10 Years Later- The TRUTH about helical jointer/planer cutterheads

Ajouté : 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]If you have an older jointer or thickness planer, you've probably been told that you should upgrade to a helical head with those fancy carbide cutters. More and more new machines are offering this option as well. And the internet is full of opinions on them, mostly from folks who got one just a week before and they've only made a few test cuts, but they feel ready to make a review video praising something they have no real experience using. And that's a problem because you don't want to spend your hard-earned money based on someone's first impression. This is definitely not one of those videos.

[00:00:35]You're not going to see an unboxing here. I threw away my box 10 years ago.

[00:00:39]That's how long I've been working with these cutter heads. A full decade. And in that time, I've installed half a dozen of them in various machines. I've used the most popular birds version and the heavier duty Lux cut version. I've milled miles of lumber. I've got a huge amount of realworld experience with these things. And I'm here to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly about helico cutter heads. This is the honest, no BS video that you need to watch before you even consider one of these things, either as an upgrade to a machine you already own or as an option in a new machine. We're going to start with the things I've really come to appreciate about helical cutter heads over the years, but then I'm going to share the downsides that I found personally. And finally, I'll share the problems that I've heard other people's having that nobody else seems to want to tell you about, but I think you really need to know. What I like about helical cutter heads the most. And again, this is based upon a decade of experience is the quality of the cut. It's just spectacular. I almost never get any tear out. This is saying something because I got it all the time with my old straight knives, especially if I went against the grain. And sometimes grain direction just changes along the length of a board. You can't always avoid cutting against it. With the helical cutter head, I rarely even worry about it. And that has saved my project more times than I can count. This is possible because of the way the cutters are positioned. They not only wrap around the head in a helical pattern, but each little cutter is also set at a slight angle. So, it's taking a shearing cut.

[00:02:23]It's important that you look closely at a head that you're thinking of buying, especially ones that come pre-installed in some less expensive machines because they might have cutters that wrap around the head in a helix pattern, but they aren't angled. So, they're going to hit the wood square rather than shearing the fibers, and that is not going to work as well.

[00:02:43]The cut quality is also better because carbide cutters just remain sharper longer. I was always working with dull knives, it seemed back when I had high-speed steel, because they stayed sharp for like 10 minutes. Carbide cutters not only last many, many times longer, but they're also foursided. At least the nice ones are. I have heard of some less expensive heads that only have two-sided cutters, and I wouldn't buy one like that. In a typical hobby level shop, you're literally going to go years without having to replace four-sided cutters. And being able to rotate those cutters also eliminates that heartbreak that I've experienced, and I'm sure you have, too, where you hit a nail or something and nicked a brand new set of knives, and now you're getting a ridge in your plain surfaces until you change the knives again. With carbide cutters, I can just rotate the one or two that got damaged and the problem is solved without replacing anything. My dust collection is also a lot better because the smaller cutters produce little wood chips that are easier to pick up. My old machines used to clog up all the time from the long strips that their straight knives produced. But when I put in a helical head, that problem went away immediately and it never came back. My dust collector's bin also doesn't fill as quickly because the little chips aren't as fluffy. I know these might sound sound like small conveniences, but they've really proven big over the years. And there are many other pros.

[00:04:14]These are just the ones that have really stood out to me. But to be fair, we have to also look at the cons. The biggest downside, I think, is the cost. If you're upgrading an older machine, you're likely to spend more on the new head than you did on the machine itself.

[00:04:31]And that freaks people out. I wanted to know how long it would take for the average woodworker to recoup his investment, not a commercial shop. So, I did some quick math. Good quality carbide should last about five times as long as good high-speed steel in wood.

[00:04:47]Some folks say 10 times, but let's just be conservative and say five times. But we can multiply that by the four usable sides on one set of carbide cutters. And that means that one set will outlast 20 sets of high-speed steel jointer knives at 25 bucks a set or 10 sets of the double-sided high-speed steel planer knives, which are 3540 bucks a set. So that's a savings of up to $500, meaning that you'll probably recoup your entire cutter head investment before you go through your second set of carbide cutters. How long that takes depends on how often you use your machine, but it's going to pay for itself. Another minor downside that I've discovered is that helical cutter heads require a little bit more power to run. The simplest way I can explain that is the way the cutters are positioned means that there's always at least one engaged in the wood at any given time and so the motor is always working. Regular cutter heads with just two or three straight knives give the motor a little bit of a break between each knife strike. It's just a a microscond, but it does it does help. Now, on larger machines, it's not noticeable at all. But I put my first head in a small jointer with a little motor and it did work, but I had to take lighter passes, especially when I was milling very hard wood. I still would make the same upgrade because the pros outweigh the cons, but it's just something that I think you should be aware of. Perhaps the biggest downside is that the installation process can be a pain in some machines. Not all machines, but some. For example, my old Delta portable lunchbox planer needed special tools to get the pulleys off, so I had to run to Harbor Freight. And it has been a few years since I put one in my DeWalt planer, which is a very common and popular planer, but I do remember that it took some time to get that job done. This is certainly not beyond the abilities of just about anybody, especially a woodworker, but it's going to be a little bit of a project, and you're going to want to try to track down a manual for your machine online if you can.

[00:06:57]Now that I think about it, there is one more thing that I could add to the cons list. Sometimes there is a lengthy wait time to get an aftermarket cutter head.

[00:07:06]The two brands that I recommend are Bird, which makes Sheelix cutterheads, and Lux cut. Both of these can get backed up at times, but Bird's weight times can get crazy, and I think it's because they prioritize large orders they get from big machine manufacturers.

[00:07:23]And so, they're doing a run of just those heads instead of the head you need. And so, you have to wait a long time. I've heard some folks waiting several months for a bird cutter head.

[00:07:32]Now, Lux Cut makes I think a better head. I've explained why before and I'll link to that comparison video below if you want to take a deeper dive. Lux Cut's time for weight can often be a lot better. But if you have an uncommon machine, you might have difficulty finding one for Lux Cut. So, in that case, you'd have to get the Bird, which I still recommend. It's a great cutter head because they make all sorts of heads for even the obscure machines.

[00:08:02]Both Bird and Lux Cut are available through mywood cutters.com. I've ordered half a dozen heads through them over the years and it honestly is the only place I would buy something like this because I want somebody that's going to walk me through the process that's going to be there if I have issues that they're going to be easy to get a hold of. These are the sort of experts you want in your corner when you pull a trigger on this sort of thing. So, those are the most notable pros and cons I've encountered over the years, but I've also seen some serious issues that other people have experienced, and I think you need to know about these. The biggest potential issue people seem to have happens when they try to rotate their cutters or change them and end up doing some damage. Don't worry, it's entirely avoidable, but you have to keep some things in mind. First of all, use a proper tool to take the screw out. The screws might be stuck and you do not want to strip one out. That usually means a T-25 Torx bit, but check with the manufacturer or hopefully if you bought one from mywood cutters.com, you can just email them to confirm. And if it's too tight, don't force it. Apply some penetrating oil and let it sit a couple days. Not a couple hours, a couple days. As long as it takes for those screws to be loosened with reasonable force. Again, you do not want to strip one out. Now, once the cutter is loose, remove it fully and clean any residue buildup from the cutter itself and any debris that might be under it on the head itself. That stuff can keep your cutter from fully seating when you put it back on, and that can cause you to break it when you tighten it back down. Or your cutter might feel like it's seated, but it's actually sitting proud of the others, and that's going to leave ridges in your wood. For that same reason, when you reinstall any cutter, make sure it doesn't get caught on the indexing ridge on the head itself. If it does, it's going to feel like it's properly seated, even if it's not. I recommend starting the screw a turn or two, then using two fingers to lift the cutter upward while you draw it down into its proper place. Do not use Loctite or any other thread locking compound. I don't know why people do this. It's a terrible idea. However, if you are in a damp shop, you might want to use a tiny bit of anti-seize compound on the threads and make sure you properly torque each screw. You can use a torque wrench if you want, but the manufacturer says about 45 inchbs, and that's basically good and tight with a one-handed screwdriver like tool. Don't use a ratchet or a power tool to do it.

[00:10:37]I actually made a more comprehensive video about these issues a few years back. I'll link to it below in case you want to take a deeper dive. But like I said, these problems are all entirely avoidable if you just follow those tips and if you buy your cutter head from a reputable source like mywood cutters.com, that's going to take care of you. Like I said, I've partnered with them for 10 years now and I am so glad I did. Ever since I put my first head in a machine back in 2016, I've never looked back. It's been worth every single penny. and I've put them in several other machines since then. And if I ever buy another machine, a jointer or a planer, you can bet I'm going to put one in that, too. Let me know your experiences below.

[00:11:21]I've been a proud Tormic user for years.

[00:11:23]I've never seen so many clever innovations from just one small company, and the quality is simply uncompromising. Even if you're not in the market for a new sharpening system, you should check them out and see what they have to offer at the link below this video. There's a reason they're regarded as the best of the best.