Your favorite 20 in Helical Head Planer or Spiral Head Planer....

[bill alburger]

Hello!

I am trying to decide between these two 20 inch planers:Powermatic 1791315 209HH, 20-Inch Planer, 5HP 1PH 230V, with Byrd Cutterhead
vs
Jet - JWP-208HH: 20-inch Helical Head Planer, 5 HP 1 Phase

Some say that the cutterhead in both is made by Byrd and has the same part number. Some say that they are both made Geetech. There is a $1000 difference between the 2 machines. Does anyone want to weigh in with opinions and experience? I am open to hear your favorite 20 in helical head/spiral head planer. I do know there is a difference, but I am open for input.

I work with old, fallen trees cut in the neighboring sawmill and reclaimed barn wood.

Thank you! This forum has been a big help!

Bill

[Allan Speers]

At another forum, one poster there says the PM uses more cutters in the head. If so, that means the head is of a larger diameter, and that makes for a better cut. Other important things which you can't easily see cost money, like the build quality and placement of the pressbar and chipbreakers.

I'd also make sure that the Jet's head is a SHELIX design, not just helical. Byrd doesn't make helical heads, they make the superior (and more expensive) shelix design, which is an acronym for "shear helix." - the rows are helical, but additionally the cutters are mounted on an angle to the stock, and have slightly radiuses edges. This makes a difference in very difficult stock. There is a company in China that makes both designs, and from what I've seen, the difference in price on a 20" head is in the ballpark of $500. - and even more depending on the diameter.

Good luck getting real data, it sure is a hurdle these days.

[bill alburger]

Thanks s much, Allan. It confirms my fears that there are some significant differences.

I can't get your link to take me to a page. Is there anymore to the link?

Thanks!

[Allan Speers]

Can't say. The mods say we can't link such things, which is understandable. I appreciate that they left the rest of my post, though.

Anyway, I don't know a thing about the Jet. I'm just pointing out some things to look at. One would assume there are real differences for the price.

[Bob Michaels]

Bill, I have had the PM 209 for about 8 years with the Shelix head added about a year after I bought the 209. I'm very satisfied. Aside from the HH vs. Shelix head, the PM and Jet, made by sister companies, are very similar except a little difference in fit and finish. I tend to value fit and finish so I spring for PM equipment usually.

[Kelby Van Patten]

I use this one from Laguna: http://www.lagunatools.com/planers/Platinum-Series-20-Planer

It has Laguna's variation of the Byrd cutterhead, with the shearing radiused cutters like what you see on the Powernmatic. It has more knives than the Powermatic (138 vs 99). Laguna also puts a digital height gauge on the planer. (Not a fancy one, but functional.). When I made this decision, I felt the Laguna had features similar to the Powermatic with more knives but at a price more in line with the Jet. That made it an easy call. I've had mine for several years, and I've been very happy with it.

Good luck whichever way you go.

[Rick Fisher]

The Powermatic advertises a Digital read-out .. and a Byrd cutterhead, with an 8" Depth of cut.

The Jet uses a Taiwanese cutterhead, with 92 cutters instead of the 99 on the Powermatic. The Jet website says 6" depth, but the manual says 8" .. It will be 8" because that chassis is used by everyone..

These machines will have mostly identical parts. The Powermatic has a 4 speed option, I had the General copy of this planer, also made by GeeTech. and the Powermatic gear set which offered the other 2 speeds. They fit and worked perfectly, just as the General gears would in the Powermatic. The good news is parts will be readily available .. from lots of different sources.

Both will have an import motor and starter of decent quality..

If you look at Holbren for instance, the cutterhead for the Powermatic is the same price, diameter and weight as the Jet.

So your paying for some nice upgrades.

[Cary Falk]

If you are looking at Jet, you might as well look at Grizzly and save you some money. The build is the same, the paint is different. PM will probably use slightly larger bearinga and might have a little better fit and finish but not enough to warrant the $1k difference in my opinion. I have Grizzly 15" planer with a Grizzly head and a Byrd in my 8" jointer and can't tell the difference.

[Gregory Stahl]

I wouldn't invest that kind of money in a 4-post planer. You are close to Philly--you would have no problem finding a used american made PM180 18" or maybe a 20" in the $1000 - $1300 dollar range. A Byrd cutterhead is about $2000. This will make a very nice machine that will significantly out perform any 4-post providing you have just a little more space for it.

[Nick Stokes]

I do not have experience with these 2 planers. But I do have experience with Buyers Remorse...

If the PM is on the radar for you, you should get it. If you settle on a tool purchase that is meant to last your lifetime saving a few dollars won't be wise.

[Peter Quinn]

I use a 209 with 4 knife head daily, it's a decent planer as 4 post machines go. I haven't used the jet equivalent. Based on my comparisons of jet bandsaws versus PM and table saws versus PM I'd go for the powermatic. The jet machines are lower priced to catch the more budget conscious segment of the market, but the PM line is usually the better value all features and fit/finish considered. Every jet machine I've touched or used has some annoying glitch that while not a show stopper slows down the work and annoys the user. To be rid of that I'd gladly pay $1k. My home planer is a 15" delta 4 post with Byrd head added, I love the Byrd head, should make a good combination with the 209.

all that said, if this machine is being used to make a living and you plan on doing this for a while I'd consider spending a bit more and looking for a used real industrial planer, or even a good import. This 4 post format saves on purchase price and costs you time/efficiency every day there after. It's hard to explain ( and believe me I've tried) how much more efficient a real industrial machine is, one with segmented rollers and chip breaker, true pressure bar, bed rollers adjustable on the fly, real HP to match the width. Materials cost what they do, hardware is beyond my control, shop rate is more or less market driven, what the shop owner can control is efficiency, and that starts with the machinery. Over a ten year period the better planer will pay for itself in multiples, the cheaper one will cost you the same.

[Biff Phillips]

I have the Jet 20 inch. I'm very happy with it. I've had it for about 6 years now.
I can't tell you the difference between it and the Powermatic though.
Powermatic was just out of my budget range (hobbyist).

I did compare the Jet to the Grizz when making the purchase, and was more comfortable with the Jet.
I can not post the reasons though, due to the Terms of Service on this board. It's not easy info to find, but at least look for it before making your purchase.

[Jim Andrew]

If you want a professional planer, look at the Grizzly G0544 20". It is 5 hp, and has a variable speed feed motor, separate from the cutterhead motor. If you plan to run it every day, it is the model to get. comes with the helical cutterhead, 4595 plus 179 shipping. I looked at getting it, but went with the G0453px because of price. And I use it for a week solid, then use it once in a while for months.