Replies

1. 
   jndewes | Oct 31, 2019 09:25am | #1

   It would be highly unlikely that the circuit breaker would chose this minute to go bad - Did you replace the bearings when you installed the Shelix? Tripping the breaker indicates an issue with the power draw - I suspect that the bearings are not properly seated, or were damaged in the transition. Take it apart, buy and install new bearings, and properly install them. The Shelix should use the same amount of power as the old cutterhead, not more, not less.

2. 
   wolfgrl | Oct 31, 2019 09:45am | #2

   Thanks for the reply. The cutterhead came with bearings installed and when installing the cutter, I pretty much had to pound the bearings in place with a board and mallet and they were extremely tight. The cutter seems to turn with little resistance when you rotate the head without power applied so I am at a loss for why this is such an issue.

3. 
   jndewes | Oct 31, 2019 10:14am | #3

   Bearings that are not properly sized or installed will heat up when you spin them. Try this (once): run the planer till it trips; then see if it's still easy to turn. If it's any harder than when it's cold, you either have the wrong size bearings or they were damaged during installation. Might also check to see how hot they got (carefull!). Bearings should never be unevenly pressured (such as a board and mallet) during installation. Use a socket that matches the diameter of the bearing to gently tap them into place. If gentle taps won't do it, then your bearings are incorrectly sized. You can always go to Grainer and find a bearing that is slightly smaller in outer diameter.

4. 
   chelor | Nov 01, 2019 01:13pm | #4

   I wouldn't just assume that the power requirement is the same for both blades and insert tooling. One cutting action may well be more efficient than the other, just as dull knives take more power than sharp ones. Have you tried it in another circuit, in case the circuit breaker is marginal?

5. 
   muskokalayne | Nov 02, 2019 09:28am | #5

   Hi, I have the same machine and of a similar age and I put the Byrd head in a couple of years ago and it works perfectly. I did buy the smaller head and the bearings were preinstalled but I believe it was difficult to get into place, especially the belt. I used an excellent video on YouTube from a guy called French River Springs and his step by step was super helpful.
   I would also contact Byrd as they would have so much experience with that particular planer install as it is so common and so loved. Good luck!!

6. 
   srmmmm | Nov 02, 2019 11:17am | #6

   There have been several evaluations you can find on YouTube and in some woodworking journals of the power requirements to use the Byrd helical head in the DW735. All demonstrated that more amperage is used because there is always cutting action taking place during the rotation of the cutter head creating a constant load on the motor. With the OEM straight knives, there is a brief moment between knife strikes when there is no load on the cutter head and the motor's electrical requirement drops (remember, compared to the speed of the electrical current, that brief moment of no load is a significant period of time). The helical head has some great benefits, but I would opt for the smaller diameter one.

7. 
   chelor | Nov 02, 2019 01:01pm | #7

   The real reasons that the current draw is greater in one case is not the "speed of the electrical current" or the duration of the cutting action, it's because one method requires less force to sever the wood fibers than the other (think about cutting with a your plane skewed vs. at a right angle) and one also has less friction (think about planing vs. scraping). The amount of wood to be removed is the same in either case, but one method requires less work because it is more efficient. None of this matters, of course, the only important fact is that the insert cutters require more power than the straight knives.

8. 
   Mangohippo | Nov 02, 2019 06:03pm | #8

   All of the above are correct re. higher load on the motor for a helical head. When JET first bought out a helical version of the JPT310 they had to alter the gearing slightly to get a slower feed vs. the existing straight-bladed machine.

9. 
   revbob | Nov 02, 2019 10:14pm | #9

   I have the same setup as you. 735 with Shelix upgrade. It does use more power. I’d replace the internal circuit breaker. With 15 years of use it may be borderline sensitive.