Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 43

Thread: Spiral cutterhead question(s)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Just outside of Spring Green, Wisconsin
    Posts
    9,442

    Cool Spiral cutterhead question(s)

    In cruising through the latest Griz catalog, I note that many of their jointers now have the spiral cutterhead option (even on a 6" version!). Anybody out there have a jointer with one of these heads on it? I could see where it would be really advantageous, particularly on figured woods. At the same time, it's an expen$ive option and I can't help but wonder if it's worth it. Granted, you have four cutting surfaces on each little cutter, though I would think you'd have to rotate the whole lot of them to gain any benefit. Also, I imagine that the manufacturing process *has* to be real, real tight, particularly with how the cutterhead sits in the bearing pillows. Don't think there'd be *any* room for error, and I don't know how/if it's adjustable. Thoughts, opinions, suggestions?
    Cheers,
    John K. Miliunas

    Cannot find REALITY.SYS. Universe halted.
    60 grit is a turning tool, ain't it?
    SMC is totally supported by volunteers and your generosity! Please help if you can!
    Looking for something for nothing? Check here!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chappell Hill, Texas
    Posts
    4,741
    John, I've researched these a lot, although never held one or used one. Mike Mastin purchased a spiral head for his planer and he loves it. They are pretty quiet too, as I understand. And, since it's an easier cut, you can throttle down on the HP requirements and get a wider head.

    There are two flavors that I know of. One where the 1/2" x 1/2" cutters are staggered around the head and cut square with the wood. The other, also called a "sheared helical" or (using Byrd Tools terminology) "shelical", in which the cutter is angled so it cuts on the shear versus straight. I understand this sheared design to be even quieter.

    Todd

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Southern MD
    Posts
    1,932
    It's in my plan to get one for my jointer as soon as my shop is done. Seems worth it to me just to avoid having to set knives again . A former co-worker got one for his and brought in some very curly maple he jointed. It pretty much looked ready to finish w/ no tear-out. He said he usually needed to hit figured wood with handplanes and scrapers to tame the tear-out, even if he used fresh sharpened blades and wetted the wood. If he had the cash, he would have gotten one for his planer as well.

    Jay
    Jay St. Peter

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Thibodaux, La.
    Posts
    242
    Pardon what might turn out to be a very stupid question, but what effect does wetting the wood have on the cut? Is it advantageous in cutting oak? In pine?
    Thanks guys,
    Lynn
    Lynn J. Sonier

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Lynn Sonier
    Pardon what might turn out to be a very stupid question, but what effect does wetting the wood have on the cut? Is it advantageous in cutting oak? In pine?
    Thanks guys,
    Lynn
    Hi Lynn

    Wetting wood on endgrain will fill the spaces between the fibers with water it will also swell the wood fibers. That filling will give the knives something to cut against.

    Because figured woods have grain running every which way, wetting wood can help the cut. You can fill the the holes with things other than water, oil, glue, finish... It is a good idea to fill with something that is compatable with the finish you are planing on using.

    Unless you have curly oak or oak burl there isn't much point in using water.

    Good Luck

    Richard
    The Large print givith
    and the fine print takith away

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Granbury, TX
    Posts
    1,458
    Do they sell and aftermarket version of these for a DJ-20? or a Delta planer?

    If so, who are the venders?

    Or are they only available with new machines?
    Martin, Granbury, TX
    Student of the Shaker style

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chappell Hill, Texas
    Posts
    4,741
    Yes Martin, you can buy aftermarket. Try www.byrdtool.com. They even list a DJ-20 as a model with a price - $449. (http://www.byrdtool.com/journals.html)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Collin County Texas
    Posts
    2,417
    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Shupe
    Do they sell and aftermarket version of these for a DJ-20? or a Delta planer?

    If so, who are the venders?

    Or are they only available with new machines?
    Hi Martin, yes they do sell heads for the DJ-20, and they are $449 as I recall. Take a look at their website here. The planer heads are quite expensive, as much as $2,000 to $7,000
    Best Regards, Ken

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Mtl, Canada
    Posts
    2,379
    This may be a dumb question but will spiral cutter put more side thrust on the cutter bearings thus wearing them out more quickly?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Plano, TX
    Posts
    265
    Those heads that Grizzly sells are not the same as the Byrd heads mentioned in this thread. Grizzly's head have the carbides placed square to the stock, where the Shelix heads have them canted.

    I have all the money saved up for a jointer head from Byrd, I'm just on the fence whether to get a spiffier jointer to put it on.

    Dave

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Granbury, TX
    Posts
    1,458
    Quote Originally Posted by Todd Burch
    Yes Martin, you can buy aftermarket. Try www.byrdtool.com. They even list a DJ-20 as a model with a price - $449. (http://www.byrdtool.com/journals.html)
    If I remember correctly from the website, the ones that fit my planer are around $800, and you get to tear down and rebuild your planer yourself!

    I don't know if I can justify the planer, as I need to find a local guy to plane/finish sand wide(r) panels anyway.

    I sure could use them to joint/plane some of my curly cherry and curly maple though.

    Might be able to afford (and justify to my wife) the jointer blades in a few years. I'd better actually finish some projects my wife wants, first.

    Can anyone tell me if they are really worth the big bucks?
    Martin, Granbury, TX
    Student of the Shaker style

  12. #12
    John
    Although my mind is going.... We (me and the other teachers in our department that taught woodworking) had an Oliver (I think) 20 inch planer with a spiral cutting head. It had 69, 2 inch square knives around the head and each knife sat square to the cutting surface.
    Back in the 1985/86/84/83 - when we purchased it - it cost $14,000.

    Boy was it quiet - we could teach over the noise it made. What a beautiful cut and we could get it down to 1/8 inch thickness.

    So is the spiral head worth it - well yes and no - depending on the noise factor and the individual cutters, and money you have available.

    You might also consider that a jointer is a "hand push" machine and may be a little easier to push wood over the spiral knives than over the "kerchunking" straight knives. (you guys know what I mean - kechunck, kerchunk, kerchunk) But faster! Or Burrrrp over the spiral knives. Ah, good sounds eh?

    Oh by the way - each square knife could be rotated through the four sides.

    It also came with a motor grinder that mounted on top of the planer to resharpen the knives. I only had to do that once during my tenure working with it.
    Daniel
    "Howdy" from Southwestern PA

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Philadelphia, Pa
    Posts
    2,266
    Great thread, as I have been planning on a Byrd Tool shelix for my 12" jointer. They quoted it, and I now have the money (from a commission just compelted). But -- on another forum a fellow bought one from them, a 6" I think, and found that it left rairad track type of light marks on the wood. He was sending it back for inspection and reworking if needed, and that was fine with them both, but I never heard the follow up on it. This is a long way of asking if anyone here has the one(s) from Byrd tool, and if so, how they like them. I am hoping someone will chime in.
    Alan

  14. #14
    I've been reading this thread with great interest too since I was thinking of buying the Delta 15" planer, but then a friend of mine told me to check out the new Powermatic 15" planer with a spiral cutterhead. I want a good planer to dimension some curly maple with as little tearout as possible and was debating the big Delta vs the new DeWalt. Still don't know.

    But anyhow, look at the Powermatic if you have a store near you. I don't have a local source unless I want to drive 3 hours each way.

    As for the marks on the wood that the fella had with the Byrd shelix cutterhead, when I was doing some surfing, I came across some comments from folks that experienced the same thing with carbide blades. HSS provided a clean cut, and the carbide always seemed to leave marks. So maybe you want a shelix cutterhead with HSS knives that you can hone easily?

    I'm also confused about this grinding attachment or whatever I have read about these spiral/shelix cutterheads. How does it work?

    If I buy an aftermarket Byrd shelix cutterhead for a Delta 15" planer, or for my DJ-20 jointer, how to I sharpen them, or even align the dozens of blades on these things? Suppose I run a nail through them and need to replace 4 of those blades - how do I set those properly to be within a thou of each other (or whatever the correct tolerance should be)?

    Maybe I should skip this shelix thing and dimension the wood pretty close to final size with the Delta 15" and then use my Performax and test my patience while it finishes sanding to the final dimensions?

    Totally confused....

    Allan

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Philadelphia, Pa
    Posts
    2,266
    I understand from speaking with Byrd that if you trash a cutting edge, you just take out the cutter, flip it 90 degrees, and reinstall. There is a square of metal that registers to the cutterhead, which gives you the alignment automatically.
    Alan

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •