The Day I Met My DeWALT DW735X
You know how sometimes you buy a tool that changes everything? Well, that happened to me about a year ago when I got my hands on a DeWALT DW735X 13-inch two-speed thickness planer. I had been dreaming of it for months, pouring over the specs and reading every review I could find. It felt a little extravagant, but man, the idea of slapping a smooth finish on the rough lumber I’d been hauling home from the local mill was just too tempting.
The Rough Start
It was a cold Saturday morning, the kind that juts its chin out and challenges you to come out of your cozy bubble. I’d just brewed a strong cup of black coffee—dark enough to scare you a little—as I sat in my garage looking at this shiny new tool. It was almost gleaming, like it was waiting for its big moment. I remember thinking, “Alright, let’s see if you can live up to all that hype.”
I gathered up some rough-cut pine, fresh from a local sawmill—not that fancy Baltic birch or anything, just good ol’ American pine. I could almost smell that distinctive scent of resin; it wrapped around me like a favorite old sweater. I slid a plank into the DW735X, my heart hammering a little with both excitement and anxiety. Would this really work? Would I finally get that nice, smooth, uniform board?
The first pass was a symphony of sounds. The machine roared to life, and I felt like I was on the set of a movie—this was it! I peered through the dust flying around, half-laughing, half worried about how messy I was about to get. But honestly, I didn’t expect it to be so… airy. The shavings floated around like little feathered creatures on their way to a new adventure.
The Realization
And then, oh boy. When I pulled that first board out, I was ecstatic. It was beautiful, all smooth and clean. I remember gasping—my coffee cup almost slipped from my fingers. But that excitement was short-lived because the next few boards didn’t go quite as smoothly. I forgot to adjust the height on the planer for thickness. Rookie mistake! Pretty soon, I had a pile of boards all differing in thickness, and I almost threw my hands up and gave up.
It’s funny how we’d think we know better than the tool. There I was, staring at this shiny blue and yellow beauty, pretty much saying, “You failed me!” Well, turns out it was more me than it was the tool. Just a simple flick of a lever to adjust the depth, and I was back in action, but man, talk about feeling like a dope.
Finding My Rhythm
Once I got the hang of it, that DW735X was like music to my ears. I could switch speeds, and when I cranked it up to that higher speed, oh boy, it was like watching a race car zoom by. I had this beautiful finish coming off the other end. The smell of the fresh wood combined with that sharpness of the blades whirring through? Now that’s what I call therapy.
Eventually, I started working on something big—a project I had been dreaming of for a while. I decided to build a dining table for my family. I mean, nothing too fancy, just a good ol’ farmhouse-style table. I started with that rough pine I mentioned, and after all those missteps, I was ready this time. Every piece went in, and every pass felt victorious. I was catching my groove, throwing a toothy smile every time I pulled out a perfectly dressed board.
Celebrating the Wins and Learning from the Fails
I have to tell you, though, there were still moments when I felt like I was teeing up for failure. Like when I miscalculated the amount of wood I needed. I almost packed it in and said, “Screw it!” But I just slapped a smile on my face, reached for another cup of coffee, and pulled my big-boy pants up. Nothing worth doing ever comes easy, right?
By the time I assembled the table, with everyone around to admire it, I almost teared up. To see everyone gathered ‘round, all smiles, it was like one of those Hallmark movie moments. I chuckled when my wife actually took a picture of me standing there like a proud dad.
The Takeaway
So, here’s the thing I wish someone had told me earlier: don’t be afraid of messing up. Whether it’s thickness planing or tackling any DIY project, it’s okay to have your mistakes. This tool? It’s a dream, sure, but I had to learn how to dance with it instead of just holding on and hoping for the best.
The truth is, if you’ve got a project in mind—even if you feel like you’re not ready—just go for it. Get your hands dirty, figure things out through trial and error. I’m still learning, one board at a time, and I wouldn’t trade all those crazy moments I had with my DeWALT DW735X for anything. So grab that coffee, fire up the planer, and get to work! You might just create something beautiful.
