"David F. Eisan" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,

I have had this sitting around work for a month or so,


Very nice David, good job.

Hello everyone,

I have had this sitting around work for a month or so,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14head.jpg

waiting for me to find a chance to bring my planer in from home and install
this new Byrd Shelix cutterhead. This is the first one Byrd has made for a
General 130, so I hope this goes well.

I finally brought my planer in this week,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14start.jpg

First step, drain oil,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14drainoil.jpg

and remove dust hood.

I next removed the pulley from the cutterhead and was about to remove the
three screws that hold bearing cap to the side of the planer when I noticed
this,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/i...oubleblack.jpg

Hmmm. The head was larger than my black robbie screwdriver. This is a tool
store, I have to have one around somewhere... After 15 minutes of looking I
gave up and decided to make one. I don't know what it was that I started
with, but we have a bin of them at work, so 5 minutes later on a bench
grinder I made a robbie bit that would take out the screw,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/i...ubleblack2.jpg

Now I was able to take the screws out that hold the bearing cap in place.

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14bearingcap.jpg

I took the gear housing apart so I could take the nut off the end of the
shaft that holds a small worm gear in place. I used a tiny puller to get it
off,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/i...gsmallgear.jpg

With the bearing cap screws out and the nut and gear off the other end I was
now able to slide the head out of the machine. There was some liberal BFH
usage against a block of wood against the end of the shaft to get it
started.

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/i...dcomingout.jpg

I pressed new bearings onto the shaft with a 20 ton hydraulic floor press
and installed the head the same way it came out.

Then came the problem that held me up for 45 minutes. I could not get the
woodruff key out of the old head. Most people are familiar with a key and
keyway on the end of a shaft for a pulley. A small piece of square bar stock
engages in a keyway (groove) in both the pulley and the shaft to stop it
from free spinning. I usually tap a woodruff key (small semi circle piece of
metal) with small hammer to remove it. I hit this key so hard I was worried
I was peening it, it would not budge. I ground a cold chisel to a sharp
point and drove it into the end of the key and ended up prying it out. I
had to file down all the marks I had made in the key and tried to fit it
into the new head. Nope wouldn't fit. I spent 10 minutes looking around the
shop trying to find another one. I found two, one was too thin and the other
was the same size and would not fit either. I spent quite a while filing the
key until it finally fit into the shaft,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14woodruff.JPG

With the key in place, I could the worm gear back in and reinstall the big
bolt that holds everything in,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/i...tingheadin.jpg

Install new gasket and reassemble gear box.

Time for an oil change,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14oilfill.jpg

Put oil fill and sight plugs back in, reinstall dust hood and button
everything up.

Time to fire it up,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14planing.jpg

Cool.

Take a look at the curly maple board,

http://www.federatedtool.com/david/img/14board.jpg

Not one bit of tear out. Nice upgrade.

I ran out of time today to do the final modification, that will have to wait
until Monday.

Thanks for looking,

David.

Every Neighbourhood has one, in Mine I'm Him.

Great write up!

How is the noise compared to the old head?

David F. Eisan wrote:
Hello everyone,
snip

Not one bit of tear out. Nice upgrade.

I ran out of time today to do the final modification, that will have to wait
until Monday.

Thanks for looking,

David.

Every Neighbourhood has one, in Mine I'm Him.


Very Nice, but what's the final modification/ It's Monday he-)
Joe

So what was the elapsed time to change out the cutter head
and be up and running? Any alignment problems?

These new cutter heads seem like the answer to a prayer
when it comes to planing highly figured wood. The sample
board you show was a great test - high figure AND knots -
both "challenging" for conventional straight knife knives.

Thanks for the How To and congrats on the Neener.

charlie b

Very nice David, good job.

Thanks Leon.

How is the noise compared to the old head?

It is much quieter. I wish I owned a DB meter so I could have posted
numbers.

Thanks,

David.

Very Nice, but what's the final modification/ It's Monday he-)

Wixey digital height gague. It is done, but I have not taken pics yet...

Thanks,

David.

So what was the elapsed time to change out the cutter head
and be up and running? Any alignment problems?

No problems other than those mentioned. It just took a couple of hours, but
working at a tool store, I had everything around me I could possibly need.

These new cutter heads seem like the answer to a prayer
when it comes to planing highly figured wood. The sample
board you show was a great test - high figure AND knots -
both "challenging" for conventional straight knife knives.

I cannot wait to take it home (raining for the last few days) and try it on
some of the squirly ash I have.

Thanks,

David.