$300+ for a helical cutterhead?

[Bob Jones 5443]

I think I paid $500 for my Jet 6" jointer in 2001 or 2002. It's working pretty well these days, especially after the insightful advice I received from Kevin Jenness, Peter Gagliardi, and others here in December. I also have one new spare set of HSS knives and one set I took out after they got dull. Presumably I can sharpen that used set and keep rotating the sets for a while?

Should I really be entertaining the idea of spending $300 or more for a helical cutterhead?

And next, there's the confusion of which head. The (Titan) Lux Cut III head by "Global Tooling" carries a $340 price tag (but it's $323 on the Global Tooling site). The Shelix by "Byrd Tool" costs $309. The two web pages are virtually identical, right down to the garish graphics and fonts. I see now that's because they are both parts of the same site owned by mywoodcutters.com.

The photo for the Lux Cut III does look like it's made for a 6" jointer, but the one in the Shelix photo is clearly meant for a planer. Maybe they just used a general photo? It's much blurrier than the Lux Cut III photo, which clearly shows the product name on the side.

But look a little closer and you notice differences in the product descriptions.

Lux Cut III: 4 wings of 7 knives each for a total of 28 knives.
Shelix: 5 wings of 6 knives each for a total of 30 knives.

And I see there are other makers of helical heads. Shear-Tak makes a "spiral" as opposed to "helical" head with a steeper wraparound configuration: 5 rows of 6 knives; total 30.

So back to the top: do I even need to consider this in a garage hobby shop? I think the question points to the answer.

[Phillip Mitchell]

You will obviously get varying answers on this, but I’d take straight Tersa/Terminus knives on a jointer everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

(IMO) - reasons you might consider investing in a helical carbide cutterhead - you work with a lot of highly figured wood on a consistent basis.

Reasons some folks like them and justify it - eliminates the skill / experience of setting knives, don’t need to think about grain direction for potential tear out (when the carbide is crispy sharp), over a long time ends up potentially costing less than sharpening / purchasing new knives (this one is highly variable depending on several factors.)

I don’t like the tiny scallops that helical heads leave. I also don’t like how finicky they can be to properly turn to a new side and how they have a tendency to leave annoying tracks / ridges that can be time consuming and frustrating to trouble shoot and fix. I also don’t like how expensive they are to buy and install. They are also relatively dull for a lot longer than HSS knives and produce sub optimal results for a time because the user doesn’t want to take the time to rotate and/or use up that side of the knife yet for economic reasons when with HSS, the dull knives would have been swapped at the first signs of dulling with someone who cared. This is a minor point, though.

I think they’re overrated for all but a handful of specific circumstances. Just my opinion.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Thanks for your, like, opinion, man.

I tend to agree. When I think of the results I get with my HSS knives, the helical head just seems like another shiny object trying to distract me. I find myself recently gravitating toward simpler tools and simpler operations with them. Although I'm the guy who just put in a new router lift!

I'm going to pass on the helical head and try to put it out of my mind.

[Gustav Gabor]

If you hate changing and setting up straight jointer knives, and work with figured wood relatively often, then I'd say it's worth it to go to a spiral head for a small jointer like that.
I don't think a Tersa head would be available for a 6" Jet jointer, so I think your only option is to keep what you have, carbide straight knives, or a spiral head.
Often Tersa heads are mentioned for a great cut, however these are usually large diameter cutter heads (4"+), not the 2 1/2" or so as on a small jointer.
The diameter of the cutter head can, and does make a difference in cut quality.

The advantage of considerably less tear out and ease of changing inserts won me over and I installed a Sheartak spiral head in my 12" jointer.
I've found the very slight tracking/scalloping mentioned with spiral heads isn't a concern to me, as any material coming off the jointer isn't a finished product and either gets scraped, sanded, or glued.
I only wish I would've done it years ago...

[Derek Cohen]

Bob, unless you are confining your efforts to small boxes, or only plan to joint edges, I would rather put the money towards upgrading your machine to one which can work with wider stock. I am very satisfied with the 12" of my jointer. I was not happy when it was only 8". I could not imagine building the size furniture I do with a 6" jointer. A combination jointer/thickness-planer is the cost-effective way to get there.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Phillip Mitchell]

I agree with Derek. I guess I glossed over the fact that the jointer in question is a 6” machine.

I think you’re right Gustav...probably no Tersa option for a head that small.

I have a Terminus head in my 12” Oliver jointer and I can’t fault it. (3) Double sided HSS knives that I can flip or replace in about 5 minutes.

I’ve used a 6” Delta DJ-15 with a Shelix head, and it’s nice but I don’t know if it’s worth ~ $400 extra to me in a 6” machine.

It seems more cost effective to me to buy a machine with a helical head already installed than to retrofit after the fact, but I’m coming more from a professional / cost benefit analysis perspective than a hobby perspective, so YMMV.

Router lifts can be new and shiny, but they’re a lot more useful and I would prioritize that heavily over a helical cutterhead in a jointer.

[Rich Aldrich]

I had vibration issues with chatter pattern on the wood from my Jet 6" jointer purchased in 2001. I went through set up with the straight knives and really didn't change the vibration issue. Maybe my it was the method I used to set the knives, but I couldn't get rid of the chatter. I changed to the Byrd head and have not had the vibration and the chatter pattern on the wood. Obviously it was my inexperience and inability to set the knives the same height off the table. There is a possibility the head was out of balance.

I hesitated and thought about buying a new jointer, but decided to get the Byrd head instead. It solved an issue for me.

I am not sure I would have considered the helical head if I didn't have a frustrating problem that I was not able to solve.

[scott lipscomb]

I have a combo machine and switched to a helix head and am very happy with it. If it was just a jointer, I would not have switched, as I don't usually need the improved finish quality of the helical head over the straight knives, but I really appreciate that the helical head does not tear out the twisty oak wood that I primarily work with, when using the planer. From these knives I can go straight to the smoothing plane for a couple swipes and I am done. Downside on the jointer is that it seems to increase the resistance of pushing the wood through by (per my non-scientific estimation) about 30%, which makes a little difference when I am using the full 13 inches, which I do use, seemingly frequently.

I didn't really dislike switching out straight knives, but I don't exactly miss doing it, either. Long and short, if it were me, I wouldn't switch for a jointer, but probably would on a planer.

[Dave Mount]

Most recommend putting a helical head in your planer before putting one in your jointer, with the logic that you can get both face across the helical head if it's in the planer. I did it in the reverse order because my jointer needed new bearings and that's an opportune time to make the change. I think they're an improvement over traditional straight knives and don't regret for a minute making the switch. However, whether it's worth the investment is an individual decision, depending heavily on your finances and what else you might buy with that money. I think they're nicer, but far from essential.

Best,

Dave

[Bob Jones 5443]

I started this post largely to explore my own pro/con inventory. As I read through these thoughtful comments, I realize that I can smooth out any jointer ripple marks with hand planes. The farthest thing from a production shop, my workshop is my hobby room, and I enjoy the expanding set of skills I acquire on each new project. It doesn't bother me if I need to pretty up a board face –– on the contrary, I feel pride in seeing that I can do it efficiently and to my expectations.

If my jointer was giving unsatisfactory results, I'd feel more of a need to do something about it. For now, I've decided that $300 can go elsewhere.

[Jim Becker]

Bob, if you're getting scalloping with your jointer, you can also help mitigate it by slowing down your feed rate. The slower you go, the less noticeable they will be because the peaks and valleys will be closer together. That also means you can remove them faster with a hand plane or even by sanding.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Thanks Jim. Actually, I get very smooth results off the jointer as it is, again, thanks in large part to helpful advice here.The foray into the helical cutter inquiry was just window shopping.