Dissapointing Dewalt 735/Shelix performance

[Scott Trebble]

I started this thread on another forum, so I should try and keep cut and paste to a minimum...

I recently purchased a Dewalt 735/Shelix head package from Canadian Woodworker (a great deal…$1000 ). The only head that they had was a shelved boxed head with 4 broken cutters (corners busted off, don’t know why), otherwise it looked unused. They replaced the cutters, shipped it all off to me, and I was off to the races.

It took maybe 3 hours to replace the head …I took my time, and was slow and careful (is there any market for an unused 735 planer head??) All went well with the installation, but I was disappointed with the initial cut. I did expect some slight ridges and scallops from my research on the web, but not as much as got on my first pass. I got 4 or 5 ridges that varied between 4 and 5 thou. I figured the replacement cutters might be to blame, so I took them all off and put them all on one end of the head, and replaced them with the displaced original cutters. This seemed to improve things slightly. I still get a couple ridges around 4 or 5 thou, and overall thickness on a twelve inch wide board varies by about 8 thou…( carefully measured with a dial indicator as well as a collaborated with a digital caliper)

I was just wondering if this is within tolerance, or if there might be something wrong with this head. I know that a slight scallop is the norm. What are the tolerances that I should expect? Does anybody have any experience with this combo?
I guess maybe I should take all the cutters off and reset them...quite a tedious process!
I would hate to have to take this head back out and send it back!


I sent a similar email off to Byrd and will update with their response if anyone is interested.
(check out the tread attached above for updates)
Thanks for your thoughts and any info you might have,
Cheers, Scott

[Allan Froehlich]

I don't know what to say, but this thread has definitly caught my attention.

[Chuck Isaacson]

How much material were you trying to take off in a pass?

[Cary Falk]

I had less than stellar performance from my Byrd that I put in an 8" jointer. I took out all of the cutters and cleaned the head and the cutters. After I torqued all of the cutter back on, I am a happy camper. It was a long process because of all of the cutters but it fixed my problem.

[Brent Grooms]

What speed were you using and how much per pass were you trying to take. I have to change how I feed for different woods as they react differently with the dewalt/shelix combo.

the only reasons I can think of that will cause ridges are...
- a chip in a blade
- blade not seated/torqued properly
- blade seat not clean /dust buildup etc.

I have had the dewalt head in since they first came out.. there is a learning curve.

[Mike Reinholtz]

Anyone with the Byrd/Dewalt combo care to share their experiences and tips to help shorten the learning curve? After spending 6 hours Saturday with a neighbor's help on my 735 to remove a stripped blade screw, I went ahead and ordered a Shelix from Holbren. We got the screw out on Sunday but the new head is on the way. I've heard a big help is to only use the finishing speed and to take light passes, anything else?

[Myk Rian]

The Shelix puts more load on the motor.
Take light passes in finishing speed.
The head is also a slightly smaller diameter than the stock one. If you use the thickness stop wheel, you'll have to adjust it down a tad.

[William M Johnson]

I have had mine for a year or so and never any problem. Ususally I wind up with a finish that requires no sanding. I have no measured with a caliper, but there is no discernable taper to the boards.

Don't mean to be arguementative but the shearing action of the cutter requires less power than the "blunt trauma" of the orginal knives. You can actually take a heavier cut than before. If I am finishing I take 1/2 turn at a time on fast speed. I see very little difference between the two speed settings.

Also I have never noticed any scalloping in the wood. Maybe I am just old and blind.

Bill

[John M Bailey]

I started this thread on another forum...

somebody joins our community and their first and only post is a complaint that begins with "I started this thread on another forum...", and then they end with "I sent a similar email off to Byrd and will update with their response if anyone is interested."
interesting......

[glenn bradley]

Lots of good advice here. +1 on what Cary said. The inserts are to be torqued to a certain amount and there have been experiences with the area under the inserts requiring cleaning (somebody cut corners in the wrong place it seems).

I had a kickback and developed ridges following it. Sure enough, material had gotten under the cutters. Cleaned it out and re-torqued the same inserts; problem gone.

The fact that the head got bumped around enough to break the cutters is a concern but, not too much as carbide is brittle. The fact that the inserts may have been installed by the same folks who would bump a carbide cutter head around is of more concern.

The ridges should be easy to track to specific cutters. Run a 13" wide board through and line it up with the offending area. Remove, clean, re-torque to Byrd's spec and re-test. Please keep us posted.

[Scott Trebble]

I was taking a minimum cut on some already finished oak... prolly less than 1/32", just enough to make sure I was cutting the whole board, and running on the finish speed.
It seems like re-seating and re-torquing all the cutters to Byrds spec is the way to go (there goes my weekend :-)
The cut that I'm getting now is unusable, it's beyond what sanding with a ROS can fix, I'm afraid.

John, I'm afraid your comment confuses me. Have I done something wrong?

Thanks much for the advice.
Cheers, Scott

[Brian Gumpper]

It sounds like you have an issue with the cutters being even. I would remove them all, clean the seats and torque them down, and I mean torque with the appropriate tool.

[glenn bradley]

Scott, just so you know (because he is modest), Brian Gumpper is the "Brian at Holbren" everyone talks about. He sells Byrd, Whiteside and others and knows of what he speaks ;-)

[Myk Rian]

I believe the proper torque is 55 inch pounds.

[Dan Forman]

John, I'm afraid your comment confuses me. Have I done something wrong?

Cheers, Scott

Nope. Some folks here are inclined to see conspiracies where there are none.

Dan