# Grizzly T31496 - Helical Cutterhead for 13" DeWalt Planer



## kajunkraft

About 6 months ago I installed a Byrd Shelix cutter on my DeWalt 735 planer. Noise reduction and cut improvement were very obvious first observations. I had to replace blades here and there before the conversion. Recently I found a chunk of metal on the outfeed side. Turns out it was from a blade. So, ok, I found the broken one. Used one of the 5 replacements they included and back in business. Much easier and less expensive than the original set up. I'm very happy with this upgrade.


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## LittleBlackDuck

While I own a *Jet combo* I have had a number of jointers and thicknessers with *"straight edged"* blades.

Ignoring brand, the difference with the *helical heads* is hard to describe yet so obvious if you make the transition.

Cost permitting, this would be a great investment by anyone with the thought of improvement.

Thanks for posting… I'm sure you've enlightened a few of the *Grizzly* LJ's out there… it can be done.

We need more reviews like this… there has to be someone out there that can benefit. I pay more credence to member recommendations than vendor spruiking… hell, they're not going to advertise *Buy our ******************** product*!


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## pottz

good to know because i wasn't aware grizzly had helical head replacements.i used shelix for my jonter,which is excellent quality and very well known.and your right the sound deading alone is worth the price.


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## Nate2601

Great information. I just purchased the Lux Cut III for my DW735. It is back ordered till mid October. I looked at the Grizzly before going with the Lux. Didn't know f i3 vs 4 rows of cutters would make a huge difference. Once I get the Lux I have 70bf of 6" wide 8/4 hickory to mill for an island top, we will see how it performs. Congrats on the new head.


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## jakep_82

I took a chance on this cutterhead and ordered it even though I couldn't find any reviews other than on the Grizzly site. I ordered on 9/13 and received it on 9/16, so very fast delivery. I installed it this weekend and I would say I also spent about 2 hours on the install, and some of that time was making wood plugs sized to install the bearings.

I would agree the noise reduction is substantial. My shop is in a basement and I was hesitant to run my planer when my wife was home because it was so loud. With the new head it's no longer an issue. I am getting some minor grooves or tracks with this head, but they're very shallow at around .002" deep. My snipe is also better at probably around .002". I run everything through a drum sander anyways, and 1 pass gives me perfect boards now rather than the multiple passes I needed before to fix tearout.


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## pintodeluxe

Tearout is the worst. Helical heads are the answer.


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## NewbieInWV

I'm seriously considering this upgrade, but I'm nervous about the 2-hour install, including "making plugs" for the bearings. I'm a new-ish woodworker, and I'm not known for my handi-ness. Can someone give me a little more detail on this whole plug/bearing thing so I can decide if it's someone I want to tackle?


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## Davevand

Take a look at the install video from Grizzly.




You will need all the tools they suggest to make the install go smooth. I simply used a 3" square piece of hardwood with a 3/4" hole drilled in it to start the bearing. I have a large set of sockets that I used to finish the seating of the bearing, if I didn't have the large sockets I would have made a large plug out of wood to do the job.


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## NewbieInWV

Thanks Davevand!



> Take a look at the install video from Grizzly.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You will need all the tools they suggest to make the install go smooth. I simply used a 3" square piece of hardwood with a 3/4" hole drilled in it to start the bearing. I have a large set of sockets that I used to finish the seating of the bearing, if I didn t have the large sockets I would have made a large plug out of wood to do the job.
> 
> - Davevand


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## jakep_82

As Davevand noted, if you have the recommended sockets you don't need to make plugs. I have a circle cutter for my drill press so it was easy for me to do, and I didn't want to buy sockets that I would never use again. The installation does take a while, but it's not difficult, and the video from Grizzly shows everything step by step.


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## Sark

Rebuild the Dewalt 735 or buy a new one from Grizzly? For $750 you can purchase a new planer with helical cutterhead from Grizzly. Right now, the rollers on my 735 need replacing because they are old and are marking the wood. Add in the rollers to the spiral cutterhead, and the total comes out to $550 for a Dewalt upgrade. For $200 more you can purchase a new planer. Doesn't this make more sense, in my case?


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## Davevand

I would rebuild my 735, mostly because I know what it is and I am happy with the results. Also, can you actually get a Grizzly, looks like they are out of stock


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## jakep_82

With shipping it's $800, and it does appear to be out of stock. It's also a single feed rate, although I'm not sure how much difference it makes.


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## kmh2412

Thanks for the post. I hadn't considered changing out my straight cutterhead, just always figured when ready I'd buy a whole new planer. This gives me something to think about though.


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## Jeremymcon

Don't buy the grizzly planer! I bought the grizzly 13 inch helical planer and had a horrible experience with it. Honestly I was considering buying the dewalt and a grizzly head, but not sure I trust the grizzly helical heads after my experience. I got two different machines (returned them both), both left horrible furrows down the length of the board. The matching on the cutter heads just wasn't good - the second one they sent me the cutters just didn't interface with the spots they're supposed to sit in. Like, I torqued them with a torque wrench, but they'd end up at all sorts of different angles.


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## Rodango

I'm curious about the Lux 3 helical head for Dewalt 735 planer. 
Have many people pulled the trigger on this head? 
In fact has anyone tried it? I don't see much about it on the internet except one post on LJ and one vendor.

Does it have the same number of rows of cutters? The same number of cutters? In use have you seen any, even minor, scalloping (small arc shaped divots) or furrows (deeper channels left by un-even cutter or cutters)? Is the cutterhead the same size as the O.E.M. cutterhead (hopefully) or did you need to make any changes to the depth of cut indicator? Are the bearings a solid fit, no squeeking, don't get hot or anything?

The Lux 3 sells for a little more than the Byrd/Shllx, and has different cutters - they don't exchange between the two. It's supposed to have s slightly, they claim better, mounting system with better cutter seating or registration, but the cut from either should be about ghe same. I don't know of anyone who has tried them side by side, but that would be interesting.

Last question: is this the same as the Grizzly cutterhead or did Grizzly offer their own model and also sell this one?


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## Newbie17

The Grizzly helical cutter heads cut as smooth as is possible from a blade. My Grizzly helical head jointer cuts noticeable smoother than my Jet 20" helical head planer. I onow they are two different types of machines, but wow does the Grizzly make a perfect surface.


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## HIwoody

I purchased and installed the LUX III helical head on my DW 734 planer in November from mywoodcutters.com.
Easy purchase and the live customer service from this family owned business was quite good.
Viewed all the youtube videos on install. This head was a perfect R&R fit without hassle as long as you take your time, as you'd ordinarily do with your ww process! The individual cutting blades did have (I guess) proprietary seating design so the risk of having them misfit and proud resulting in cutting marks is essentially eliminated.

Noise under load was less, but you're certainly not going to forego hearing protection anyways so was not a selling point for me.

People commented that because the head is ALWAYS cutting, unlike straight blades that they noticed an increase in electrical load on their machine. OK, so I plane just a little bit less aggressively per pass and found no real increase in time spent flattening boards compared to straight knives. Surface quality is wonderful, but most satisfying when working with figured species. That was the game changer for me!

As previous commenter stated, I knew my planer well and adding the extra $200-250 upgrade cost was well worth it for my Hobbyist level shop. I don't think I'll need to spend any more for blade replacements for a long while compared to 2-3 times annually for straight blades…


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