Thickness planer is very useful because you can rely on them to make a material more even on both its face. There are also plenty of options that we can choose from, especially for small to medium projects such as Makita 2012NB Vs DeWalt DW735. These extremely popular planers are easy to use and reliable with good build quality. If you wonder which of them to buy, let’s see what to expect from the two here.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- Why Buying a Thickness Planer
- What are Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735
- How are the Unit of Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735
- How are the Specs of Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735
- How are the Performance of Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735
- What else Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 can offer
- Makita 2012NB Vs DeWalt DW735
Thickness Planer
We humans invent tools to help us on a daily basis from finding food to building shelters. In modern days powered tools are far more convenient because they remove a huge burden on our body when having to put some force into the tools and material. The main advantage of having a powered tool is a streamlined job as well as being more efficient in time. They also produce clean or professional results when properly applied. When it comes to woodworking, both manual and powered tools are helpful.
For example when transforming a rough material into those ready to use boards. We can just buy the board that matched with the project yet, they can be either difficult to find or expensive. Buying the rough material and working on it at the jobsite or home is what most people choose for the cost saving and versatility. We can dimension a plank with just a hand planer but this is a time consuming process and also often produces some errors on the result.
This is where a thickness planer can save the day and you don’t have to be a professional to use it because any hobbyist or enthusiast who wants to work on their personal project will be able to get used to the machine in no time. In the past this type of tool can be found only in large workshops or a professional setup but nowadays almost everyone can have one, based on the budget and also the material specification they want to work on.
Table planers are perfect for enthusiasts and even experienced users to have in a limited space. In general many of them are below $1000 or if you want the higher capacity the cost can go quite high, based on what the machine can offer. While thickness planers are very helpful, they are not the only thing you may need since the machine can’t do everything on its own. Usually people are combining the planer with a jointer and the latter is used before the plank is inserted to the planer.
A thickness planer will help to flatten the board or make even on both its sides but it won’t make them necessarily straight. This is why a jointer is a must have tool for some people since it prepares the face sides and edges by removing the high spots without first flattening the board. In an ideal setup the jointer is used before planning to make sure that the plank is flat on one of its sides.
| Makita 2012NB | DeWalt DW735 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Product Dimensions | 30.35 x 19.02 x 15.79 inches | 24 x 22 x 19 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 61.8 Pounds | 45.3 Pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | Check price | Check price |
About Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735
Wood planers are very much similar to each other in terms of how they operate or work so the overall mechanism will be the same but, since they are made by different manufacturers, the end products will not be identical to each other. We highly recommend to balance the budget and quality or if possible get the best your budget can afford because this machine should last for a long time. Don’t forget to look into the capacity as well, to match with the material you want to work on.
There are actually plenty of options when you are in the market for a planner, based on the brand, price, and capacity. Makita and DeWalt are some of the most popular options to consider because the two are well-known to have high-quality products and are competitive in price point. The Makita products however, tend to be more affordable and have a similar performance to the DeWalt tools. Not only small power tools, these brands both carry table top planers that you can trust.
The planers that are about the same in price range are Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 which are very similar based on what they can offer. Depending on where you find them, the price may vary, however both are still below $1000 and if you want the complete version of DW735, there is DW735X. Both are the same planers but DW735X comes with extra blades and also the table feed in and out since you will also need these equipment.
In comparison, we do think the DeWalt is a better or higher choice than 2012NB. Not necessarily mean the latter is a bad option but it is not coming with the features and also capacity of DW735 so if you can find them around the same price point, we will highly recommend getting the DeWalt planer. However, if the capacity and features of NB2012NB is already adequate and you can find it at a much lower price, this is a reliable option as well.
Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 Machine
The two are already different based on how the machine is built. Usually most table-top thickness planer have the same design like this 2012NB, including DeWalt older planer DW734 but the new DW735 is different. Instead of using a fixed housing that will support the blade and motor attachment as well as lowering or increasing the blade height, this planer is moving the whole housing at a time through the crank so the upper housing moves along the 4 large nuts that support it.
The crank that is usually located on top of the housing is now on the side but every feature and adjustment are the same. Build quality wise the Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 are rigid and supposed to last for a long time with proper use and care. The total weight of the machine itself is lighter on DW735 but you will still be able to move them manually with a handle on each side. Unlike DW735, the 2012NB comes with the table feed in and out already.
Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 Specs
Now for the most important part, let’s take a look into the specs first because Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 are quite different here. Capacity is the most important and DW735 is wider at 13 inches in width while 2012NB is 12 inches. The maximum stock height for these planers are 6 inches but the 2012NB is just slightly taller at 6-3/32 inches. As for the maximum depth of cut for each pass, they are the same too at 1/8 inch.
Another main difference between these planers is the amount of blade because you want something with more blades to work faster and many planers such as DeWalt 735 Vs WEN 6552 are coming with three blades while this 2012NB is a two blade variant. The claimed speed rating of the planers are 8500 RPM and 1,000 RPM under no load with a feed rate at 27.9 and 26 per minute respectively.
Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 Performance
Now for the performance part, especially when the Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 are set to cut at the highest depth or 3/32 inch. The planers are both able to pull some power but DeWalt is probably among the best in the market by producing more pulling power and best experience regardless of the wood type being used. In comparison, the 2012NB is not bad at all but it definitely slows down a lot depending on the material being used.
For example it is weaker against woods like mahogany, oak, and maple while a bit faster when working on poplar. When the machine is tested without any material or plank running through it, the speed is actually faster on the 2012NB but it seems this speed is not sustained once you run a material and make the motor work harder. As for the dust collection, both are good but DW735 has a fan-assisted shoot to keep the dust away from the wood; it is very powerful too.
Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 Features
Lastly on the features, the Makita 2012NB is a simple planer so you can only adjust the height or thickness to cut off the board. DW735 introduces a new feature that is not always present on many other similar machines and this is to adjust the speed or cutting speed. There are two different speed levels on this machine so we can choose Speed 1 which is cutting at 179 cuts per inch when you are on finishing step or Speed 2 that cuts less at 96 cuts per inch when you are on dimensioning step.
Makita 2012NB Vs DeWalt DW735
Both Makita 2012NB and DeWalt DW735 are good thickness planers based on which seems to work best on the application but, they are very different too. The DW735 is overall higher in specs, not only it is able to work on wider planks, it is also more powerful in terms of performance. The no load speed is lower than 2012NB but it is able to run a board faster regardless of the wood type, compared to 2012NB at almost twice the speed.
Conclusion
The decision is all yours since DW735 is often quite the expensive choice but if you don’t have an issue with the budget, we do recommend getting this planer or its other variant the DW735X for a more convenient package since the latter comes with the blade replacement and tables too.