DeWalt DW735X 13-Inch Two-Speed Thickness PlanerSerious Hobbyist

The DW735X is the benchmark benchtop planer, a 13-inch three-knife machine with a two-speed head and a fan-assisted chip blower that owners rate best in class. The X kit adds infeed and outfeed tables plus spare knives. It's the pick for someone who wants near-stationary finish quality on a bench, as long as you can live with the weight and noise.

• The two-speed gearbox and 179-cuts-per-inch finish mode give a glass-smooth surface owners rate best in class
• The fan-assisted blower ejects chips forcefully and owners call it the best dust handling of any lunchbox planer
• The automatic carriage lock and rigid cast-aluminum base keep vibration low and cuts consistent
• The turret depth stop and removal gauge make repeatable thicknessing easy, and owners lean on it for heavy hardwood work

• The auto carriage lock reduces snipe but owners still measure a few thousandths near the ends, so leveling the kit's tables and supporting the board are the fixes
• The internal blower can fight an external dust collector, and owners sometimes add the DW7350 chip-ejection accessory
• It's heavy at 92 pounds and very loud
• The stock knives are disposable HSS, which pushes heavy users toward a helical upgrade

The most popular upgrade is a Byrd Shelix helical head for quieter cuts and no tearout on figured wood. The DW7350 accessory helps with chip ejection, the DW735X already includes the folding tables, and a Wixey WR510 depth readout is a common add. Watch the blower and collector interaction noted above.