I bought a spiral cutter head for my jointer, was it worth it?

[@robertsmith3518]

I bought my jet jointer exactly like yours for $200 at an estate sale ,I have fought replacing knives for the last time ,I upgraded this week ,02/11/24 . I spent my kids inheritance on it .Wow what a difference it’ s made , next is the yellow planer . Cheers

[@CasualBuilds]

Oh man, already thinking about my planer too 🤣

[@teamvtube]

One thing i noticed in your video with the straight knives is that when the boards were sliding along the outfeed table there was a shadowline at the table face. The spiral cutter head is much easier to level to the outfeed

[@randallthomas5207]

The thing I noticed almost instantly jointing faces was the dust extractor worked much better, the three knives cut of strips, which clogged. The spiral cut chips, and didn’t clog up at all. Autoparts stores frequently have rental/loaner tools, such as gear pullers available. If you walk in with the cutter head when they aren’t busy, they will probably help you pull the bearings off.

[@CasualBuilds]

Oh yeah, for sure - dust collection with the spiral is great. And yeah, I should have done that for the gear puller, but then couldn’t have shown the process in the vid!

[@Stillworks]

Nice dude. Impressive editing as well

[@CasualBuilds]

Thanks man - great meeting you yesterday.

[@Thomllama]

As someone who’s used both for yrs, yes, the spiral is worth it, and in the long run will save you money as the blades last a LOT longer, I used to have to sharpen and change my blades a lot, monthly to get decent, reliable cuts. Both in the jointer and planer. After 2 yrs in the planer and one yr now in the jointer, they have more than paid for themselves. Added costs people do t think of is things like the extra sand paper, and even the electricity to run the sander longer to get a finish near as nice as the helical. Plus the lower clogging from the chips as any vacuum or dust collector won’t clog as much. Sorry, helical a WAY more of a cost return per dollar spent than most “premium “ woodworking tools.

[@ralphturney2125]

I had that exact jointer for over 30 years! Same color…everything! I replaced the steel blades with carbide tipped blades many years ago. I worked awesome until I broke down and got an 8” with helical cutters. For smaller projects the Jet would be perfect though.

[@phillipbowman2400]

Replaced the cutter heads in both my planer and jointer with helical cutters. Could not be more pleased! Quieter, better results... what's not to like?

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic comparison, Tim! Thanks a bunch! 😃 But yeah, I know how moving works... It seems fast, you pack everything and move... The issue is to organize everything afterwards. 😬 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@CasualBuilds]

Thank you for watching (as always!). And yeah, it's been 1.5 years and the workshop is still not organized. One day!

[@monteglover4133]

From my understanding the spiral cutter heads really shine on woods with difficult grain patterns. My vintage Powermatic jointer the gibs that hold the knives are gone this is my only option and will be my first jointer in my 50 years of woodworking, was always found a work around

[@familymanof6169]

Very Informative video. I thank you for helping me decide which way to on a subject that I've been debating for some time. For now I think I will stay with my blades because of the price point.

[@Fiat-Domine]

Nice review. I don't think I need a helical cutter either, but I need new knives for my Jet JJ-6CSDX. I messed up and hit a brad nail jointing what I thought was an offcut from a previous project. I flipped the blades, but there is a lot of vibration now. Quick set blades are $100, so the price difference for the helical versus blade changes doesn't seem so bad to me. Still hard to pull the trigger on such an upgrade.

[@gefaber482]

Great video! Thank you for the comparison. I plan on using a lot more hardwood so one of these spiral cutterheads may just do the trick for me.

[@CasualBuilds]

thanks for watching! yeah, the maple board was SO smooth after running it through with this cutterhead.

[@joeplume8048]

Maybe I’ll upgrade in the future but I’m good for now, great video.

[@Michael-Makes-Stuff]

How dare you not post more videos because of your life getting in the way… 😆 It’s all good, man. I’m not a YTer but mine own shop is like “Friend, you don’t hang out anymore. Was it me?” I hope you get some quality org time soon, but family first - always. I love this channel because I am also a “casual” maker using mostly pine and occasionally maple or walnut. I have a basic Delta Shopmaster JT360 jointer that I never liked and thus rarely used. The cuts were not consistent and I frequently got washboard or tearout. I monkeyed with it for hours and it was just okay. I finally got to the point where I said “This either needs a helical head or it needs to go.” After some thought, I plunked down for the helical head and wow… This thing is awesome now. It cuts like a hot knife through butter and the finish is like glass. I actually look forward to using it now. Expensive? Yes. But it turned a crap jointer into a great one - even for pine. 😂 Great video. Keep ‘em coming! (Family life permitting, of course…) 👍🏼

[@CasualBuilds]

haha, thank you! oh yeah, i started off with one of those benchtop jointers, that didn't last long in the shop. there's nothing better than a tool that cuts well, always calibrated, and never has any issues.

[@FranktheDachshund]

My planer makes wood hay not chips, the spiral allows the dust collector to work.

[@BrailsfordWoodworks]

as an electrician, may I suggest you replace your plug?

[@CrazyManwich]

The knives work fine when they are fresh out of the box. However they dull so quickly because they aren’t carbide. I have tried every sharpening technique bull I have never been able to get the blades back to being what they should be.

[@AnthonyAnthony-tk4ye]

Dude, slow down lol……!!!! You don’t have to take 3” per pass….😜🤣🤣🤣

[@Michael-Makes-Stuff]

Random question: What are you going to do with the old cutter head? I have one and I have no idea what to do with it. I would gladly donate it but I don’t think anyone wants it. Can that sort of thing be recycled?

[@CasualBuilds]

Great question! It’s still sitting on my workbench 😂

[@oupaswoodshop1325]

Make another video after using the spiral cutter head for two years calculate the cost difference. You have plane lumber yet.

[@rogerstrom1186]

I DON'T NEED IT BUT WILL UPGRADE ANYWAY. LESS CASH TO FIGHT OVER WHEN I CROKE.

[@CasualBuilds]

🤣

[@robertsmith3518]

Your kids will spend it on tattoos and lotto tickets ,do yourself a favor spend all of it !

[@merlin_XY]

Your ground pin is missing from your electrical cord. :(

[@CasualBuilds]

😧

[@somebodyandthem]

Where is the hat?

[@CasualBuilds]

Ditched the hat and gained some confidence with my bald head.

[@somebodyandthem]

@@CasualBuilds oh okay I just didn’t even recognize you

[@brucepollock1441]

if you can afford it. Get the spiral. A far far superior cutter.

[@oliver299d]

actually the spiral head works harder than a straight knife, head, it's much harder to push a spiral head they're not worth it on a jointer you're better off with a straight knife head, most won't agree with that on a planer it is a different story

[@dylanspinas7358]

I have 2x of the same jointer, the only difference is the older one has a spiral head and is a slightly wider jointer. When pushing hardwood through there is always less resistance on the spiral cutter. With very dense wood the straight blades feel like they're fighting the wood. With the spiral cutter the wood just glides over (the spiral cutter is much older and I've never replaced the blades. The straight balde jointer is almost a year newer)