Byrd Shelix installed

[Dave Bonde]

My son and I installed our new Shelix cutterhead in our 20" planer. We ran a 1/4 sawn red oak test board through the planer - he looked at me and said WOW! I concur WOW! I know they are expensive but the results are impressive. Dave

[Jaromir Svoboda]

I did installed one in Powermatic pm15 last month, finish is very good and it is quiet.

[Don Huffer]

I've been meaning to change over my Delta. Is the surface as smooth as straight cutters? How does it look on a micro cut. I like to take off a smidge on my last pass.

Noise reduction would be great.

[Myk Rian]

Sometimes I'll take a cabinet scraper to the piece.

[Dave Bonde]

I have read some people say the finish has scallops and is not as smooth as straight blades. My experience is based on 1 board but that is not the case. I am really pleased with the finish. Don't know if a picture will show you anything but here it is.20140316_203318.jpg

[Peter Quinn]

I love mine too! Congrats. I don't think they are as "smooth" as straight knives under the best of circumstances....i.e. Wood is very well behaved, knives are very sharp in a planer that is perfectly well adjusted, etc. but that perfect situation is so rarely achieved, the Byrd heads deal with the reality of planing wood, and the lower decibels alone make me willing to tolerate any minor surface scalloping that may occur. It is not worse than straight knives, just different, neither leaves a finish ready surface IMO, and both require about the same work to remedy on plain wood....on figured wood or challenging switch backs? Byrd kicks butt. No chipping wedges missing that require sanding off .100" or more to remedy.

The only machine I have yet to equip with a Byrd head is the shaper, but one day!