Question about my Dewalt 735 planer

[demondeacon]

This evening, I found this small sprocket laying on my garage floor. IT was actually below my Sawstop Jobsite saw, but their service immediately confirmed it is not a sawstop part as nothing in their machines is chain driven. My planer was nearby so I assume this fell off and rolled. It appears to have broken off a rod that is about 1/4 inch in diameter. The sprocket is about 1.5 inches in diameter and has ten little teeth. I have never taken apart by machine but I know others have. Can someone please confirm that this belongs to my planer and likely my chain wont work.

Also, does anyone know if there is a Dewalt service center in NC or relatively close by? Thank you

 

[holcombej]

Dave, I think that sprocket was originally on a 1/2 to 5/8 diameter shaft that has been worn down by something to the 1/4” in the center that then broke.

 

[demondeacon]

You may be right. I have gone blind trying to decipher the parts diagram on line and it is very hard to see the parts clearly. It appears to be part of a subassembly. I am an "artisan" and not much mechanically inclined like many of the folks on this forum. It does appear that Dewalt has a service center in Charlotte which is doable. Hoping to hear from someone who has had the covers off their planer and can confirm what this part does. I assume it is part of the drivetrain which moves the blades, which I believe are chain driven.

 

[Jack A.]

From looking at the parts diagram, that does not appear to be from the planer. The sprockets here https://www.mmtoolparts.com/dw735-1-parts are # 83 and # 235. Neither has 10 teeth and both have a hole in the center. That one appears to be part of the shaft. It also looks pretty old.

What other machinery do you have?

 

[demondeacon]

You are correct. When I was looking at the parts diagram, I counted just 6 teeth and the sproket fits around a rod (kind of a cam shaft). I don't have any other machines which are chain driven.

However, my garage door stopped working on Monday and that is of course chain driven. I will take a look at that in the morning as that is only 3 feet away from where my planer and sawstop were sitting. The garage door repairman is scheduled to come Friday, which is as quick as they could come. I am sort of hoping that is the problem, and it won't be the first time I have been a dumbass this week. The bottom of my planer is enclosed in plastic so I was wondering how a sproket on the inside could just fall out.

 

[demondeacon]

Jack, I just took a look at my garage door and the chain is clearly off a sproket as it is hanging there like a big bicycle chain. And you are correct, our house is now 19 years old so the sproket is as well. As Gilde Radner used to say, "never mind". Thanks for your response as it got me thinking.

 

[bob vaughan]

The sprocket was different from the planer problems I've seen. At first I thought the sprocket came off the feed rollers. That can happen when the drive pulley nut comes off, drops down on the chain, and goes to the sprockets.

 

[demondeacon]

It looks like that sprocket has 8 teeth instead of the 10 teeth on the one I found on my garage floor. They are also black in color rather than steel colored. I have been hesitant to turn on the planer but will this morning. As noted above, I dont see how any internal part can fall out of the planer with the closed bottom. The bottom of my sawstop is open covered by a grate, which is why my initial thought was the part came from it.

 

[Mike Davis]

Did you get your garage door repaired yet?

 

[demondeacon]

Yes, the door was fixed the next day and the mystery of the sprocket laying underneath my table saw was solved. Felt somewhat stupid for a few days after that, but was happy that I did not attempt a repair to my planer. The sproket was driving the chain on the garage door and had broken off and rolled under my saw. Interestingly the sprocket was approximately the same size as those inside the Dewalt but had fewer teeth.