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Thread: Sheelix VS Grizzly VS Elephas for DeWalt 735

  1. #1
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    Sheelix VS Grizzly VS Elephas for DeWalt 735

    Is there any way to compare which is the best. I guess by my terms best would be the least tear out and sanding after planing.

  2. #2
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    I have the Byrd, shelix cutter head on my 735. I’m very happy with it. I guess you would have to buy all of them to compare them. You will find that most people have the shelix head.
    Some Blue Tools
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clark Hussey View Post
    I have the Byrd, shelix cutter head on my 735. I’m very happy with it. I guess you would have to buy all of them to compare them. You will find that most people have the shelix head.

    Yeah I wish there were more online reviews of the other two. Maybe I'm just nitpicking. There seems to be inconsistencies between all of them. Thats what makes me nervous about spending 400-500

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Carver View Post
    Thats what makes me nervous about spending 400-500
    Matthew,

    Let me start by saying I mean no disrespect. Everyone has the right to choose what to do with their money. But I’ll never understand a Shelix head upgrade to a bench top planer.

    I purchased the 735 a little over a year ago. Previously I dimensioned all my boards by hand, but I’m in my 70s now and that task is no longer a labor of love. I’ve found the cut quality with the OEM blades to be excellent and I’ve yet to notice a decrease in their performance. I’m very pleased with the planer. After running boards through the planer I do still hand plane each board to achieve the final glasslike finish. From what I’ve read on this and other sites, it seems to me hand planing or sanding would be necessary with a Shelix head as well if a furniture grade surface is the goal.

    The pros of a Shelix head that I’ve read about are a slight reduction in noise (by nature this planer will still be loud and you won’t be able to ditch your hearing protection) and a slightly better surface (especially with gnarly grained woods).

    The cons are the investment (almost as much as the cost of the planer), installation and, again only from what I’ve read, taxing the motor more than the OEM with the potential of earlier burnout.

    So I guess the question is not necessarily which Shelix-type head to choose, but is it really worth it in the long run? Or would the money be better spent on a Lie Nielsen #4 or 4 1/2 smoothing plane? Only you can make that call, I’m just offering some food for thought.
    Last edited by Stephen Rosenthal; 03-12-2021 at 2:11 PM. Reason: Correct typos

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Carver View Post
    Is there any way to compare which is the best. I guess by my terms best would be the least tear out and sanding after planing.
    Then Shelix or equivalent. The Shelix is both a helical and shearing cut. The cutting inserts are both angled into the wood and the insert cutting edge is radiused its not straight. As with anything in manufacturing that becomes popular knockoffs soon follow. Some of these look similar at first glance but are not. Some of these knockoffs have fewer rows of inserts. Some have square edged inserts. Some are not angled into the wood but straight like a traditional planer blade. Incredibly some knockoff cutter head inserts are quite a bit more expensive than the Shelix.

    So a proper comparison Shelix vs other requires comparing #of inserts, # of rows of inserts, are they angled, are they radiused.

    I have used the Shelix cutterheads on EXTREMELY figured maple with zero to near zero tear out.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Rosenthal;[URL="tel:3106766"
    3106766[/URL]]After running boards through the planer I do still hand plane each board to achieve the final glasslike finish. From what I’ve read on this and other sites, it seems to me hand planing or sanding would be necessary with a Shelix head as well if a furniture grade surface is the goal.
    I have a 735 with the original straight knives and with a couple exceptions, on board faces it leaves a finish like glass. I have an 8" jointer with a Shelix and it does not - and that's OK with me, because I will smooth them later, probably on the planer.

    OP, be certain of what your goal is (less noise, less maintenance, something else?), as it is an expensive upgrade for a 735, which (with straight knives) in certain circumstances approaches being a finishing tool even though at its heart it is for thicknessing.

    I put the shelix in the jointer to avoid dealing with setting knives, not for a better cut.
    Last edited by Marc Fenneuff; 03-12-2021 at 11:35 PM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marc Fenneuff View Post
    I have a 735 with the original straight knives and with a couple exceptions, on board faces it leaves a finish like glass. I have an 8" jointer with a Shelix and it does not - and that's OK with me, because I will smooth them later, probably on the planer.

    OP, be certain of what your goal is (less noise, less maintenance, something else?), as it is an expensive upgrade for a 735, which (with straight knives) in certain circumstances approaches being a finishing tool even though at its heart it is for thicknessing.

    I put the shelix in the jointer to avoid dealing with setting knives, not for a better cut.

    Yes my goal is to be able to plane figured walnut without tearout. the 735 is a night and day difference from my WEN planer which was crap. I'd like to worry less about grain direction and get results. I have the 6" grizzly bench top jointer with helical head and its amazing. Thats why im tempted by the grizzly version for the 735

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Carver View Post
    Is there any way to compare which is the best. I guess by my terms best would be the least tear out and sanding after planing.
    I had the Shelix year ago. Recently needed another DW735 and went with the Grizzly this time. Took about 2hrs to install. The Shelix is better quality. I get much more pronounced ridges with the Grizzly. It works fine for my needs still, but the Shelix is better developed. They've been doing it the longest anyway.

    As for the need behind it. It's not really because you get a better cut. Sharp HSS will give the best cut possible, but it's short lived. The real benefit behind any spiral head is the lifespan. It's a big investment, but the carbide 4-sided knives will last you an easy 4 years of frequent small shop use. Probably 10+ years for an infrequent weekend hobbyist. Replacing or sharpening HSS knives will easily cost more in the long run. That's why most pro shops use spiral heads.

  9. #9
    I would also mention the Shelix cutterhead reduces a LOT of planer noise. I want to say my Powermatic 15HH with the Shelix measured low 80's decibels.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stewart Lang View Post
    I had the Shelix year ago. Recently needed another DW735 and went with the Grizzly this time. Took about 2hrs to install. The Shelix is better quality. I get much more pronounced ridges with the Grizzly. It works fine for my needs still, but the Shelix is better developed. They've been doing it the longest anyway.

    As for the need behind it. It's not really because you get a better cut. Sharp HSS will give the best cut possible, but it's short lived. The real benefit behind any spiral head is the lifespan. It's a big investment, but the carbide 4-sided knives will last you an easy 4 years of frequent small shop use. Probably 10+ years for an infrequent weekend hobbyist. Replacing or sharpening HSS knives will easily cost more in the long run. That's why most pro shops use spiral heads.

    Thanks, this is exactly the kind of comparison I was hoping for!

  11. #11
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    I have a Dewalt 735 as a finish planer. It doesn't see rough lumber, and the maximum cut is 1/32". I stone the knives sharp. The factory knives leave a great finish in figured wood.

    Dirty rough lumber gets power planed, or sent through an old Delta planer. After facing on a jointer, everything goes through a Powermatic planer. After the rough cut edges are gone, I finish plane with the Dewalt 735. It sounds like a lot of steps, but the machine finish on the figured wood is great. There is half the sanding, no hand planing any more, except for restoration work.

    Keeping your wood off the floor, including end grain, and never planing sanded wood or wood that has touched sand paper, will go a long way.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Rosenthal View Post
    I purchased the 735 a little over a year ago. Previously I dimensioned all my boards by hand, but I’m in my 70s now and that task is no longer a labor of love. I’ve found the cut quality with the OEM blades to be excellent and I’ve yet to notice a decrease in their performance.
    The performance for these blades seems to vary widely. I had good performance with mine, in a DW734, but I also seemed to nick them running pine through, at which point they would need to be replaced, or the surface given some other treatment to get it ready for stain. I've read other comments that suggest that quality varies a bit, but that a lot of people replace their blades more often than a year or so. At which point you're looking at $50 to replace them, since they cannot be sharpened. In my case I'm in my 40s, so I figure I've got the time to get the investment in a large planer back out of the machine, even if I did end up spending $1800 for a 15" planer with helical head.

    With the helical heads, nicking seems to occur less frequently, because of the carbine inserts, and if it does, it's easier and cheaper to address.

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