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Thread: Hermance Machine Carbide Insert Cutterhead

  1. #1
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    Jul 2015
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    Hermance Machine Carbide Insert Cutterhead

    I recently purchased a Powermatic PM100 planer after extensively researching modern planers and concluding that most are Chinese junk and not worth the money. My Father has a PM100 which he used and uses as a finish planer, so I set out looking for one. I tracked one down earlier this year. It's an earlier model, made in 1966 and had the traditional 3 knife cutterhead that it came with when new. After converting it to single phase and cleaning and adjusting it, I put it to work.

    I work in a lot of figured woods, mostly because I can get them at cost from my brother (curlymaple.com) and while the straight knives worked, you had to be very diligent about grain direction and depth of cut. While the planer is a tank and can hog off quite a bit of wood with each pass, tear out was pretty bad. After chatting with my brother who planes this stuff daily, he told me that he uses insert carbide type cutter heads on all his production machines. He is located in Lycoming County, PA, and it just so happens that Hermance Machine, which has been in business since the 19th century is still in business and actually makes their cutter heads in house right in Williamsport.

    I did quite a bit a research and came to the conclusion that their heads are the best made. They actually patented the design which is a true, helical, shear angle type cutter head. The knives are angled in two directions, along the length of the axis but also tilted with respect to the surface of the head. Further, the knife is completely pocketed and supported on all 3 sides unlike other clones which screw the knife to the surface of the head.

    After some discussions with the folks at Hermance, I put one on order. They make each one to order and it took about 2 months. Keeping in mind this was during the days of Rona, I don't think that is unreasonable. The beginning of last week it arrived. I decided to send my old cutter head to them so they could remove the bearing inserts from the old head and then press new bearings onto the shaft and into the cutter head housings.

    As it arrived and after taking out of the crate:

    hermance1.jpg

    The computerized balancing readout which I didn't even realize was part of the deal:

    hermance2.jpg

    After removing the cling wrap and rust proof paper:

    hermance3.jpg

    After installing into the machine. Putting it into the PM100 is a really simple affair. The left side of the head contains a double 2 belt pulley and the right side contains a single pulley which runs the drive system (as indicated by standing in front of the infeed side). The entire assembly is slid into the machine casting and clamped with two pointed screws with jam nuts. Shown here installed with cutter installation in progress:

    hermance5.jpg

    The carbide inserts are made in Germany and they even supply a constant output torque wrench to properly torque each cutter. 5 Nm is equivalent to about 45 inch pounds. First class all around:

    hermance4.jpg

    Close up of the pocketed arrangement:

    hermance6.jpg

    Knife install complete:

    hermance7.jpg

    Adjusting the infeed and outfeed rollers, chipbreaker and hold down bar was very straightforward and easy. After some experimenting, I determined that the apex of the cutting edge of each knife was a uniform .040" away from the surface of the cutter head. As it's much easier to use that round surface as a reference point than the edge of the knives, and also considering that unlike a straight knife arrangement, that relationship will never change with knife replacement or rotation, I used the cutterhead as the index measurement. Since the knives stick out .040" and the manual says to adjust the infeed and outfeed rollers .030" below the arc of the knife, .070" is the number to shoot for for all but the hold down bar. Adjusting the outfeed roller as seen from the outfeed side:

    hermance9.jpg

    After putting the rest of the machine back together and taking a test cut, the only thing that needed adjusted was the pressure bar. It was rubbing a little so I raised it .002". The finish is second to none. I test planed a knarly piece of hard maple burl and there was not a hint of tear out. Not one bit. After planing some wood through the last week, it's apparent that worrying about grain direction is a thing of the past. Doesn't matter which direction you feed it, it just doesn't tear out.

    For those interested, the head has 60 knives in 4 spiral chevron wings of 15. The chevron pattern directs the chips into the middle of the head where they can be more efficiently collected. I do notice a big difference in the amount of stray chips that are not collected. It also runs very quiet. It cost just under $1000 which is not cheap, but considering the planer it went in is 54 years old, it will be a lifetime investment. By comparison, a similar head by Byrd which doesn't have many of the same features as the Hermance such as fully pocketed knives and double shear angles is almost $1300.

    So, if you are in the market for an insert carbide replacement cutterhead, give Hermance machine a look. The best US made head on the market and cheaper than some!

    Pete

    PS. There is a very nice PM100 planer for sale in the classifieds. If you buy it and want to upgrade to a Hermance Head, PM me. It's a fantastic machine and completely adjustable to be perfect.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2018
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    Lancaster, Ohio
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    Nice write up on a beautiful head

  3. #3
    That sounds like a really good price, I got a price a few years back for an scm FS350 and it was $1750.

  4. #4
    Pete, glad it's working so well. And I must add that is a dog gone well written review , especially coming from a guy whose posts are mostly on the terse side. Wishing you success on your next project, too.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    So Cal
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    That’s reads like a very nice planer setup.
    I can see myself being happy with it.
    My Yellow Pm15hh with a bryd head leaves a lot to be desired.
    Thanks for sharing

    Good Luck
    Aj

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    Winterville, NC (eastern NC)
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    2,359
    I have the Silent Power head on my Hammer A3-41 jointer/planer machine. Those cutting heads leave a really nice surface ready for finish sanding on any wood I have sent through the machine. So much so that I am considering selling my double drum sander. Really nice on figured stock. Enjoy.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    Western PA
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    Pete, first time ive heard of someone buying a Hermance head for a smaller machine. That is great you have excellent results. Like Andrew, the results from my taiwanese 20" powermatic with Byrd head are less than stellar.

    Post the photos of the planed maple!! The cutterhead does look beautiful.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Flower mound, Tx
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    514
    I think the Hermance heads are the finest heads available for machine upgrades. I want to put one in my Northfield 16HD.
    I spent just a tad more for my Martin T45 with XPlane helical cutter head but I bet we’re getting similar results?
    Here is a pic of an amazing 8/4 x 20” “private stock” I purchased from your brother a couple of years ago.
    E2E1E846-B8B6-464A-A445-07B1A6076AB4.jpg4C83C4F5-4FC0-4575-B07C-DF0B90EE90EA.jpgA58D7119-FA9F-446C-997E-890605796496.jpg

  9. #9
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    Great write up. Sounds like it worked out perfect. Just as a sidenote, the German heads in my Grizzly ThiChi machines use pocketed inserts. A great design for support and it makes it a breeze when rotating.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Broadview Heights, OH
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    Patrick,

    I know there are a lot of people that own Byrd heads and swear by them, but I've read no shortage of complaints about poor quality and issues. Never saw a mention like that about one made by Hermance. Love that someone in my home county in PA made that just for me. The part that I liked the most, is that they totally provided turnkey service. I sent them my old head and new bearings and they sent back the completed assembly ready to install.

    Sorry your Byrd head is not performing. There is a lot to be said for looking for old iron, restoring it and putting a state of the art cutting system in it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Kane View Post
    Pete, first time ive heard of someone buying a Hermance head for a smaller machine. That is great you have excellent results. Like Andrew, the results from my taiwanese 20" powermatic with Byrd head are less than stellar.

    Post the photos of the planed maple!! The cutterhead does look beautiful.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Western PA
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    Agreed, a ton of pros for going used with a Hermance head. However, I remember them being about $150 per lineal inch. That’s $3,000 for the head. My machine to my door was like $3,400 a few years ago.

    I’m glad John posted his results off the Martin. He posted that image a few times, and it is simply amazing. To me, that is the pinnacle of planing. I also know it costs $30,000+ to receive those results lol. Does your maple look similar off the smaller PM with the hermance?

  12. #12
    Awesome. Thanks for sharing, had no idea Hermance did anything like this.

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Woodstock, VA
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    1,004
    Thanks for this review Pete. I have only heard good things about these heads. It's a sinking feeling to watch a figured piece of wood exiting the planer with a big tear out!

    I run an 18" Newman 600 planer and would be scared to price a new Hermance head for it, it's a direct drive machine. On the bright side I'd be cleaning out the motor and replacing all bearings.

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