-use consumables |
| Beginner learning thickness planing | Good choice if safety and setup are taken seriously | It is capable and predictable, but heavy cuts and poor support still cause problems |
Verdict: a strong buy for serious portable planing
The DeWalt DW735X planer is worth buying when your priority is dependable 13-inch capacity in a machine that can handle frequent shop use without taking up the space of a floor model. Its three-knife cutterhead, two-speed feed, effective chip ejection, carriage lock, and included support tables give it a practical advantage over simpler benchtop planers.
It is less compelling if you plane only a few boards per year, cannot manage a 92-pound machine, or want the lowest long-term consumable cost. For everyone else, particularly furniture makers and serious hobbyists working with rough lumber, the dewalt dw735x planer offers a well-balanced combination of power, finish quality, and portability—provided you invest in proper support, dust collection, and regular knife maintenance.