Jordan Gatenby Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Hello, I bought a 8-inch jointer and 15 inch planer at liquidation (out of business cabinet shop) both made by Grizzly. To my surprise, when I got it home both have Bryd helical cutter heads installed! Being I am new to this I have a few questions... I do not know the state of the cutterheads or how they were previously used, so am I better off replacing them or removing them and having someone sharpen them? Also, the mechanism itself looks a bit dirty (see photo). Can it be cleaning without removing it or is this just how they look after some use. Thanks in advance for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Some initial thoughts... The head has seen some hard use (the conversion coating is worn-off in places). That level of use on consumer-grade kit is not a good sign... Sorry... The head could still be OK, but the guts of the jointer are a crap shoot... The cutters look to be genuine late-generation Byrd (as opposed to after-market) and look to be in pretty good shape. The cutters have been replaced at least once... Byrd cutters aren’t ‘sharpened’, but replaced (about $3.50/per) after all four sides are spent... You can order genuine Byrd cutters from Amazon... I’d start by taking a long hard look at the bearings, belts, etc... If you end-up pulling the head, then I'd get an auto repair shop to put it in their parts washer for you... More photos would help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan Gatenby Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Thanks for the tip! I still have yet to get the 220v lines run so, when I do, I will start both machines up and see how they do. Is there anything I should be looking/listening for? Like I said, I have no history on either machine so, for all I know the cutter heads are brand new. They both cost be $200 so, to me it was worth the risk. Thanks, Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 That is a hell of a price for both machines. Agree with trip (hhh) They look like they have seen a bit. I bought a jointer recently and put off doing bearings. I had a catastrophic bearing failure in the beginning of a project. For $25, I'd say do the bearings and belt now while waiting for power. Those cutter heads have four cutting edges, I would think you should be able to tell if all 4 sides have been used up. If not, rotate to a fresh surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Are you sure those are Byrd? They look like the grizzly spiral head. I have that head on my jointer and it looks identical. I say remove the inserts, clean the head, choose the insert side that looks sharpest. Run it and check the bearings before considering replacing the head. It may run well enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 6 minutes ago, logos said: Are you sure those are Byrd? They look like the grizzly spiral head. I have that head on my jointer and it looks identical. I say remove the inserts, clean the head, choose the insert side that looks sharpest. Run it and check the bearings before considering replacing the head. It may run well enough! Byrd "mount strips" are narrower than the carbide. All the Grizz I have seen have "mount strip" much wider than the carbide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan Gatenby Posted January 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 12 minutes ago, logos said: Are you sure those are Byrd? They look like the grizzly spiral head. I have that head on my jointer and it looks identical. I say remove the inserts, clean the head, choose the insert side that looks sharpest. Run it and check the bearings before considering replacing the head. It may run well enough! Pretty sure... There is "BT" on each Cutterhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 I think you are prob right. I'll check mine when I get home and post a pick. Nice find on the tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Grizzly spiral cutterheads are not true shelix, they're just carbide cutters mounted in a spiral formation. Byrd heads are spiral AND they're set at a shear angle. The ones pictured in OP are Byrds. Grizzly: Byrd: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 1 hour ago, Jordan Gatenby said: Pretty sure... There is "BT" on each Cutterhead. I think that means it belongs to me. .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil B Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Yeah, they're byrds. Congrats! That was one hellofva deal. The 15" shelix head is about $600 new and the 8" jointer is about $400. So just on those, you are $800 bucks ahead. The jointer is pretty simple. The planer a bit more complex.. I would first get the manuals - griz has them on their web site Now, inspect each cutter. Look for damage. Note if it's been rotated or not. I think the ones you showed haven't though It's hard to tell orientation from your picture. With the manuals in hand, take a look at the machines for obvious signs of wear and damage. On the planer, pay attention to the gearbox. Look for leakage. Then check to see how much oil is in the gearbox (use a qtip to see what the oil level is). Frankly, I wouldn't replace bearings unless you had another reason to go into the machine or are a great mechanic. Especially the planer - it's a bear of a job because some of them are in the gearbox. Once you get power, run the machines briefly, listen for anything other than smooth motor noises. I'm guessing since they came from a cabinet shop, they are likely in ok shape - shops tend to maintain their machines but you never know 100%. Then go through the adjust/alignment procedures given in the manuals. I bought a 15" griz planer at auction and dropped a shelix into it. Had to take the gearbox apart to do it but it's working great. I replaced the bearings but the ones I pulled were in really great shape. With the shelix you can plane highly figured wood and even knots. Oh, and invest in a metal detector - nothing ruins your day like running a screw or nail through the planer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Yep a Byrd head it is. Here's my grizzly head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 ==>>^^^ You may want to clarify that a bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Took this pic on the way out the door to work. Light was dim. I'll attach the other pic I took. There is one mismatched insert on the head. Both are grizzly Its the head grizzly made in 2010 I've seen a few other variations to their head It does look similar to the Byrd pic above but has differences. Given that his inserts say BT it's likely the Byrd. I can take some more pics later this eve if you would like a better pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Funny, all this time I thought my head was a grizzly. I bought it used and never needed to get new inserts. The guy I bought it from bought it directly from the factory and just assumed it was grizzly. I ordered grizzly replacement inserts and couldn't figure out why they didn't fit. I thought it was due to a change in model. You can see the one insert that is different in the pic above Turns out the head above is a byrd. The slight curve in the insert is what distinguishes it. You can see the grizzly insert in the middle is square. Just thought I'd clarify for anyone researching this jointer who finds this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Chen Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 It is Byrd shelix cutter head with Byrd carbide cutter with BT, they are different from other carbide cutter cause its countersink hole is different from other carbide cutter . When you buy the replace cutter , you need pay attention to the countersink angle .When all face become dull and you wanna buy some spare ones , I can sell some to you , we make them in our factory and sell them in just 1.6 USD each piece . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Yes the BT gives it away but they also use a line in one corner instead of the BT on some inserts. Just finished a long conversation with someone at a Byrd dealer. The curve of insert is the feature that's easiest to distinguish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
陈述 Posted March 22, 2016 Report Share Posted March 22, 2016 The main difference is not the radius face and the laser 1,2,3 but the countersink angle . Other brands can also do Radius face too , they use different mould and different blanks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted March 22, 2016 Report Share Posted March 22, 2016 In my pick above the counter sink angle of the griz(1,2,3) and the Byrd (')look pretty similar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
陈述 Posted March 23, 2016 Report Share Posted March 23, 2016 10 hours ago, logos said: In my pick above the counter sink angle of the griz(1,2,3) and the Byrd (')look pretty similar Yes, It is a little hard to tell the difference .When you use the screw to fix them , you can find the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.png.f1505d235090fa2186090ae6cc818259.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.