DW735 Helical Head Upgrade

My planer is the DeWalt DW735. It bought it brand new about 18 years ago. It has served me well over those 18 years, but I have spent a lot of money on disposable planer blade refills during those years. In the above video I show the process to remove the old planer head and install a new Helical Carbide planer head from FindBuyTool, and then put it through a few tests.

Full Disclaimer: My cutterhead, along with a torque wrench set (to aid in installation), were provided to me by FindBuyTool.com. But they did not pay me to make a video or article. They don't control what I am saying here, or in the video above.

(Non-Affiliate) Product Links: (1) Helical cutter head for DW735 (2) Torque Wrench Set

At the time of writing (September, 2024) this planer head set listed on their website for about $100-$200 less than competing products, which really caught my attention.

The kit comes with basic printed instructions -- really just a set of photos and some directions -- but I think most people would be well advised to watch either my video, or the video from findbuytool (which is on their website) to guide their build. In fact I watched a few YouTube videos for OTHER helical head upgrades, just to see if there were any other tips that I could learn, since the process to change out the cutter head is the same.

There are a lot of steps that you need to follow carefully during the installation, which definitely seemed intimidating to me when I first saw other people doing similar upgrades. BUT, now that I've done it myself, I think that if you take your time, and carefully follow the instructions, it is really not that hard. I was surprised at how quickly the whole process went. It took me about 2-3 hours, and that was with the extra delays caused by filming.

I tested and confirmed that it does use more power, as I have heard. I measured that it would use about 1050 watts at idle, and then peak at 17-1900 watts while cutting. In contrast using the straight blades the tool would idle at about 950 watts and cut at 12-1300 watts.

I also tested and confirmed that it runs QUIETER after the upgrade. I don't have a specialized DB meter, just an app on my phone, but I measured a drop of about 10-12DB, and my ears agreed that it sounds quieter. I still wear hearing protection, as I also need a dust collector which adds it's own noise, but it still makes a difference.

My overall first impressions are very positive. The cut quality is beautiful, the install process was straightforward, and it is more affordable than the others helical head upgrades that I know of. I plan to make another video in about 2 years to give a more long-term review, which I will also link here at that time.

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