Introduction to the spiral cutter head
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Introduction to the spiral cutter head
Today we are going to introduce you to the four main merits of the spiral cutter head, then you will know why they’re the new favorites in the woodworking world. Read on if you’re interested!
Spiral cutter heads are also called helical heads or indexable insert cutter heads. It means the cutter head employs a pretty foolproof system for cutter placement on a technical level. When you change cutters, you are virtually guaranteed the correct placement of the cutter in the head. Most cutters used for metalworking lathes and milling machines employ this type of system, but to woodworking tools lathe it's largely uncertain. This is one of the four strengths of woodworkers.
The second merit of indexable inserts are made of carbide. While carbide knives have long been available for straight knife heads. If you happen to hit a staple, nail, or screw there is a strong chance that you will crack the knife. Because a crack through the knife can't be repaired, you are forced to buy a new set of knives, which could be a big expense. Indexable inserts are not unbreakable. However, they are inexpensive, with most inserts ranging from USD3–USD6. You can also replace just one insert at any given time, so if you happen to chip one in the middle of a job, you can change that one insert and keep going.
The third merit of spiral cutter heads is a noise reduction. Conventional straight knife cutters take one big bite of wood, three or four times per rotation, when the knife contacts the wood. Spiral heads have the inserts staggered around the circumference of the head. Because of this, only one or two inserts, which are usually 1/2″ to 3/4″ in width, are in contact with the material at any time. Surprisingly, machine noise can be reduced by as much as 50 percent through the installation of a spiral cutter head.
The fourth, and probably most important merit for woodworkers is the greatly reduced tear-out that these cutter heads produce. While most planers have no problem with straight grained wood, they generally do not produce good results with knots, burls, and figured woods. spiral heads typically produce much smoother finishes on these difficult woods.
And one minor defect
There is one difference with spiral cutter heads over straight-knife machines: spiral cutter heads take more effort to feed. If you were to install a spiral cutter in your jointer, you will notice that it takes more effort to push the board through the machine. Because the wood only met with resistance from the spinning knives three or four times per rotation (depending on how many knives your machine has). With a spiral cutter head, there is always at least one knife in contact with the wood, thus constant resistance to your push. As a result of this, planers and jointers typically use more horsepower when a spiral cutter head is installed.
Conclusion
By comparison I believe you will still choose the spiral cutter head with more advantages. As mentioned, there are four distinct and measurable merits; reduced operating noise, reduced tear-out, and carbide knives with simplified replacement. If you work with hard, knife dulling, or figured woods, you may need to change your knives 5–10 times less often.
Any comments welcome join the discussion at the end of this article!
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