Retrofitting a Shelix Planer Head

[Rick_B]

For those of you who have retrofitted a shelix head (Byrd head) to a planer - does the cutting cirlce geometry change.  More specifically, do I need to check and adjust the chip breaker, infeed roller and outfeed roller in relation to the cutting head?  While not necessarily relevant, the planer is a Yorkcraft YC-15P - a standard import 4 post planer.

Thanks for your thoughts

[Steve N]

Posting at the other place of someone doing same same

You will want the generic 4 post install


Glen Huey doing a 20" Yorkie. I don't imagine they are a lot different, just bigger.



You may also want to post your city, could be someone locally who could give you a hand. It happens here all the time.

[fredhargis]

I didn't on my Delta 15". and it seems to work just fine.

[oakey]

Rick
I changed my grizzly it worked just fine
The first board I ran through with a lot of caution but it was fine
I figured just try it then if it did not work ok I could adjust it then
I did change the dust hood baffle I had read here that it would help dust collection
Me I would run a board or two if it works your golden
if not then you can worry about adjustments

[Rick_B]

Rick
I changed my grizzly it worked just fine
The first board I ran through with a lot of caution but it was fine
I figured just try it then if it did not work ok I could adjust it then
I did change the dust hood baffle I had read here  that it would help dust collection
Me I would run a board or two    if it works your golden
if not then you can worry about adjustments

That's a good point Oakey - I think I'll give that approach a try.

[jteneyck]

That's a good point Oakey - I think I'll give that approach a try.

Contrary approach; I would check to make sure the factory adjustments were correct and that nothing had moved during prior use.  I bought a used drum sander recently and found several adjustment screws missing.  It still worked w/o them, but it works better with them and adjusted properly.  If you are going to the trouble of taking it apart that far it seems like a good time to check that everything is OK. 

John

[BloomingtonMike]

Congrats on the upgrade though to all you folks!

[Rick_B]

That's a good point Oakey - I think I'll give that approach a try.

Well I got everything back together and gave it atry- works great.  Very nice finish and a lot less noisy.  I did notice a bit of a squealing for  short period of time and then it disappeared.  I noticed that the motor side bearing slid very easily into itshousing - too easily.  So I put some loctite shaft retainer on it.  I'm goingto have to keep my ears open - that bearing may be spinning in the housing.

Oakey - I did notice that there were a ;ot more chis coming out the infeed side of the machine - a lot more than with straight knives.  What was the modification you made to the dust collection port?

Thanks

[oakey]

Rick
Yes
I did mine several years back I just do not remember exactly what had to be changed /adjusted
Some one surely will as the information came from this forum
it was just a change to the dust hood inter plastic baffell may not be relivant to all brands
It is either moved closer to the cutter or away
Shelix heads do a great job but they do make smaller chips
And John is right it may pay to make sure all adjustments are good for the long term my planer was almost new it was fine

[Rick_B]

Rick
Yes
I did mine several years back I just do not remember exactly what had to be changed /adjusted
Some one surely will as the information came from this forum
it was just a change to  the dust hood inter plastic baffell may not be relivant to all brands
It is either moved closer to the cutter or away
Shelix heads do a great job but they do make smaller chips
And John is right it may pay to make sure all adjustments are good for the long term my planer was almost new it was fine

Thanks Oakey - I am hoping someone jumps in with the actual change.  I think these 4 post planers are pretty generic - I do have a plastic baffle inside the dust collection hood. Right now it is as far away as it can go (that's the way it was set up with the straight knives).  It is slotted so I could move it closer?