New planer head for 13" Dewalt!!

[Canuck]

Looks like the perfect machine now!!  I just noticed Busy Bee has the 'Byrd Shelix Cutterhead' available for this already outstanding planer     It carries a hefty price but still well worth it in my opinion!!

http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=B2831

[Roby]

Your not kidding about the hefty price tag.  WOW!!!  That cost more for the attachment than I spend on my last 2 complete plainers.  Has anyone used one of these to see how well they work, and how long the hold up?  Does it reduce or eliminate snipe, as that would help it pay for itself over time?

[Canuck]

Actually Eric had bought a jointer with the same cutterhead and he really liked it as far as I remember, maybe check with him to see how it's held up...remember these are high quality solid 'Carbide' cutters so that's why the price is set so high, but of course they'll outlast and outperform HSS!! 

[Roby]

I recall Eric's, but it did not have individual multiple blades that were segmented.  They were all one curved piece, which I figure would be cheaper.

[Canuck]

I recall Eric's, but it did not have individual multiple blades that were segmented.  They were all one curved piece, which I figure would be cheaper.

Oh, I thought that he had the same cutterhead...either way these sound expensive but keep in mind one nick in a regular planer blade will always leave a nick in the wood but these cutters can be individually replaced, I think they sell them in packs of 5 or somethin'...also replacement blades for the Dewalt are somewhere around $70 bucks a pop and you remember my 'Thuya Burl' incident right    The funny thing is I sold my Dewalt...now I'm gonna' have to buy another one, I was going to buy a 15" planer but not anymore

[Roby]

Good point.  I figured there was some way that they would pay for themselves over time.  I suppose it would also save on sanding time.  I hear that they leave a very smooth surface.

[Canuck]

Oh by the way here's a link to the 'Byrd' website;

http://www.byrdtool.com/



Have a look at the angle of approach of the cutters, more of a shear cut so obviously very smooth...

[Trooper]

I've also been thinking about getting one of these but the price tag has thrown a spanner into the works!  A friend has one and he swears by it.  He no longer worries about depth of cut, never sands and no longer even checks grain orientation.  On my recent trip to the wood show I spent a few days with him and I have to agree.....they are the bees knees!  They are extremely quiet when compared to the long HSS blades.  They don't 'scream' and just have a very quiet 'hum' or 'whir' about them.  If you live in the middle of suburbia these would be brilliant for keeping your neighbours on side.  As Canuck mentioned they may be expensive to set up but being carbide and lasting many times longer than HSS and the ability to turn just one cutter around and the fact that each one has 4 cutting edges sure do make them an attractive alternative.  I think they would definitely pay for themselves in time for a machine that gets plenty of use. 

I am slowly trying to put my pennies away for the 15" planer and the 6" jointer. 
Hey wait.......I have a much better idea.........Chinny you can buy me one for Christmas.....Chinny?.........Hello.........Chinny?......are you still there???
 

[Chinnomotto]

Davo Davo,

I'm here, I'm Here

As I recall, Janele got you a lathe and ALL the assessories last time you were sad.you lucky devil.

Tell her I need a new REAL lathe too, as well as this planar spare part

I'm very sad, I have a toothache, I'm serious

Boy o boy , I'm gonna cop it from you guys,,,,me thinks God is watching me, heh heh

[Roby]

I did not even take into account that the cutter heads could be rotated when dull to get 4 times the amount of cutting.  That further increases its value. 

My mind suddenly has this crazy idea.  Tell me that I am crazy before I do something stupid.  If I could put this blade on my plainer, and set up a lever to disengage the roller from turning, and then re-engage it so that it turned the opposite direction (all while still keeping roller blades firmly holding the . . .)

 . . .  Oh wait nevermind, I just realized the flaw.  I just thought that this blade would cut equally well in forward or reverse in which case I could plain the same board to different depths.  Wow, that would be a trip to the hospital just waiting to happen.

[Roby]

Oh, just to mention, I did actually use the widowmaker (radial arm saw) as a plainer yesturday.  I inserted some inlays that were a bit too tall and needed to cut them down level with the piece.  The piece, however was too small to fit in a plainer. 

Yeah, everybody has some cool plan to use a jig for thier plainer to do small pieces, but the fact is that you always have to replace part of the jig because the planer will sheer it off.  Not good for doing 300 pieces.  Anyway, the radial arm saw works great to plain small pieces as long as you are really careful.  You just set the blade height and slide the piece in from the side. 

OK, perhaps just everyone should not be doing this, but I used to use the widowmaker as a plainer this way years before I bought my first plainer, and made the impossible rabbit grooves in the No 5 puzzle using this method.  In fact, now that I think of it, forget I even mentioned this.  Some things are trade secrets that should not be mentioned, and some information is just too dangerous to pass along.  This one fits both.   

[Canuck]

Have you resorted to talking to yourself in these posts? 

I do agree, some things are not meant to be said out loud...anything related to your radial arm saw would fit in that category!

[Roby]

I was just telling myself recently that I talk too much but I disagreed.   

[DCBluesman]

Talking to yourself is not a sign of insanity.  Nor is responding,  Arguing with yourself is a bit dodgy.  You know you are on the edge when you lose those arguments!