Delta 22-101 13" planer

[Steven Wayne]

I picked up a a Delta 22-101 13" planer a couple months ago. I sent the knives out for sharpening after I got it home. I picked up a knife setting jig at Woodcraft today and set out to install the knives this evening. They are within .010 of one another measured like so:



I ran several different species through it..



It seems to be working quite well. Other than the shop fabricated rolling base, it appears to be as it came from the factory. I have no indication of a problem with the gear box. It feeds and works well. I'm planning to just use it for a while now that the knives are sharp.


A couple of questions:


1. Is .010" acceptable variation in blade height?


2. Has anyone put a Byrd head in one of these? I have the Byrd head in my 6" delta jointer and I love it.


3. Any suggestions on a dust hood? Or a good starting point for a dust hood?

[Curt Harms]

For a dust hood, could you figure out a way to mount something like this? They're pretty flimsy so you'd need some sort of frame.
http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewpro...FUmk4Aodhm0AWA

[Jamie Buxton]

... Is .010" acceptable variation in blade height?..

Hold it so you have glancing light along the surface. Can you see scallops on the surface? If not, you're okay.
(I've never measured mine, but 10 mils seems pretty big to me. That's a lot of sanding to clean up.)

[zayd alle]

Curt makes a good suggestion -- I've done that before on other planers. On my 22-101, I was fortunate enough to get the original dust hood. As for mounting, I wanted a quick way to mount/remove it without drilling any holes in the machine, so I fitted a piece of plywood to the four infeed/outfeed roll adjustment nuts on top and attached the hood to that. Lifts off easily and the weight of the hood levering off the nuts keeps it in place securely. This pic shows it well enough:

[Richard Coers]

.01" is WAY too much! That's over three thicknesses of paper. There never is perfection, so one knife is always going to do the final thickness cut, but with that difference, you will not be getting the smoothest cut. I shoot for no more than .003 difference. I only measure off the head. How flat is the bed? I guess if you measure in the exact same places, that won't make a difference, but you should mark the bed for the accuracy.

[Dave Cav]

I agree that .010 seems like too much variation between the knives, but if you are happy with the results then that's what's important. My experience with Byrd is that they make (or will make) a head for about anything, and they probably already stock heads for anything Delta.

[Steven Wayne]

Ok. I'm not doing well at getting the knives set correctly. I watched Bob Vaughn's video, made the tool and I'm still botching it up. I'm considering buying a Byrd head so I don't have to deal with this. The knives are on their last sharpen, per the shop that sharpened them last. Not sure if that's contributing or if it's just me.

Any thoughts? Anyone have a Byrd head in this planer? I saw someone somewhere online say they had one in a 22-101. I emailed Holbren asking for price and availability. Haven't heard back yet.

[david brum]

I doubt you'll see anyone complaining about switching over to a Byrd head, except for the actual installation. I still smile every time I walk past my 15" planer, knowing that I'll never again have to go through what you're going through. I normally enjoy mechanical tasks and generally tinkering with machines, but changing planer blades and jointer blades always felt like a waste of my shop time.

Having said that, it looks from the photo that you're using a pointed tip on your dial indicator. Those are really difficult to use in this application because the indicator only registers the highest point for a fraction of a second as you rotate the cutter. You can get a flat tip which will make the process more manageable. Last I looked, you could get an assorted tip from Enco for a few $. HERE is an example.

[Steven Wayne]

I have a flat tip on the indicator now. I know the issue is me. I'm just kinda over it. Knowing there's a no hassle solution in the Byrd head makes it an option to get back to wood working.

The next question is, if I'm investing in a Byrd head, what planer do I want to mount the head in ? Should I get an import 20" and go that route? There's one for sale for about $600. Or do I wait the 8 weeks for the 22-101 head to be made.
I have a Byrd head in my 6" jointer. It is awesome.

Advice and input appreciated.

[Kevin Bourque]

I have somewhat similar Delta planer,but I set my knives differently than you did. This method is fast and it works beautifully every time,

Trying to get the blades right with a dial indicator is really a chore. Here's a simpler method


I have a flat, rectangular block of steel that I place on the table under the cutting head.
I insert the blades loosely into the cutting head and I lower it down until the blades lightly touch the block of steel.
Then I insert a feeler gauge between the blade and the steel block and tighten one side.
I then do the same thing on the other side.
I do this for all 3 blades.
This method sets the knives so they are parallel to the table.

The thickness of the feeler gauge you use is not important as long as the same thickness is used on all the blades.

[Mark Wooden]

Awww Kevin, you done gave away the secret!............

[Steven Wayne]

Kevin, I'm not seeing how this is possible, the bolts would be down, facing the table. How do you tighten them?

An easy solution sounds great. Byrd has an 8 week lead time. As much as I like tinkering with my tools, I am far over trying to get this setup right. It's just not going well. I want to do some woodworking..

[david brum]

The next question is, if I'm investing in a Byrd head, what planer do I want to mount the head in ? Should I get an import 20" and go that route? There's one for sale for about $600. Or do I wait the 8 weeks for the 22-101 head to be made.

Everybody has different requirements, so it's hard to say what would be best for your needs. If you have the need and the room for a 20" planer, that seems like a good price if it's a reputable brand and in decent condition. One of the important considerations in deciding to spend money upgrading or buying used is the availability of future parts. For instance, if you spend $800 on a Byrd head for your planer and then a major part broke, could you find replacement parts? ( I'm honestly not sure).

On the other hand, a generic 20" planer probably shares parts with every other 20" planer, so parts should be easy to get.

On the third hand, for what you'd spend on that 20" planer plus an Byrd head, you could buy a brand new Grizzly 15" spiral head planer which most people are very happy with. Then you could just get to work. Heck, if you were really in a hurry, you could drive to Bellingham.

[Steven Wayne]

All good points.

1. The 22-101 is in pretty great condition. The achilles heel (the bronze gear) is good on this one. The Byrd head is $900+ ship and 8 week lead time.
2. It's the Jet model in great condition. Grizzly has the Byrd head for this for $875 in stock. The 20" width does not suck.
3. That's not a bad idea either

I appreciate the input and welcome any others.

[Kevin Bourque]

If the metal block( or you could use wood also) is high enough there's plenty of room to get a small wrench onto the nuts.