Shopsmith Forums

The Shopsmith head has 5 wings of 12 cutters, 60 cutters total. The DW 735 head has 4 wings of 10 cutters, 40 cutters total. So the price for either works out to a bit over $10 per cutter.

I read somewhere that the SS head is a superior design, and Byrd cost-engineered the DW735 head down based on what they thought the market would bear. Regardless, it certainly doesn't seem that the SS head is overpriced in comparison. But it is a bit much for my budget, for now.

I know they are pricey but the advantages of having the Spiral Cutterhead ( SC) on the SS planer to me should be worth it. For me I don't consider the other planers a fair comparison. The SS planer offers me variable cutter speed with variable speed feed which is independent of the cutterhead. I don't mean to compare the SS to larger heavy duty planers because for me they serve different purposes. At this point I use the surface planer to size wood for a finished purpose ( as in drawer sides) and not for surfacing of rough lumber. The SC in past experiences give me a superior surface i.e. less sanding with far less time in maintenance. So that is my hope. We will see.
Paul

I see that MYWoodcutters has three solid carbide knives for the Shopsmith Planer for $200 to replace the high speed steel ones. Has anyone tried it?

https://mywoodcutters.com/Replacement_C ... th_Planers

I haven't tried the carbide knives, but my experience with carbide tells me that they would almost surely be amazing. Carbide saw blades easily last 10-20 times longer for me than high speed steel. The same goes for carbide router bits. I think the planer might work easier and even possibly a bit quieter with carbide.

I am going to the 75th Shopsmith Anniversary Celebration in Dayton next month. While there on the factory tour I will ask Shopsmith if they have tried them and if they are planning to offer them as an optional upgrade to their planer. At only $90 more they should be considering it.

I see they have blades for the DeWalt 732 for $220. Spiral head replacements run about $100-$200 more than that. I haven't used it much so far, have to see how long the original blades last to calculate the benefit.

I have the Dewalt 735 w/Shelix. Would never go back to straight blades. Have to take small bites but worth it to me. If I have a SS planer I wouldn't hesitate to put a Shelix on it.

Jack

I put a Sheartac head on my Shopsmith planer. It performs so much better than the straight blade head. It was pricey but being a tool addict it was in the budget and I’m very happy with the results from it.

I recently installed the Sheartac helical on my Shopsmith planer and love it. I created a 4 part video series for those who want to see what is involved.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/pCeK314CjKc?si=I1D9Dj6mW7trNiHe[/youtube]