replying to toolmiser, StevenWoodward wrote:
am 14 years late in joining this discussion, but the RC-33 (22-650) machine
mentioned above lasts forever so there may still be some interest.

I purchased mine in 1984 and have had no trouble with it. Sharpening the 13
inch knives has been the biggest challenge. I used to get them done by a good
sharpening shop, and they came back not only sharp but straight. Straight is
important because you want all three blades to be cutting into the wood
evenly. That sharpening shop went out of business in the 2009 recession and
I could not find another local shop that would sharpen the knives straight.
Straight means no light when blade is held against a steel ruler. I tried to
sharpen myself with a Makita 9820-2 surface grinder. I could get them sharp
but could not get the edge dead straight.

Finally decided to replace the cutter head with a Byrd Shelix helical
segmented head. Glad I did: no more sharpening, no more knife setting, and
much less tear-out when planing difficult wood. When the carbide cutters get
dull, just rotate them 90 degrees to expose a new sharp edge. When all 4
edges have been used, then replace that cutter. Only the cutters which are
chipped or dull need to be rotated, so no waste. It is a great system and
cheaper than paying to have straight blades sharpened. As there were no
upgrade instructions available for the RC-33, I created a YouTube video which
also shows lubrication and adjustments of the RC-33.
https://youtu.be/zFdcSKi47ZU

After watching the video, you may find it easier to work from a written
upgrade instructions, which are available in the following folder, along with
other documents for the RC-33.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...I-Ppf39kiUOEU3

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