Shelix inserts

[Kyle Kraft]

Here is one for all you Shelix owners out there. Do the inserts used in the Shelix cutterheads conform to ANSI standard for indexable carbide inserts? You know, like SPGH-432 et al? I am considering pulling the trigger on a Shelix cutterhead for the 15" JET.

[Gary Click]

I do not believe that they do. The SPG inserts have a straight side, the Shelix Inserts are radiused to conpensate for the being mounted on a helix in a shearing fashion.

I have a Shelix Head in my DeWalt 735. The inserts measure 0.590 IC, .568 across the corners, .099 thick. It has a very positive rake and practically no corner radius. The insert is mounted to cut in an "on edge" fashion.

I have a Grizzly Jointer that uses their helical head which does not cut on a shear. These inserts are mounted square to the cutter cylinder so that the entire edge hits at once. These inserts are straight sided and similiar to a metal cutting insert.

Both work well.

[Kyle Kraft]

That's interesting info Gary. I'm looking at my Dorian tool catalog in the insert identification system section and it shows inserts available with up to a 30 deg. clearance angle. This would be the positive rake of the cutting edge when used in an "on edge" mounting position as you stated. 0.099" would be 2.5mm thick and the 0.590" I.C. would be 15mm.

I don't quite follow the 0.568" across the corners.

Anyhoo, the ANSI designation could look like this: SGGW (or possibly B) - Here is where it gets kinda funny. ANSI I.C. dimensions are in 1/8" increments over 1/4" I.C. but the ISO designations for this position specify the cutting edge length as opposed to the I.C. diameter. For ISO the next position calls out the insert thickness but the mm dimensions are simply converted inch dimensions! There is no specification in the ISO system for 2.5mm thickness as the designations go from 2.38mm (3/32") to 3.18mm (1/8").

Based on the inability to really match up well with either the ANSI or ISO identification system, one could conclude that Byrd uses some kind of proprietary insert size.

Oh well, I guess it's not a big deal as long as someone can supply the inserts if Byrd should ever wad up and go away. It just seems that Byrd would have designed the cutterhead around a standard sized/styled insert for cost reduction purposes. I can't imagine that an insert mfgr. could squeeze out an oddball sized insert cheaper than an ANSI size for which they already have the tooling to produce.

[Tom Veatch]

Don't know if anything will come of it, but I emailed a link to this thread to Byrd and requested comments. Maybe we can get a definitive answer from the horse's mouth, so to speak.