DeWalt Thickness Planer: The Default Choice

Whenever I find myself seduced into the endless scroll of Tik Tok, Instagram, or YouTube, I often drift down the rabbit-hole of DIY-ers. This can range from videos about bringing restaurant quality cooking to the home-kitchen to a construction code-quality DIY basement renovation. The access to information and expansion of knowledge for consumers has become endless. Alongside this growing archive of human knowledge, I have been exposed to a never-ending list of tools to do these projects: a stand mixer for commercial-grade baking, a tile saw for precise cuts in bathroom renovations, and most recently the mighty DeWalt DW735 thickness planer for a professional quality woodworking finish.

Thickness Planers 101

Thickness planers, or planers, are interesting tools, used to shave layers off of lumber creating a surface of uniform thickness. Typically, when you purchased lumber it is “rough sawn” (Figure A, Exhibit 1). It may appear flat, but upon closer inspection you’ll notice there are slight variations in the overall thickness and uniformity. It is not consistent. It is rough to the touch. When creating pieces of fine woodworking that require tight tolerances and beautiful finishes, this variation causes many issues such as uneven surfaces, undesirable aesthetic, and gaps between pieces that can allow moisture to wreak havoc and destroy the finished work. This requires “finished” lumber (Figure B, Exhibit 1) that has a consistent thickness and smooth finish, often by using a thickness planer.

Planers come in a variety of forms, from simple hand planers to massive motorized pieces of equipment that can process slabs of wood as wide as trees (Exhibit 2). While they vary in size and capability, the purpose remains the same: to create consistency with an inconsistent material.

The planer may date back as far as ancient Egypt, with hieroglyphics showing the use of a tool resembling a planer, and furniture found with smoothed and uniform surfaces. The ancient Romans, however, pioneered the design of the hand planer, similar to what is still used today. The first air-powered planing machine was invented in 1918 reaching cutting revolutions up to 15,000 per minute, comparable to today’s units. This was a much more efficient method of processing lumber, allowing one craftsman to do the job of fifteen. Since then the technology has advanced, incorporating electric motors and shrinking into a compact footprint, becoming a sought after staple in the shop of every woodworker.

DeWalt DW735: Tough To Beat

In the world of planers, the DeWalt DW735 packs a punch in its compact 24” x 20” frame, able to fit in home workshops and always ready to work. It features a 15 amp 20,000 rpm motor combined with a 3-knife cutter head creating 96-179 cuts per inch, able to deliver faster cutting rates than many competitors at 26 feet per minute. The efficient construction and powerful capability make this product fit for any DIY-er looking for the performance of a commercial-grade planer. The DW735 was recently awarded “Best Planer” in 2023 by Popular Mechanic, a highly credible source in the woodworking community.

DeWalt stands above the competition for two critical reasons: capability and usability. They intelligently design their suite of products to address consumer pain points and create a seamless user experience. This high quality engineering approach resonates through the quality of cuts and consistent output from the DW735.

Capability

At a typical price of $699, the DW735 combines all the best specs from industry players into a singular, relatively affordable package. Customers can upgrade to the DW735X which includes a mobile stand, infeed and outfeed tables, and an extra set of blades for an additional $80. In the table below (Exhibit 3) you’ll notice DeWalt hits top marks nearly across the board, but nothing screams “best in class.” Where they truly shine are investing in unique features while not sacrificing the table stake specifications.

DeWalt’s two speed gearbox is a huge help to woodworkers. Dimensioning mode (Feature A, Exhibit 4) feeds material through at a faster rate (26 feet per minute), creating a slightly less desirable cut but increasing the feed rate at which lumber is planed. This is used leading up to your final cut when you are trying to remove larger swathes of material as quickly as possible. Finishing mode (Feature B, Exhibit 4) feeds material through at a slower rate (14 feet per minute), increasing the amount of cuts per inch from 96 to 179. This ensures the material has as smooth and uniform a finish as possible so you’ll have less tedius hand planing and sanding later.

Usability

DeWalt invested a lot of their design effort in usability features, making an intimidating tool more approachable, intuitive, and consistent. The material gauge (Feature C, Exhibit 4) allows users to quickly compare how much material will be removed against the thickness of your lumber, or workpiece, so you can ensure your measurements were correct. Without this, a user would be relying purely on the height they have set the machine’s scale to. The first rule of woodworking is to always measure against your workpiece, not the tool. The material gauge allows users to do so without wasting time. The carriage lock (Feature D, Exhibit 4) ensures you cannot go beyond your desired depth (although it could go even lower in my opinion) and ensures snipe, variation in cut depth at the leading or trailing edge of your workpiece, is kept to a minimum.

One of the most prominent and marketed features of the DW735 is the chip ejection system (Exhibit 5). By their nature of reducing an entire face of lumber, all planers create a significant amount of sawdust and wood shavings. Because of this, planers tend to clog up from excess waste, creating downtime to clean out the machine or, at worst, damaging your expensive equipment. DeWalt sidesteps this obstacle by including an internal chip ejection system, essentially a blower, that vacuums up waste and shoots it out the back of the tool, preventing buildup. DeWalt has intelligently designed this piece of equipment to keep you, your workshop, and your investment in working condition.

Value-Based Engineering

With the level of precision required in fine woodworking, often measured in thou (0.001”), and the power required to shave down tough hardwoods, the high quality engineering reputation of DeWalt delivers not just on table stake specs but also features that make the user’s life easier. The variable gearbox enabling speedy cuts and smooth finishes, the material gauge and carriage lock ensuring repeatable precision cuts, and the triple knife design for longevity and more cuts per inch are all possible through a value-based engineering approach. DeWalt thoughtfully invests in both these usability features and specs to make sure customers are getting the best bang for their buck.

For example, in the table previously shown (Exhibit 3) you’ll notice some units use a helical or spiral style blade rather than straight knives. These provide better cut quality but also greatly increase price. Typical benchtop planers use two straight knives to remove material, providing cost savings but lower quality cuts. DeWalt found a cost-conscious middle ground, providing three knives that bring quality up to a suitable enough level while not breaking the bank. This positions them nicely above lower cost competitors with two blades, but at a lower price tier than those using helical blades, while still providing their customers with a tool that performs in a sweet spot. These savings can then be invested in features like the material gauge that enhance the user experience. What’s more, DeWalt thought ahead, designing the DW735 to accept third-party helical cutter heads so users can upgrade over time, if they desire.

Thoughtful value-based engineering can elevate a brand from industry participant to industry leader. This approach is found in across many industries, products, and mediums. Oxo brings this mindset to their entire portfolio of cooking tools to help “people who love tasks love them more [and] people who hate tasks hate them less.” IKEA, who we have previously written about, utilizes value-based engineering through their lens of democratic design, leveraging mass production methods to develop products that are as affordable as possible while still hitting on their customers’ needs.

What other success stories come to mind for you? Can you think of a product that employs value-based design???

Shared Belief

Value-based design is a key tenet at Kearney PERLab (Product Excellence Renewal Lab) where our unique and thoughtful approach enables us to collaborate with clients and deliver actionable results on the product level. Our unique team structure provides expertise along each point in the product value chain, connecting the dots from engineering expertise directly to consumer feedback, product development, and sourcing. This enables us to partner with clients on problems ranging from technical engineering details to portfolio structure, helping them exceed consumer expectations through thoughtful design decisions.

Behind every product is a fascinating story that connects to our human world. Every month, our product experts will dive deep into the journey of a single product, bringing that story to life and connecting the dots between purpose, production, sustainability, and how it fits into our chaotic world. Join us as we unravel the exceptional mysteries behind seemingly ordinary objects.

This month’s post was crafted by Ross Brinkman and Jack G. , product experts with Kearney’s PERLab.