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Thread: High quality torque wrench & bits to rotate spiral cutter inserts?

  1. #1
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    High quality torque wrench & bits to rotate spiral cutter inserts?

    It's time to rotate the carbide cutters on my jointer & planer spiral heads. I'm looking for a high quality torque wrench & quality bits for the job. Any recommendations?

    Does 50 lbs torque sound right for the job?

    Thanks
    Scott Vroom

    I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.

  2. #2
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    I prefer a beam type wrench instead of a clicker for my Byrd head; https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-03727A-...879555&sr=8-10

    And you're looking for 50 inch-pounds

  3. #3
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    John is right about the torque setting - anywhere between 45 and 50 inch pounds.

    I prefer a click wrench as I can't see the beam wrench settings when I'm contorting myself to tighten the screws on our hold General planer.

    As for bits, I've had good luck with porter cable and grk bits.

    I find the key is to lubricate the screw threads. When I rotate the cutters, I completely remove all of them, clean the head of the planer and jointer, put anti-seize on the threads and put everything back together. So far, so good.
    Grant
    Ottawa ON

  4. #4
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    Yes check then setting, I think it may be INCH/LBS for those cutters.

    I used to do a lot of motorcycle maintenance, so I have a range of Torque wrenches, with no one size fits all. This is especially true for the lower torque settings.

    For such a low torque, if I am right about the INCH/LBS, I would probably go with a screwdriver type torque wrench.

    I did little research a couple of years ago and bought this one
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



    My other torque wrenches, all Snap-On or CDI

  5. #5
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    We use Mountz torque drivers at work. 50 in/ibs isn't that much. Trying to use a beam stile wrench seams like it would be a pain vs a driver. They also have a 1/4" square drive on the top so you can put a ratchet or t-bar on them. But they aren't cheap. When you reach the set value they snap and slip (kind of like a cordless drill when set to screwdriver mode). When I have to rotate my inserts I'll buy one.
    MicroTorque-Large-Image3.jpg

  6. #6
    I have a Craftsman 20-250(?) in/lbs click wrench. I just rotated mine and consulted with Brian at Holbren, who sells the Byrd head I have, he recommended 45 in/lbs torque and to use a TP25 torx plus bit since the "teeth" of the bit are more rounded than the regular TP25. They're also rated for higher torque. Make sure that you let the screw pull the insert into the seat. If you butt up the insert against the back of the seat then when you tighten the screw it will lift up and cause issues like jointing steps into the wood especially when face jointing. I had to re-seat a whole bunch of them because of that. Just hold the insert forward with your fingers and the screw inserted then slowly tighten it and the insert will seat properly. I use a another TP25+ to do this and then tighten it with the torque wrench.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Zeller View Post
    We use Mountz torque drivers at work. 50 in/ibs isn't that much. Trying to use a beam stile wrench seams like it would be a pain vs a driver. They also have a 1/4" square drive on the top so you can put a ratchet or t-bar on them. But they aren't cheap. When you reach the set value they snap and slip (kind of like a cordless drill when set to screwdriver mode). When I have to rotate my inserts I'll buy one.
    MicroTorque-Large-Image3.jpg

    Also made by other companies. They also make pneumatic ones for factory use. Much better then a torque stick or clicker since it can not overdrive.
    Bill D

  8. #8
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    I use a small Craftsman. Inch-pound tools are smaller and lighter than their foot-pound cousins. The screwdriver format would become fatiguing to me after 60 or so inserts. The breaker-bar format has served me well but, this may depend on your hand strength and arthritis quotient ;-)
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  9. #9
    TorxPlus bit, 5Nm (~45in/lbs), $63, made in Germany:
    https://www.wihatools.com/easy-torque-sf-handle-w-torxplus-ip25

  10. #10
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    You did ask for a high quality one:

    https://shop.snapon.com/categories/Torque/629053
    Last edited by Tom M King; 08-31-2020 at 4:14 PM.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Lanciani View Post
    I prefer a beam type wrench instead of a clicker for my Byrd head; https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-03727A-...879555&sr=8-10

    And you're looking for 50 inch-pounds
    Yes! Carbide is brittle and my Grizzly states inch-pounds!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grant Wilkinson View Post
    John is right about the torque setting - anywhere between 45 and 50 inch pounds.

    I prefer a click wrench as I can't see the beam wrench settings when I'm contorting myself to tighten the screws on our hold General planer.

    As for bits, I've had good luck with porter cable and grk bits.

    I find the key is to lubricate the screw threads. When I rotate the cutters, I completely remove all of them, clean the head of the planer and jointer, put anti-seize on the threads and put everything back together. So far, so good.
    Not saying the anti-seize is a bad idea, but since this is a thread about torque wrenches I'll point out that it does affect the torque rating. If the torque spec is for clean dry threads, adding anti-seize means you need to reduce the torque applied to achieve the same screw tension (due to lower friction).

    I've dealt with this in an automotive context, where a torque spec was near the yield point of the screw to begin with, and after adding anti-seize you'd risk snapping or permanently weakening the screw from over-torquing. There might be enough safety margin in this application that it doesn't matter much, but something to think about.

  13. #13
    FWIW: when I bought a Byrd head for my DJ-20 (still have the wrench, no longer own the jointer) I got the torque wrench from Byrd. Its just a Pittsburgh Tools wrench that was calibrated to the right setting by Byrd. They apparently thought that was adequate. It seemed to work just fine for the few inserts I changed.

  14. #14
    Do yourself a favor and watch a couple of videos from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCk...XbS4txqPY7OMxQ

    You dont need a torque wrench. Machining parts that exceed 30K-50K customer cost.

    Dont overthink it. Loser is better.
    Last edited by Mark Bolton; 08-31-2020 at 5:48 PM.

  15. #15
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    Yes, engineers spec things willy nilly. We have no real reason to do so.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

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