Delta RC-33 Byrd head?

[William Chain]

I have a nice old RC-33 that I picked up on CL nearly a year ago. It’s been fantastic and it cut fine when I brought it home but the blades are finally tired. I got a new set of good blades but I simply cannot get the old blades out. The bolts on the blade holders in the cutter head are stuck, perhaps just too rusted in there. I tried some penetrating oil and got two bolts on one blade holder to turn and one bolt on another. The rest are pretty stubborn. I have a thin set of wrenches but just cannot get enough purchase on the bolts to really go at them.

Is it worth the cash to do a Byrd head? If I can’t get these bolts out, this is probably the best time to do this upgrade. Worth it at $800 or put that toward a new machine with a helical head already? I picked up a DJ-20 at the same time as this planer and had no trouble changing knives on that and it cuts beautifully so I’m not turning my nose up at straight knives, just at my patience limit for these bolts on the planer....

Upgrade time? Or are there more tricks to get these stubborn bolts?

[David Kumm]

Assuming the gears are good, the RC is a good candidate for a spiral head. They were well made but as most small planers, lacked the chipbreaker and a good pressure bar compared to larger planers. Those machines are the ones that benefit most from the spiral head. Those heads generally take a little more power than a straight blade head so you can't take too much off but the cut quality is good and changing blades is not the easiest on the motor on top machines. Dave

[Andrew Hughes]

I vote Bryd Head in a planer is a step in the right direction.

[Darcy Warner]

Hermance Helix Head

[William Chain]

Well, a couple more go's after more penetrating oil all failed so it looks like an upgrade is imminent. I spent some time on the phone with Hermance (nice folks, they more than earned the business, thanks for the recommendation Darcy) and it looks like extensive surgery on the planer will be needed to extract the cutterhead to send over so they can make the replacement. Not quite what I envisioned for the weekend....

[Darcy Warner]

Well, a couple more go's after more penetrating oil all failed so it looks like an upgrade is imminent. I spent some time on the phone with Hermance (nice folks, they more than earned the business, thanks for the recommendation Darcy) and it looks like extensive surgery on the planer will be needed to extract the cutterhead to send over so they can make the replacement. Not quite what I envisioned for the weekend....

No problem, they have treated me well, quality finished product and a short turn around time.

[Steven Woodward]

Well, a couple more go's after more penetrating oil all failed so it looks like an upgrade is imminent. I spent some time on the phone with Hermance (nice folks, they more than earned the business, thanks for the recommendation Darcy) and it looks like extensive surgery on the planer will be needed to extract the cutterhead to send over so they can make the replacement. Not quite what I envisioned for the weekend....

I recently upgraded my RC-33 with Byrd Shelix head and did not need to send the old cutter head to Byrd. So perhaps I benefited from William going ahead of me. I did have to measure the thickness of a spline on the existing head and send this dimension to Byrd. As for the “extensive surgery” it was, but unlike a living patient, the planer does not die if you work slowly, so I took my time and did one step at a time. Also the extensive surgery created the opportunity to do extensive cleaning, lubrication, and tune-up that was long overdue on my 35 year old machine. Here is the video for anyone considering surgery: https://youtu.be/zFdcSKi47ZU

[Mark Gibney]

That is a really well made and clear video you made. Thanks, and welcome to the Creek Steven.

[Bill Dufour]

Before I spent one penny on a new cutter head I would verify that ALL the bolts and screws that have to be removed can be turned. I know the cutterhead screws get gunked up and hard to turn but the bearing holders and other bits will be just as rusted. You may have to remove the knives to extract the cutterhead from the side if it does not come out the top.
Use a torch and heat the bolts one at a time before trying a wrench on them. Not crazy hot just 300 degrees or so. Only do one or two at a setting so the head does not get warpped.
Bill D

[William Chain]

Fabulous video, man I wish I could download and save that. Wonderfully clear and well made. Thank you sir.


I recently upgraded my RC-33 with Byrd Shelix head and did not need to send the old cutter head to Byrd. So perhaps I benefited from William going ahead of me. I did have to measure the thickness of a spline on the existing head and send this dimension to Byrd. As for the “extensive surgery” it was, but unlike a living patient, the planer does not die if you work slowly, so I took my time and did one step at a time. Also the extensive surgery created the opportunity to do extensive cleaning, lubrication, and tune-up that was long overdue on my 35 year old machine. Here is the video for anyone considering surgery: https://youtu.be/zFdcSKi47ZU

[Steven Woodward]

RC-33 instruction book, parts list and more. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_Qm84_ZeMmsxgP-hHsI-Ppf39kiUOEU3?usp=sharing

[Steven Woodward]

While following Mr. Google to the edge of the internet I came across this RC-33 pictorial tear down and restoration by Ed Hollingsworth http://bullfire.net/Planer/Planer.html