Considering a New Planer

[Rich Aldrich]

I have been considering getting a new planer. I have the DW735 right now - straight knives. Been looking at the Grizzly G1033X - it says it is a helical head where the G0454Z is spiral. Jet and PM are a bit above my price range unless I can find them on sale. I am in no rush, so I can wait it out. IIRC, Jet just had a 10% sale.

I plan to sell a rifle to help with the purchase - an inherited Browning BAR 7mm Mag semi auto. Way to much gun for me. My bolt action 7mm Mag is just right.

[Mike Kees]

Rich not sure exactly what your question is,but I think all of the four post planers are pretty much the same design and build quality is very similar. For that reason I would not hesitate to buy one used. Good luck.

[Rich Aldrich]

Yeah, I just threw out my thought with the hope people would reply back with suggestions. Since I posted, I am trying to find the difference in cutter heads between the G1033X and the G0454Z. Are they shelix, the German cutter head or the helical China version.
What insert cutter head Jet and Powermatic use? The Laguana looks interesting but I am not familiar with their equipment. I do know of used 20" Laguana for sale.

[Matt Day]

Just about all those helical heads will give you the same performance. Byrd has name recognition, but you can’t tell a cut from a Byrd compared to a Grizzly.

[Stewart Lang]

I at one point had two 20" planers in my shop, one with a true helical head (by Byrd) and one with a spiral head (by Grizzly). The difference is, in the helical head the inserts are "spiraled" and also skewed. A regular spiral head the inserts are just "spiraled", but still cut straight, if that makes sense. I ran some boards through both planers cause I was curious about this. It seems like you get a little bit better cut on figured areas with a true helical, which makes sense, but the difference is relatively small. They both cut great. Straight grain woods you won't notice any difference.. It'd make a much bigger difference if you could slow down the feed rate in these planers, but that's another topic..

So if you want the best you can get, shoot for a true helical. But a spiral head will do just fine and make a big improvement over straight knives.

Also, pretty much all these planers are exactly the same build. I have a 1998 20" grizzly 4 post planer, and a recent G1033X and honestly other than the control box and the handwheel, they're identical everywhere. Right down to the vent pattern in the sheet metal in the base. Powermatic, Laguna, Grizzly, when it comes to the 4 post planer, they're all pretty much identical. I believe Powermatic has a true Byrd head in theirs, but as I mentioned, the difference is minor. You'd be better off buying a Grizzly with straight knives and swapping it out with a Byrd and you'd save thousands. Unless you really want the Powermatic paint color haha, but that'd be the only difference.

[Myles Moran]

One other difference between the spiral and helical heads is replacement spiral inserts are fairly cheap, but for the helical they're pretty pricey, relatively speaking. If you work with enough figured wood to take advantage of the helical, they'd be worth it, but I'm very happy with my spiral head.

[Max Neu]

I live in Ohio,and have a clean 20" Powermatic with a Byrd head if your interested.

[Stewart Lang]

One other difference between the spiral and helical heads is replacement spiral inserts are fairly cheap, but for the helical they're pretty pricey, relatively speaking. If you work with enough figured wood to take advantage of the helical, they'd be worth it, but I'm very happy with my spiral head.

The inserts between my Byrd helical head and my spiral Grizzly head are interchangeable. At least they were with the heads I had. $30/per 10. However considering they can last you like 4+ years, it's not that expensive.

[Alex Zeller]

I've been looking for a 20" planer as well. Since Grizzly loves to send me a new catalog every year I often find myself looking at it. While I like the post with the switch (vs the magnetic switch and loose wires) on the 1033X the inserts for that model seam over priced. That leads me to looking into buying the 1033Z straight blade and getting the Byrd cutter for it. Cost wise it's only a few dollars more even if you buy new bearings. Plus you have the option of using the straight blades and doing the upgrade down the road.

Where you will save is when you replace the 100 cutters. 100 inserts for the 1033X will cost you about $950 where as the Byrd will only cost you $350. With light to average use that could be a very long time down the road. The 454Z spiral head cutters are about the same price as the Byrd inserts. The price difference isn't as great so buying the straight blade and upgrading to the Byrd would never pay off. The 454Z having a built in mobile base is a nice feature (if you need one) to go along with the $300 savings. Not sure if made in China vs Taiwan matter to you.

[Rich Aldrich]

I live in Ohio,and have a clean 20" Powermatic with a Byrd head if your interested.

I sent you a PM

[Rich Aldrich]

Just about all those helical heads will give you the same performance. Byrd has name recognition, but you can’t tell a cut from a Byrd compared to a Grizzly.

I was wondering if there was a big difference. Thanks for the comparison information.

[Rich Aldrich]

I at one point had two 20" planers in my shop, one with a true helical head (by Byrd) and one with a spiral head (by Grizzly). The difference is, in the helical head the inserts are "spiraled" and also skewed. A regular spiral head the inserts are just "spiraled", but still cut straight, if that makes sense. I ran some boards through both planers cause I was curious about this. It seems like you get a little bit better cut on figured areas with a true helical, which makes sense, but the difference is relatively small. They both cut great. Straight grain woods you won't notice any difference.. It'd make a much bigger difference if you could slow down the feed rate in these planers, but that's another topic..

So if you want the best you can get, shoot for a true helical. But a spiral head will do just fine and make a big improvement over straight knives.

Also, pretty much all these planers are exactly the same build. I have a 1998 20" grizzly 4 post planer, and a recent G1033X and honestly other than the control box and the handwheel, they're identical everywhere. Right down to the vent pattern in the sheet metal in the base. Powermatic, Laguna, Grizzly, when it comes to the 4 post planer, they're all pretty much identical. I believe Powermatic has a true Byrd head in theirs, but as I mentioned, the difference is minor. You'd be better off buying a Grizzly with straight knives and swapping it out with a Byrd and you'd save thousands. Unless you really want the Powermatic paint color haha, but that'd be the only difference.

Good information.

Buying straight and switching to Byrd would pay off with insert changes. The 1033X has expensive inserts compared to the Byrd.

Mustard can be expensive.

[Rich Aldrich]

I've been looking for a 20" planer as well. Since Grizzly loves to send me a new catalog every year I often find myself looking at it. While I like the post with the switch (vs the magnetic switch and loose wires) on the 1033X the inserts for that model seam over priced. That leads me to looking into buying the 1033Z straight blade and getting the Byrd cutter for it. Cost wise it's only a few dollars more even if you buy new bearings. Plus you have the option of using the straight blades and doing the upgrade down the road.

Where you will save is when you replace the 100 cutters. 100 inserts for the 1033X will cost you about $950 where as the Byrd will only cost you $350. With light to average use that could be a very long time down the road. The 454Z spiral head cutters are about the same price as the Byrd inserts. The price difference isn't as great so buying the straight blade and upgrading to the Byrd would never pay off. The 454Z having a built in mobile base is a nice feature (if you need one) to go along with the $300 savings. Not sure if made in China vs Taiwan matter to you.

Really good analysis of the cutter head cost. I prefer Taiwan over China, but I am not Shute it is a big difference here. I have a Byrd head in my jointer and it is great. It is a bit more money to go with the G1033Z and change heads over buying the g0454Z, but this should be my last planer upgrade. This is something to ponder.

[Tim Otto]

A great quote: however, to me, "the glass is always full". It may be half water and half air. Why not consider getting an older Rockwell, Powermatic, Boice Crane, Buss and rebuild it with a new shelix.

Bear in mind that some of the shelix (byrd) heads sold by Grizzly have about 1/3 fewer cutters on them for the same length.

[Tom Dixon]

The G1033 is the Helical head Taiwanese made planer. That is the one I purchased. The G0454Z is the Spiral head Chinese made planer. the G1033 uses a 15 x 15 x 2.5mm Indexable Carbide Insert (https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-Indexable-Carbide-Insert-15-x-15-x-2-5mm-10-Pack/H9893). Byrd sells this 15 x 15 x 2.5mm Indexable Carbide Insert through Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Byrd-Tool-H7354-Indexable-Carbide/dp/B07M7PQNZL). I see no reason not to use the Byrd inserts when it comes time to replace mine and save 2/3 of Grizzly's price. These heads are designed around a standard insert so there are likely other suppliers as well.
Example: Global Tooling (https://www.globaltooling.com/products/ic-2515154-4100-carbide-insert-knives)
I'll get serious about shopping for replacements when the time comes. That's likely a couple years out in the future so there will likely be more price competition the more prevalent these cutters become.

[Stewart Lang]

The G1033 is the Helical head Taiwanese made planer. That is the one I purchased. The G0454Z is the Spiral head Chinese made planer. the G1033 uses a 15 x 15 x 2.5mm Indexable Carbide Insert (https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-Indexable-Carbide-Insert-15-x-15-x-2-5mm-10-Pack/H9893). Byrd sells this 15 x 15 x 2.5mm Indexable Carbide Insert through Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Byrd-Tool-H7354-Indexable-Carbide/dp/B07M7PQNZL). I see no reason not to use the Byrd inserts when it comes time to replace mine and save 2/3 of Grizzly's price. These heads are designed around a standard insert so there are likely other suppliers as well.
Example: Global Tooling (https://www.globaltooling.com/products/ic-2515154-4100-carbide-insert-knives)
I'll get serious about shopping for replacements when the time comes. That's likely a couple years out in the future so there will likely be more price competition the more prevalent these cutters become.

Yeah I can back this up too. The G1033X uses the same inserts Byrd uses, or at least the two are completely interchangeable, so no need to buy the more expensive ones. The Grizzly head also only has 4 spirals vs. 6 on the Byrd, so you'll spend less money on the Grizzly if you have to replace them all.

[Shiraz Balolia]

I have been considering getting a new planer. I have the DW735 right now - straight knives. Been looking at the Grizzly G1033X - it says it is a helical head where the G0454Z is spiral. Jet and PM are a bit above my price range unless I can find them on sale. I am in no rush, so I can wait it out. IIRC, Jet just had a 10% sale.

I plan to sell a rifle to help with the purchase - an inherited Browning BAR 7mm Mag semi auto. Way to much gun for me. My bolt action 7mm Mag is just right.

Since you have narrowed it down to the Grizzly, I will give you my input without sounding biased.

First off, I have two very large woodworking shops (personal for enjoyment only). One at work (I have lots of space at Grizzly) and one at home. I have a 12" jointer and a 20" industrial planer at the home. At the shop at work I have an 8" jointer, a 20" jointer and a 20" planer. All of the above are Taiwanese machines with spiral cutterheads with the straight bladed inserts. Never have had to replace any inserts yet as you get four sides per insert.

Taking into consideration that I can have any machine in our line with any combination of cutterheads including the Byrd, plus the fact that I do highly precise work with very hard, dense and very figured woods, I say get the G1033X and call it good! You will be shocked at how good that machine is and how nice a finish you will get.

[Jim Andrew]

I saw my own lumber, and have a Byrd cutterhead on the jointer and Grizzly cutterhead on my planer, and can not tell the difference. The Byrd on the jointer requires quite a bit of force to push the board through. My lumber has lots of figure, even run into trees where the grain looks like tiger maple, except it is walnut. Just finished a chest of drawers, and all the drawer fronts have the stripes. Cool look.

[Tom Dixon]

I say get the G1033X and call it good! You will be shocked at how good that machine is and how nice a finish you will get.

I whole heartedly agree and its totally awesome that Shiraz Balolia endorses my own personal purchasing decision.

[Alex Zeller]

Yeah I can back this up too. The G1033X uses the same inserts Byrd uses, or at least the two are completely interchangeable, so no need to buy the more expensive ones. The Grizzly head also only has 4 spirals vs. 6 on the Byrd, so you'll spend less money on the Grizzly if you have to replace them all.

The Grizzly head says 96 inserts while the Byrd is 100 so there shouldn't be much difference between the two heads. If the Byrd inserts will work on the 1033X then that would make replacement cost of the inserts a non-issue. Not having one I can't comment on if it's possible.

[Stewart Lang]

The Grizzly head says 96 inserts while the Byrd is 100 so there shouldn't be much difference between the two heads. If the Byrd inserts will work on the 1033X then that would make replacement cost of the inserts a non-issue. Not having one I can't comment on if it's possible.

Hmm that's odd. The Byrd head on my 20" Grizzly planer has 132 if I'm not mistaken. 6 rows x 22 inserts. Maybe Byrd changed the configuration recently. My head is probably late 2000's/early 2010's.

[Andrew More]

A bit surprised to hear that somebody with access to any sized machine is stopping at 20". OTOH, The Wood Whisperer "down"graded from a 20" to 15" planer.

[Tom Dixon]

Hmm that's odd. The Byrd head on my 20" Grizzly planer has 132 if I'm not mistaken. 6 rows x 22 inserts. Maybe Byrd changed the configuration recently. My head is probably late 2000's/early 2010's.

I did some searching today and from the best I can tell, the current Byrd generic 20" four post planer cutterhead is 5 rows of 20 inserts for a total of 100 inserts.

https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/10650058/457568367.jpg

The G1033 helical head appears to be 6 rows of 16 inserts from the best I can tell.

https://cdn0.grizzly.com/pics/jpeg1000/g/g1033x_det6-1d4dd028b432ed6b5cd6e32da4310d10.jpg

[Alex Zeller]

Rich, did you make a decision?

[John C Bush]

I live close to the Bellingham Grizz showroom/warehouse and have six of their machines.(Thanks Pappa Grizz!!) I bought my 20" 5hp planer used and it is
labeled 1033ZX but looks more like an early version of 454Z. It is a workhorse and is a great machine. I have looked at the different
models of their 20"ers at the showroom and couldn't see any significant difference in the basic machines. I was considering an upgrade
to the helical head 1033ZX but decided it wouldn't be that much of an upgrade in performance for my hobby needs.(I was going to buy new
for me and "gift" the older planer to a friend). I haven't had any issues with highly figured stock but don't have a non-Grizzly helical cutterhead
to compare to. Both machines would be good choices, just save a few $$$ with th 454Z

[Rich Aldrich]

Alex, I did not make a decision yet. I am leaning towards the G1033Z and upgrading to the Shelix head because it spreads out the cost. Its easier to bite off in smaller pieces.

[Rich Aldrich]

I really appreciate the information everyone has provided. It will either be the G1033X or G1033Z with a helical head upgrade later. It really depends on what I can get for that rifle. It is nice to know the Byrd inserts will fit the G1033X head. As I just posted a reply to Alex, I am leaning towards splitting the spend by buying the G1033Z and upgrading the head later. That will be also influenced by my better half - she normally says just get it over with and get what you want to have in the end.

[Rich Aldrich]

Since you have narrowed it down to the Grizzly, I will give you my input without sounding biased.

First off, I have two very large woodworking shops (personal for enjoyment only). One at work (I have lots of space at Grizzly) and one at home. I have a 12" jointer and a 20" industrial planer at the home. At the shop at work I have an 8" jointer, a 20" jointer and a 20" planer. All of the above are Taiwanese machines with spiral cutterheads with the straight bladed inserts. Never have had to replace any inserts yet as you get four sides per insert.

Taking into consideration that I can have any machine in our line with any combination of cutterheads including the Byrd, plus the fact that I do highly precise work with very hard, dense and very figured woods, I say get the G1033X and call it good! You will be shocked at how good that machine is and how nice a finish you will get.


That's good to know and quite a statement for the planer with all of the choices you have available. I appreciate your input. I bought a Byrd head through Grizzly a few years ago for my 6" jointer and it sure gives a great surface finish.

[Rich Aldrich]

I live close to the Bellingham Grizz showroom/warehouse and have six of their machines.(Thanks Pappa Grizz!!) I bought my 20" 5hp planer used and it is
labeled 1033ZX but looks more like an early version of 454Z. It is a workhorse and is a great machine. I have looked at the different
models of their 20"ers at the showroom and couldn't see any significant difference in the basic machines. I was considering an upgrade
to the helical head 1033ZX but decided it wouldn't be that much of an upgrade in performance for my hobby needs.(I was going to buy new
for me and "gift" the older planer to a friend). I haven't had any issues with highly figured stock but don't have a non-Grizzly helical cutterhead
to compare to. Both machines would be good choices, just save a few $$$ with th 454Z

I would be broke if I lived close to any of the Grizzly stores.

[Alex Zeller]

I would be broke if I lived close to any of the Grizzly stores.

I would be broke just building the shop for all the equipment I would like as I flip through their catalog. I usually remind myself there's not enough time in the day to use the stuff I would buy, lol.

For the last couple years I've been looking for a good used 20" planer (craig's list, facebook marketplace, auctions, etc.) and not much comes up. I did see a nice looking Powermatic 209 but it was in Florida which would of required buying sight unseen and then shipping. The shipping itself wouldn't be that big of a deal but prepping it correctly for shipping would be difficult.

So I'm in the same boat as you. A new Powermatic 209 with straight blades is on sale right now for $2700. The G1033Z is $650 cheaper. If I wait Grizzly will offer a 10% off coupon which will bring the G1033X down to the same price as the Powermatic and I don't see the Powermatic as being a better piece of equipment. The G1033X does have a few other improvements (maybe just changes) over the G1033Z. The motor seams to draw more current, the pedestal mounted control panel, and the locking knobs are replaced with a lever type device. Then there's the G0454Z for $350 less with a built in mobile base. Like you I'm not in a huge hurry but I'm sure this spring/ summer I make a decision.