StevenWoodward m
wrote in
oupdirect.com:

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...sI-Ppf39kiUOEU
3


What is the final surface finish like? Is it perfectly flat across the
board?

Puckdropper