Spiral vs helical Carbide Planer Cutterheads

[tim1234]

I've finally saved enough to upgrade my planer.  I've narrowed my search to either a Grizzly GO453Z or the GO1021X2.  It seems the main differences are the cutterhead.  Both have a carbide insert cutterhead.  The 453 has a stepped cutterhead where the 1021 has the inserts in a helical pattern at an angle (like the shelix cutterheads but it's a grizzly lookalike).

I do want to make cutting boards and would think the shelix style would cut end grain better than the straight spiral cutterhead.  There's only $100 difference in the planers so it's really down to what cutterhead to get.

Any thoughts

Thanks

Tim

[Fla._Deadheader]

The Helix type is made by Byrd, the originators of the Shelix. From experience with REALLY bad tearout, the Shelix is hands down, the best out there.

  I'm saving up, myself.  :-\ :-\

[Don_Papenburg]

For straight grain  the straight cutters do a better job.  The byrd system will do better in rough to plane woods .    I have straight chevron cutter in the jointer and Shelex in the planer.   The Shelex leaves mini lines on wood surface the chevron pattern does but not as noticeable     But I would not trade them for the old three blade heads , they tend to leave grooves across the grain.

[sawwood]

I have the spiral head cutter in my Woodmaster 18" and i wouldn't go back to a blade
cutter. The spiral does leave a tiney ridge on the board but they can be sanded out with
not much trouble. I hope to buy a 8" planer later this year, a Grizzly and will git the spiral
cutter with it. There was a spiral cutter head on ebay for 300. not sure if its still there.

Sawwood

[1938farmall]

alas, the 1021 is backordered into august & they have taken it off the web site.  i also wanted the byrd style on the 1021. al

[tim1234]

alas, the 1021 is backordered into august & they have taken it off the web site.  i also wanted the byrd style on the 1021. al

Al,

the G1021X2 is still on the site. ???  How did you find out they were back ordered?

I've been debating for a while so if I missed the boat I'll be upset >:(  On the other hand, if the 1021 is backordered, it makes my choice easy ;D

Tim

[1938farmall]

tim1234,  i called customer service yesterday and asked.  al

[tim1234]

alas, the 1021 is backordered into august & they have taken it off the web site.  al

Al,

I was talking to one of my friends who owns an ashphalt roofing material manufacturing company over the weekend.  He was talking to one of his buisness contacts who sells roofing materials, nails etc.  He says "I'm all out of roofing nails!!"  My friend says "How can you be out of roofing nails?"  "All my nails are made in China and they are shutting down all their factories for 3 months to make the air cleaner in prep for the Olympics!!"

I wonder if that has anything to do with the planer being on backorder ???

If this is true about China, there may be a shortage of a lot of stuff in the next months.

Tim

[Don_Papenburg]

Tell him to order his roofing nails from Maze Nails  ,Peru, Illinois.

[1938farmall]

tim1234,  sounds possible to me that would be the reason for the backorder.  even with shutting down their industry, did you see on tv where the downhill bike team was over there practicing and several got so sick on the pollution they puked & had to stop biking.  they are planning to stay in korea for the olympics and fly to china for only the one day of actual competition.