I’m replacing my planer and have short-listed the PM 15s and the Grizzly 15″ planers, both the basic and the Extreme series.
I have a lot of questions about the PM spiral blades, mostly about expected live and if they are reversible. Replacement blades are about $100 so if they have the life of the typical disposible blades this can make the cost of ownership on this machine pretty expensive. I understand that they have excellent cut quality and contribute to the low noise of this machine.
Speaking of knives versus the other options, I do have a Tormek with the jig for sharpening planer blades so I am also a little on the fence about the spiral options. Quite honestly I have always been happy with the finish a well tuned planer is capable of using traditional blades, and the ability I have to sharpen my own takes away one big hassle, so I’m really wondering if the other options are really that compelling to me. I do admit that I like the notion of being able to cut down the noise level and in the case of indexable spiral cutters, just spin the disc to get a new cutting surface.
If the spiral options really are worth the money, I’m wondering if I should buy the base Grizzly 15″ planer and then spend the money for a Byrd Shelix cutterhead, which by all accounts is the best of the bunch. That would put me in the $1,700 price range for the complete machine, about what it would cost for the Extreme Grizzly or the PM.
Thoughts? Comments? Am I thinking about this the right way?
Replies
http://sunhillmachinery.com/Spiral%20Cutter%20Conversion.htm
To clarify the PM spiral blades they are a flexible single edged high speed steel and not reversible. They are like the Sunhill that I provided a link to. You can see this for yourself by looking at page 14 of the PM pdf manual.
http://www.wmhtoolgroup.com/partfiles/M_1791210.pdf
I have access to a Wood Tech 24 Planer with carbide insert knives and it does a pretty nice job. It will still chip out if you run the speed too high so it's not completely bullet proof. I get good results with a regular head and sharp knives on wild grain. Another friend with a Sicar planer can't get good results on curly woods because his feed isn't slow enough but I can run stuff he can't on my Rockwell 18" planer. It's definitely the feed speed as we disengaged his feed motor and rigged up a manual crank and it did a great job on curly wood. His feed is derived from his main motor and he would have to add another motor to change the speed.
I think the big issue is folks have a hard time changing knives and are looking at the helicals as a way to get around it. The Esta knives are a viable option as well.
Edited 2/13/2006 7:51 am ET by RickL
Thanks Rick, that's pretty much what I was thinking re the PM spiral blades after I got a look at the replacement blades picture.Any idea on what the lifespan is on these blades?
Not sure what the lifespan is on the HSS sprial knives but do have a friend who has the PM planer and spiral knives. I'll ask him the next time I see him.
BTW he had a heck of a time with snipe and ended up dropping the bedrolls below the table to solve the problem. Thet was the 15" PM with spiral knives.
Carbide insert knives, although not initially as sharp, are supposed to last 8-10 longer than HSS. Plus the fact you have four edges makes them priced better.
Esta knives are available in several grades of steel and carbide.
I would get the regular jointer head and put the money in the helical planer head. Typically I "skip face" the wood on th jointer and finish it up on the planer to thickness. I don't care how wild the grain is with a regular head, sharp knives and low feed speed I can run anything.
However if I was doing a lot of teak, resinous, mineral streaked woods or epoxy laminations carbide, would be a must. HSS doesn't last long at all in this application.
In December I purchased the PM15s and have been very happy with the performance of the machine. I work with figured woods (maple and cherry) and wanted a machine that reduced or elimated tearout. The PM15s exceeded my expectations in that regard and is very quiet to boot. The quality of the finish is excellent. One would really have to look close to see any machining marks. I highly recommend the PM15s.
That being said, the cost of the replacement blades is a big drawback. I have a spare set but have not had to replace any blades yet. It seems to be a fairly straightforward process however. My only other complaint is that I don't get to use my LN 4 1/2 as much as I once did :).
well I'll take that LN off your hands for you in the event it is getting neglected. :)I've heard nothing but good things about the PM15S, especially the cut quality and how quiet it is.
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