View Poll Results: Thickness Planer Cutter Head: Straight Blades or Helical Segmented

Voters
17. You may not vote on this poll
  • Straight HSS

    5 29.41%
  • Straight Carbide

    0 0%
  • Helical Segmented such as Byrd Shelix

    12 70.59%
Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Poll: Thickness Planer Cutter Head: Straight Blades or Helical Segmented ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Port Hope, Ontario
    Posts
    97

    Poll: Thickness Planer Cutter Head: Straight Blades or Helical Segmented ?

    What type of cutter head do you prefer in a thickness planer ?

    When voting, consider including the following to help other readers:
    - reasons for my preference
    - model of thickness planer
    - head manufacturer if known (example Byrd Shelix)
    - is preference based on personal experience or is it based on research

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Waterford, PA
    Posts
    1,225
    Currently running HSS straight blades on a Grizzly 15" planer. They work fine. When my new Hammer A3-31 comes, I'll be running a Helical type head instead.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,680
    Tersa on my SCM/Minimax J/P combo...and I'm extremely pleased. If I had North American traditional "separate" machines, I'd have straight knives on a jointer most likely and something spiralish on a thicknesser. I like Tersa because I can replace them in about three minutes or even move one just a hair if there's a nick and they are also reversible.
    --
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 08-23-2020 at 7:19 PM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,492
    Blog Entries
    1
    When voting, consider including the following to help other readers:
    - reasons for my preference
    Less expensive over time.
    I was losing too much stock in my highly figured materials.
    - model of thickness planer
    Grizzly G0453Z
    - head manufacturer if known (example Byrd Shelix)
    Grizzly's German supplier
    - is preference based on personal experience or is it based on research
    Tried several at other folks locations. The insert head was a no-brainer for me due to the cost savings (per my usual costs for sharpening and replacement of knives). The better surface treatment of figured woods was also a big factor for me.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Richardson, Texas
    Posts
    214
    I changed the old HSS blades/ spindle for a Shelix carbide insert cutter on my Delta DC-380 a few years ago. I was helping my bro in law redo his daughters kitchen, her husband was on duty in the middle east and we wanted to give him a good surprise when he returned home. My part was the cabinet doors & drawers. He did about 20X the work I did but I'm glad I was able to help. He had a lot of nice white oak that a neighbor had given him but it varied in thickness up to and a little over 4/4. Bottom line - a lot to plane. I was blown away by how well the new cutter head performed. Beautiful finish and a noticeable reduction in noise. The old blades were past due for a change.
    I have since down sized and sold Delta but will never forget how impressed I was.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,280
    In the other poll I said I would have bought my PJ882 jointer with straight blades but found a used one with the byrd head. But for a planer, carbide insert head with out any doubt. It's rare that I don't flip the board over when going through the planer and do a pass or two on the face that the jointer flattened up. The insert heads are very nice though. No sharpening, no jigs to set them up, less noise, smaller chips, last longer, other than the upfront cost what's not to like?

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