After running insert tooling for over 45 years in industry: when you strip a screw head, the standard method is to take a punch and shatter the insert. A blow straight down against the insert. They are brittle and can be shattered relatively easy. Once the insert is shattered the pressure is off the screw and it can be re moved with visegrips.
I was getting deep grooves in my boards after rotating the inserts. I tried to clean and reseat them several times before finally reaching out to Byrd directly. They sent me a pdf explaining a method to get the inserts to index properly. 1. Make sure the head is clean and clear and the inserts are free of burrs. 2. Start the screw about 75% down into the head leaving the insert loose. 3. Then push down & out on the back of the insert causing it to slide away from the back edge. 4. Finally, slowly tighten down the screw so the screw pulls the cutter down and back against the seat. I just finished trying this method on my cutter head and it worked great. My grooves are gone.
thank you for this, I rotated and now I have grooves, took everything apart and cleaned and still have grooves, I'll try this push down method, thanks again
I know this is years later but wanted to say thank you, James, for posting this video which I found when looking for a fix for my planer problems. I saw the tell-tale shallow grooves in my boards after running them thru my planer after a couple years of use and no matter what I tried, I just couldn't fix it. Only when you showed the diagram of how the indexing might be wrong did it click what might be up with my setup. I also cleaned the cutter heads and the space around them and now it's back to cutting butter smooth. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for this video! I'd ordered a Shelix cutter for my Ridgid jointer. Tonight I received a note from Hans telling me it was back ordered and he offered the Lex Cut III as an alternative. Seems like it will be a better fit for my Florida-based garage workshop.
Thank you to James and My Woodcutters. Yesterday I placed an order for the Shelix head for my DeWalt 735. As expected it was backordered 5-6 weeks. My Wood Cutters changed the order to the Lux III today and It should be in my hands next week. Perfectly seamless transaction, I didn’t even have to give them my credit card again. Having been a Stumpy Nubs fan for a couple of years. I had no hesitation changing the order to LuxIII. Once again thank you
I ordered a helical head for an old Jet jointer last Friday from mywoodcutters. Saw your video about lux Cutter’s this week. I emailed them, and they changed my order to the lux, and they already shipped and I get some money back as you said. The lux ships sooner. I bought a helical planer head last year from these guys. Same great service. Thanks James for the recommendation!!
Thanks for the tip on Woodcutters. I purchased a helical head to upgrade my 19-year-old jointer and it fit perfectly when it arrived. What a difference it makes in quality of cut and noise reduction. Thanks again for sending me to Woodcutters.
I just turned my cutters in my joiner for the 3rd time. I always turn them clockwise and take a red sharpie and mark all used side(s) with a red x. Love your channel
I have a Woodmaster 18" planer I recently upgraded to their helical cutter head. You mentioned that some head in a moist area rusted, and could pose a problem. When I first got my Woodmaster home, it had also included the sanding drum. It had a solid steel bar that the drum mounted to it. To avoid the rust problem I sprayed the bare steel with spray layout blueing. It has not rusted and looks just as when I brought it home, in 1993. Just blue.
James, as usual, your posts are spot on. I replaced the head in my DeWalt 735 7-8 years ago and it has performed flawlessly. That’s not to say that I’ve never had nicks in the inserts leaving raised “grooves”. The usual failure mode is for just the tip of a corner chipping and it can be difficult to locate the offending cutter. I’ve found a lighted magnifier to be invaluable in such instances.
Just installed a brand new Shelix on my 15" grizzley... and yeah, there's three spots it's leaving pretty bad lines on the board. I suppose its possible I damaged some of the teeth installing it but I was very careful and took precautions. We'll see. I marked on the outfeed side of the planer head where it was leaving lines so I can find the problem a bit faster when I take the cover off. Hopefully its just improperly seated carbide teeth. Not really happy about it either way considering how much the thing cost.
My thicknesser has started producing grooves in the boards it passes through it. I have not yet changed the heads around. I was looking for a solution to this anomaly and have not really had any satiating tips on how to do so. Thank you Stumpy for this magnificent tip! When I turn around the heads, I will be sure to take your advice and make sure they sit properly, after cleaning up any residue first.
If you're getting grooves down into your wood, a cutter may have twisted slightly, and one of the corners is digging in deeper than the rest of the cutter. If you're getting ridges above the surface of the wood, a cutter is likely chipped.
Yep. After taking all the cutters off and reseating them, it cuts beautifully now. 75 cutters. About 4 hours from start to finish taking the cutters off, cleaning and carefully inspecting each seat, doing the same on each cutter, never-seizing the fasteners, and carefully reseating each one and verifying that they are flat against the bottom face and not hung up on the bevel. What a PITA. I can't vouch for the Luxcut but if they have a system that removes seating error, then I'd recommend getting that one instead, just so you don't have a bunch of improperly seated cutters from poor factory installation and QC.
I have installed many helical cutterheads on planers and jointers and worked on many more. Whenever I install a new head I always check torque on all the machine screws and I always find a few that need a little more torque. I check it again after 1 week of use and again after 1 month of use. I always find a couple more that have loosened up a little. After the 3rd tightening they are all good to go, I also do this procedure after turning all of the cutters.
Thanks for the info. Just put a Byrd Shelix, much due to your reccomendation, in my Ridgid 13" planer 3 days ago. So far I would call the upgrade in cut quality extreme. Appreciate your content.
I have a Ridgid R4330. Are you happy with the switch from the HSS to the Shelix? Have you ever bought carbide blades and if so are they worth the between cost of HSS and Shelix?
@@timmartin6748 I've had the Shelix for about a year and don't regret getting it one bit. During the install I cleaned/oiled everything and installed a new drive belt. Motor doesn't bog down in really hard wood and the surface after plaining is really amazing. Had to rotate 1 cutter so far. Haven't had to buy any. It will be many years down the road, if ever, when I have to buy new cutters.
I noticed that the lux had a circle on one corner. I put a tic mark on the edge that is to be replaced. That way, I do not accidentally put the dull edge forward. It also tells me when I have used all four edges. (always rotate the cutters the same direction.) I also put a number on the start of a row so that as I rotate the cutter, I know which one to move to next when torquing.
I "broke" 2 cutters installing them. When mine broke they really shattered quite explosively. In my case broke is an understatement and eye protection is a must!
If you want to be exact about torque on the screws buy a inch pound screwdriver. You can find them at most gun supply places such as Midway Supply online. They are not expensive and are adjustable so it can be useful in other applications.
Just checked the listing on Midway USA. their inch pound screw driving tool is marked metric (Nm) and the user has to convert using a printed chart. Sounds like a pain in the butt.
I appreciate you and your videos! I recently installed a new cutter head was curious why it left a few tracks on the board. Now I know what to try to mitigate the issue. Thanks!
from a machinist perspective, always put the insert into place before you tighten it down and always clean the pocket. carbide is very hard and will support tons a compressive force but will break easily when under tension.
Good tips for us helical head owners. I'd like to make a request James. I'd like to hear your take on choosing safety glasses. If you've done this, my search of your site came up short, probably because of my lame search terms. I know it's off topic, but I couldn't quickly find another place, say Community, where I could make the request. Thanks.
I'll stick with my cheap replacement blades. I don't run that much material through my planer to merrit the added expence of the upgrade. However, as a retired machinist, I can totally appreciate the insert style cutter heads. Thank you for that informative video. Chuck
wouldn't an impact driver either the old school hammer type or a newer drill types be useful in removing stuck screws? With a new proper bit and constant pressure seems to be a good solution. I'm buying an older jointer and just learned about the Lux head from My wood cutters. I think that's the correct choice foe me
I've got an Axminster spiral head planer/thicknesser. When I gave the cutters their first turn last year, I broke off one of the torx bits. I think I may have twisted three of the ones that came in the cutter pack. It's still cutting fine and I'm just going to go as long as I need to before I have to resolve that ****ing broken one.
@@StumpyNubs It's reassuring to know that I had thought of doing the same thing. I'm hoping that it's a case of a few firm taps to fracture them, instead of walloping them and potentially damaging more than the cutter... I shall see... Cheers, Stumpy.
I put a Shelix in my DeWalt 735 too. But I put a Lux Cut in my larger Grizzly planer. Both work very well, but I got a little rust on my Shelix. I'll have to keep an eye on it.
@@JamieJCyr - Full size. The reduced size throws off your depth scale and keep increases the minimum thickness of the stock you can plane from 1/4 to 3/8.
I know you recommend some great cutter heads for planers and jointers. But do you recommend any particular planers and jointers? Link to video please! :-)
Hey Stumpy! Do you have any feedback on the Sheartek brand? They appear to be the most of expensive of the three, but Lux does not yet offer a head for my jointer, a Griggio PF-400 16" beauty. I've had some of the problems you mentioned with a Shelix head in a planer, and would like to consider an alternative.
You should point woodworkers to "bottom tap" rather than the usual taper tap that you get at your local BigBox store. McMaster-Carr and other specialty providers sell them, they work great.
@KelMaster Construction, great idea, and I can think of a further refinement, even. Why not eliminate the many little inserts that can take so much fuss and time, in favor of one long solid knife?
anti-seize compound is mandatory when reassembling these heads. Having to machine out stuck/broken screws sucks. Also a brass brush will help with some more aggressive cleaning without wrecking anything.
Can't wait till I can swap my blades out with this, bought a new jet jointer with the helical head an what a difference except for pointing the edge of a board. It leaves a slight wave like ridges. Do I have something set up wrong? Thanks for any help
I have purchased a shelix cutter head and it does not fit and I am having problems with the manufacturer. What is one of the more popular forums so I can get some advice?
Well isn't that the luck, just ordered my Shelix over the Luxx on the 8th...Oh well I have a feeling I'll still be pretty happy either way. Thanks for the info though!
So I've not changed a cutter yet, but noticed that in the case of the Shelix head, the picture looked like it was engaging and drawing down the cutter rather cattywampus, with the head not fitting properly into the countersink. On the Lux Cut picture, they appeared to fit properly, although there was no bevel under the screw head. Could that lead to uneven pressure from the screw? Just curious . . . not sure if that's a factor or not.
I bought the Shelix cutter head for my Dewalt planer five years ago from Byrd tools, along with several little boxes of extra cutters, so probably would stick with Shelix for that reason, though I feel a little wistful not to have known about the new Lux Cut option when I ordered a Shelix for my Jet jointer a couple of weeks ago. Anyhow, the new cutter head arrived promptly, straight from Byrd Tool Corp in Kentucky, with no suggestion that Steffen or My Wood Cutters had a thing to do with it until I saw his name on the packing slip. Nor were any instructions for installation enclosed, though Steffen's web site does suggest looking at a generic video that might or might not tell me what I need to know about installation on the Jet. Bottom line: an entirely impersonal transaction through a third party, though I'd like to think that Steffen will have my back if I have a problem.
Thanks, I took your advice and bought the shelix heads and now I find out that I bought the wrong heads. I guess I'll have to use the bad ones as I can't afford to buy another set.
I sprayed mine with PTFE (Teflon). It drys quickly and I've had no issues with rust. Oh, and there's nothing worse than paying more for your head and not have a great level of service.
Here is my conundrum. I own a grizzly G1018 8" jointer. I bought it 2nd hand and it probably has a value ~$300. Is it worth it to replace the knives currently in the jointer with a $500 helical head, or do I just buy the much less expensive knives? I don't have any desire to purchase a new(er) jointer as the current one works well, aside from the existing damaged knives. As I write this, I am beginning to come up with the answer, but other thoughts would be good.
It depends on two factors- Is the condition of the machine good enough that it will last you for a long time? And do you use it enough to justify the upgrade? If you use it non-professionally but still fairly often, it will only take a year or two for the head to pay for itself because the cutters last so long. But if you only use it a handful of times a year it will take much longer to pay off. Of course, if you work with figure woods or reclaimed lumber that keeps kicking your knives, a helical head may be worth it to you just because it makes that sort of thing much easier.
Agree it depend on the condition of the machine. I have a grizzly and have rotated the knives twice now. Good advice on keeping it clean. I plan a lot of hickory,Oak and other hardwoods, I haven’t had to rotate the knifes very often. First set lasted almost a year.
There is an early and late 1018, the older one I have they do not make cutters for. The new one from what I understand has twin belts, mine has one. I ordered from Grizzly and it was at least a 1/2 inch to big in diameter of head and bearings.
For my shop tools that are prone to rusting, i apply a coating of CLP (gun Cleaner Lubricant Protectant) I used it in the military and still do now because its excellent to control rust and keep it away.
Just a follow up. I received the Lux Cut III for my Dewalt from My Wood Cutters. There were no instructions on how it install it. I contacted My Wood Cutters and they responded quickly saying the installation was the same as the Shelix except the cutters need to be removed. Great, but why were no instructions included in the first place, why should I have to contact My Wood Cutters to find this out. There's room for improvement on My Wood Cutters part in my opinion.
Mywoodcutters is a retailer, not the manufacturer. They don't package the heads with or without instructions. And since every machine is different, you have to use your machine's manual to see how to remove it's old head.
@@StumpyNubs My Wood Cutters sold the product they knew which cutter I bought they have sent me several emails regarding my purchase. It would have been very easy for them to have sent me a note in one of those emails letting me know what instructions to use. I do agree the manufacturer should be the one that should have included some sort of instructions, but they didn't. I can't remember the last time I got a product that didn't have installation instructions even if they were in Chinese.
@@johnbourg3388 - Respectfully, I think you are looking at this backwards. Your machine's manual should describe how to remove the head in YOUR machine. You can't expect a retailer to buy and disassemble every machine out there and make manuals for them. They are a retailer, it's simply not possible. If you had bought your head at Woodcraft, (another retailer) would you expect them to make you a manual specific to your machine? Of course not. That's on the manufacturer, not the retailer. You can argue about whether the machine manufacturer or the head manufacturer should give you that info, but I don't think it's reasonable to demand the retailer do so. The fact that mywoodcutters.com WAS able to help you when you contacted them is not a failing, it is a remarkable piece of customer service that went, in my opinion, above and beyond what a retailer will usually do. They did the manufacturer's job! I see that as a good thing, not as a bad thing.
Curious from those with 13" planer (e.g. Dewalt) and shelix/lux cutters: noted is that it needs more HP to run? Does this affect the longevity of the planer? The LUX seems to be better but requires removal and re-install of all the blades. Update: I read that the blades set at 40-45in/lbs and there are 40 on the LUX head. I would invest in a "comfortable" in/lb driver that can do 10-50in/lb.
If you have to finish tapping the threads, USE A BOTTOM TAP!!! You'll have to order one unless the there's a machinist supply store near you. (Yes, I'm repeating what Pat Farrell commented a week ago - he's right, a tap off the shelf at a hardware or box store WILL NOT do the job. Also, make sure you blow any crud out of the hole before AND after you tap it.
Installing / upgrading to helical heads sounds like it takes a factory blade swap from about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour - to an all day adventure. I think I'll stick with my standard Delta supplied blades, at a fraction of the cost, and continue using the finish I get with them, which is actually pretty good, especially on the "finish" speed setting. I'm not knocking helical cutters, but just wondering if ( for me ) they're really worth the cost and time commitments involved. And, I don't think any project worth the effort is going straight from the planer to assembly, being either sanded or hand planed to final finish. Anyway, that's my humble opinion for what it is worth.
Not at all. On a jointer it's much faster to rotate the cutters on these than typical non-indexed HSS knives which can be a pain to set. Maybe five minutes. On a planer it takes about 15 minutes with the Shelix, and about five with the Lux Cut... As for cost, if you use your machines only a handful of times a year, it may not be worth it. If you use them regularly, it'll pay for itself in about a year, maybe two because the cutters last so much longer... As for cut quality, it really pays off with figured woods or if you accidentally plane against the grain. But I would still sand afterward.
Byrd tooling is American made and cheaper. Can't seem to locate country of origin for the lux cut and it's a couple hundred dollars more over Byrd for my 20" planer
The Byrd cutter heads are cheaper than the Lux as far as I can tell. For a 13" Dewalt 735 the Lux is $439 and the Byrd is $405. If there is that much of a wait for the Byrd I would pay the difference for the Lux no problem.
Now as a machinist and using carbide inserts on a daily basis I will give you my solution to a striped screw. Ok, here goes...Your best bet is to smash the insert. Carbide smashes extremely easy from a sharp blow. The insert will shatter from around the screw. Now don't just go hammering away. Take care: Cover the insert with a rag and know where your hitting. A swift, sharp blow with the ball end of a ball peen (pein take your pick) hammer should do the trick. If you whack it too hard you'll embed the carbide into the seat. In 35 years as a machinist I've done this many, many time. Use common sense.
Sir, what about when overtime you remove your carbide cutters with anti-seize compound do you think there would be debris in the threads? How about blowing air into the threads in the shaft? Lastly, you would think that they made a gage to see if the cutter was seated. Ralph
Thanks stump.for the info but I need some help from some you or your subs!! I've got a 30 year old planer from harbour frieght! Its a " master craft pro! 1.) Can someone/ anyone please telll me where and who I can reach to buy blades for it? I've ran the model # but apparently Harbor frieght doesn't sell blades anymore for this 2 blade 12" model! Still cuts good and the blades are still fairly sharp but I'm just trying to look ahead for I k ow I'm going to need them soon!! 2.) I also need the name of the tool that sets the SPRING set blades, can anyone tell.me the name of the depth setting blade gauge for this planer and who has it, or is there a generic blade setter tool? Thanking you guys in advance for any and all help and or suggestions! God bless!
@@StumpyNubs I was wondering whether they were using the bottoming out to provide some extra grip to the screws but I suppose that's not necessary once they're tightened down.
Be VERY careful that you do not affect the threads on the end of the screw if filing or you will damage/compromise the internal threads when you screw it back in. Would not recommend doing that, especially on high-speed rotating pieces. If it doesn't screw in all the way, make sure you haven't got some junk on the bottom of the hole after cleaning the face.
As I said in the video, these tips apply to many brands. I am not sure Felder makes their own heads anyway. They may just rebrand them. Regardless, the advice applies to most other heads.
A little disappointed that I stumbled across this video in 2022. The Lux heads are 80 dollars more expensive than the Byrd's now, and due to Covid the wait time is 3 months.
After running insert tooling for over 45 years in industry: when you strip a screw head, the standard method is to take a punch and shatter the insert. A blow straight down against the insert. They are brittle and can be shattered relatively easy. Once the insert is shattered the pressure is off the screw and it can be re moved with visegrips.
You da Man.
Yep. Been there, done that.
I was getting deep grooves in my boards after rotating the inserts. I tried to clean and reseat them several times before finally reaching out to Byrd directly. They sent me a pdf explaining a method to get the inserts to index properly.
1. Make sure the head is clean and clear and the inserts are free of burrs.
2. Start the screw about 75% down into the head leaving the insert loose.
3. Then push down & out on the back of the insert causing it to slide away from the back edge.
4. Finally, slowly tighten down the screw so the screw pulls the cutter down and back against the seat.
I just finished trying this method on my cutter head and it worked great. My grooves are gone.
thank you for this, I rotated and now I have grooves, took everything apart and cleaned and still have grooves, I'll try this push down method, thanks again
I know this is years later but wanted to say thank you, James, for posting this video which I found when looking for a fix for my planer problems. I saw the tell-tale shallow grooves in my boards after running them thru my planer after a couple years of use and no matter what I tried, I just couldn't fix it. Only when you showed the diagram of how the indexing might be wrong did it click what might be up with my setup. I also cleaned the cutter heads and the space around them and now it's back to cutting butter smooth. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for this video! I'd ordered a Shelix cutter for my Ridgid jointer. Tonight I received a note from Hans telling me it was back ordered and he offered the Lex Cut III as an alternative. Seems like it will be a better fit for my Florida-based garage workshop.
Thank you to James and My Woodcutters. Yesterday I placed an order for the Shelix head for my DeWalt 735. As expected it was backordered 5-6 weeks. My Wood Cutters changed the order to the Lux III today and It should be in my hands next week. Perfectly seamless transaction, I didn’t even have to give them my credit card again. Having been a Stumpy Nubs fan for a couple of years. I had no hesitation changing the order to LuxIII. Once again thank you
I ordered a helical head for an old Jet jointer last Friday from mywoodcutters. Saw your video about lux Cutter’s this week. I emailed them, and they changed my order to the lux, and they already shipped and I get some money back as you said. The lux ships sooner. I bought a helical planer head last year from these guys. Same great service. Thanks James for the recommendation!!
Thanks James. The Lux arrived today and it’s already installed. Hope to tune up and use this weekend.
This is a true public service. Thank you for making this video! Beyond beyond helpful
Thanks for the tip on Woodcutters. I purchased a helical head to upgrade my 19-year-old jointer and it fit perfectly when it arrived. What a difference it makes in quality of cut and noise reduction. Thanks again for sending me to Woodcutters.
I just turned my cutters in my joiner for the 3rd time. I always turn them clockwise and take a red sharpie and mark all used side(s) with a red x.
Love your channel
I have a Woodmaster 18" planer I recently upgraded to their helical cutter head. You mentioned that some head in a moist area rusted, and could pose a problem. When I first got my Woodmaster home, it had also included the sanding drum. It had a solid steel bar that the drum mounted to it. To avoid the rust problem I sprayed the bare steel with spray layout blueing. It has not rusted and looks just as when I brought it home, in 1993. Just blue.
James, as usual, your posts are spot on. I replaced the head in my DeWalt 735 7-8 years ago and it has performed flawlessly. That’s not to say that I’ve never had nicks in the inserts leaving raised “grooves”. The usual failure mode is for just the tip of a corner chipping and it can be difficult to locate the offending cutter. I’ve found a lighted magnifier to be invaluable in such instances.
Just installed a brand new Shelix on my 15" grizzley... and yeah, there's three spots it's leaving pretty bad lines on the board. I suppose its possible I damaged some of the teeth installing it but I was very careful and took precautions. We'll see. I marked on the outfeed side of the planer head where it was leaving lines so I can find the problem a bit faster when I take the cover off. Hopefully its just improperly seated carbide teeth. Not really happy about it either way considering how much the thing cost.
That’s probably the best advertisement I’ve ever seen. I learnt a lot, so thank you.
My thicknesser has started producing grooves in the boards it passes through it. I have not yet changed the heads around. I was looking for a solution to this anomaly and have not really had any satiating tips on how to do so.
Thank you Stumpy for this magnificent tip! When I turn around the heads, I will be sure to take your advice and make sure they sit properly, after cleaning up any residue first.
If you're getting grooves down into your wood, a cutter may have twisted slightly, and one of the corners is digging in deeper than the rest of the cutter. If you're getting ridges above the surface of the wood, a cutter is likely chipped.
Yep. After taking all the cutters off and reseating them, it cuts beautifully now. 75 cutters. About 4 hours from start to finish taking the cutters off, cleaning and carefully inspecting each seat, doing the same on each cutter, never-seizing the fasteners, and carefully reseating each one and verifying that they are flat against the bottom face and not hung up on the bevel. What a PITA.
I can't vouch for the Luxcut but if they have a system that removes seating error, then I'd recommend getting that one instead, just so you don't have a bunch of improperly seated cutters from poor factory installation and QC.
I have installed many helical cutterheads on planers and jointers and worked on many more. Whenever I install a new head I always check torque on all the machine screws and I always find a few that need a little more torque. I check it again after 1 week of use and again after 1 month of use. I always find a couple more that have loosened up a little. After the 3rd tightening they are all good to go, I also do this procedure after turning all of the cutters.
Been meaning to do it for quite sometime, just ordered a Lux Cut III for my Dewalt from My Wood Cutters. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the info. Just put a Byrd Shelix, much due to your reccomendation, in my Ridgid 13" planer 3 days ago. So far I would call the upgrade in cut quality extreme. Appreciate your content.
I have a Ridgid R4330. Are you happy with the switch from the HSS to the Shelix? Have you ever bought carbide blades and if so are they worth the between cost of HSS and Shelix?
@@timmartin6748 I've had the Shelix for about a year and don't regret getting it one bit. During the install I cleaned/oiled everything and installed a new drive belt. Motor doesn't bog down in really hard wood and the surface after plaining is really amazing. Had to rotate 1 cutter so far. Haven't had to buy any. It will be many years down the road, if ever, when I have to buy new cutters.
@Average American I just installed a helical head. I still get minor tear out around knots. Have you noticed any or should I expect a bit of tearout
I noticed that the lux had a circle on one corner. I put a tic mark on the edge that is to be replaced. That way, I do not accidentally put the dull edge forward. It also tells me when I have used all four edges. (always rotate the cutters the same direction.) I also put a number on the start of a row so that as I rotate the cutter, I know which one to move to next when torquing.
Thanks for the instruction. By the way, there's a difference between 45 inch pounds and 45 foot pounds. Don't ask me how I know....
Thanks Stumpy!! Your tips completely solved my groove problem!
Ya I took your advice. The luxs hed for my 8in jet been smiling every sense thanks my wood cuter was a good choice very happy
I like to mark the last used edge before removing the screw.
I "broke" 2 cutters installing them. When mine broke they really shattered quite explosively. In my case broke is an understatement and eye protection is a must!
If you want to be exact about torque on the screws buy a inch pound screwdriver. You can find them at most gun supply places such as Midway Supply online. They are not expensive and are adjustable so it can be useful in other applications.
Just checked the listing on Midway USA. their inch pound screw driving tool is marked metric (Nm) and the user has to convert using a printed chart. Sounds like a pain in the butt.
I appreciate you and your videos! I recently installed a new cutter head was curious why it left a few tracks on the board. Now I know what to try to mitigate the issue. Thanks!
Always a pleasure listening to your professional advise...enjoying it here in SA
I LOVE my Lux head on my jointer, will be getting one for my planer next - and MyWoodcutters rocks!!
Thank you. I wish I had seen this tutorial before I changed cutters. I had about four of them explode on me. But before they did they cut like butter.
from a machinist perspective, always put the insert into place before you tighten it down and always clean the pocket. carbide is very hard and will support tons a compressive force but will break easily when under tension.
What is Stumpys source for the claim the holes may not have been fully tapped at the factory?
I'll defer to experience, but I'd spray the cutter head body with T-9 Boeshield. Seems to keep my saw bed from rusting very well.
Good tips for us helical head owners. I'd like to make a request James. I'd like to hear your take on choosing safety glasses. If you've done this, my search of your site came up short, probably because of my lame search terms. I know it's off topic, but I couldn't quickly find another place, say Community, where I could make the request. Thanks.
I'll stick with my cheap replacement blades. I don't run that much material through my planer to merrit the added expence of the upgrade. However, as a retired machinist, I can totally appreciate the insert style cutter heads. Thank you for that informative video.
Chuck
I wish I stuck with straight blades. Helical cuts scallops that no one mentions. Not flat like plain old straight blades.
wouldn't an impact driver either the old school hammer type or a newer drill types be useful in removing stuck screws? With a new proper bit and constant pressure seems to be a good solution. I'm buying an older jointer and just learned about the Lux head from My wood cutters. I think that's the correct choice foe me
I've got an Axminster spiral head planer/thicknesser. When I gave the cutters their first turn last year, I broke off one of the torx bits. I think I may have twisted three of the ones that came in the cutter pack. It's still cutting fine and I'm just going to go as long as I need to before I have to resolve that ****ing broken one.
One comment suggests breaking the brittle carbide cutter to expose the screw head so you can get some vise grips on it. Not a bad idea...
@@StumpyNubs It's reassuring to know that I had thought of doing the same thing. I'm hoping that it's a case of a few firm taps to fracture them, instead of walloping them and potentially damaging more than the cutter... I shall see... Cheers, Stumpy.
thank you great help needed a good tool bit to change carbid bits
The Byrd Shelix is what I upgraded to in my Dewalt 735. Good investment from my point of view.
I put a Shelix in my DeWalt 735 too. But I put a Lux Cut in my larger Grizzly planer. Both work very well, but I got a little rust on my Shelix. I'll have to keep an eye on it.
@@StumpyNubs What, if any, are the differences in the actual cutters (4 sided)? Is a Byrd cutter interchangeable with a Lux cutter?
@@StumpyNubs did you go with the reduced diameter head on the Dewalt or the full size? Any recommendation.
@@JamieJCyr - Full size. The reduced size throws off your depth scale and keep increases the minimum thickness of the stock you can plane from 1/4 to 3/8.
I've had good luck with Evaporust to remove rust from quite a few pieces of tooling. It should work well on a cutter shaft as well.
I know you recommend some great cutter heads for planers and jointers. But do you recommend any particular planers and jointers? Link to video please! :-)
Hey Stumpy! Do you have any feedback on the Sheartek brand? They appear to be the most of expensive of the three, but Lux does not yet offer a head for my jointer, a Griggio PF-400 16" beauty. I've had some of the problems you mentioned with a Shelix head in a planer, and would like to consider an alternative.
You should point woodworkers to "bottom tap" rather than the usual taper tap that you get at your local BigBox store. McMaster-Carr and other specialty providers sell them, they work great.
I’m saving this one for future reference. Thanks mate.
Thanks, Just getting ready to change my Byrd cutters. This was very helpfull!
Glad I could help!
@KelMaster Construction, great idea, and I can think of a further refinement, even. Why not eliminate the many little inserts that can take so much fuss and time, in favor of one long solid knife?
anti-seize compound is mandatory when reassembling these heads. Having to machine out stuck/broken screws sucks. Also a brass brush will help with some more aggressive cleaning without wrecking anything.
Can't wait till I can swap my blades out with this, bought a new jet jointer with the helical head an what a difference except for pointing the edge of a board. It leaves a slight wave like ridges. Do I have something set up wrong? Thanks for any help
I have purchased a shelix cutter head and it does not fit and I am having problems with the manufacturer. What is one of the more popular forums so I can get some advice?
Well isn't that the luck, just ordered my Shelix over the Luxx on the 8th...Oh well I have a feeling I'll still be pretty happy either way. Thanks for the info though!
one of my screws broke off in the middle of the spiral cutting head, how is best way to drill it out.
So I've not changed a cutter yet, but noticed that in the case of the Shelix head, the picture looked like it was engaging and drawing down the cutter rather cattywampus, with the head not fitting properly into the countersink. On the Lux Cut picture, they appeared to fit properly, although there was no bevel under the screw head. Could that lead to uneven pressure from the screw? Just curious . . . not sure if that's a factor or not.
I don't even have one of these tools....but IF I ever get one... I'll be prepared! 😇😎
That's what I'm here for :)
Stumpy Nubs - I thought you were here for a cold one. After all, you’ve earned it, my friend. 🍺
@@bruceregittko7068 haha!
I bought the Shelix cutter head for my Dewalt planer five years ago from Byrd tools, along with several little boxes of extra cutters, so probably would stick with Shelix for that reason, though I feel a little wistful not to have known about the new Lux Cut option when I ordered a Shelix for my Jet jointer a couple of weeks ago. Anyhow, the new cutter head arrived promptly, straight from Byrd Tool Corp in Kentucky, with no suggestion that Steffen or My Wood Cutters had a thing to do with it until I saw his name on the packing slip. Nor were any instructions for installation enclosed, though Steffen's web site does suggest looking at a generic video that might or might not tell me what I need to know about installation on the Jet. Bottom line: an entirely impersonal transaction through a third party, though I'd like to think that Steffen will have my back if I have a problem.
On the Dewalt, did you go with the smaller head or the full size.
@@JamieJCyr full size, and it works great.
The best place to get Lux Cut and Shelix cutter heads (least expensive, best service): mywoodcutters.com/ (They are also a supporter of our channel.)
i have a Grizzly planer with the blades in it. Can it be retrofitted over the he helix heads that you talked about in the video??? Just wondering...
Yes
Hey stumpy, do you buy new inserts to replace old ones. And, do you get them from the same company? What letter code are they ?
Thanks, I took your advice and bought the shelix heads and now I find out that I bought the wrong heads. I guess I'll have to use the bad ones as I can't afford to buy another set.
I sprayed mine with PTFE (Teflon). It drys quickly and I've had no issues with rust. Oh, and there's nothing worse than paying more for your head and not have a great level of service.
Here is my conundrum. I own a grizzly G1018 8" jointer. I bought it 2nd hand and it probably has a value ~$300. Is it worth it to replace the knives currently in the jointer with a $500 helical head, or do I just buy the much less expensive knives? I don't have any desire to purchase a new(er) jointer as the current one works well, aside from the existing damaged knives. As I write this, I am beginning to come up with the answer, but other thoughts would be good.
It depends on two factors- Is the condition of the machine good enough that it will last you for a long time? And do you use it enough to justify the upgrade? If you use it non-professionally but still fairly often, it will only take a year or two for the head to pay for itself because the cutters last so long. But if you only use it a handful of times a year it will take much longer to pay off. Of course, if you work with figure woods or reclaimed lumber that keeps kicking your knives, a helical head may be worth it to you just because it makes that sort of thing much easier.
Agree it depend on the condition of the machine. I have a grizzly and have rotated the knives twice now. Good advice on keeping it clean. I plan a lot of hickory,Oak and other hardwoods, I haven’t had to rotate the knifes very often. First set lasted almost a year.
There is an early and late 1018, the older one I have they do not make cutters for. The new one from what I understand has twin belts, mine has one. I ordered from Grizzly and it was at least a 1/2 inch to big in diameter of head and bearings.
Thanks. This is a really useful discussion.
For my shop tools that are prone to rusting, i apply a coating of CLP (gun Cleaner Lubricant Protectant) I used it in the military and still do now because its excellent to control rust and keep it away.
The Lux head looked just like the Sheartec II head in my Laguna planer.
Sound advice as always James👍
Just a follow up. I received the Lux Cut III for my Dewalt from My Wood Cutters. There were no instructions on how it install it. I contacted My Wood Cutters and they responded quickly saying the installation was the same as the Shelix except the cutters need to be removed. Great, but why were no instructions included in the first place, why should I have to contact My Wood Cutters to find this out. There's room for improvement on My Wood Cutters part in my opinion.
Mywoodcutters is a retailer, not the manufacturer. They don't package the heads with or without instructions. And since every machine is different, you have to use your machine's manual to see how to remove it's old head.
@@StumpyNubs My Wood Cutters sold the product they knew which cutter I bought they have sent me several emails regarding my purchase. It would have been very easy for them to have sent me a note in one of those emails letting me know what instructions to use.
I do agree the manufacturer should be the one that should have included some sort of instructions, but they didn't.
I can't remember the last time I got a product that didn't have installation instructions even if they were in Chinese.
@@johnbourg3388 - Respectfully, I think you are looking at this backwards. Your machine's manual should describe how to remove the head in YOUR machine. You can't expect a retailer to buy and disassemble every machine out there and make manuals for them. They are a retailer, it's simply not possible. If you had bought your head at Woodcraft, (another retailer) would you expect them to make you a manual specific to your machine? Of course not. That's on the manufacturer, not the retailer. You can argue about whether the machine manufacturer or the head manufacturer should give you that info, but I don't think it's reasonable to demand the retailer do so. The fact that mywoodcutters.com WAS able to help you when you contacted them is not a failing, it is a remarkable piece of customer service that went, in my opinion, above and beyond what a retailer will usually do. They did the manufacturer's job! I see that as a good thing, not as a bad thing.
Yo Stump the Lux cutter leaves a checker marks and looks like 1/16 by 16/ groves on complete piece BTW it's brand new
Contact them.
GREAT INFO! THANK YOU!
Curious from those with 13" planer (e.g. Dewalt) and shelix/lux cutters: noted is that it needs more HP to run? Does this affect the longevity of the planer? The LUX seems to be better but requires removal and re-install of all the blades. Update: I read that the blades set at 40-45in/lbs and there are 40 on the LUX head. I would invest in a "comfortable" in/lb driver that can do 10-50in/lb.
Fluidfilm spray will help with the rust on these heads.
It is easier to hit the end of the scew with a small file just take off a couple of files blow out the holes
I waxed the crap out of my byrd head, and that helped with rust.
Great advice!!
The Lux Cut III is now more expensive than the Byrd Shelix by $110 atg least it is for the DeWalt 735
If you have to finish tapping the threads, USE A BOTTOM TAP!!! You'll have to order one unless the there's a machinist supply store near you. (Yes, I'm repeating what Pat Farrell commented a week ago - he's right, a tap off the shelf at a hardware or box store WILL NOT do the job. Also, make sure you blow any crud out of the hole before AND after you tap it.
Installing / upgrading to helical heads sounds like it takes a factory blade swap from about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour - to an all day adventure. I think I'll stick with my standard Delta supplied blades, at a fraction of the cost, and continue using the finish I get with them, which is actually pretty good, especially on the "finish" speed setting.
I'm not knocking helical cutters, but just wondering if ( for me ) they're really worth the cost and time commitments involved. And, I don't think any project worth the effort is going straight from the planer to assembly, being either sanded or hand planed to final finish.
Anyway, that's my humble opinion for what it is worth.
Not at all. On a jointer it's much faster to rotate the cutters on these than typical non-indexed HSS knives which can be a pain to set. Maybe five minutes. On a planer it takes about 15 minutes with the Shelix, and about five with the Lux Cut... As for cost, if you use your machines only a handful of times a year, it may not be worth it. If you use them regularly, it'll pay for itself in about a year, maybe two because the cutters last so much longer... As for cut quality, it really pays off with figured woods or if you accidentally plane against the grain. But I would still sand afterward.
@@StumpyNubs Merry Christmas,
Have you ever heard of Sheartak from Canada? If so are they any good?
Thanks
Wheeler Engineering makes a torque wrench for firearms that may work for setting the torque on these cutters.
Any 1/4 inch torque wrench should suffice. 45 inch pounds is just under 4 foot pounds. It's actually 3.75 foot pounds.
Byrd tooling is American made and cheaper. Can't seem to locate country of origin for the lux cut and it's a couple hundred dollars more over Byrd for my 20" planer
Get the Byrd if it's 200 cheaper.
@@StumpyNubs I made the switch years ago. Just letting folks know, as of right now.
The Byrd cutter heads are cheaper than the Lux as far as I can tell. For a 13" Dewalt 735 the Lux is $439 and the Byrd is $405. If there is that much of a wait for the Byrd I would pay the difference for the Lux no problem.
Now as a machinist and using carbide inserts on a daily basis I will give you my solution to a striped screw. Ok, here goes...Your best bet is to smash the insert. Carbide smashes extremely easy from a sharp blow. The insert will shatter from around the screw. Now don't just go hammering away. Take care: Cover the insert with a rag and know where your hitting. A swift, sharp blow with the ball end of a ball peen (pein take your pick) hammer should do the trick. If you whack it too hard you'll embed the carbide into the seat. In 35 years as a machinist I've done this many, many time. Use common sense.
Sir, what about when overtime you remove your carbide cutters with anti-seize compound do you think there would be debris in the threads? How about blowing air into the threads in the shaft? Lastly, you would think that they made a gage to see if the cutter was seated. Ralph
I still miss the old polka music.
Thanks stump.for the info but I need some help from some you or your subs!!
I've got a 30 year old planer from harbour frieght! Its a " master craft pro!
1.) Can someone/ anyone please telll me where and who I can reach to buy blades for it?
I've ran the model # but apparently Harbor frieght doesn't sell blades anymore for this 2 blade 12" model!
Still cuts good and the blades are still fairly sharp but I'm just trying to look ahead for I k ow I'm going to need them soon!!
2.) I also need the name of the tool that sets the SPRING set blades, can anyone tell.me the name of the depth setting blade gauge for this planer and who has it, or is there a generic blade setter tool?
Thanking you guys in advance for any and all help and or suggestions! God bless!
Canadiantire sells the blades or did a few years ago. The tool is a blade alignment tool and they are specific to certain models of mastercrafts.
Thanks much for the tips and thumbs up to crush a troll.
Surely an easier way to deal with a shallow or partially threaded bore is to simply file a bit off the bottom of the screw?
That makes sense.
@@StumpyNubs I was wondering whether they were using the bottoming out to provide some extra grip to the screws but I suppose that's not necessary once they're tightened down.
Be VERY careful that you do not affect the threads on the end of the screw if filing or you will damage/compromise the internal threads when you screw it back in. Would not recommend doing that, especially on high-speed rotating pieces. If it doesn't screw in all the way, make sure you haven't got some junk on the bottom of the hole after cleaning the face.
@@woodstover Oh yes definitely. Often less than a millimetre needs removing though, which is usually the unthreaded part anyway.
👍
not all of can afford a lux cut and there are some we can
2:20 The misaligned cutter is causing excessive vibration
No, I have a genetic disease that causes shaky hands. But thanks for mocking it.
@@StumpyNubs I have shaky hands too and I get razzed on the job all the time. I just meant to make light, not offend. My apologies.
"you paid a little more for your head"
...yes, unfortunately I did. It was a very lack luster performance. I should have listen to you stump!
Why don't you mention the Felder (Silent Power) helical cutter heads? Felder is a high-quality brand from Europe.
As I said in the video, these tips apply to many brands. I am not sure Felder makes their own heads anyway. They may just rebrand them. Regardless, the advice applies to most other heads.
A little disappointed that I stumbled across this video in 2022. The Lux heads are 80 dollars more expensive than the Byrd's now, and due to Covid the wait time is 3 months.