DEWALT DW733-GB Portable Thicknesser Planer, 230V 1800W,

I am a DIYer and woodwork is a hobby so this is a real luxury item for me and was one of the more expensive planners that I was considering. I have been looking at a planner for a while but as most of my workshop tools are Dewalt and in general I have found them to be excellent so I decided to go for this model. I have not regretted it however there are things to consider. Firstly, it is portable but it is heavy! If you can keep it on a bench and leave it there you will save yourself from a potential hernia. Secondly, it is loud and you really need ear defenders on even when it is just running and your neighbours will hate you. Other reviews have complained that the extraction hood blocks up and I agree that this can be a pain to remove and clear. Bear in mind, this is creating shavings not dust so you need enough air volume and suctions to move the extra density. I fitted it with a 63mm hose to a basic cyclone dust extractor and using the suction from a shop vac (albeit quite a powerful ones) and I have not had a problem. It is powerful but you do need to think about the amount of wood you are taking off with each pass (this will also minimise the blockages in the extractor hood). I found that taking small amounts off as I got closer to the final size gave the best results. I have planned a mixture of standard softwoods and cedar and the finish is excellent and I have found that I need limited sanding to get a nice finish. Hint - you need to get the in feed and out feed setup accurate so I recommend watching some YouTube videos for tips on how to do this. Overall, I am really pleased with it and would recommend.

Why did you choose this product over others?: Very good make and an excellent price. Easy to set up and it produced an excellent result.

The Dewalt thicknesser is a great bit of kit. The finish is very smooth. Have used on hard wood and softwood. Shabby reclaimed teak and mahogany came out looking like fresh wood from a timber yard. Dust extraction pretty good too. The only downside it the weight. It is nominally ‘portable’ but you wouldn’t want to carry it far.

The first planner came short of parts but the replacement was fine, it’s been used many times and providing it is set up properly it does what it says on the packaging. A tip for a new buyer, get ear protection as it is extremely noisy and purchase a digital thickness gauge as the existing one is not accurate, apart from the expensive price which includes transporting from America it is a good piece of kit

Contrary to the product description, this is a thicknesser, not a planer or a thicknesser/planer. If you're not sure of the differences, it's probably best to do some research before you purchase this item. It is a very solid, well built machine, which means its also very heavy. This isn't a problem if you intend to set it up in a workshop, and have no intention of moving it around very often. If you're intending to use it onsite, it isn't easy to carry, despite the handles. With the help of YouTube, I found the machine easy to set up. It's worth taking time to set the thickness scale as accurately as possible. I have been able to machine timber to a consistently accurate thickness. A word of warning about the required extraction. This machine produces a lot of wood chips. I found that my shop vac system, with its 2" hose, could not cope. The supplied 4" to 2" reducer became the source of repeated blockages. I had to bite the bullet and acquired a proper HVLP extractor with a 2HP motor and a 4" extract hose. I feel DeWalt should make this requirement more apparent. Overall, I'm pleased with the machine.

never written review's before .... but on this occasion i need to BIG UP the Dewalt organisation!!! I'm a Dewalt fan and have a nice selection of 18V and flexVolt toolage to get round most project's ..... this Dewalt thicknesser planner is PUCCA!!!! Didn't av to get the Dewalt unit coz its 230V, but did a little research, checked out reviews ect ..... proper well built...solid and with a nice balanced amount of weight ... decent dust extraction system .... excellent precision for depth control with the stability of the 4 pole set up ... set your depth and lock off ....all i can say is spend the little extra dollar if your looking for a small compact portable unit ...glad i did 100%

Works like a dream, as with most dewalt tools, it's not cheap, but it really is worth the money as it is brilliant. Don't be tempted to run pallet wood through a thicknesser as any grit stuck in the wood from the ground etc will damage the blades. This gives a lovely smooth finish, you could get away without sanding it so smooth. Work well on hard and soft wood. I fitted a digital measure to it so I can easily get say 250mm thickness then go to say 325mm and then go back to get another 250mm and it will be exactly the same as the first ones as the digital scale it near perfect, the manual pointer is more hit and miss, if you need to go back and forth with your sized. I am a diy wood worker and always wear ear, eye and dust protection as I value my health. Be sure to do the same and enjoy.

Ok