The torture test for our $400, DeWalt DW734 Planer has begun.  Eight hours and over 1,500 sq feet later it’s still going strong.  And we have not been kind to it.  We discovered that once the boards are planed on one side, we can take a 1/8 inch cut on 5 inch wide, damp, red cedar, running two boards side by side if we help push and pull them through.  And no, DeWalt does not pay us to torment their tools.