Retrofit Byrd head in PM 8" jointer?

[Alan Heffernan]

I recently acquired a used Powermatic 8" PJ882 parallelogram jointer. The machine is in fine shape and I got it for a very attractive price.

I am seriously considering putting a Byrd head in it. I would also put new bearings in it while I am at it although the old ones seem fine. Yes, the head is expensive but the cost is not an issue. The jointer will likely remain in my family for many years.

Any insights on doing this job would be appreciated.

[Jeff Heath]

Is it a "want" or a "need." Do you work with heavily figured hardwoods, like a luthier would, where controlling tearout is essential to being able to cut your own thin stock?

Reason I ask is a byrd head will leave a scalloped surface that still requires cleanup by either sanding or planing before you proceed to the finish stage of any project. I say this because a lot of people are under the impression that a byrd head saves you that step, and it simply does not. It is still going to require smoothing plane (or sand paper, if that's your way) to get the scalloped surface cleaned up so you don't have a wavy looking surface when finish is applied.

In my opinion, you would be better off investing that extra money into a wider, longer jointer for surfacing wider stock than 8". My 16" jointer is frequently not wide enough for the wide lumber I work with.

Of course, none of that applies if all you work with is 8" or skinnier boards. On a wider jointer, you have the option to skew the board as you flatten over the cutterhead, and the skewing cut eliminates almost all the tearout I would get if taking the board "head on" straight.

Just a thought to consider. I am not a luthier, and don't cut my own highly figured veneer. Because of this, a byrd head is a waste of money in my shop. The 4 knife cutterhead on my 16" Yates American jointer does an excellent job with minimal tearout, especially if I skew a board. A little work with a smoothing plane, which is something I am going to do anyways, and any small tearout gets cleaned up, if any exists at all.

[John Kee]

Take a look at the cutterhead offered by Hermance Machine in PA both you decide. They have eliminated a lot of the issues Byrd brings to the table.

[Robert Engel]

I've had issues when rotating cutters.

You have to take them completely out and make sure the seat surface is dust free.

You also have to tighten them with a socket wrench, not the screwdriver they supply.

[Matt Day]

As I always say with these threads, it makes the most sense to do the planer first.

[Alan Heffernan]

As I always say with these threads, it makes the most sense to do the planer first.

Agree with you Matt. I already own a PM 20" with the Byrd.

I had always wanted a PM 8" parallelogram so I could tune it in to the "gnat's posterior". I have a dovetail bed 8" that is leaving.

[Chris Varas]

Take a look at the cutterhead offered by Hermance Machine in PA both you decide.

Are you talking about the http://helixhead.com/ unit that Hermance lists here... http://www.hermance.com/Industrial/H...ad-Cutterheads

They have eliminated a lot of the issues Byrd brings to the table.

Can you elaborate on that comment? What are the "issues" with a Byrd head and how does the Helixhead address them? I'd research it myself by I'm not seeing much info out there for the HelixHead brand

Thank you

[Cary Falk]

The job is simple and straight forward. I put a Byrd in my ShopFox parallelogram jointer. If I were you I would take all the cutters out first and clean the head. Install the head and then put the cutters back in. My byrd gave a bad cut until I removed and cleaned all the cutters and head. You also won't break any of the cutters by bumping while you try to put the head in. The cutters are sharp so use gloves if you don't plan removing the cutters. Get a in-lb torque wrench from HF

Item #61277($20 or less if you have a coupon). I think the spec is 45-50 in/lbs.

[richard newman]

I have a Shelix in a newer style PM 6" jointer, and I love it. It can handle the most outrageously curly hard maple without a single tearout. The scallops it leaves are about .001 deep, easy to feel, but not really a problem for glue joints, and very easy to plane, scrape or sand out. Way easier than getting below tearout!

My first Shelix, 10 yrs ago, was a shaper head, was pretty disappointed. Smooth cutting, but scallops .005 deep, limited what I could use it for. Someone knowledgeable recently told me that Byrd did a better job with journal heads than bored heads (or at least used to). So I took a test indicator to the head, on the knives, and found it to be .005 TIR, which explained the deep valleys. My spindle tested about .0001 TIR, so I knew it was a problem with the head. I decided to remedy it, which was quite an undertaking.

I made a fixture to hold the head on my mill, indicated it in perfectly, then moved over .002". Bore it out oversize, then made bushings to bring it back to 1.250. Of course I discovered I went the wrong way and was now .010 TIR. Repeated the operation more carefully, and got much closer. Was still a smidge off, so I made very slightly eccentric bushings and got it dead nuts. Found 3 knives were still a bit low, shimmed them with paper, and now it's dead nuts. Not quite as nice a surface as the jointer, but good enuf for glue joints in hard maple. I would have been way ahead just buying a new head, but I couldn't resist trying it.

If it's ease of knife replacement one wants rather than ability to cut squirrelly grain stock, I'd go with a Terminus or Tersa head. Incredibly smooth surface, and knife changes in just a few minutes. I have a Terminus shaper head, I can touch up the knives easily with my surface grinder, and they cut easier (less force) than the Shelix.

[Joe Jensen]

I used to have an 8" PM60 jointer. Bought new in 1990. In around 2000 I replaced the stock cutterhead with a Terminus which is a Tersa clone. I am picky about having sharp knives that are dialed in. Setting the original knives was a pain. The Terminus solved that but I found they dulled pretty quickly. Easy to change but to change often was expensive. I replaced it around 2004 with a Byrd. Loved the Byrd so much that I dropped a ton of money putting one in my PM planer. The scallops are mostly something that you can see when held just right to the light. I personally think they are more of a sheen difference than a cut depth difference. I bet it's not possible to measure a thickness difference from the "high" spots to the "low" spots. Bet it's way less than anyone's calipers or dial indicators. A swipe of sandpaper and it disappears. With the straight knife cutter heads you get a different knife mark pattern. I suspect it's also not measurable but it's there. Does anyone go from a planer straight to finish? If you haven't held a board that's planed with one of these heads don't judge. I'd be happy to send a sample to anyone if they cover shipping.

[Darcy Warner]

No scalloping on my Hermance Helix heads.

The difference between a piece of quartered Sapele on a 3 knife porter and a helix in an old Sidney is night and day. No tear out at all with the hermance head. The 3 knife with new knives had a bunch, even skewed over the head.

And duh, a work piece off a jointer is never a finished surface, nor off the planer.

[richard newman]

How does the price of the Hermance heads compare to the Byrd?

[Alan Heffernan]

Darcy, Do you know if the inserts the same on the Hermance as the Byrd? Are they readily available?

Thanks

[Mark Carlson]

I did just so I wouldn't have to adjust knives ever again. Easy to do. Takes an hour or two. Lots of videos on how to do it. I dont see any scalloping on my jointer or my jointer/planer both with byrd heads.

[Alan Heffernan]

I did just so I wouldn't have to adjust knives ever again. Easy to do. Takes an hour or two. Lots of videos on how to do it. I dont see any scalloping on my jointer or my jointer/planer both with byrd heads.

Mark, I found the Wood Whisperer's youtube on it but are you familiar with others? BTW, he also has a good video on tuning up the tables on a 8" parallelgram Powermatic.