When is it time to rotate the cutters on a Byrd Shelix cutterhead?

[Jim C Martin]

Hello All:
Like the subject line says, when is it time to go ahead and rotate all the cutters on a Byrd Shelix? The one on my DJ20 has seen about 6 years of hobby use and seems to cut fine under almost all conditions. With a really slow feed rate I get almost no tear out and don't need to sand. Yes, I have rotated a few of the cutters over time as they got nicked but that's all.
Last week, however, I ran an end-grain maple cutting board over it and got quite a bit of burning. The burn pattern was striped so it appeared to come from specific cutters, maybe 1/3 of total width. Does this tell me its time to sit down and rotate all of them? Is there a good way to check?
Thanks in advance,
Jim

[Steve Peterson]

It sounds like dull cutters. You could try a fingernail test. Unplug the machine, then lightly touch the edge of each cutter with the back of your fingernail. Sharp cutters will grab. Dull cutters grab much less. Really dull cutters will just slide over your fingernail. This works for chisels, and I assume it would work for cutter heads.

One more thing, be really careful jointing end grain. Take extremely light cuts if you have to do it. A drum sander or a router sled would be much safer. I have heard reports of end grain cutting boards exploding inside planers from taking too big of a bite. The same thing could possibly happen on a jointer and your hands are always nearby.

Steve

[Keith Weber]

I don't have a Shelix yet, so I'm not talking from experience, but I'm guessing that you could single out the burning cutters by running your piece over the jointer making sure that you keep it tight to the fence. Turn off (and, better yet, unplug) the machine. Do not adjust the fence. Make pencil marks on the leading edge of the piece aligned with the center of the burn line on the jointed face. Place the piece flat on the jointer, facing the same direction as you fed it through before, and butt it up against the fence. The pencil marks should line up with the responsible cutters. You may have to rotate the head to help in finding the right one.

[John Lanciani]

If you're getting burning it is time to rotate. After six years I think you got your moneys worth out of that side of the inserts. I think if you start trying to track down and rotate only the inserts that are burning your next post will be something along the lines of "Why am I getting lines in my jointed stock?" Just think though, at this rate you will go 24 years without buying any jointer knives. :)

[Andrew Hughes]

I think most wait too long to rotate the inserts,They will still cut without a keen edge,if you have a magnifier look at the edge compared to a new one. I had a oliver 8 inch with a bryd head that went thru two sets of inserts in six years.
i also think woodworkers expect thier bandsaw blades to last longer than they really do.So maybe it's just me.🐭

[Mel Fulks]

I agree with Andrew. Most wait too long to change knives ,why would changing the inserts be different? Especially when it takes longer to change inserts.

[Art Mann]

Of course this is just my opinion but I would never attempt to plane end grain with a jointer or planer, even with sharp knives or a Shelix head. It is hard on the cutters and causes burning, as you have already seen. In a thickness planer it can be very dangerous due to the likelihood of kick back.

[joe milana]

I've got 4 insert heads, and my thinking has always been to avoid rotating random cutters unless they are severely damaged, which has never happened to me. I tolerate the tiny nicks, until its time to rotate. Otherwise, you will eventually end up with some sharp cutters, some dull cutters, get random results, and be totally lost. If in doubt, rotate!

[Jim C Martin]

Thanks All! I reckon I'll unplug the DJ20, pull up a chair and start rotating.
Regarding endgrain: Please rest assured that I used push sticks with both hands; one to control the piece and another to push through a backer board to prevent chip out at the end. Dept of cut was near zero.
Cheers,
Jim

[Myk Rian]

If you want to rotate the cutters, go right ahead and do it.
Mark all the USED cutter edges with a permanent marker first.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks All! I reckon I'll unplug the DJ20, pull up a chair and start rotating.
Regarding endgrain: Please rest assured that I used push sticks with both hands; one to control the piece and another to push through a backer board to prevent chip out at the end. Dept of cut was near zero.
Cheers,
Jim

The key here is to take your time and keep things clean, clean, clean. Pay attention to the torque settings as this is easier than replacing inserts ;-) My machine asks for 48-50 inch pounds.

[Jim Andrew]

I thought one of my cutterheads was getting dull, but when I was checking it, noticed some pitch on the cutters. So I used some saw blade cleaner and a tooth brush to clean the cutters. Found the cutters were dirty, not dull.

[Jim C Martin]

Hi Jim:
Thank you very very much for posting this! My cuters did not have any noticeable pitch build up but your post got me to thinking about burning from saw blades. So I just took a stick of paraffin and swabbed each row of cutters. Voila, no burning! None, zilch, nada!
Thanks again,
Jim

I thought one of my cutterheads was getting dull, but when I was checking it, noticed some pitch on the cutters. So I used some saw blade cleaner and a tooth brush to clean the cutters. Found the cutters were dirty, not dull.

[Rick Fisher]

I think many people use dull carbide cutters. The nature of them is to leave a decent finish .. Where you will see it is in the workload on the motor..