BIG UPDATE----SHOPMADE HELICAL CUTTERHEAD

I’m looking forward to the end product.

But take a clue from John (gyzmodyne) Watching glue dry is not a productive use of time.
There’s a reason why Norm Abram only shows how to do one of a repetitive task.

It is interesting. It’s not something I’ve seen before. I learned something and I thank you.

It’s just a little too much of the same thing for someone who only wants a cursory overview.

My $.03.

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

You’d be surprised how much I cut out of the original footage and how much I ran the video at 2X speed. Unfortunately, that’s what it takes to cut metal—-lots of time—-much more than we woodworkers are used to.

Bear with me!! ;-D

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

Massive undertaking with such a small machine.
It looks like you have blastoff for the body.
Could you edit outthe reality for those of us with little time left? <g>

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Looks great.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

wow thats amazing. can’t wait to see the final product.

I enjoyed it very much and cant wait to see how you finish it.

-- Frank Auge---Nichols NY----"My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, but it is price competitive."

You can make your own tool parts!!!! lucky. Wish It coudl do that. Great job.

-- Tyler, Illinois

Very interesting video. To have access to this type of equipment represents a wonderful opportunity.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

my question is will you be making these for sale to others? if so, how much, and what “specs” do you need to make them for machines other than the dewalt?

TopE5, That annoying hisssssssssssssssssss you hear a misting unit on the machine. Those two nozzles aimed at the cutter are shooting atomized coolant and compressed air and keep the operation extremely cool and lubricated.

Bob#2, I understand how boring it must be to watch the same thing over and over and over and…..sorry, I got carried away, LOL. I’ve already cut the video length down by roughly 70%. That’s about the best I can do and still convey what’s going on. As far as a small machine, I might put up a picture of the Haas VF0 I’m running this part in. It sure isn’t small….20 (Twenty) horsepower, 8000 RPM, 20 tool capacity, and over 200 inches-per-minute rapid feed rates. By the way, Whaddya mean by “It looks like you have blastoff for the body?”

Thanks all for viewing. I’ll keep you updated.

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

Can’t wait to see how it turns out.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

This looks great! Way to go, designing something like this Alan! I can’t wait to see it when it is done.

-- "Knowledge is King! It is never too late to learn something new." - Jim

This is going to be a very interesting project to follow. I’ll take one for my Delta planer :-))

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Sorry guys!! I’m not intent on making these for others right now. I chose to do this project for my own enjoyment (and for a good grade in my CNC classes). I also was hoping to avoid the $800+ that companies like Byrd Tool charge for a 12” cutterhead—-besides, they don’t even make a cutterhead for my DeWalt—-so if I wanted one, I had to do the dirty work.

I would unfortunately have to charge someone else at least the same price as other companies do for a custom helical head because of all the time I spent working on this. Yes this is my first one, and I wouldn’t make some of the same mistakes next time, but I don’t think I would do it for profit unless I actually owned all the proper machinery. I will have spent nearly $220 on carbide inserts and screws when this is over, and the remainder of the value (which lies in my time and effort) far exceeds, in my opinion the $800 or so that Byrd would charge for a similar piece of tooling.

It’s just a one-of-a-kind piece that I sure hope will throw some chips in the near future.

We woodworkers know how valuable time is when making a project, whether for ourselves or for a customer—-and that always drives the asking price up.

If you REALLY want a custom cutterhead and have $800-1000 extra cash laying around, Please don’t hesitate to contact www.byrdtool.com OR www.hermance.com

They both have great products.

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE KIND WORDS!
—-keep snoring! (Sawing logs, that is.)

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

You can make my life easier and make one for the DW 735 also. I would love to have that 20” at home, but the $2500 price tag is a little too much for home right down. I know you previously commented this is just for you, but I might be interested in an identical head because I think my wife’s grandfather has the same Dewalt planer as you. I know it is dewalt, and it is not the 735. Let me know if either making one for the 735 is possible (first choice) or making a duplicate for a 733 is an option. I am in St Louis area. Tooldad

I will probably just buck up and get the 15” grizzly this summer. I either spend money or make money, so I am trying to get a cash job lined up this summer. Possibly one kitchen remodel and maybe a deck. I see a sprial cutterhead in my garage this summer! Still if you are willing to make a head for the 735 let me know. Tooldad

I like the idea, but it looks an awful lot like the Hermance Helical Cutterhead. You might want to check to see if it’s patented. I don’t think that Byrd has a patent on their design, but the do have a copyright on the Shelix name. I do believe that Hermance has a patented design and machining process. Look forward to seeing the final product!

I’m really afraid to offer this cutterhead to the public for profit. I have presented the project to Byrd Tool as a “Student Project,” so if I were to sell it privately, I’d be in some deep doo-doo. True, I am now capable of doing a limited mass run of the DeWalt cutterhead, but I’m not gettin’ sued for ANYONE’S sake, not even my own. ;-(

I’m not worried about getting ‘inspriation’ from Byrd and Hermance for my own personal use, but I won’t try to make profit on their design ideas. The only ‘edge’ I have (pun intended) on both companies is that if they want to produce this cutterhead, I have already done all the R&D for the product—-they don’t have to invest tens-of-thousands of dollars in that process because my time and effort to produce the cutterhead is already done.

I’m nearing the final stages of my prototype…I’ll hopefully post a new video in the not-too-distant future.

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses