DW735 Shelix Head Issues

[Ken Howell]

I've been following this forum for a awhile and I respect the opinions on here so I wanted to throw this out there.

After reading several reviews I decided to upgrade my Dewalt 735 with the Shelix. I was pretty excited about the decision. I ordered it back in July and after 3 months I received it a couple of weeks ago. The first issue I had was the cutter head wasn't fully tapped to accept the gear they you have to screw into it after removing it from the stock head. Shelix mailed me a tap to finish the work myself but wanted me to send them the tap back to them. This past Sunday I got the head installed into the planer only to find that the pulley key that goes into cutter head wasn't fully machined and now the key won't fit into. At this point I'm pretty angry and sent them a nasty gram on Saturday. I regret being so upset but I haven't heard one word from them on this. Not one.

Are my expectations too great? My thought is I shouldn't have to spend $400 and wait 3 months only to get a product that isn't ready to go.

Am I unreasonable?

Thank you

Ken

[Brian Tymchak]

I've been following this forum for a awhile and I respect the opinions on here so I wanted to throw this out there.

After reading several reviews I decided to upgrade my Dewalt 735 with the Shelix. I was pretty excited about the decision. I ordered it back in July and after 3 months I received it a couple of weeks ago. The first issue I had was the cutter head wasn't fully tapped to accept the gear they you have to screw into it after removing it from the stock head. Shelix mailed me a tap to finish the work myself but wanted me to send them the tap back to them. This past Sunday I got the head installed into the planer only to find that the pulley key that goes into cutter head wasn't fully machined and now the key won't fit into. At this point I'm pretty angry and sent them a nasty gram on Saturday. I regret being so upset but I haven't heard one word from them on this. Not one.

Are my expectations too great? My thought is I shouldn't have to spend $400 and wait 3 months only to get a product that isn't ready to go.

Am I unreasonable?

Thank you

Ken

Unreasonable? No, not at all. I would be demanding a replacement head. You probably didn't do yourself any favors if you really were nasty in your message to them though. I've never liked communicating with customer service via anything other than on the phone. I would be calling them. You might try a little mea culpa to help you get somewhere with them, at least until you get a new head.

...It seems odd that Dewalt doesn't offer the 735 with an optional helical head. This upgrade has become very popular.

[Ken Howell]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for responding. Here's my email to them Saturday:

"Well I got the cutter head tapped to accept the gear and got it into the planer and now the pulley key doesn’t fit into shaft. This is a load of crap!!! I spend $400 dollars, wait 3 months and this is what I get? This is what Made In America means? The groove in the shaft isn’t cut big enough to accept the key. Now I’m either going to have to grind out the cutter head to take the key or grind the key to fit it. That’s going to make a loose fit.

I am so sorry that I trusted the reviews that said this was a quality product.

This isn’t over!"

I was hoping for any response from them.

Ken

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I generally try to do the following when I write a similar letter.

First, state the problem.

Second, state how you would like the problem resolved.

I attempt to do this with as little commentary as possible, mostly facts.

You do state the problem, but, you do not state how you would like it resolved. Do you want your money back? Return the product? A replacement? etc....

And no, you are not being unreasonable.

[Ken Howell]

Hi Andrew,

Thank you responding. You make a very good point in that I did not state how I would like this resolved. I went to their site and it states a lifetime guarantee. I will go that route.

Thank you,

Ken

[David Utterback]

I had problems with one of their heads over a year ago. They made it right by sending a replacement. IIRC, there was only one staff member who made the calls on defects. He was out on leave when I first sought help and it took a while to get the decision. Maybe a little patience will pay off after another day or two. Good luck

[Andrew Hughes]

I recommend you send it back and get your money refunded.
Then buy a set of infinity carbide tipped knives. I had a 735 with carbide knives and it cut perfectly Ebony curly maple everything came out fine and flat. Much better surface then my Pm 15 with a bryd head.

[jamil mehdi]

Shelix is a good company. They retrofit existing planers and they do it well. It sounds like you got something you shouldn't have, but I don't know that berating the person you're relying on to solve the issue was the right move.

I bought a shelix head for a 735 a while ago and it's been great. Probably saved $300 so far in knives. If I were you, I would send them another email apologizing for my tone and ask what the next step is. Chances are, if you sent it back to them, they would replace it quickly with a head that's fine.

Try understanding that sometimes manufacturing has hiccups. No one likes it, but it's not the end of the world. Shelix will do what's right... Unless you're a dick

[Ken Howell]

So here is where I'm at. I took the advice on this board and apologized to Byrd for my harsh tone. I told them I wasn't comfortable trying to drill out the slot to get the key to fit in. They sent me a Return Label and I shipped it to them. I just got this email from them this morning:

"I'm not sure if you're aware but generally those keys will need to be tapped into place on a new head. I can have the shipping department send this back out today but you will be required to pay for the shipping as there wasn't anything wrong with the cutter on our behalf."

I have watched a lot of videos on the installation of these heads and not once did I ever see or hear anyone saying you had to tap the key into the new head. Byrd didn't even say this to me before I shipped the cutter head back to them.
This is not right in my mind.

[Brian Tymchak]

I have watched a lot of videos on the installation of these heads and not once did I ever see or hear anyone saying you had to tap the key into the new head. Byrd didn't even say this to me before I shipped the cutter head back to them.
This is not right in my mind.

What do the installation instructions say about installing the key?

[Ken Howell]

Nothing. Actually the instructions in the box say to watch a video. The video doesn't mention having to tap the key in. I've never had to tap the key in anything I've installed that required a key.

[Frank Pratt]

I have, on occasion, had to tap in a key, but it's always been pretty obvious that it was going to go in. As in, it was just a little tight. I'd have another polite argument with them.

[Ken Howell]

I did have a polite argument with them but they weren't budging. Byrd said it was common knowledge the keys had to be tapped in although they didn't mention that when I told him the issue and it wasn't in the videos they point to for installation. They weren't going to send me back my cutter head unless I paid for the shipping back to me.

Lesson learned I guess. Byrd doesn't stand by their product. Avoid them at all costs. There are other heads out there.

[Alex Zeller]

Did you pay with a credit card? If so dispute payment. I usually take time before writing an email when mad. But never the less a good company will accept when customers are mad and overlook things like this. As for directions, if they don't say that you may need to use a hammer to install the key then that's on them. Sounds like they are trying to be deceitful. If they don't say it could be needed and a customer just assumes it's ok and damages it would they say "We never said to use a hammer to install it"? After all this is something machined to very tight tolerances. I would expect that Byrd would understand that not all of their customers are not machinists who would know the difference between too small and press fit.

[Richard Coers]

What do you mean they don't stand behind their product? There is nothing wrong with it, except for that shallow taped hole, and it doesn't sound like you are experienced in machinery repair. I was just getting ready to ask how undersized the keyway was, because you often have to tap it in so it won't slide out of the slot when you slide on the gear. Something I learned very early repairing farm machinery.