The Hardwood Bottleneck: Why Your Planer is Losing Power
Woodworking thickness planers like the DW735 and DW734 feature massive 15-amp motors designed to shave down rough-sawn lumber. However, when you constantly feed dense hardwoods through the cutter head, that motor draws a massive amount of DC current. This current flows entirely through two small graphite blocks pressing against the spinning armature.
Over time, extreme heat and friction grind these brushes down. When they pass their wear limit, the tension springs lose their force, causing the electrical current to arc across the gap. You will notice the machine bogging down mid-cut, aggressive sparking from the motor housing, and an electrical burning smell. If ignored, this arcing will melt the motor’s commutator, turning a $600 machine into scrap metal.
This Premium Aftermarket 5140011-85 Pure Graphite Brush Set is your engine’s first line of defense. Engineered to exact 7x17x18mm factory tolerances, these high-density graphite blocks bypass the heat limitations of standard carbon, ensuring a flawless electrical loop so you can get back to milling perfect boards.
Tech Q&A: From the Woodworker’s Bench
Why pure graphite instead of standard carbon?
Heavy machinery like a 13-inch planer requires pure graphite because it has a significantly higher melting point and better self-lubricating properties than standard carbon composites. This prevents the brushes from shattering or burning up when you take a deep bite out of a piece of hard maple.
Do I need to clean the motor commutator before installing these?
Yes. When you remove the old brushes, look inside the brush port. If the copper cylinder (commutator) is coated in black soot, gently polish it with a piece of 400-grit sandpaper or a fiberglass scratch pen. A clean copper surface guarantees maximum power transfer for your new brushes.
What is the proper break-in procedure?
After installing the new 5140011-85 brushes, turn on your planer and let it run freely with no wood passing through it for about 3 to 5 minutes. This allows the flat pure graphite to gently wear into a perfect curve that matches your spinning motor, preventing initial heavy sparking.
These aftermarket pure graphite brushes measure exactly 7mm (thickness) x 17mm (width) x 18mm (length).
Yes, this pure graphite brush set is fully compatible with both the standard DW735 and the DW735X 13-inch thickness planers, as well as the 12-1/2″ DW733 and DW734 models.
Sí, este juego de escobillas de grafito puro (aftermarket) mide 7x17x18mm y es un reemplazo directo y perfecto para las cepilladoras de madera DW733, DW734 y DW735.
