[Domo]

OP has a DeWalt 735.

Thickness is one of the first operations on any board. You don't do a finish length cut first or finished width cut mainly because you want the wood to be FLAT with both faces parallel on the saw bed (or the jointer) when you make those critical cuts.

Nearly all planers will create some snipe unless you master the tricks some have described in detail (lift, push, sacrificial feed push, extended tables, etc.) If there is any pressure on the board that is not exactly the same in front of and behind the cutter, such as when the end of the board runs past the roller, there will be some snipe.

I'd prefer cutting off the snipe than relying on using a technique (trick) to try and prevent snipe. Else, I could lose the use of the wood if I mess up the technique.

Perhaps I've been confused for a long time.

 

[FrankC]

I found this article with models from woodgears interesting;

Causes of planer snipe on small thickness planers

 

[DrRobert]

If snipe was due to a sagging board hanging off the planer, then butting an extra board to the end of your workpiece would not eliminate the snipe, as so many people have reported.

You tripped me and now all my apple fell out of my cart. I hope you’re happy. 😆😆

 

[B Coll]

I might see it on a portable machine, but how the head flexes upward on a stationary cast iron machine? I dont think so …… 🤔

And why would extended tables and lifting the board help?

I have a stationary planer, Jet 15", and Rick is correct. That is why if you feed multiple board end to end you will only experience snipe on the front of the first board and end of the last board. The feed rollers are already being held in place.

 

[Olwoodguy]

I expected it. I had a delta 14 in. I would run the boards through at an angle as much as I could. Have another board pushing it through right behind it. On a glue up I would have a board that was 3" longer than the rest.
I spent a lot of time trying to adjust the roller n blades. Just figured out ways to deal with it I guess

 

[Rick Christopherson]

My Jet 15" didn't have snipe from the factory, but when I replaced the knives I ended up with some at the tails. I readjusted the roller heights and pressures, but not until I readjusted the chip breaker (pressure bar) did the snipe disappear again. The only supports I use are my hands and the flimsy factory rollers.

 

[Half Fast Eddie]

View attachment 449254

Is that a picture of your planer? Why do you have a stick between two of the legs?

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Is that a picture of your planer? Why do you have a stick between two of the legs?

Because I was too lazy to readjust the leg heights 25 years ago, and this stopped it from rocking. Hey, out of sight, out of mind. 🤣

We don't need no stinkin' machine maintenance here!!

 

[Rebelwork]

I’ve got a Delta 13”. If im worried about snipe, I just lift keep the boards flat to the table at the end..

 

[SomeDudeOnline]

I just bought the same planer a few weeks ago. If you bought it from amazon, check the price of it right now. I checked a few days after I got mine and saw that the price dropped by $100. I messaged amazon asking if I could get a refund for the price difference or if I would need to return/re-order. They gave me back $200... I was very pleasantly surprised. I would guess it's been too long for you to reap this benefit but it may be worth a shot.

Anyway, to your original question, I had the same issue because I setup the tables to be level with the bed. Then I followed a video or 3 (which have probably already been referenced here) to make the points furthest from the bed a bit higher than the bed and that seemed to do the trick (as well as consciously making sure the board is flat on the bed until it hits the second roller).

 

[alphonse53]

Thanks everyone for the inputs & ideas. I heard good things about this planer and maybe naively thought it would work perfectly out of the box. Sounds like it might be a combination of adjustment and technique.

The planer is the best available in the portable line. You didn't make a mistake. Check out the videos John 'the painter' Smith referred to and the techniques Jim Frye suggested. Snipe always happens, to some degree or another, regardless, unless you fool the planer. The safest and easiest things to eliminate it are either leave the ends of the lumber a couple inches long, or keep some scraps about the same thickness you can run ahead and behind the board you're planing to fool the infeed and outfeed rollers.

 

[alphonse53]

I just bought the same planer a few weeks ago. If you bought it from amazon, check the price of it right now. I checked a few days after I got mine and saw that the price dropped by $100. I messaged amazon asking if I could get a refund for the price difference or if I would need to return/re-order. They gave me back $200... I was very pleasantly surprised. I would guess it's been too long for you to reap this benefit but it may be worth a shot.

Anyway, to your original question, I had the same issue because I setup the tables to be level with the bed. Then I followed a video or 3 (which have probably already been referenced here) to make the points furthest from the bed a bit higher than the bed and that seemed to do the trick (as well as consciously making sure the board is flat on the bed until it hits the second roller).

I think the markup on them was near 100%. When H/D was carrying them, the shelf price was $599. When they closed them out, they blew them at $299. What you ended up paying was a good deal like mine, but no steal, like mine.

 

[DrRobert]

I guess I’m fooling my planer b/c it has zero snipe. 😁

 

[escotz911]

Thank you all for sharing your expertise. I’m also very much a newbie and have the same planer as the thread initiator with the same snipe experiences. Until now, my best results came from adjusting the in/out feed tables, gluing on sacrificial pieces, and making small cut adjustments when I’m close to my desired final thickness.

 

[Rwhpi]

I have an older version of a 735 . I have the tables carefully set such that the outer edge of outfeed table is at tthe same elevation as the planer bed . I use a 4 foot rigid level as a straight edge and pit a little load on it with the planer height adjustment and dial the table pu to match.
I actually get hardly any snipe even on 20 in long stock.
The other thing that helps is to take you last cut to finished thickness as a light cut around 1/32 of an inch. This reduces the load from feed rollers which is correctly discussed in posts above. Lastly if tou are working on multiple boards send the next board through immediately behind the current board. This reduces / eliminates snipe from all except the firse edge in and the last board edge out. YouTube has as mentioned tons of info on this.
calabrese55

Continuous feeding eliminates 1/2 the stock waste. My "tried & true" method for years!

 

[DrRobert]

@Rick Christopherson,

OK I’ve picked up my apples and have the unbruised ones back in the cart 😁

You never answered why picking up in the board can eliminate snipe.

Or how a head mounted to a cast iron body can flex. Are you referring to portable machines?

If anything, wouldn‘t the bed be pushed downward? I’ve seen the height wheel on my planer turn a little while feeding. Only hard wood. I attribute this to dull blades pushing the board downward.

 

[tpgun45]

Welcome to the forum, Ex.
Yes, if the infeed and outfeed tables aren't precisely aligned with the center table, you can expect snipe often.
Several videos on YouTube on how to do the adjustments. Also, if you want, you can install a 48" board to almost eliminate the snipe.

I use a board all the time.

 

[highfigh]

Thanks for the additional ideas. I have read that feeding in a piece of sacrificial wood at front and back of the good piece causes the snipe to move from good piece to the sacrificial pieces. Rick's graphic seems to support that. idea. I'll also try lifting the ends as suggested.

You can minimize snipe in the wood you want to use by cutting it to length after planing, but that doesn't mean the planer is set up correctly. As long as you support the outfeed end and accurately maintain alignment with the table, you shouldn't have a problem with snipe but as long as the outfeed extensions raise or lower the piece, you will.

Spend the time to align it- you'll get to know the planer and it will perform better. This includes setting up the knives, too- don't expect it to be completely dialed in from the factory.

I have seen people use a board (covered with Melamine) as the table- it allows no sag and that eliminates snipe. 4 feet in length should work.

 

[alphonse53]

Continuous feeding eliminates 1/2 the stock waste. My "tried & true" method for years!

I try to finish plane all my lumber to finished thickness end-to-end, width progressive, with a dummy at the front and end. No hassles, guessing, or pinched fingers. It's one aspect of the six p's.

 

[alphonse53]

Thank you all for sharing your expertise. I’m also very much a newbie and have the same planer as the thread initiator with the same snipe experiences. Until now, my best results came from adjusting the in/out feed tables, gluing on sacrificial pieces, and making small cut adjustments when I’m close to my desired final thickness.

To both you newbies and everyone else with a DW735: I have an outfitted lathe and mill, and machined an indexed ring to press onto a machined groove in the backside of the hand wheel. The indexing is (8) divisions with (8) subdivisions each. That translates to 64 divisions for 1/16" (the movement of the head per rev.). Doing the math: 0.0625"/64= 0.00098", which is very close to 1/1000". Now, I have a choice to plane in 1/128" or 1/1000", simply by choosing which scale to use. Furthermore, the same trick can be accomplished by setting a computer printer to print the same index scale at such a length to encompass the rim of the wheel. Getting close to the exact length is good enough if you print on plastic bumper sticker stock that can be slightly stretched to match the wheel exactly. The main issue with the sticker is getting the scale positioned exactly before sticking it to the wheel, which is why I decided to make a ring that can be rotated. If you get the head positioned perfectly at a 1/16" increment using a caliper on a piece of stock before applying the sticker, you should be good until knife change, at least.