You certainly got all the pros and cons right on this. My Shelix head doubled the overall cost of my Dewalt 735 but I no longer have to replace those hard rubber knives that Dewalt sells. I couldn’t get 1000 sf of hardwood through them before they had to be changed out. The surface coming out of the helical head is smooth as a baby’s bottom. Good job on the review.
First some words of wisdom: “Buy once, cry once”. Now my personal experiences: I purchased my Jet 12” jointer/planer combo machine with a factory-option Shelix cutter head in 2010. I STILL haven’t had to rotate any cutters. This is all the better when you realize over 800 bd ft of white oak and 1,200 bd ft of western cedar were jointed and thickness planed in just 2 projects. I was concerned the Jet has only 1 feed speed on the planer. My fears were for nothing. I’m a happy camper with the Jet combo and especially the Shelix cutter. I use the large, 5 micron, Jet Vortex dust collection without a single problem. The 3 hp planer motor seems to be easily handling the load. I’d happily recommend both! The first time you joint a 10” board, you’ll ask yourself, why didn’t I make this investment sooner!
James, thank you for not only this video but for them all. "Explaining" is a valuable skill that not everyone possesses, but you've got it abundance. Your videos are always extremely informative and easy to follow. Keep it up!
I think he makes it a clickbait title, like helical aren't that great, when throughout his video he talks about numerous advantages to them.. He should label this more accurately instead.
Agreed, I came here, based on the title, expecting to find an argument against the cutter head, instead he talks about how good they are (which I already knew, which is why I was confused by the title).
I replaced my cutterhead on my Dewalt planer with a Shelix. One of the best decisions I've made. - When I bought a new jointer, it was the Powermatic with Helical head. SO glad I spent a few extra $$$. Great overview Stumpy!!
The Shelix planer head I ordered just arrived last week. I have enjoyed it's performance. At work, we have helix cutters in the jointer and planer and I was happy to finally upgrade my home planer.
Thanks to your very helpful videos on the helical cutters, I replaced the knives on my Delta TP305 planer with the Shelix helical cutters from My Wood Cutters. Not cheap but a great product. Although it took me most of the day to just disassemble my planer, the new cutter head went in seamlessly. (Other UA-cam videos were also very helpful.) Thank you for your helpful advice on the Shelix.
I sometime work in a friends shop he has a huge planer when he switched from straight knives the noise reduction was great , and the cut was much smother good talk Stump
Great review, came back to it just before buying my helical head for a refresher. Maybe I missed it but the cost savings are more than just the cost of the individual knives. While it matters most if you're a business but the cut quality results in a huge savings down the road for other things like sandpaper and labor even the hobbyist. The fact that it leaves a smooth finish alone is enough to justify the upgrade. Because NOBODY loves sanding lol
My stock DW734 gives an incredibly smooth finish on 99% of boards, but I don't like how I have to inch down by like 1/128 at a time unless I want it to bog down. If I do 1/32 on any hardwood it bogs and it popped the internal GFCI on what you'd think would be an easy cut
I’m not a high production furniture maker or miller by any means but I bought my helix one year after purchasing my Dewalt 13” thickness planer. I went through 3 sets of blades at $89.00 CAD/ set and made a move! I had my helix for over 5 years planing oak, hickory, zebra wood as well as soft woods and to sum my impression of this cutter head- WORTH EVERY PENNY, at least in my case. Before when thinking about any project, budget in particular, if I didn’t have $89 for new blades I tended to stay away from figures woods and even then dull blades were issue, when blade doesn’t cut- it chisels!
100% true, have had my Powermatic 20" HH for over 5 years now and its still on its original set of cutters and I process all my own wood directly from my bandsaw mill once its air dired about a year. Handles tigermaple, curley cherry, flame birch and crotch walnut very exceptional, more efficiently and much quiter than my original planer with HSS knives. Now the decision is to spend over $500 to retrofit my Delta DJ20 jointer.
I put a Shelix head in both my jointer and planer and have found them both to be worth it. Quieter, less maintenance time, better quality... all worth the money. If I ever get a larger jointer, I'll order a another one ASAP. I did have to wait about 3 months for the head for my 6" Delta jointer.
this is such great info! I didn't realize I could replace my planer blades, but I also didn't realize some of the added benefits of upgrading either. Thank you for this video!
Honestly, before this video, I wasn't aware that a replacement head was available for my planer or jointer, so I really appreciate you sharing the site. I had thought I would just need to save up for a new jointer with helical head. Besides once a year when my father-in-law asks for cedar planer shavings for woodduck house bedding, the long ribbons are indeed a pain for the dust collector. I'm in the camp of only replacing my blades once or twice a year, but personally, I'd consider the dust collection improvements worth some $. The noise factor with kids sleeping is also something I hadn't thought about. Table saw and sanders can be run when they are asleep no problem, but I usually get "the look" when planing at night. Thank you for the video!
And it typically takes a 9dB change for the average person to perceive a doubling/halving in volume. So the meter might show a difference, but it will be almost unnoticeable to the ear.
I had a huge reduction in noise on my Grizzly 15" planer. I could be wrong about the cause but I think the original blades passing the plastic chip deflector contributed to a very loud thrumming with the blades. With the Byrd Shelix cutter the chip deflector doesn't seem to have the same resonant frequency and is not just quieter but a much more tolerable noise. I can talk to someone on the out-feed now quite easily.
Good overview. I have both types of cutterhead - helical on my jointer and straight blade on the thicknesser. The helical is much quieter to run and produces a beautiful finish most times. As for striking the odd nail, no problems so far. It whips off the metal and doesn't damage the cutter. You use tungsten carbide bits in a lathe and milling machine to machine mild steel and so can't see the problem. It means using recycled wood is not so disastrous on your equipment. As quality timber is becoming increasingly difficult to source, effective tools to deal with recycled materials makes sense. I still run wood through my magnet detector however when I remember just to be safe, cutting through bolts is not smart.
Your point about more power required for the helical head was interesting and the opposite of what I had assumed. But it makes sense. Thanks for the info.
Thanks, good review. Consistent with my experience. Several years ago I needed to upgrade from my 6" jointer and my lunchbox planer, and space was an issue, so I got the Jet 12" combo machine with the helical head. Having a 12" jointer made a big difference in the wood I can handle, and the noise reduction was remarkable. At around 81dB I do not technically need hearing protection though I still use it. The inserts do leave a very fine basket weave pattern which sands out easily. Passed my old planer on to my son, and now I notice its often out of service waiting for new blades.
I have a dewalt planner with reversible knives and a spare set. When I use those up, I'll get a shelix. I have a 6 inch benchtop Jointer that might get replaced by then.
Wow. Thanks for a concise, helpful video. I too was not aware that I could just swap out the cutterhead in my existing machine rather than having to buy a new one. Awesome.
I upgraded my Jet planner/thicknesser with a helical head and had a couple of issues when I needed to rotate the cutters. I over tightened the screws by only a couple of pounds and had a number of them break. I was supplied a box of ten 15 x 15 x 2.5 x R100mm labelled as Byrde but they were not, some how there has been a substitution of 14.8 x 14.8 x 2.5mm cutters. I had a step on the surface where the new cutters were not cutting to the full depth. I purchased some new cutters and installed them problem solved.. It is worth running a digital calliper or micrometer over the cutters before installation. Do not trust that some creep has not tried to pull a fast one and swapped out some cutters.
stumpy thanks for your insight on these cutters. when I decided to buy I bought the Cutech jointer and planer that already had the helical cutter heads and am very pleased that I did. now I need to upgrade to the carbide cutters instead of the HHS cutters that have served me well
I put one in my Dewalt 735, and it's fantastic. I do a lot of work with hardwoods from locally grown trees (mesquite and olive), and they would kill my HSS knives in no time at all. I upgraded to the Byrd Shelix head, and it's one of the best tool investments I've ever made. It doesn't solve the Dewalt's snipe problem, but it was definitely worth the investment for me.
Michael Micheal I was able to dial out 98-100 percent of the snipe out of my boards. When I want a 100% snipe free board for an expensive board and I don't want to waste any I add a sled to mine which is the practical width of the planer with Formica on each side with a cleat underneath the bottom of the indeed side. Make sure your infeed and out feed table are flat all the way across, insert the sled with the cleat against the infeed table edge. Make sure the sled table is waxed with a silicone free wax. Again make sure the sled is level in all planes... works like a dream stopping the snipe.
We have a helical head on the machine at the shop where I work, and it's a double edged sword. The cut quality is great, but the increased demand causes out machine to overheat very regularly, which costs a lot of time. I'd say the helical heads ares ideal for larger machines, but are just to demanding for smaller planers.
Well i think you have wrong machine in shop then, small planers Are more for hobby or contractor works If needed can plane some wood, but not for working 8hour straight
Big thanks from Sydney, Aust. Appreciate the time you've put into this as per your other videos. I must add that on observing the wall in the background, I am feeling that you are sadly short on planes and am considering sending you one or two of mine... :-) Cheers and thanks - Dave
The $550 helical cutter investment for my DeWalt planer, was one of my best upgrades I ever made. On another note, those carbide cutters, also make for a great low cost lathe tool.
Thanks for the great video. On the cost savings, you missed the cost of the wood destroyed by a straight planer, and the value of the time it takes to sand out tearout from a straight planer. Factoring that in, it pays for itself much more quickly.
Time savings of not having to check grain direction on several hundred parts for a kitchen is a huge factor. Helical heads cut time at the jointer by at least half. That's a ton of money over the life of the machine in a working shop.
So glad I watched this. I was in the market for a Shelix cutter head for my DW735. The Shelix lead time was 10 months. Lux cut 3 were available right away and I had my cutter head 6 days after ordering. Also, I don’t like what Byrd is doing. You can buy a DW735 with a Shelix preinstalled for 1600 dollars. 600 machine, 500 cutter and 500 for installation. Absolutely ridiculous. They say they have those available now but just the cutter head is 10 months out?
TIP: If you knick your straight blades, on most planers/jointers, you can swap out just one blade and eliminate the lines. On some like the Dewalt, the blades are also reversible. Flip one blade and your back in business.
I put one on my Dewalt dw735 and I love it. I will never go back and if my dw735 wears out I can just move it into my new one. It cuts so nice And smooth. I think that it was worth it.
Man I need this.. actually I need a new jointer/planer. I bought a 400 bucks budget jointer/planer-combo and.. well, it's bad.... Anyway, thanks for your videos, Stumpy Nubs, I'm learning a lot!
Our shelix helical cutter has been a HUGE money saver just due to the surface finish that it leaves on the wood. Less money and time is spent on abrasives and sanding, and less wood is wasted due to horrible tearout. The sooner you buy one the sooner you will start saving.
Ok I took the leap and invested in a shelix for my DW734 and my Delta 37-190. I sure hope they are worth it! I trust after watching this video they will, but $750 hurts. Lol
Spectacular video and information. I just got a Shelix cutter for my dewalt DW735. Everything Stumpy says is true. I really need to look at updating my jointer now.
Grizzly now has a knock off shelix head for much less. I bought one for my 8 inch jointer. I ordered one for my 15 inch planer and changed my mind, buying a newer jet planer with the helical. I’m converted. Sweet. The planer is insanely quiet. The jointer not so. I don’t know if the bearing is compromised or the design disturbs the air differently but it’s louder than the old head turning. The cutting action is quieter.
Another benefit that I have found is that I can now dial in the thickness gauge on my surface planer. Before, when I would swap out blades, I’d have to go through the process of setting the gauge to reflect the position of the new blades, and I’d never do it. Now when I need to rotate or replace a cutter, it doesn’t alter the relative height of the cutter, and I can trust the gauge to tell me the thickness. I still double check, but if it isn’t critical I would trust the gauge.
Whoa! Nice detailed presentation. Gave me some pause for consideration. Up front costs are frustrating me as my woodworking hasn't paid for the cost of the machines(yet). Looked at this awhile ago re when they became a sponsor. Will check into it again. Thanks!
Like many of your viewers, I also was not aware that of alternatives to my HSS planer knives. Thanks for the valuable information Jim. Next blade change on my Delta will be to the Shelix carbide cutterhead. Awesome.
I upgraded to a helical head on my Powermatic 54A 6” jointer , what I found is the chips exhaust out the backside of the jointer rather than down the dust chute , upgraded to a larger collector and a 6” dust collector port to handle the issue
If you check locally, you should be able to locate a cutter grinding shop that can resharp the inserts economically. As long as there is just wear and not damage, those inserts can be reused. Certainly you can find a cutter grinding shop on the east coast.
SeamusAndrewMurphy Inserts are typically inexpensive enough that you're not going to gain anything in resharpening once labor is factored in. They're designed as consumables and priced as such.
John here good video but I got a Cutect 40700HC 24 tooth spiral carbide blades. 12" for $349.00 quiet runner chips a lot smaller don.t hang up used it on oak walnut pine from 3/4 to 2 1/2" does a nice job a lot cheaper 2yr warranty.
But the surface area of the contact. area between cutting edges and material will always be less at any given time with the shelix so although the motor driving the knives does get a "break" the one driving the shelix has a smaller demand on it at any given time. No? Great video, I'm a new subscriber.
Thanks for the video, I found it interesting, and I've been thinking.... (always dangerous). I agree with your statement that the straight blades will have "gaps" between carves, allowing the motor to "recover". However, do helical heads need a more powerful motor? I'm not so sure. I have a hard time believing that each tiny helical blade, whichever one(s) is/are in contact with the wood at any given moment, would slow the motor down anywhere near as much as larger (sometimes much larger) straight blades. It's just that a helical head should spread the motor load over time to be more consistent... Rather than chop, spin up, repeat loads using straight blades. If you're planing the same type, depth, and width of wood, why would it need more power? The head shouldn't change that. In fact, aerodynamically, the helical head should place LESS strain on the motor. A lot of people put helical heads in DeWalt735 planers, without upgrading the motor, for the reasons you describe. Few seem to complain about the motor not keeping up. Also, the reduction in noise, is a reduction in one form of energy loss. I can't say for certain that any actual PLANING efficiency is gained. Most of it is probably lost as heat, or additional chip propulsion... but maybe a small percentage will be put into working the wood. Everything else that you've said seems correct to me, and no doubt helpful to a lot of people. Thanks.
From what I've heard, shelix definitely draws more juice. The reason is not because there's no gap in time like the video suggests. It's actually because there is overlap in the spacing of the shelix heads. If you look at the shelix, every 2 rows is equivalent to 1 straight blade, except you have roughly 50% more knife contacting the wood because there's about 50% overlap (distance between 2 blades is roughly half the size of a blade). More cutting requires more power.
Great info James. I think it's important to note that carbide is never as "sharp" as the steel it replaces. I would guess that's why it bogs the machines down more than the original.
While it is true that carbide can not be sharpened as finely as steel, wood is an abrasive material. After a few board feet, those razor sharp HSS knives aren't much sharper than carbide anymore. Compare it to a hand plane. It may shave hair when it's first honed. But after planing three or four boards, while it may still be sharp, it's not as sharp as before. It only takes a very short time to go through that same amount of board feet with a power jointer or planer.
Just to add another data point to this video - I have the OEM Felder/Hammer helical cutterhead in a Hammer A3/31 planer/thicknesser, been running it for about 3 years now. They brand it "Silent Power", and is a added-cost option when you spec the machine. If you take a look online at the design and geometry of this head vs the Byrd type, you will see that the Felder design is much more advanced. It still uses the staggered rows of shear-cutting inserts, but they are pocketed into the surface of a nearly-full cylindrical head, instead of sticking out of a small-diameter core. Obvious advantage of this is the aerodynamic noise reduction, and the protection of the blade edges that are not in use. The chips exit in a smooth channel in front of the blade rows. Felder have side-by-side noise measurements (on youtube) showing about a 10dB reduction planing the same board on the two machines. I can confirm that the planer is very quiet - you can almost have a normal conversation with someone as you plane a board! Surface finish is very good, just as reported here, and I am just about to rotate the set of knives after several thousand feet of planing mixed timbers; it's still perfectly usable but a bit more pressure is needed and I'm about to process some rather (very) difficult elm burl, so it's time to freshen up. The thicknesser also works beautifully, with the "digital" thickness setting that is actually clockwork but works perfectly and allows me to set thickness to 0.1mm with good confidence. I have no commercial interest, I'm just a private customer who has found this machine to be an extremely good purchase, even though it is more expensive than some others. I'm a scientist/product developer by profession, and I think they have done a really nice job on the essentials on this machine, even if it does not have all the heavy duty extras that the production Felder ones enjoy (e.g. the fence mounting is relatively poor). In the context of this video, I would encourage Stumpy and others to look at this cutterhead as a state of the art example - and yes it is better than the US-sourced ones at present. :-)
Thanks for the review. When rebuilding an older Rockwell 22-201 18" wedge bed, I did decide to put a shelix on it and have been pleased. One comment about the power requirements I can offer is the carbide is taking a scraping cut instead of the slicing cut of a knife - I'm suspecting that is contributing to the power draw. I noticed a brief display of a Clear Vue cyclone dust collector in the video. How do you like it? Any commentary about it? Recommendations?
One con that you didn't mention was the fragility of carbide cutters. I upgraded my DW7325 to a Byrd Shelix cutter head and broke three cutters in a year. (If I could attach a picture I would) Byrd refused to replace the broken cutters and failed to provide any help in diagnosing what may be the cause. In the last six years my Grizzly Jointer hasn't broken a single cutter. So, bad batch of cutters from Byrd? Probably. Poor customer service? Absolutely.
The reason I didn't include that is because I have never experienced, or heard of a case like yours until now. As with any tool (or any sort of product for that matter), there are always some isolated cases that may be negative. But the vast majority are overwhelmingly positive.
I had the opportunity to buy the multicutter head spiral or the Tersa 4 knives at the first. I elected to buy the Tersa model because if I need to mill some unknown wood from the lumber mill I can quickly install the 4 Tersa knives using some older knives and save the new knives for furniture work. If a nick appears on the Tersa you move the knives about 2 or 3MM left or right-stagger the cut surface and that takes care of the nicked edge. I can switch the M42 knives for carbide if I get into a long run of milling either jointer or planer. Also, we have the opportunity to use shorter knives of M42 cobalt or carbide on either jointer or planer to meet the requirement of certain woods. Same knives different machines with the Tersa design. The Tersa fitting on a machine using a variety of metals will not bog down the motor even on heavy cuts life the spiral design. With a moderate sharpness using Tersa the cut does not require sanding unless you have the feed rate too high; depends what you need. Felder's straight knives take time out of the day to replace and I chose Tersa. Not very many vendors for Tersa in the US and Canada. If I mill pine it can load the knives with resin: Tersa allows a quick removal and spray with clean and paper towel wipe and reinstall quickly. Does the helical setup have resin buildup? If so you may be some clean up time??
This format does work really well. I have only seen clips of the early videos but i agree that i could see a little cheeky sarcasm or tongue in cheek gag every now and that would be the icing on the cake….used sparingly of course
You might check into buying your inserts from machinist suppliers like McMaster Carr or Grainger. Or you can go to the source like Carbide Depot if you got the exact dimensions and material types and buy in bulk. Looking at the selection of inserts at Carbide Depot makes me wonder about the quality and results you may get with differently shaped inserts.
In my experience segmented cutters have one extra pro. That is, when the inevitable happens and worked timber inexplicably contains a nail or perhaps even an embedded stone, only one or two individual cutters will need to be replaced, not the whole blade set. This equates to a huge reduction in downtime and costs after such an event.
If you have Tersa knives, when you put in the new knives be sure to shorten atleast 2 of the knives about 2MM so you can kick the knives over a little to stagger the nicks we all get. Feed speed allows straight knives to leave ridges in the wood if you go too fast. Slow down the feed speed or speed up the cutter head to achieve a smooth planar surface with straight knives.
Thanks for the link to find what works for my planer but wow, at $405 I'll definitely be saving for a bit before I'm able to afford that, it seems that it would be worth it in the end.
I can tell you from a production/manufacturing standpoint, these spiral heads with carbide inserts are incredible compared to straight knives. At my job I do setups on moulders, some with multiple heads each with a 25 hp motor and i've seen these hog off a half inch to 3/4" of material effortlessly (granted it was poplar) still very impressive and silent compared to some of the other 2 and 5 knife heads i work with and our inserted heads have from around 100-200 inserts so flipping them can be monotonous at times especially when there is a lot of pitch buildup lol
Very informative! You did forget to mention that even with the shelix head, you can still get that washboard type effect, but only 90 degrees to the standard planer blades. Although it is very minute and can be sanded off fairly quickly. All in all though, well worth it if you use it on a regular basis.
It is possible, which is why I said you may REDUCE or eliminate it. I get it once in a while. But it's so light it usually disappears with my regular sanding. However, I want to make sure all of the pros and cons are clear, so thanks for pointing it out. :)
You certainly got all the pros and cons right on this. My Shelix head doubled the overall cost of my Dewalt 735 but I no longer have to replace those hard rubber knives that Dewalt sells. I couldn’t get 1000 sf of hardwood through them before they had to be changed out. The surface coming out of the helical head is smooth as a baby’s bottom. Good job on the review.
Right now whenever I have questions, these videos always seem to pop up and give me great information. Thanks.
First some words of wisdom: “Buy once, cry once”. Now my personal experiences: I purchased my Jet 12” jointer/planer combo machine with a factory-option Shelix cutter head in 2010. I STILL haven’t had to rotate any cutters. This is all the better when you realize over 800 bd ft of white oak and 1,200 bd ft of western cedar were jointed and thickness planed in just 2 projects. I was concerned the Jet has only 1 feed speed on the planer. My fears were for nothing. I’m a happy camper with the Jet combo and especially the Shelix cutter. I use the large, 5 micron, Jet Vortex dust collection without a single problem. The 3 hp planer motor seems to be easily handling the load. I’d happily recommend both! The first time you joint a 10” board, you’ll ask yourself, why didn’t I make this investment sooner!
"buy once, cry once"😂
James, thank you for not only this video but for them all. "Explaining" is a valuable skill that not everyone possesses, but you've got it abundance. Your videos are always extremely informative and easy to follow. Keep it up!
Not sure why anyone would give this video a thumbs down. I found it to be very helpful, clear and concise, and well presented. Thank you for posting>
I think he makes it a clickbait title, like helical aren't that great, when throughout his video he talks about numerous advantages to them.. He should label this more accurately instead.
Agreed, I came here, based on the title, expecting to find an argument against the cutter head, instead he talks about how good they are (which I already knew, which is why I was confused by the title).
I replaced my cutterhead on my Dewalt planer with a Shelix. One of the best decisions I've made. - When I bought a new jointer, it was the Powermatic with Helical head. SO glad I spent a few extra $$$. Great overview Stumpy!!
A FEW EXTRA DOLLARS ? A used Stanley #3 or #4 with the best blade available can be had for under $100 and will last a half a lifetime.
The way this guy explains .... just legendary!
The Shelix planer head I ordered just arrived last week. I have enjoyed it's performance. At work, we have helix cutters in the jointer and planer and I was happy to finally upgrade my home planer.
very informed discussion on the two types of cutters for Jointer...and Planer.
Thanks to your very helpful videos on the helical cutters, I replaced the knives on my Delta TP305 planer with the Shelix helical cutters from My Wood Cutters. Not cheap but a great product. Although it took me most of the day to just disassemble my planer, the new cutter head went in seamlessly. (Other UA-cam videos were also very helpful.) Thank you for your helpful advice on the Shelix.
I sometime work in a friends shop he has a huge planer when he switched from straight knives the noise reduction was great , and the cut was much smother good talk Stump
Great review, came back to it just before buying my helical head for a refresher. Maybe I missed it but the cost savings are more than just the cost of the individual knives. While it matters most if you're a business but the cut quality results in a huge savings down the road for other things like sandpaper and labor even the hobbyist. The fact that it leaves a smooth finish alone is enough to justify the upgrade. Because NOBODY loves sanding lol
My stock DW734 gives an incredibly smooth finish on 99% of boards, but I don't like how I have to inch down by like 1/128 at a time unless I want it to bog down. If I do 1/32 on any hardwood it bogs and it popped the internal GFCI on what you'd think would be an easy cut
I’m not a high production furniture maker or miller by any means but I bought my helix one year after purchasing my Dewalt 13” thickness planer.
I went through 3 sets of blades at $89.00 CAD/ set and made a move!
I had my helix for over 5 years planing oak, hickory, zebra wood as well as soft woods and to sum my impression of this cutter head- WORTH EVERY PENNY, at least in my case.
Before when thinking about any project, budget in particular, if I didn’t have $89 for new blades I tended to stay away from figures woods and even then dull blades were issue, when blade doesn’t cut- it chisels!
100% true, have had my Powermatic 20" HH for over 5 years now and its still on its original set of cutters and I process all my own wood directly from my bandsaw mill once its air dired about a year. Handles tigermaple, curley cherry, flame birch and crotch walnut very exceptional, more efficiently and much quiter than my original planer with HSS knives. Now the decision is to spend over $500 to retrofit my Delta DJ20 jointer.
I put a Shelix head in both my jointer and planer and have found them both to be worth it. Quieter, less maintenance time, better quality... all worth the money. If I ever get a larger jointer, I'll order a another one ASAP. I did have to wait about 3 months for the head for my 6" Delta jointer.
this is such great info! I didn't realize I could replace my planer blades, but I also didn't realize some of the added benefits of upgrading either. Thank you for this video!
Honestly, before this video, I wasn't aware that a replacement head was available for my planer or jointer, so I really appreciate you sharing the site. I had thought I would just need to save up for a new jointer with helical head. Besides once a year when my father-in-law asks for cedar planer shavings for woodduck house bedding, the long ribbons are indeed a pain for the dust collector. I'm in the camp of only replacing my blades once or twice a year, but personally, I'd consider the dust collection improvements worth some $. The noise factor with kids sleeping is also something I hadn't thought about. Table saw and sanders can be run when they are asleep no problem, but I usually get "the look" when planing at night. Thank you for the video!
I expected the noise reduction to be more, the possibility of 50% noise reduction is just 3dB less at best
And it typically takes a 9dB change for the average person to perceive a doubling/halving in volume. So the meter might show a difference, but it will be almost unnoticeable to the ear.
I had a huge reduction in noise on my Grizzly 15" planer. I could be wrong about the cause but I think the original blades passing the plastic chip deflector contributed to a very loud thrumming with the blades. With the Byrd Shelix cutter the chip deflector doesn't seem to have the same resonant frequency and is not just quieter but a much more tolerable noise. I can talk to someone on the out-feed now quite easily.
Black Dog Mai
I love guys like this, Einstein once said if you can explain it to a 5 year old you know your subject. This guy knows his stuff !!
Good overview. I have both types of cutterhead - helical on my jointer and straight blade on the thicknesser. The helical is much quieter to run and produces a beautiful finish most times.
As for striking the odd nail, no problems so far. It whips off the metal and doesn't damage the cutter. You use tungsten carbide bits in a lathe and milling machine to machine mild steel and so can't see the problem. It means using recycled wood is not so disastrous on your equipment. As quality timber is becoming increasingly difficult to source, effective tools to deal with recycled materials makes sense. I still run wood through my magnet detector however when I remember just to be safe, cutting through bolts is not smart.
Thanks. I appreciate your clear and concise explanations.
Your point about more power required for the helical head was interesting and the opposite of what I had assumed. But it makes sense. Thanks for the info.
Those cutterheads are also great for making your own carbide lathe tools instead of paying the high price for manufactured ones!! Nice article!
I am just talking about the carbide tips which are usually square and carbide. They work well on lathe tools that you make yourself.
I was not sure which one to go for and your video helped me with my decision. Thanks for this much needed information.
Thanks, good review. Consistent with my experience. Several years ago I needed to upgrade from my 6" jointer and my lunchbox planer, and space was an issue, so I got the Jet 12" combo machine with the helical head. Having a 12" jointer made a big difference in the wood I can handle, and the noise reduction was remarkable. At around 81dB I do not technically need hearing protection though I still use it. The inserts do leave a very fine basket weave pattern which sands out easily. Passed my old planer on to my son, and now I notice its often out of service waiting for new blades.
OK this is the second video I’ve seen of yours that I really enjoyed and learned a lot off of. I’m subscribing and thank you for the contact
I have a dewalt planner with reversible knives and a spare set. When I use those up, I'll get a shelix.
I have a 6 inch benchtop Jointer that might get replaced by then.
Wow. Thanks for a concise, helpful video. I too was not aware that I could just swap out the cutterhead in my existing machine rather than having to buy a new one. Awesome.
I upgraded my Jet planner/thicknesser with a helical head and had a couple of issues when I needed to rotate the cutters. I over tightened the screws by only a couple of pounds and had a number of them break. I was supplied a box of ten 15 x 15 x 2.5 x R100mm labelled as Byrde but they were not, some how there has been a substitution of 14.8 x 14.8 x 2.5mm cutters. I had a step on the surface where the new cutters were not cutting to the full depth. I purchased some new cutters and installed them problem solved.. It is worth running a digital calliper or micrometer over the cutters before installation. Do not trust that some creep has not tried to pull a fast one and swapped out some cutters.
stumpy thanks for your insight on these cutters. when I decided to buy I bought the Cutech jointer and planer that already had the helical cutter heads and am very pleased that I did. now I need to upgrade to the carbide cutters instead of the HHS cutters that have served me well
I put one in my Dewalt 735, and it's fantastic. I do a lot of work with hardwoods from locally grown trees (mesquite and olive), and they would kill my HSS knives in no time at all. I upgraded to the Byrd Shelix head, and it's one of the best tool investments I've ever made. It doesn't solve the Dewalt's snipe problem, but it was definitely worth the investment for me.
Michael Micheal I was able to dial out 98-100 percent of the snipe out of my boards. When I want a 100% snipe free board for an expensive board and I don't want to waste any I add a sled to mine which is the practical width of the planer with Formica on each side with a cleat underneath the bottom of the indeed side. Make sure your infeed and out feed table are flat all the way across, insert the sled with the cleat against the infeed table edge. Make sure the sled table is waxed with a silicone free wax. Again make sure the sled is level in all planes... works like a dream stopping the snipe.
We have a helical head on the machine at the shop where I work, and it's a double edged sword. The cut quality is great, but the increased demand causes out machine to overheat very regularly, which costs a lot of time. I'd say the helical heads ares ideal for larger machines, but are just to demanding for smaller planers.
Well i think you have wrong machine in shop then, small planers Are more for hobby or contractor works If needed can plane some wood, but not for working 8hour straight
Big thanks from Sydney, Aust. Appreciate the time you've put into this as per your other videos. I must add that on observing the wall in the background, I am feeling that you are sadly short on planes and am considering sending you one or two of mine... :-) Cheers and thanks - Dave
The $550 helical cutter investment for my DeWalt planer, was one of my best upgrades I ever made. On another note, those carbide cutters, also make for a great low cost lathe tool.
Thank you for the video - very informative - I did read that there can be issues with tripping a breaker
Thanks for the great video. On the cost savings, you missed the cost of the wood destroyed by a straight planer, and the value of the time it takes to sand out tearout from a straight planer. Factoring that in, it pays for itself much more quickly.
And with hearing aids needed after using straight planer blades for many years....
Time savings of not having to check grain direction on several hundred parts for a kitchen is a huge factor. Helical heads cut time at the jointer by at least half. That's a ton of money over the life of the machine in a working shop.
So glad I watched this. I was in the market for a Shelix cutter head for my DW735. The Shelix lead time was 10 months. Lux cut 3 were available right away and I had my cutter head 6 days after ordering. Also, I don’t like what Byrd is doing. You can buy a DW735 with a Shelix preinstalled for 1600 dollars. 600 machine, 500 cutter and 500 for installation. Absolutely ridiculous. They say they have those available now but just the cutter head is 10 months out?
What a data-rich video. Love it.
thank you for detailed overview. very much appreciate your work!
TIP: If you knick your straight blades, on most planers/jointers, you can swap out just one blade and eliminate the lines.
On some like the Dewalt, the blades are also reversible. Flip one blade and your back in business.
thanks again - professionally presented and very valuable information.
I put one on my Dewalt dw735 and I love it. I will never go back and if my dw735 wears out I can just move it into my new one. It cuts so nice And smooth. I think that it was worth it.
Very comprehensive discussion regarding the helical cutters. Thanks, James.
Thanks for the great information. I found your videos a couple months ago. They are the best woodworking videos out there!
Man I need this.. actually I need a new jointer/planer. I bought a 400 bucks budget jointer/planer-combo and.. well, it's bad.... Anyway, thanks for your videos, Stumpy Nubs, I'm learning a lot!
What's the wood shown at 1:55? I have some of what I think is the same stuff, but I got it in a dumpster dive so I don't know what it is.
Finally! I've been waiting for this episode. Thanks for the information!
I am envious of your beautiful tool "museum" behind you.
They work great on larger machines and the larger head diameters even better . It saves me a lot of sanding compared to my older straight blades .
Extremely informative… looking forward to more of your tutorials.
Wonderful presentation, Stumpy Nubs. Love the name too.
Our shelix helical cutter has been a HUGE money saver just due to the surface finish that it leaves on the wood. Less money and time is spent on abrasives and sanding, and less wood is wasted due to horrible tearout. The sooner you buy one the sooner you will start saving.
Ok I took the leap and invested in a shelix for my DW734 and my Delta 37-190. I sure hope they are worth it! I trust after watching this video they will, but $750 hurts. Lol
Spectacular video and information. I just got a Shelix cutter for my dewalt DW735. Everything Stumpy says is true. I really need to look at updating my jointer now.
Grizzly now has a knock off shelix head for much less. I bought one for my 8 inch jointer. I ordered one for my 15 inch planer and changed my mind, buying a newer jet planer with the helical. I’m converted. Sweet. The planer is insanely quiet. The jointer not so. I don’t know if the bearing is compromised or the design disturbs the air differently but it’s louder than the old head turning. The cutting action is quieter.
I learned a lot from this video. Thanks a lot!
VERY informative video. Thank you a thousand times!
Another benefit that I have found is that I can now dial in the thickness gauge on my surface planer. Before, when I would swap out blades, I’d have to go through the process of setting the gauge to reflect the position of the new blades, and I’d never do it. Now when I need to rotate or replace a cutter, it doesn’t alter the relative height of the cutter, and I can trust the gauge to tell me the thickness. I still double check, but if it isn’t critical I would trust the gauge.
Well explained! I upgradet to a combination unit with helical cutter heads... and i would never change it again👍
Thanks Stump! Another quality video with good, straight forward content. Keep it up, sir!
Thank you. One of the better product videos I've seen. AND, it was much needed.
Whoa! Nice detailed presentation. Gave me some pause for consideration. Up front costs are frustrating me as my woodworking hasn't paid for the cost of the machines(yet). Looked at this awhile ago re when they became a sponsor. Will check into it again. Thanks!
You can also plane plywood with the spiral! For me comes in handy for certain buildouts ect.....
Charles P you can?
Yup u can...traditional planers will blow chunks from the plies . Spirals shave. That's all we have at our shop
Like many of your viewers, I also was not aware that of alternatives to my HSS planer knives. Thanks for the valuable information Jim. Next blade change on my Delta will be to the Shelix carbide cutterhead. Awesome.
I upgraded to a helical head on my Powermatic 54A 6” jointer , what I found is the chips exhaust out the backside of the jointer rather than down the dust chute , upgraded to a larger collector and a 6” dust collector port to handle the issue
If you check locally, you should be able to locate a cutter grinding shop that can resharp the inserts economically. As long as there is just wear and not damage, those inserts can be reused. Certainly you can find a cutter grinding shop on the east coast.
SeamusAndrewMurphy Inserts are typically inexpensive enough that you're not going to gain anything in resharpening once labor is factored in. They're designed as consumables and priced as such.
Having all the cutters the same size is actually somewhat critical in this application, and all multi tooth cutters.
John here good video but I got a Cutect 40700HC 24 tooth spiral carbide blades. 12" for $349.00 quiet runner chips a lot smaller don.t hang up used it on oak walnut pine from 3/4 to 2 1/2" does a nice job a lot cheaper 2yr warranty.
But the surface area of the contact. area between cutting edges and material will always be less at any given time with the shelix so although the motor driving the knives does get a "break" the one driving the shelix has a smaller demand on it at any given time. No? Great video, I'm a new subscriber.
Thanks for the video, I found it interesting, and I've been thinking.... (always dangerous).
I agree with your statement that the straight blades will have "gaps" between carves, allowing the motor to "recover". However, do helical heads need a more powerful motor? I'm not so sure.
I have a hard time believing that each tiny helical blade, whichever one(s) is/are in contact with the wood at any given moment, would slow the motor down anywhere near as much as larger (sometimes much larger) straight blades. It's just that a helical head should spread the motor load over time to be more consistent... Rather than chop, spin up, repeat loads using straight blades.
If you're planing the same type, depth, and width of wood, why would it need more power? The head shouldn't change that. In fact, aerodynamically, the helical head should place LESS strain on the motor.
A lot of people put helical heads in DeWalt735 planers, without upgrading the motor, for the reasons you describe. Few seem to complain about the motor not keeping up.
Also, the reduction in noise, is a reduction in one form of energy loss. I can't say for certain that any actual PLANING efficiency is gained. Most of it is probably lost as heat, or additional chip propulsion... but maybe a small percentage will be put into working the wood.
Everything else that you've said seems correct to me, and no doubt helpful to a lot of people. Thanks.
From what I've heard, shelix definitely draws more juice. The reason is not because there's no gap in time like the video suggests. It's actually because there is overlap in the spacing of the shelix heads. If you look at the shelix, every 2 rows is equivalent to 1 straight blade, except you have roughly 50% more knife contacting the wood because there's about 50% overlap (distance between 2 blades is roughly half the size of a blade). More cutting requires more power.
Great info James. I think it's important to note that carbide is never as "sharp" as the steel it replaces. I would guess that's why it bogs the machines down more than the original.
While it is true that carbide can not be sharpened as finely as steel, wood is an abrasive material. After a few board feet, those razor sharp HSS knives aren't much sharper than carbide anymore. Compare it to a hand plane. It may shave hair when it's first honed. But after planing three or four boards, while it may still be sharp, it's not as sharp as before. It only takes a very short time to go through that same amount of board feet with a power jointer or planer.
You had me drooling there for awhile until I saw the price for a replacement head! If I was a pro I MIGHT be able to justify this.
Seriously, these heads almost cost as much as the planer I just bought.
Just to add another data point to this video - I have the OEM Felder/Hammer helical cutterhead in a Hammer A3/31 planer/thicknesser, been running it for about 3 years now. They brand it "Silent Power", and is a added-cost option when you spec the machine. If you take a look online at the design and geometry of this head vs the Byrd type, you will see that the Felder design is much more advanced. It still uses the staggered rows of shear-cutting inserts, but they are pocketed into the surface of a nearly-full cylindrical head, instead of sticking out of a small-diameter core. Obvious advantage of this is the aerodynamic noise reduction, and the protection of the blade edges that are not in use. The chips exit in a smooth channel in front of the blade rows. Felder have side-by-side noise measurements (on youtube) showing about a 10dB reduction planing the same board on the two machines. I can confirm that the planer is very quiet - you can almost have a normal conversation with someone as you plane a board! Surface finish is very good, just as reported here, and I am just about to rotate the set of knives after several thousand feet of planing mixed timbers; it's still perfectly usable but a bit more pressure is needed and I'm about to process some rather (very) difficult elm burl, so it's time to freshen up. The thicknesser also works beautifully, with the "digital" thickness setting that is actually clockwork but works perfectly and allows me to set thickness to 0.1mm with good confidence.
I have no commercial interest, I'm just a private customer who has found this machine to be an extremely good purchase, even though it is more expensive than some others. I'm a scientist/product developer by profession, and I think they have done a really nice job on the essentials on this machine, even if it does not have all the heavy duty extras that the production Felder ones enjoy (e.g. the fence mounting is relatively poor). In the context of this video, I would encourage Stumpy and others to look at this cutterhead as a state of the art example - and yes it is better than the US-sourced ones at present. :-)
Felder's head isn't unique. Lux Cut makes after market heads that are pocketed ua-cam.com/video/3WAy8YweIJA/v-deo.html
Thanks for the review. When rebuilding an older Rockwell 22-201 18" wedge bed, I did decide to put a shelix on it and have been pleased. One comment about the power requirements I can offer is the carbide is taking a scraping cut instead of the slicing cut of a knife - I'm suspecting that is contributing to the power draw.
I noticed a brief display of a Clear Vue cyclone dust collector in the video. How do you like it? Any commentary about it? Recommendations?
Great video. Much improved format compared to your older videos. ☺️👍
Another quality video from Stumpy Nubs! Thanks a lot!
Very nice video. Thanks. One addition. Sometimes we have our blades sharpened so that can reflect in the price. Keep up the great work Stumpy.
One con that you didn't mention was the fragility of carbide cutters. I upgraded my DW7325 to a Byrd Shelix cutter head and broke three cutters in a year. (If I could attach a picture I would) Byrd refused to replace the broken cutters and failed to provide any help in diagnosing what may be the cause. In the last six years my Grizzly Jointer hasn't broken a single cutter. So, bad batch of cutters from Byrd? Probably. Poor customer service? Absolutely.
The reason I didn't include that is because I have never experienced, or heard of a case like yours until now. As with any tool (or any sort of product for that matter), there are always some isolated cases that may be negative. But the vast majority are overwhelmingly positive.
Good info, thanks! I had no idea I could buy a spiral cutter head for my portable planer.
I had the opportunity to buy the multicutter head spiral or the Tersa 4 knives at the first. I elected to buy the Tersa model because if I need to mill some unknown wood from the lumber mill I can quickly install the 4 Tersa knives using some older knives and save the new knives for furniture work. If a nick appears on the Tersa you move the knives about 2 or 3MM left or right-stagger the cut surface and that takes care of the nicked edge. I can switch the M42 knives for carbide if I get into a long run of milling either jointer or planer. Also, we have the opportunity to use shorter knives of M42 cobalt or carbide on either jointer or planer to meet the requirement of certain woods. Same knives different machines with the Tersa design. The Tersa fitting on a machine using a variety of metals will not bog down the motor even on heavy cuts life the spiral design. With a moderate sharpness using Tersa the cut does not require sanding unless you have the feed rate too high; depends what you need. Felder's straight knives take time out of the day to replace and I chose Tersa. Not very many vendors for Tersa in the US and Canada. If I mill pine it can load the knives with resin: Tersa allows a quick removal and spray with clean and paper towel wipe and reinstall quickly. Does the helical setup have resin buildup? If so you may be some clean up time??
I miss your humor, but I must say your new videos are well done and very professional! (Maybe a little yuckin' it up would still be okay!)
This format does work really well. I have only seen clips of the early videos but i agree that i could see a little cheeky sarcasm or tongue in cheek gag every now and that would be the icing on the cake….used sparingly of course
As the helical blades require more power, do you have a recommended minimum horsepower to ensure taking full advantage?
Great video, balanced and to the point.
Four sided multiple cuter . Standard straight edge cutter blade with two sides
Well #Woodworking done, #StumpyNubs! #KeepTheChipsFlying!
Very well said Mr Nubs
Excellent video and thinking about doing the upgrade to my planer, Delta 22-560. Did the upgrade help reduce the snipe on the end of the boards?
Other than the close of the head... I cannot think of a single reason to leave the default blades on the planar.. Just incredible piece of tech.
Good video. Nice comprehensive comparison. Thank you.
All good things to you. I really like your presentation style.
Thank you. Appreciate the information
Can't wait to buy one!
Great review. Never thought of power lose . On the helical head. Its cost thing for me to.👍
Really helpful video, thanks for explaining about the different pros and cons!
You might check into buying your inserts from machinist suppliers like McMaster Carr or Grainger. Or you can go to the source like Carbide Depot if you got the exact dimensions and material types and buy in bulk. Looking at the selection of inserts at Carbide Depot makes me wonder about the quality and results you may get with differently shaped inserts.
In my experience segmented cutters have one extra pro. That is, when the inevitable happens and worked timber inexplicably contains a nail or perhaps even an embedded stone, only one or two individual cutters will need to be replaced, not the whole blade set. This equates to a huge reduction in downtime and costs after such an event.
One extra pro? Your point is mentioned in the video.
If you have Tersa knives, when you put in the new knives be sure to shorten atleast 2 of the knives about 2MM so you can kick the knives over a little to stagger the nicks we all get. Feed speed allows straight knives to leave ridges in the wood if you go too fast. Slow down the feed speed or speed up the cutter head to achieve a smooth planar surface with straight knives.
Thanks for the link to find what works for my planer but wow, at $405 I'll definitely be saving for a bit before I'm able to afford that, it seems that it would be worth it in the end.
any input on boards with epoxy ? , will this handle it
I can tell you from a production/manufacturing standpoint, these spiral heads with carbide inserts are incredible compared to straight knives. At my job I do setups on moulders, some with multiple heads each with a 25 hp motor and i've seen these hog off a half inch to 3/4" of material effortlessly (granted it was poplar) still very impressive and silent compared to some of the other 2 and 5 knife heads i work with and our inserted heads have from around 100-200 inserts so flipping them can be monotonous at times especially when there is a lot of pitch buildup lol
Very informative! You did forget to mention that even with the shelix head, you can still get that washboard type effect, but only 90 degrees to the standard planer blades. Although it is very minute and can be sanded off fairly quickly. All in all though, well worth it if you use it on a regular basis.
It is possible, which is why I said you may REDUCE or eliminate it. I get it once in a while. But it's so light it usually disappears with my regular sanding. However, I want to make sure all of the pros and cons are clear, so thanks for pointing it out. :)
Very informative. Great work - Thanks!