The importance of maintaining your DeWalt planer.

1. The importance of maintaining your DeWalt planer.
Though not as adorable as a brand new puppy, that dusty old Dewalt planer sitting all by its lonesome
in your shop also needs a little love every now and again. This isn't new information, just common
sense most of us already know. But there are some other things that you may not be aware of but are
equally important to maintaining the life of your Dewalt as well as insuring that you get nice clean
trims from whatever it is you're planing down.
First it may not be the blades that is causing that uneven cut. The infeed and outfeed extensions are
secured by adjustment bolts. The vibration of the machine can sometimes cause these bolts to change
position leading to an unbalanced cut. The best way to check this is to lay a straight edge across the
planer bed and the extensions. If you do have a extension that is off kilter this can be adjusted by two
small bolts located under the extension its self. These bolts are quite sensitive so patience is the key to
getting it to align correctly.
Now that the infeed and outfeed extensions are aligned it's time to check the infeed and outfeed rollers.
A lot of planers use rubber rollers to decrease the level of impact on softer woods. After a few years
these rollers can harden and become deformed. Check to see what type of roller is in your machine and
maintain it accordingly. If it's harder then oak you might need to consider swapping them out for some
new OEM Dewalt parts. Perfectly round genuine rollers are key to getting a solid straight cut with
minimal trothing on your project
Now that those items are out of the way it's time to take a peek at the blades. You can rotate a lot of
blades to the opposite side. You will want to remove the blade housing and pull out the blades. Most
planers come with a magnetic hook that allows you to replace the blade. This is to avoid the sharp knife
edges and soft fingers coming into contact with each other. If your razors have already been rotated it
it's time to replace them with some brand new Dewalt Blades. If you decide for new knives or
refurbished ones, it is important to remember to clean and wax the knives before you reinsert them into
the tool. This helps to remove friction between the blade and your cut to eliminate the scoring that the
blades that can sometimes leave on harder woods.
Now you're almost done! Keep that wax out because you're going to be using it on a lot more then just
the knives. Grab some noncorrosive cleaner and wipe down the table and extensions to remove any
excess dust and build up inside the tool. Those little deposits can also cause imperfections in your trim.
After you clean it grab your wax and coat the bed and walls. This helps to allow your pieces to slide
easily through the cut and can also help reduce the black heat impressions left by the table. Buff out the
wax and your ready to attack that next project with what will seem like your brand new Dewalt planer.