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Thread: What to do with 20" planer cutter head and blades?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Topeka, KS
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    356

    What to do with 20" planer cutter head and blades?

    I've searched to see if this has been asked and couldn't find an answer as I'm sure I'm not the first person to have this question.

    I replaced the cutter head on my Grizzly 20" G0454 planer a couple years ago with one from Byrd and put the old head with straight knives back into the Byrd box.

    What are people's feelings about keeping this, selling/giving to someone else, or just throwing the whole thing away?

    I'm not opposed to any of these options but would like to hear from other's around this topic. I can't really see a reason why I'd ever need the old head nor do I see it having much value to someone else. Maybe the blades would be valuable along with the gibs and screws but not the big chuck of steel.

    Let me know your thoughts.

    Wes

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Keep, resell or recycle (not trash) are all valid choices here. For the first one, how likely is it you would ever want to reinstall the original cutter head? Not likely, I suspect. So rather than store it long term, offer it up for sale for awhile...someone may need it for a repair/restoration. If it doesn't sell, a metal recycler will be happy to take it off your hands.
    --

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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    Wayland, MA
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    3,654
    The market for people going back to straight blades from a Byrd who don't have their old head is miniscule. You might find someone who has had a disaster and just wants to replace what they have, but how likely is that? If it were me I'd offer it up for postage in the classifieds here then plan on either using it for a boat anchor or recycling it. I would not choose to store it for my heirs. (there's enough of that stuff already) Unfortunately I don't think it would bring the price of the gas to drive it there at a metal recycler.

    You should know by now if you are a candidate for going back.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Santa Cruz, CA
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    Ive got one, too. I'm storing it for my heirs at the moment.

    I think I'm going to pull it out and to assess its value as an anvil.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    So Cal
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    I think you should definitely keep it. From what I see in my planer with a bryd head it will not take much to spoil the threads in some of the screws. If it were to happen in the middle of the head that would make it unusable. If it happened on one of the ends I could live it.
    Im on the second side of the second set of inserts. I see the surface not getting better.
    Good Luck
    Aj

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
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    Cambridge Vermont
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    I want to offer a differing opinion. As someone who cleaned out his father's house I have come to the conclusion that if I had to go through the pain someone else will too. Seriously though, save the blades, maybe someone who only has one set might want a spare set. If you didn't pull them you could remove the bearings but my guess is that they are a Chinese brand and even top of the line name brand bearings that are the correct size aren't going to cost much. You could save any set screw for holding the blades in place and keep them with the blades just in case someone has a damaged screw. Other than that the dump usually has a scrap steel bin for things like your old head.

  7. #7
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    Mar 2014
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    Hey that's interesting to hear Andrew. I'm pretty new to having helical heads on machines in my own shop, so I have not had to deal with many possible issues with them before this.
    I just had a thread on here asking how to remove a stubborn insert (Stewart Lang said hit it with a hammer to shatter it. I did, it did), and I can see how the female threads could get damaged.
    Erik Loza advised applying some anti-seize paste to the threads before screwing them in - have you done this?

  8. #8
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    Apr 2006
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    Phoenix AZ Area
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    I have a 12" SCMI jointer head and I think also a 12" Powermatic model 100 planer head. Wrestling with the same thing, the PM head was from over 10 years ago and I don't recall moving it to the new place this year so I must have found a home for that.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Gibney View Post
    Hey that's interesting to hear Andrew. I'm pretty new to having helical heads on machines in my own shop, so I have not had to deal with many possible issues with them before this.
    I just had a thread on here asking how to remove a stubborn insert (Stewart Lang said hit it with a hammer to shatter it. I did, it did), and I can see how the female threads could get damaged.
    Erik Loza advised applying some anti-seize paste to the threads before screwing them in - have you done this?
    I have not used anti seize I did buy a Torque screwdriver and used it on this last rotation of the inserts.
    I do have one suggestion that’s not talked about. When you do need to rotate your inserts be careful not to let any pitch or junk fall into the screw hole. I found out the hard way when I had a jointer with a insert head. I passed a lot of very pitchy Douglas fir one year and when I unscrewed the inserts some pitch fell into the screws. It took me some time what heck happened.
    I wouldn’t recommend a insert head on a jointer. I did not like it way too much feed pressure.
    Good Luck
    Aj

  10. #10
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    Jun 2014
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    Western PA
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    I sold my straight knife planer head pretty easily. The knives are pretty valuable if they are new. I think a set of four 20” knives from Powermatic was over $100 new. I ended up selling the cutterhead and bearings to a guy restoring an old 20” jointer. It was most likely a clamshell cutterhead. Anyway, I think I pulled $200ish out of the whole setup? Not bad for a ‘boat anchor’

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Madison, Wisconsin
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    I feel the same way about my 25 year old mortising attachment for my Robland JP. Never use it as I have a Domino. Hardly worth shipping and the market is almost nonexistent.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Moscow, Idaho
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Kane View Post
    I ended up selling the cutterhead and bearings to a guy restoring an old 20” jointer. It was most likely a clamshell cutterhead. Anyway, I think I pulled $200ish out of the whole setup? Not bad for a ‘boat anchor’
    I occasionally hear of someone looking for a cutterhead for this use. Sometimes when restoring a vintage jointer or planer, the existing cutterhead is found to be damaged or an unsafe design. I'd sure try to sell your cutterhead to someone who needs one before throwing it away.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
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    6,529
    Maybe a homemade drum sander in your future.

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