4 sided vs 2 sided carbide inserts for jointer/planer head

[Jason Ramey]

Hello all.
I have narrowed down my search for planers between a 24 inch Cantek for $7300, this machine has German made 4 sided carbide inserts.
The next machine is a Cantek 20 inch with 30mmx12 carbide inserts, this machine has ekectronic table and is $9610

The salesman said that I may get lines in my work from the 4 sided carbide cutters as they will do this when rotated. Any idea what he is talking about?
I don’t remember this happening on a 20 inch Powermatic I used and multiple other machines. He also said that the cutters in second machine were mounted vertically? They are 36x12mm

We will have a wide drum sander to remove marks if needed... I’d like to go with the 24 inch if possible but wanted to see what others thought.
I have been talking with the Cantek America people and they have been excellent in responding and answering questions but I wasn’t quite sure about this info

[David Kumm]

I'm not familiar with the two sided inserts and would prefer Tersa if available but the more expensive planer has a separate feed motor with variable speed and a power table rise and fall. I'm just a hobby guy but the power rise makes life a lot better. you can add a digital Proscale readout to the manual machine but the power is worth something. I suspect there are other build differences but I can't tell from the literature. Check on how easy it is to adjust the chipbreakers and particularly the pressure bar. You will appreciate the ease of adjustment. I also like a four post design for the bed and the longer the bed the better( my 20" is 41" long ). Bed rollers are a pain in my world so an easy way to level them to -0- is a good thing. A stout base is a good thing and usually the Taiwan machines are pretty good at that. 6mm steel and folded or reinforced to provide a solid platform for the heavy cast iron bed. If the motor powers both the feed and the head with inserts, 7.5 hp is a tad light for 24" depending on the feed speed. Dave

[Bill Dufour]

Find out who sells those inserts and how much they cost per edge. You do not want to be stuck with an unsupported machine in ten years that you can not buy inserts for. You know they do not make the inserts, they buy them from someone, probably in China.
Bill D

[Jason Ramey]

Find out who sells those inserts and how much they cost per edge. You do not want to be stuck with an unsupported machine in ten years that you can not buy inserts for. You know they do not make the inserts, they buy them from someone, probably in China.
Bill D
Hi Bill, good point. I just checked and they source them from Tigra, a German company specializing in carbide and other machinery related business. Looks like they are 2.53 each

[Van Huskey]

Hi Bill, good point. I just checked and they source them from Tigra, a German company specializing in carbide and other machinery related business. Looks like they are 2.53 each

Most of the good carbide inserts come from Germany. Oella saw and tool is an excellent source of all manner of carbide inserts.

Insert tooling can cause lines in the work, usually, they are so faint they disappear with the first use of sandpaper. You aren't going to get a finish-ready surface off of any jointer or planer but some get pretty close.

[Bill Dufour]

A quick search on ebay suggests r50, r100 or r150 might be correct. They look to have a much bigger hold down screw then I would expect from a metal cutting perspective. But I suppose there is only one hold down screw and not a little clip in addition to the flat head screw as might be common on a lathe tool..If it is a common size you can get a ten pack for about US $6.00 delivered. These come from China and will have many good names on the box.
Bil lD.

[Jason Ramey]

I'm not familiar with the two sided inserts and would prefer Tersa if available but the more expensive planer has a separate feed motor with variable speed and a power table rise and fall. I'm just a hobby guy but the power rise makes life a lot better. you can add a digital Proscale readout to the manual machine but the power is worth something. I suspect there are other build differences but I can't tell from the literature. Check on how easy it is to adjust the chipbreakers and particularly the pressure bar. You will appreciate the ease of adjustment. I also like a four post design for the bed and the longer the bed the better( my 20" is 41" long ). Bed rollers are a pain in my world so an easy way to level them to -0- is a good thing. A stout base is a good thing and usually the Taiwan machines are pretty good at that. 6mm steel and folded or reinforced to provide a solid platform for the heavy cast iron bed. If the motor powers both the feed and the head with inserts, 7.5 hp is a tad light for 24" depending on the feed speed. Dave
Lots of good points. I’m really tempted to get the 24 inch machine because of the extra 4 inches and the lower price but not sure how much I’ll actually use the entire 24 inches.

[Darcy Warner]

Lots of good points. I’m really tempted to get the 24 inch machine because of the extra 4 inches and the lower price but not sure how much I’ll actually use the entire 24 inches.

Way more than you think you will. I am currently running a 36" planer and only keep a 24" around just so I dont have to fire up 40hp to plane a couple narrow boards.

[David Kumm]

I hear you about the extra 4" but I'd still hold out for the power table. 16 turns per inch got old fast. 7K buys a lot of used planer. Dave

[Bill Dufour]

It is not that much work to install a power feeder to turn the crank on a planer. Servo is one brand. I have heard of folks removing the handwheel and using. a drill to turn the crank

[David Kumm]

Bill, can the servo fine tune the height? The drill idea gets close but still needs a wrench to fine tune unless there is another way. I did put a proscale on my 299 and it worked well. For the rare times I want 24" I use the WB. Not very fast though. Dave

[Jason Ramey]

It is not that much work to install a power feeder to turn the crank on a planer. Servo is one brand. I have heard of folks removing the handwheel and using. a drill to turn the crank
Hi Bill, do you have anymore info on the Servo unit.? I am definitely interested in knowing more .

[Bill Dufour]

http://www.servoproductsco.com/html/type_150_power_feed.html
They have a large bevel gear that has to be bored to fit the crank shaft and pinned or setscrewed onto it somehow. They have a little pinion gear on the bottom that comes up to engage the big gear under power. the rest of the time the handcrank can be used by hand.
You will probably have to buy a used bridgeport table end? to get a mounting plate to mount it all together. I have no idea how much torque you need they come in small medium and large. Grizzly sells some import versions. They do hang down 6-10 inches below the crank shaft centerline.
Bill D.

Search utube for powerfeed bridgeport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4KHETgQc4

https://www.ebay.com/i/183227577237?chn=ps

For some reason they all seem to be made to attach on the right hand side?
The ones for mill drills seem to all be designed to mount on the left.
All drill press table or head lifts seem to mount on the left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4KHETgQc4

[Jason Ramey]

http://www.servoproductsco.com/html/type_150_power_feed.html
They have a large bevel gear that has to be bored to fit the crank shaft and pinned or setscrewed onto it somehow. They have a little pinion gear on the bottom that comes up to engage the big gear under power. the rest of the time the handcrank can be used by hand.
You will probably have to buy a used bridgeport table end? to get a mounting plate to mount it all together. I have no idea how much torque you need they come in small medium and large. Grizzly sells some import versions. They do hang down 6-10 inches below the crank shaft centerline.
Bill D.

Search utube for powerfeed bridgeport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4KHETgQc4

https://www.ebay.com/i/183227577237?chn=ps

For some reason they all seem to be made to attach on the right hand side?
The ones for mill drills seem to all be designed to mount on the left.
All drill press table or head lifts seem to mount on the left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4KHETgQc4
Thanks, I will look into this. In the meantime, I've been sidetracked by looking at the SCM S520 industrial 20 inch planer with Tersa head. I wasn't originally looking at that planer but the price is right...well way over budget but I think I can pull it off. Just can't seem to find many reviews on it.

[Jason Ramey]

http://www.servoproductsco.com/html/type_150_power_feed.html
They have a large bevel gear that has to be bored to fit the crank shaft and pinned or setscrewed onto it somehow. They have a little pinion gear on the bottom that comes up to engage the big gear under power. the rest of the time the handcrank can be used by hand.
You will probably have to buy a used bridgeport table end? to get a mounting plate to mount it all together. I have no idea how much torque you need they come in small medium and large. Grizzly sells some import versions. They do hang down 6-10 inches below the crank shaft centerline.
Bill D.

Search utube for powerfeed bridgeport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4KHETgQc4

https://www.ebay.com/i/183227577237?chn=ps

For some reason they all seem to be made to attach on the right hand side?
The ones for mill drills seem to all be designed to mount on the left.
All drill press table or head lifts seem to mount on the left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC4KHETgQc4
I just looked into these and they look amazing! I emailed the seller as I can't see if it just plugs in or needs to be wired. Looks like it would be fine as long as the gear shaft meshes up.

[David Kumm]

SCM makes a good planer. The Tersa head is great and my favorite head for a large planer. The design has a good chipbreaker, and pressure bar. If I remember right the segmented chipbreakers are cast iron and kind of rough vs Aluminum like some machines but will last as long as you do. Depending on condition they will go from 4-8K on the used market. Dave

[Bill Dufour]

I just looked into these and they look amazing! I emailed the seller as I can't see if it just plugs in or needs to be wired. Looks like it would be fine as long as the gear shaft meshes up.

They just plug into a 120V outlet but they have a over travel limit switch which you can just tape out of the way or make it fit your mill. If they reach the end of travel they may start to break things, expensive things. Or if the planer table lock is on they may also break stuff.
Bill D.
As I say i have no idea about torque needed.