Is the difference between straight blades and the spiral head worth it?

[Terry Hatfield]

Contemplating buying a new planer. Looking very seriously at the Griz G0453($995) or the G0453Z($1450). Is the spiral head worth the dollar difference?

Reason for the question is this. My wood guy always has wide boards and I'm a sucker for them. :D I have several in the 15" range now than obviously won't fit thru my 13" Ridgid and I sorely hate to cut them down just to go thru the planer. I have a few boards that are up to 20" and Griz has the G0545 20" planer for $1495.00. Obviously the 20" has the straight blades vs the spiral head on the G0453Z. If the spiral head is really the bomb then I would most likey go for the G0453Z but if not, then I'd be spending the same money and getting a 20". I typically use my Performax to surface the wider boards but it's really , really slow.

TIA,

Terry

[Mikail Khan]

Worth it for me. Less noise. Long insert life.

I have had a jointer and planer with spiral carbide cutterheads for about 2 years now. I am a hobbyist, but I have not had to rotate the inserts as yet. Most of the work I do is with teak and mahogany.

MK

[Chris Ricker]

Terry;
I have the spiral head in my 12" Griz J/P.
I have used the straight knives in the past and would definitely get the spiral head again.

I've had it since July of '08 and see no need to rotate the cutters yet. If I had to guess, I've prolly processed about 1000 bf or so. Remember that I have the J/P so the same cutter head performs the both operations.

With the spiral I get much less tear out, less noise and the cut is much, much smoother.

I usually work with walnut, cherry, white oak and, hard maple.
hope this helps.
CR

[Van Huskey]

For me absolutely. I will never own a jointer or planer with knives again. In the end they will save money and except for the first couple of minutes with razor sharp knives will give you a better finish.

[glenn bradley]

No question. I have a spiral in the jointer and am eying a spiral for a replacement of my current planer. I could never go back.

[Robert Chapman]

The spiral head is really helpful if you mill figured wood such as birdseye or curly maple or other wood that is subject to tear out. I would highly recommend one.

[Matt Meiser]

Can't speak to the planer, but I love the one I put on my jointer. Plus at least on that machine, my knife alignment days are over.

[Brian Penning]

I don't understand getting the spiral for the jointer when the wood ends up going through the planer.
Can someone enlighten me?

[Matt Meiser]

Probably true for face jointing, but edge jointing is another story.

[Joe Jensen]

I'm not usually the grumpy old man on the forum, but geeze. You have nearly 2000 posts and you need another thread on this topic? Search?

[Thomas Knapp]

I don't understand getting the spiral for the jointer when the wood ends up going through the planer.
Can someone enlighten me?
The spiral inserts are carbide so they don't need sharpening or replacing as often. If you get tear out with the jointer you need to sand or plane it out if it is on a surface that shows. There is less noise with the spiral heads. There is also less resistance to feeding the stock, than with straight knives.
I put a Byrd head on an old 6" delta jointer and would not want to go back to straight cutters.
Tom

[Terry Hatfield]

Thanks guys. I have another month to save but the G0453Z it is. Just wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing with my money....and Joe, in my nearly 2000 posts, I've learned not to tell people to search instead of asking questions. I felt like it would be no harm and no foul to actaully ask a question. Sorry if I overstepped my bounds.

[Van Huskey]

in my nearly 2000 posts, I've learned not to tell people to search instead of asking questions. I felt like it would be no harm and no foul to actaully ask a question. Sorry if I overstepped my bounds.

That is the way THIS forum works, no "duh google" or "search" replies nothing wrong with a search or look at a specific thread for expanded info though. I have always figured if someone is asking a 1+1=? question serch prodding is fine since it doesn't muck up a forum (if that is acceptable in the forum, most prefer it, though here it is a bit more laid back) but if someone is asking an opinion question (like you are) it is best to ask it again (unless it has been ask multiple times in the last week) because different people respond and with newer tech opinions change. For example if this question were ask 3 years ago fewer people would have seen much less tried a spiral head and the consensus might be very different.

[james bell]

I purchased the Grizzly G0609 jointer with knives, saving $700 and figuring I would almost always run the wood through my planer (or my 22-44 sander). I just pulled the trigger on the G0453Z (been using an old Makita 2030 with knives).

If you have the money, spiral on both is great. But definitely get the spiral on the planer. I can always upgrade the jointer for less than it would have cost originally since they offered free shippiing with the knives but not the spiral. Thus far, no need and that $700 will buy me something else I "need".

[Terry Hatfield]

I purchased the Grizzly G0609 jointer with knives, saving $700 and figuring I would almost always run the wood through my planer (or my 22-44 sander). I just pulled the trigger on the G0453Z (been using an old Makita 2030 with knives).

If you have the money, spiral on both is great. But definitely get the spiral on the planer. I can always upgrade the jointer for less than it would have cost originally since they offered free shippiing with the knives but not the spiral. Thus far, no need and that $700 will buy me something else I "need".

Thanks! That is my plan. I have the G0500 jointer which I am super happy with and honestly very seldom face joint many boards. My wood guys sells S2S and I don't buy anything that's less than super straight so the planer was my main concern.

[Troy John]

I bought the G0453 about 6 months ago, it came with the straight knife and planed good. Then I found a screamin deal on a spiral carbide insert head and put it on, it is most definitly worth it. The only flaws left in the wood are small dents left on the infeed table and from the chips on the out feed roller. It basicaly cleans up real quick with the random orbit sander. Also if you get a straight knive machine (possibly find a used deal) the carbide head swap is super easy. I thought it was going to take the better part of a day to complete. Not even close, it can easily be done in a hour and if youve done one before it could probably be done in 30 min. I used the old gasket and bearings and getting the old bearing off the shaft is the hardest part.

[Cary Falk]

I suck at setting knives. I put a Byrd in my 8" jointer and love it. After a year and a half of use, I don't have any knicks and the cutters are still sharp. I am shopping for a planer also and will probably purchase the G0453Z.

[Mike Archambeau]

It is interesting that all the advice points to going with spiral cutting heads on the jointers and planers. But is that even offered on the Felder, Hammer, Mini-Max high end Euro machines? And the owners of these high end Euro machines love the performance they are getting. What explains the difference?

[Rod Sheridan]

It is interesting that all the advice points to going with spiral cutting heads on the jointers and planers. But is that even offered on the Felder, Hammer, Mini-Max high end Euro machines? And the owners of these high end Euro machines love the performance they are getting. What explains the difference?

Mike, I think one of reasons is that with the quick change or Tersa heads, it takes 5 minutes maximum to change the knives.

That means you change them when they're dull, rather than avoiding the dreaded knife change.

I have to admit however that my Hammer A3-31 works better than the two General machines it replaced.

Regards, Rod.

[glenn bradley]

I don't understand getting the spiral for the jointer when the wood ends up going through the planer.
Can someone enlighten me?

Tearout will often be much deeper than you plan to go with the planer.

[Joe Jensen]

I'm also told that the diameter of the cutterhead makes a difference as it changes the geometry of the way the knife exits the wood. My old SCMI jointer has a 4" dia cutterhead, my old PM60 jointer had one that was under 3". Some of the high end Euro planers have 6 or 7" diameter cutter heads.

[Joe Jensen]

Thanks guys. I have another month to save but the G0453Z it is. Just wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing with my money....and Joe, in my nearly 2000 posts, I've learned not to tell people to search instead of asking questions. I felt like it would be no harm and no foul to actaully ask a question. Sorry if I overstepped my bounds.

I must have been grumpy that day, it was my first time bitching about search. This has however been thrashed pretty consistently over the past 3 years on this forum.

[Myk Rian]

I must have been grumpy that day, it was my first time bitching about search. This has however been thrashed pretty consistently over the past 3 years on this forum.
I agree with you Joe. Even today it was asked again.

[Terry Hatfield]

I agree with you Joe. Even today it was asked again.

I've been on SMC since the first day it existed. Many other forums before that and I still post on a couple more besides SMC even though I certainly count this as home. People, including me, just want to ask "their" question and get whatever assorted answers there will be. Sometimes the same question gets asked over and over again. This has always be the case and will always be the case. It is simply the nature of the beast. Just go over to "Workshops" and check out how many posts there are about duct size or the HF dust collector. SMC and all the others would be dead in a month if everyone just came here and used the search. I am truly sorry for causing a stir with what I viewed as a legitimate question but still not sorry for asking it.

FWIW,

Terry

[Van Huskey]

I've been on SMC since the first day it existed. Many other forums before that and I still post on a couple more besides SMC even though I certainly count this as home. People, including me, just want to ask "their" question and get whatever assorted answers there will be. Sometimes the same question gets asked over and over again. This has always be the case and will always be the case. It is simply the nature of the beast. Just go over to "Workshops" and check out how many posts there are about duct size or the HF dust collector. SMC and all the others would be dead in a month if everyone just came here and used the search. I am truly sorry for causing a stir with what I viewed as a legitimate question but still not sorry for asking it.

FWIW,

Terry


Although I am the opposite in terms of longevity here I have lurked here for years and I agree with you, not only has it been the tenor of this forum BUT you mentioned "their" question which I think is a good point. Each person is an individual and there circumstances rarely fit eberyone elses when askng an opinion question. The other thread ask started today had some very specific parameters and drew different people in to respond, one response was from the owner of the company that imports the specifc machine and made a suggestion seemingly in contradiction to his wallet. So even though the question was similar it addressed another question that somone may find more useful to them than this thread or vice versa. I also know that the response from Shiraz is a almost a duplicate of one he made some time ago and thus is archived here but one would have to either be pretty good with search parameters or be willng to read a LOT to see the specific post where Shiraz makes the same point.

Finally, there will be that day when someone asks this exact question and someone responds with something like "I just got back from the IWF and XYZ corp has a replacement head that costs half what a Byrd does planes as smooth as 800 grit and the cutters are made from unobtanium and are guaranteed to stay sharp forever".

I figure discourse is what makes a forum vibrant and if mods deem it needed thay can merge threads.

[J.R. Rutter]

It is interesting that all the advice points to going with spiral cutting heads on the jointers and planers. But is that even offered on the Felder, Hammer, Mini-Max high end Euro machines? And the owners of these high end Euro machines love the performance they are getting. What explains the difference?

The high end SCM planer has a Byrd head. CE regulations do not allow these heads on a jointer where the lack of a full shroud over the cutterhead would allow a broken insert to eject towards the operator. I run both Terminus and spiral shear insert heads on my moulder and find the surface quality better with the straight knife, but the noise better with the segmented. Both types are miles ahead of a non-indexing cutterhead.