2 Versions Of Byrd Helical Cutter For DeWalt 735

[Wiley's Woodworks]

I have convinced myself that for my new DeWalt 735 planer the upgrade to a helical head cutter is worth the $, and that the Byrd cutters are worth the $ over other brands. Now, which size Byrd cutter head?

I understand the installation differences in the 2 heads--the undersize doesn't require removing and replacing 40 cutter heads, but it throws off the factory settings on depth-of-cut. From real life experience, which head is the right way to go? I would appreciate pros and cons from those of you who actually use one of these set ups. Thanks.

 

[dancam]

I put the Byrd head in a couple of years ago. I used the standard size, removed the cutters, and reinstalled them after installing the head. The setup was very straightforward. I watched a few YouTube videos, and it went very smoothly. IT has worked very well, and I have yet to rotate the cutters.

 

[Martin Roper]

I've never understood the angst about removing and reinstalling the cutters. I'd be more worried about putting a cutterhead with a bunch of razor-sharp cutters on it through a bearing with minimal clearance. I know I'd mess that up.

 

[Echd]

I have the small size head just because I bought during covidmania and it was the only thing available. I take small bites because this is a light duty planer anyway, but yes, you do give up some potential depth of cut.

It may throw off the gauge as well, but if you're going to get a helical cutterhead, you owe it to yourself to get a wixey dro to go with your planer. Inexpensive, ultra simple install, and gives you very good repeatability.

Given the option I would get the full sized head- but other than removing the option to take huge bites out of soft wood (which I rarely do) it isn't a huge deal either way. I could see popping a breaker taking big bites in hardwood, my understanding is helical heads tend to draw more current in use although they are absolutely quieter. Just my opinion.

Regardless you will not regret a helical cutterhead.

 

[Oka]

I bought the "Findbuytool" helical head Find Buy Head

Mostly it had 14 cutters per row 4 row vs the shelix with 10 per row. It came with in 14 days from china, cuts like a dream, and was less money

 

[charlessenf]

I bought the "Findbuytool" helical head Find Buy Head

Mostly it had 14 cutters per row 4 row vs the shelix with 10 per row. It came with in 14 days from china, cuts like a dream, and was less money

What are these BEARINGS OPTIONS about? Re-using old bearings or ???

Options:
13-Inch Cutterhead (Without Bearings)
13-Inch Cutterhead (Bearings Pre-Installed)
13-Inch Cutterhead (Bearings Included) Plus 10 Extra Carbide Knives
13-Inch Cutterhead (Bearings Included) Plus 30 Extra Carbide Knives

 

[Oka]

No idea- I would never reuse any existing bearing, that just asking for problems

I bouight the one with bearings and 10 carbide extras. Been about a year and it cuts pretty much the same as when I first installed it. If you are mechanically inclined it takes about an hour to do the swap. Really not hard to do. Just remember the inserts only get about 3-5 ft lbs torque.


What are these BEARINGS OPTIONS about? Re-using old bearings or ???

Options:
13-Inch Cutterhead (Without Bearings)
13-Inch Cutterhead (Bearings Pre-Installed)
13-Inch Cutterhead (Bearings Included) Plus 10 Extra Carbide Knives
13-Inch Cutterhead (Bearings Included) Plus 30 Extra Carbide Knives

 

[jfynyson]

Kind of related but if not I can start a new thread. I’m wanting to buy this same machine and add the helical cutter head.

The original diameter Byrd cutter head has 40 cutters vs Casey’s FindBuyTool having 56 cutters. Would the extra 16 cutters put more strain on the motor or would having more cutters make it easier due to more cutters removing the same wood volume ? Or is it a wash ?

Are there adjustments/calibrations one can make on the DeWalt 735 rollers & cutter head to get them dialed in parallel to one another and more perpendicular to the bed as well as make sure the rollers are the right height to the cutter head or are there no possible adjustments on this machine ?

 

[Oka]

More cutter generally means less wear. It also means a smoother cut. The speed of the cut is not really impacted from what I can tell. The weakness in the DeWalt 735 is the universal motor it torque is only on the high end. So both the speed and smoothness is affected if the unit bogs down.... duh. The rule is to make shallower cuts, just better for this machine.

All that said, I bought the find buy because it was cheaper by alot. Happy I made the purchase. ... FYI my 8 in jointer also has 44 cutters on it which means it is 5.5 inserts per inch the Dewalt is 4.3 per inch

 

[jfynyson]

More cutter generally means less wear. It also means a smoother cut. The speed of the cut is not really impacted from what I can tell. The weakness in the DeWalt 735 is the universal motor it torque is only on the high end. So both the speed and smoothness is affected if the unit bogs down.... duh. The rule is to make shallower cuts, just better for this machine.

All that said, I bought the find buy because it was cheaper by alot. Happy I made the purchase. ... FYI my 8 in jointer also has 44 cutters on it which means it is 5.5 inserts per inch the Dewalt is 4.3 per inch

Thanks for the info ! Do you typically take no more than 1/32 cuts with this machine ?

 

[Oka]

Depends on the wood, but generally 1/32 is what I max at. Softer woods like cedar you can hog quite a bit if you wanted, but I want the tool to last .........

 

[jfynyson]

Just purchased the FindBuyTool cutter with the bearings. Do the bearings come already properly seated on the shaft ?

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Just purchased the FindBuyTool cutter with the bearings. Do the bearings come already properly seated on the shaft ?

Yes--I received mine this week and will be installing it Monday. I went with this cutter because my common sense tells me 16 cutters per row is better than 10--the more popular Byrd cutter. I relied on Casey's advice on making this purchase. I will give a full customer review after installation and test runs.

 

[jfynyson]

I’m seeking confirmation that I have my cutters installed properly. Of course I’ll reach out to FindBuyTool but was trying here first.

I received and installed my new FindBuyTool cutter head last night but I wanted to confirm something that seemed “off”. I’m unfamiliar with the cutter head terminology so please forgive me.

The instructions show to properly seat the cutters that they must sit flat and the tops flush with the side to touches the elevated part of the cutter, which acts like a wall. All of mine are flat but none of the cutters sit with the tops flush with that wall. Their video on YouTube for installation and the close up pics on their website look like mine. They have a note on their website to make sure you buy the correct cutters for your cutter head and their video has another sentence blurred out during the cutters install part. This makes me think they changed the cutters to the shaft design but didn’t update the instructions.

Any idea if this is normal ? It would be nice to have indexing cutters so one can be 100% sure if proper install vs the vague instructions for a critical part.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Too long of a story to go into here, but I am going to wind up installing/uninstalling/reinstalling cutter heads on the FindBuyTool (FBT) helical cutter head. I'll be an experienced professional after this ordeal lol.

When I install the cutter heads they seat themselves at an angle to the back wall. There is more overlap of the cutter blade on the wall on the end closest to the gearbox. The properly seated cutter tapers off the wall, exposing more of its surface. What I think matters most is all 56 cutters were mounted uniformly, with the final seated position identical for each cutter.

One thing I learned about seating: set the cutter a little forward of the back wall, then insert the screw, and let the countersink screw head pull the cutter back against the back wall. This eliminates the possibility of the cutter riding up on the wall and being seated at a slant relative to the cutter rotor.

 

[jfynyson]

Too long of a story to go into here, but I am going to wind up installing/uninstalling/reinstalling cutter heads on the FindBuyTool (FBT) helical cutter head. I'll be an experienced professional after this ordeal lol.

When I install the cutter heads they seat themselves at an angle to the back wall. There is more overlap of the cutter blade on the wall on the end closest to the gearbox. The properly seated cutter tapers off the wall, exposing more of its surface. What I think matters most is all 56 cutters were mounted uniformly, with the final seated position identical for each cutter.

One thing I learned about seating: set the cutter a little forward of the back wall, then insert the screw, and let the countersink screw head pull the cutter back against the back wall. This eliminates the possibility of the cutter riding up on the wall and being seated at a slant relative to the cutter rotor.

Thanks for confirming what I saw in my install vs their instructions for proper cutter seating.

Yeah, I ended up installing 3 to 4 cutters at a time by just setting them roughly in place then using my impact driver very slowly (still much quicker than using that tool they give you) to get them close to seated and I would see the cutters slide into position based on the countersink. I would then use the tool they supply to slightly loosen then tighten the cutters. After an entire row was installed I went back and checked each cutter for tightness. I never used a torque wrench to proper torque setting but just hand tightened until they wouldn't tighten anymore without a ton of force. Some made that "pop" sound when hand tightening them and some didn't. The first time I heard this I loosened it to see if I broke the cutter but all was well so I guess this is normal.

Also, I like how well oiled this cutter head was. I just used a toothbrush across each cutter head seating area to ensure no particles were there to prevent proper cutter seating.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Thanks for confirming what I saw in my install vs their instructions for proper cutter seating.

Yeah, I ended up installing 3 to 4 cutters at a time by just setting them roughly in place then using my impact driver very slowly (still much quicker than using that tool they give you) to get them close to seated and I would see the cutters slide into position based on the countersink. I would then use the tool they supply to slightly loosen then tighten the cutters. After an entire row was installed I went back and checked each cutter for tightness. I never used a torque wrench to proper torque setting but just hand tightened until they wouldn't tighten anymore without a ton of force. Some made that "pop" sound when hand tightening them and some didn't. The first time I heard this I loosened it to see if I broke the cutter but all was well so I guess this is normal.

Also, I like how well oiled this cutter head was. I just used a toothbrush across each cutter head seating area to ensure no particles were there to prevent proper cutter seating.

I used a torque wrench--1/4" inch/pound from Harbor Freight for $20-- and set it at ~45. When I had to remove all the cutters, I used a 1/4" ratchet. <5 of the screws wouldn't release and the bit was slipping. I panicked and thought I had stripped out the screws. After I calmed down I figured out the Torx #15 bit had chewed itself up. They're all made overseas and are cheap metal for a tool bit. A new bit, but not an impact bit, on my impact driver loosened them right up. The screw heads were undamaged and reusable.

 

[jfynyson]

I just got word from FindBuyTool that indeed the instructions that come with the new cutter head showing how to properly seat the cutters are incorrect and the cutters do sit proud of the shaft seat wall. See their response excerpt below:

We are so sorry about your confusion.
The top of the cutters are designed beyond the shaft wall, so the instruction is wrong.
Thank you for your advice and we will put a notice on the product page and correct the instructions as soon as possible.

Best Regards,
Findbuytool Team

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

I just got word from FindBuyTool that indeed the instructions that come with the new cutter head showing how to properly seat the cutters are incorrect and the cutters do sit proud of the shaft seat wall. See their response excerpt below:

We are so sorry about your confusion.
The top of the cutters are designed beyond the shaft wall, so the instruction is wrong.
Thank you for your advice and we will put a notice on the product page and correct the instructions as soon as possible.

Best Regards,
Findbuytool Team

Oh great. Just what I didn't need to install my FBT helical cutter in my new DeWalt 735 planer that arrives at my shop today. Jeremy--if you understand these "Chinese trying to speak English" instructions, help me out because I don't. What does "designed beyond the shaft wall" mean? What is the shaft wall? Any idea when the notice will be on the product page? I assume the product page is the website instructions.

The instructions that were packed with my FBT helical cutter only show 3 or 4 drawings of proper and improper installation/seating of the carbide cutter blades. They make sense, and I followed them as I understood them and got all 56 cutter blades seated identically. Now FBT is saying I did something wrong?

Casey in Hawaii--All you had were the same instructions I received. It seems like you had no problems installing the cutter blades and your planer is producing smooth, even boards. Do you understand what is wrong about the instructions you and I followed?

This project is becoming nightmare X nightmare and dragging on for weeks.

 

[jfynyson]

Oh great. Just what I didn't need to install my FBT helical cutter in my new DeWalt 735 planer that arrives at my shop today. Jeremy--if you understand these "Chinese trying to speak English" instructions, help me out because I don't. What does "designed beyond the shaft wall" mean? What is the shaft wall? Any idea when the notice will be on the product page? I assume the product page is the website instructions.

The instructions that were packed with my FBT helical cutter only show 3 or 4 drawings of proper and improper installation/seating of the carbide cutter blades. They make sense, and I followed them as I understood them and got all 56 cutter blades seated identically. Now FBT is saying I did something wrong?

Casey in Hawaii--All you had were the same instructions I received. It seems like you had no problems installing the cutter blades and your planer is producing smooth, even boards. Do you understand what is wrong about the instructions you and I followed?

This project is becoming nightmare X nightmare and dragging on for weeks.

The shaft wall is referring to the part the cutters butt up against. The instructions in the box you got show the proper seating of the cutters is to have their tops flush with the shaft wall NOT where the cutters sit proud (above) the shaft wall (black part of the cutter head) as they do in practice. If you rub your finger on the cutter vs the shaft wall you'll see the cutters sit above slightly vs the instructions. They acknowledge that the instructions are incorrect and the cutters should indeed sit proud of the shaft wall. See in the pic below from their website where it shows the cutters top sitting proud of the shaft wall. I have no timeline of them updating their info, just copied there response and posted it here.

I tested mine on a 8/4 piece of rough sapele yesterday and it worked flawlessly !