What to do w/ Old 20" PM Planer Cutterhead?

[Strokes77]

Upgraded my Powermatic 209 planer to a byrd shellix.  What to do with the old head?

Can any of it be used by anybody, or do I toss it?

[MarkSingleton]

Hang on to it. Just in case. Or, eBay. Someone , somewhere needs one.
Or will. Maybe even you one day.

[EightFingers]

I asked the same question 6 years ago. No one had any ideas then either.


How about a rolling pin?

[fredhargis]

Every once in a while someone rebuilding ol' arn will ask for one to have re-machined into a head for an old jointer or planer, otherwise it's a boat anchor.

[fishhh4]

Every once in a while someone rebuilding ol' arn will ask for one to have re-machined into a head for an old jointer or planer, otherwise it's a boat anchor.

I bought a 22" couple years ago. 100 dollars. I have sort of a 2 knife clam head on my 12"jointer. I had planned on upgrading to the 4 knife from the planer head. I just have not got around to it. My machinist said no problem, once I decide to do it.

[MstrCarpenter]

Every once in a while someone rebuilding ol' arn will ask for one to have re-machined into a head for an old jointer or planer, otherwise it's a boat anchor.

I just happen to have one of those ol' arn 20" thickness planers that still has the original square cutter-head and flat belt drive. The flat belt hadn't been a problem 'till someone dropped and broke the drive pulley during a motor upgrade, but I would still like to change the cutter-head for a few reasons. First is safety; although it's never thrown a board completely out, I have experienced a few kick-backs that reminded me to stand aside and hold the boards on the edges. The second reason is that there are only two cutters so there are substantial planner marks. You can only go slow and a small "finish" cut leaves marks from the sectional in-feed rollers. I think I get a better finish off the ol' arn 36" band saw with a new Wood Slicer. I have a Craftsman branded 12" Parks planer that serves most of my current needs, but I would really like to upgrade the old iron without too much of an investment. I bought this, along with a few other items when I was still in High School. (It took a long time for a teenager to pay back $500, especially back then.) Now, I can afford to just buy a newer model, but it just doesn't seem right to see this one melted down and come back as a cheap Harbor Freight tool.

[jppierson]

Send it to "Forged In Fire" as knife material, or make some of your own.

[lift mechanic]

I am watching this as I have a 15" - 3 blade cutter head I replaced a few years ago. Just collecting dust, taking up room in it's box. Delta DC-380.

[TGW]

Secondhand round gibbed cutterheads are highly sought after and always in short supply. Around here (Finland that is) they never sell for less than 100 euros. Usually around 200. It is quite normal to search for several years for a replacement cutterhead for an old machine.
In America you have ready access to factory made replacement cutterheads which makes old cutterheads a bit less sought after but yet there is a market.

They can easily be remachined to fit into old planers and jonters instead of the inherently unsafe square heads and clamshell heads that are commonly found in theese old machines. Machining a new cutterhead from scratch is a lot more expensive.

Offer it for sale cheaply on the Vintage Machinery Forum......... and you can be sure that you helped save a good old machine that otherwise might have gone to the smelters because of lack of cutterhead................... or ship it to Finland and I will dispose of it

[WaterlooMarc]

Hardly the same scale but when I replaced my 12” jointer/planet cutterhead with a shelix I sold my old one on eBay. I didn’t try to make any money on it but just wrong to throw it away. I think it sold for $20 bucks and cost double that to ship. But it saved it from going to waste in a landfill and I got a case of beer out of it. Win win in my opinion.

I say put it on eBay and see what happens. It’s free if it doesn’t sell. Just make sure you accurately put the weight and box dimensions in for you shipping calculator when you list.