Jan 21, 2004 · Curley maple and birdseye are tough to finish free of tearout on a 3 knife cutterhead, even after back beveling the blades, and wetting the board slightly before planing a light (1/32) pass. I would expect the 4 knife heads are somewhat better, and the ads would have me believing the helical heads are better still.

Jan 23, 2006 · I have been using HSS and get very good results. The best part of a Tersa head is the speed of knife changes, the knives are self aligning, and the knives are double sided. The knives are held in by three wedges. You tap each wedge down and then slide out the knife. You can either flip the knife over and use the other side or slide in a new knife.

Jan 28, 2007 · Powermatic is using an entirely different type of spiral head. They use a HSS flexible knife. I would say this type of knife which isn't as universally used has a greater chance of being discontinued but this type of knife is nothing like the insert tooling which is …

Dec 3, 2010 · Spiral, Helical & Shelical. Hi Len, I have a 15 year old Laguna XSD 12" Jointer/Planer. It came with straight HSS knives and did a decent job. The planer feed rate generates 72 cuts per inch. The planed surface was pretty smooth so I could start sanding at 100 or 120 grit. You can find planers with higher cuts per inch which equates to a ...

Feb 10, 2005 · Now that I’ve entered full-obsessive mode concerning the purchase of a new jointer, I’m seeking feedback on spiral vs helical cutterheads. I know helical is better, but it seems spiral offers many of the same advantages: better cut on figured woods, faster and easier blade changes. But the helical design is a lot more expensive.

May 15, 2008 · The review in Fine woodworking dodnt reveal that spiral cutter heads like those on a Grizzly produced better cuts then a straight knife system. I would also like to know if anyone has a Ridgid 6″ jointer and ishaving the same level of frustration getting the knives perfectly aligned when you change them.

Jan 23, 2005 · The machine leaves little ridges and some low areas on the board after planing. We removed ALL the carbide bits and cleaned them, cleaned the head and reinstalled the cutters. We still have the same problem as before. Is this a problem with spiral heads? The ridges look like a nick in a regular straight knife head. Thanks, Ben

Jan 19, 2006 · Has anyone bought a Shop Fox 15 inch spiral cutterhead planer? Are you satisfied with your purchase? I cant find any reviews regarding the 15 inch planers.

Apr 1, 2001 · Start by gluing the premade inlay to the tabletop using rubber cement, the kind found in office-supply stores and hobby shops. Once the glue has set, carefully cut around the inlay with an X-Acto knife. I use the type of knife that has the snapoff blade sections so I can always have a dead-sharp point to follow the edge of the inlay.

Oct 9, 2017 · One of the best upgrades we can do for our planers is to install a spiral segmented cutterhead, and the Byrd Shelix head that we’re installing in a buddy’s Delta DC-380 15-inch planer will revolutionize the old beast. These heads offer a shearing cut that virtually eliminates tear-out, even in really difficult wood.