Spiral Cutterhead

[Craig D Peltier]

Is the Spiral cutterhead the same as the Byrd ? is there a reason why one wouldnt buy the Griz jointer with spiral cuttterhead and instead by the head from another source ( the blades that is).

Thanks

[Sonny Edmonds]

... But I tend to seek out the originals when I'm looking, then consider the copies.
Usually, I find the originators have the best set up for the job.
(That's why I have a Hitachi SCMS in my shop. They originated the SCMS, for eggzample.)

And yep, I have a bookmark for Byrd. (And drool marks.)

[Rob Grubbs]

Is the Spiral cutterhead the same as the Byrd ? is there a reason why one wouldnt buy the Griz jointer with spiral cuttterhead and instead by the head from another source ( the blades that is).

Thanks

There has been much discussion about this and the quick answer is that the Byrd uses a shearing cut orientation to the cutters while the Grizzly uses a spiral arrangement, but the cutters strike the wood at basically a 90 degree angle. As to which is better, let the discussion begin!