The Ultimate Planer Upgrade

[@kuurbis]

I can't overstate how much I appreciate your dedication to filming stop motion bits in your videos. I know it must take you ages to film and finish projects as a result, but it's so charming and I hope you continue it for as long as it makes you happy.

[@frankmakes]

:)

[@MarkkuS]

Also, the Homer soundbites. Chefs kiss.

[@macedindu829]

It's actually amazing. I'm subscribed to quite a few channels on youtube that are really high quality, and understandably, they rarely release videos. Frank somehow meets or exceeds these channels, and still manages to release videos on a very regular basis. Honestly, I can't think of anything like it. There's so much production work in all these videos, on top of generally huge amounts of work on the project itself. Frank's brain is the size of a watermelon.

[@risfutile]

*overstate

[@kuurbis]

@@risfutile lol thanks for catching that.

[@thebradleysoncatbirdhill6849]

Ahhhhh.....the "scientific " and the "artful"! The perennial debate in the head of every craftsman! Beautifully done video!

[@izegrimcreations]

It's always a pleasant surprise to watch a video and find out you live in the same city! Between you and Cam at Blacktail studio, we have some great local woodworking talent here.

[@izegrimcreations]

@frankmakes spam reported

[@jstreutker]

That sure looks like the same model of planer my high school's wood shop had in the early eighties. Memories!

[@rickclark4112]

I was thinking the very same thing....WOW. Days gone by!!! Good ol' Days

[@elisabethreeves1786]

Ooooh! The overlay with the schematic is BRILLIANT and super helpful.

[@macedindu829]

I'm less than a minute it, and it's just astounding how good Frank is at all these visual effects. It's hard to say which he's better at: these video effects or the woodworking projects. He's so good at both it's simply astounding that he doesn't have a whole production crew involved. Literally better than television shows with millions in funding behind them.

[@Hog-g2z]

Good Morning 🌅, very nice upgrade, well worth the time and effort spent on doing this, I have SMC JOINTER Class 410 E , and the thickness Class E510 , from new back 2006/7 in the uk , I had the option to have the helical head on both machines, but it was out of my price range at the time, I wished I’d actually done it in the end, especially as I have now got life sets for both machines I think I have around six sets for each machine, doesn’t really matter now as I’m now retired, though I do still use it occasionally, and I’m now living in France, and I still got most my tools and machinery, I look at you are still working. I’ve just had a look through your other KZbin channels., Happy New Year, from old English Dude living in France

[@brianb6603]

Excellent as Usual!!! As a fellow Willamette Valley occupier I was pleased to hear about GobalTooling... My old Delta 6" jointer needs a new cutter head. Thanks!!!

[@ObsessiveScientist]

You know that Frank Howarth is good when you are watching him with delight changing the cutter head of his planner while you are sitting in an appartement where using a Japanese saw or a drill is the acceptable level of noise. Yep! Frank Howarth is that good! I love that channel!

[@167curly]

Congratulations on successfully changing the cutter in your planing machine, Frank.

[@Sven-W]

Very bold to stand directly behind the piece while stating the infeed isn't gripping the wood properly 😯 Thanks for the detailed video!

[@bobstovall9570]

Your artful use of SFX makes your videos extremely satisfying to watch.

[@Sebastopolmark]

What a BEAST and tribute to how they made tools many years ago. I doubt any new equivalent tools will last 60 years. There probably won't be wood 60 years from now. GREAT video Frank! !! !!!

[@TheMaxg85]

Really interesting way of film making and editing, bravo, very original, and thats hard. Was instantly interested. Subscribed.

[@mjc2ride336]

Holy disassemble Batman! That's a lot of work.

[@wilcojuffer5940]

Hello Frank, it whas nice that your "twin brother" helping you 😉👍👍

[@xander_man]

If there’s something I’ve learned from youtube makers and craftspeople, it’s that there is art in the mundane. Very well done. I love your style of editing.

[@eriklarsson3188]

Not sure craftsmen see it 'our' way. :)

[@aaronvining2336]

This is such a nostalgia trip. I’ve been watching you since that trip out to go get the big 1947 bandsaw. Such an inspiration.

[@MS-do5xq]

The attention to detail not only in your video edits, but your monologue makes your videos highly entertaining and informative. I can't imagine the time all this takes, but its appreciated. I don't own this planer, nor am I attempting to upgrade my existing one.....that said, I happily watched the video start to finish. Always look forward to seeing your videos!

[@thomasschafer7268]

Very impressive video. This company is the only one Who produce such heads.👍👍👍🇩🇪

[@peanut71968]

Ladies and gentlemen? Once again, Frank proves substance over science! Yes, science has a “process” but substance IS that process! Sure, the scientific “method” entail facets of probability but to determine these data, it is necessary to employ the eons old methodology of “trial and error”! Thank you Frank! What goes up?

[@stephenvillanella2246]

I did the same upgrade in the same planer a few weeks ago. Total game changer. What a difference. I really appreciate your pervious video. It helped me get the job done.

[@andymason8401]

Your editing tricks freaked me out when it looked like you were adjusting a running planer

[@TheMichaelBJohnson]

Lovely as always, frank.

[@rsuplido]

Nice touch on the disco music when the Shelix blades are rotating (like a mirror ball). :)

[@RobMods]

Nice work mate. Beautiful videography. And great to see you bring back some stop motion.

[@ScottESchmidt]

I put a Shelix in my surfacer last year and it's the best thing I've ever done. Even on figured wood like Cherry, there's no tearout, and all the surface needs is a little 220 and it's ready for finish! No more washboard!! Highly recommended.

[@Curtis-Randall]

The Homer Simpson sound bite is by far my favorite little touches in your videos. It's always unexpected and I ALWAYS crack up. Love your videos Frank! Your projects, film making, and attention to detail are always an inspiration. Thank you

[@mandyleeson1]

I barely understood any of this, Frank, but the super imposed drawings helped and the artful animations kept me going for the whole 22 minutes.

[@pdmark311]

not needing to take things about is why I love Twist-Lock Adjustable-Length V-Belting

[@privatename7797]

I appreciate you explaining what you're doing and telling us the names of all the pieces during disassembly very thoroughly! I feel like I know every piece name now! :D

[@johannes.f.r.]

Always a good feeling, getting a machine dialed in. Makes me want to make things.

[@rpclance]

Watched your first vis and now this, thank you thank you! Finally going to tackle this swap on my 160 Monday or Tuesday. Have had the byrd cutterhead for over a year with work and 2nd kiddo being my delays. So much to dismantle. Can't wait to dial it in and never have to worry about adjusting it again, just a turn of the carbide.

[@henrymostert2125]

I did mine two months ago and im happy like you are. Best decision I made

[@ronaldhaefner8515]

Great upgrade. Did my 160 a few five years back, never looking back, best upgrade for the planer. And you never need to reset the adjustments after the first time as the cutting circle never changes. Nice detailed video.

[@loucinci3922]

Yeah those helix cutters do so nice. Thanks for sharing

[@AndrewBrowner]

I have to say, the audio in this videos is by far the highest quality of any content creator i can think just a joy to listen to the videos without even taking into account the visuals or content in the videos, unique and im sure time consuming to perfect over just dropping a lapel mic in the shirt pocket and cutting the raw audio into the video

[@earljtharp]

I absolutely love watching your videos. It makes me want to head right out into my shop and start working. While my shop is nowhere as nice as yours, you still give me tons of inspiration. Now …… to get a powermatic ……

[@makerspace533]

In our makerspace we had a 15 Grizzly with plain knives and upgraded to a 20" planer with a spiral cutterhead. I measured the sound output from both machines while planing a piece of red oak. The difference was amazing. The new planer was a full 20dB quieter. The old 15" machine would drive people out of the building. We have had the new machine 3 years and just replaced all the cutters. It is very heavily used, sometimes with some pretty nasty wood, but has held up great.

[@LambertHeenan]

Kudos for the stop-motion fastener removal shots. :-)

[@supadeluxe]

Well worth it just for the sound difference! Sounds so smooth now.

[@johnlowell7394]

Glad the cutter head was free, but it may not be worth the price you paid. I purchased one, the drive pinion pulled the threads out of the head on the first day of use. Sent it back, yup, they confirmed the threads were gone and the offered to sell me a new one at a 20% discount. Fool me once, shame on you. Twice, shame on me. They have the defective cutter head and my money. I reinstalled the old cutter head and bought new straight blades. Thanks Lux! Real stand up company.

[@randyfox4611]

MMMmmmm. Powermatic.... When i was young i worked in millwork shops. Powermatic stationary tools were always the gold standard among all the older guys and if the shop you worked in had powermatic tools you had the best to work with. Much respect for your planer.

[@LariFariYoutube]

I am always impressed, how much work you put into filming and editing your videos... besides the subject itself of course.. ;) I like the sound of the new cutter head... It sounds so... hmm.. futuristic...Not what a planer used to sound like, when i was an apprentice... Well done..greets from Germany..

[@killymxi]

9:25 - you can see one cutter that was removed and installed in a different orientation! Looks like those circles are there to keep track of cutters rotation.

[@ArmyCop]

I live for those random occasions when Homer says “bed goes up”! Please never stop these little Easter eggs, Frank!

[@kentrichardson9070]

I worked for a flooring manufacture running a German 5 head molder. To sharpen or change profiles we simply loosened a nut and slid the entire head off a shaft,less than a minute. We did have an aluminum spiral head with replaceable knives but would only use it to plane or “ blank” our material. It would leave a corduroy or undulating finish. It was much quieter and if a nick occurred of course you could just rotate one knife. I’ve always been sceptical of segmented heads because of that,especially on jointers. I might consider a swap out if they ever redesigned planers and jointers with easy removable heads. It won’t happen in my lifetime. Love your content.Cheers from Vancouver Island.

[@mrx.2233]

You videos are always exceptional!!!. Well done

[@hoppalong-er1xp]

Excellent video. Always put the key in the keyway after you put the gearing or pulleys back into place. 🤘

[@mattiasfagerlund]

Love the club music, that's got to be the worlds most dangerous disco ball!

[@billsmith5166]

The design of that planer is either genius or lunacy and I can't tell which. Regardless, it sure does a nice job once someone like you gets it set up.

[@tandar]

Interesting as always. On the last shot, I was 1/2 expecting a split screen with a 3" thick board at the infeed and a 1/8" on the outfeed

[@Jacksterific]

Same here! Frank has trained us all well to expect the unexpected. 😂

[@photoguyjames4522]

I've been expecting Red Shirt Frank to come in and complain about the mess for awhile now.

[@rickcimino5483]

another artfully done piece of work. Thank you Frank.

[@167curly]

An impressive up-grading, Frank. Congratulations. I am always entertained by your amusing footage.

[@paulschwartz6074]

Frank, only you could make this task worth watching a 22 min. on. Wonderful photography and editing - some really cool camera angles. Did you have the camera clipped to your hat for the overhead shots? Great to see another Frank video in my feed - been missing you. Hope all’s well.

[@justinmalone8518]

Pretty cool editing with the bolts unscrewing 😎👍🏼

[@kanonhile]

You’ve got guts starting that beast with the top off! My Byrd shelix on my powermatic broke off several cutter heads on the first few boards through. Would have been scary if that happened here without the top.

[@timhyatt9185]

I have a delta lunchbox planer..I'm glad mine wasn't nearly as complicated as your full sized one seems to be.. Putting a helical cutter in it was like a completely new upgrade. it acted like a brand new machine. With the standard blades, i was routinely stalling it even with fairly thin cuts on narrow stock, it would blow the breaker and i'd have to go reset everything and try again with a thinner pass. With the carbide cutters, the reduced force on the drive train, I could take full width passes, with modestly agressive depth of cut and it it never even hiccuped. projects i'd put off I could now do!.. if you have a standard planer, yes, it's expensive to get a helical cutterhead. but it's worth EVERY penny.....if you're buying a new one, look for a helical cutter already installed....you'll never regret it.. plus, no more sharpening blades, if they get dull, just turn the cutters a quarter turn,...you've got 4 sides to work with bfore you've used up all of them. (and if it's not too badly nicked up, you can even rehone them if you're careful, but as cheap as they are, they're really not even worth doing that to, just buy a couple dozen new ones and replace them!!!)

[@aaronallgrunn7845]

Wow Homer camio? Big budget for this one! Loved it

[@abrenning2499]

Excellent as always. With that much work, it had better be a huge upgrade

[@Lumberox]

I have the same planner and have been drooling over a helical head now for almost 2 years

[@the_judge_8262]

Flooring looks great Melissa, will be great to see it against the finished walls. 👍🏼

[@robbieclark5938]

The commitment to subtle Homer Simpson references is one of the things that make this channel great!

[@JointerMark]

I have had machines self-dissassemble themselves but never as tidy and reversible as your planar! You have very well behaved machines!

[@josephvolk6243]

Dude! You are a mechanical genius, a stop-motion wizard, and a Homer-dubbing god. Your wife hit the trifecta.

[@311Bob]

Exceptional editing! Well done!

[@HWCism]

Nice job. You have the patience of a saint.

[@212superdude212]

"they are somewhat close to me, say 3 hours away by car" most people in the UK would call that an overnight trip

[@ZachShannon1]

Yeah, America is weird with stuff like that. Because it's so goddamn big, a couple of hours drive isn't considered very far to go, so you can end up driving an hour each way to visit a friend in the evening.

[@tobykathan8277]

Plus, Frank grew up in Hawaii where everything was very far away. And no driving.

[@MrTarfu]

Yeah we are weird, for me to go shopping it's about a 2 hour trip

[@jbratt]

I live in Texas..3 hours is pretty close 👍

[@benstrait333]

Also, 3 hours is close compared to another continent, say Asia

[@sallyweiner4180]

Impressive work! Wonderful video 😊

[@ApexWoodworks]

Thanks for this video, Frank. Watching you operating it without the dust shround in position brought back memories of the "old days" before dust collection was considered necessary. Although my vintge Wadkin Bursgreen 18" planer has its original straight-knife cutterhead on it, I enjoyed watching the meticulous adjustments you did to the table, rollers and pressure bar - all of which are adjustments I made to mine when I first acquired it.

[@davidm2645]

Hi Frank! Enjoyed your video. I had the Byrd Shelix cutter head installed on my Powermatic model 201 planer. Love it! Also bought same for my Powermatic model 50 jointer. Good stuff. Enjoy!

[@dsdragoon]

Your planer looks like a really good work horse and with the new head it does a terrific job.

[@ovidyus]

just paused the video to comment that I love the editing

[@hekios888s6]

Congrats on the upgrade!

[@comsigninc]

You even making the mundane things entertaining due to your video skills. Good job Frank.

[@kenc2257]

Nice job! Seems to be a well-made cutter head. [and, I also enjoyed the "special effects" of this video]

[@joepangean6770]

Replaced the cutter head on my Dewalt 735X with the Lux Cut III. It worked very well initially but did not last. Twenty board feet of aromatic cedar and some sassafras nicked several blades. Oddly, 10 years of steel straight knives held up far longer. But then, changing cutters on the Lux Cut is infinitely easier than changing long steel knives. I imagine I will be using up the extra cutters that I got with the Lux Cut sooner when I start running hardwoods like cherry, walnut, red oak and hickory.

[@vandyFixer]

You'll be able to make your own plywood now Frank and to be fair, I would watch that too.

[@matthewsackman]

For super thin stuff, I have had good success using a dab of CA-glue in the corners and gluing the piece to a thicker board, and passing the whole thing through in one go. I've gone down to about 1mm on my Hammer A3 with that method. Careful razor to then detach the two pieces and clean up the glue.

[@lisahodges8299]

I was quite shocked to see how much needed to be removed in order to replace a major large part. I now understand that to purchase a machine of this type is a major decision. Birdy

[@Scodiddly]

Agreed, though if the straight blades needed to be simply replaced it wasn’t that much stuff.

[@dougs6460]

All those parts deter me from even thinking about the upgrade!

[@swalker6794]

Don't let it go to your head...... but as usual, you impress me greatly with your skills, talents and know-how! Thank you. Very good video.....also as usual.

[@MRrwmac]

Your the kind of guy and woodworker who does so much woodworking, that you deserve a high quality cutter head like the one you have now! Congratulations!

[@sheph7]

hmmmmmmm, makes me really like my "little" and simple Delta 15". Exceptional video, thanks

[@bobdriggers6111]

Thanky Franky......You one of my bestist!

[@indisputablefacts8507]

The observation about the sound is really interesting. I replaced an old delta straight-knife planer with a 12" Oliver planer (with the same sort of cutters), and had the same sort of experience. Both are loud, both require hearing protection, but the sound the new cutterhead makes is less grating.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, Frank! Congrats!!! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@carlozgraggen1086]

A really small detail, at 9:24 you can see that one of the cutters has a different orientation than the others. Not that it makes that much of a difference as it is right at the edge the planer

[@JoshuaRes]

Some fun new camera angles here! What an awesome project. Some day I will put down the cash for one of these heads for my DeWalt.

[@boldlygo3469]

Long time to no see!! Glad to see a new video. I always enjoy your work. Love the animated “sense of humor.”

[@christophersteves]

Hi Frank, I hope you are doing well. Thank you for putting this video together! I inherited a Powermatic 180 from my Dad’s shop when he passed and I have been dreaming of upgrading it to a “helical” head for a long time. How are you liking the Lux cutterhead now after more than half a year’s use? I appreciate the thorough and candid information on your experience with the swap, I fully intend to use it as a guide when I change mine soon!

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

Excellent video

[@thomaschandler4831]

Very nice cutter 👍👍🏆

[@shubus]

We happily welcome the return of the projection screen! Love this gimmick!

[@pathardage1880]

Man alive, Frank, I'm just going to offer you airfare to come change mine out. I'm a wood butcher, not a jet mechanic. Glorious video. Thanks.

[@michaelsmith-ec7ul]

great video, nice planner made very good years ago probably USA made.

[@warpo007]

you look very proud at all those chips flying, Frank!

[@oliver299d]

I had that same planer that I sold and bought an Oliver 299d, which has their itch head, I am surprised that it didn't; make it a lot quieter. I know the noise level from my old powermatic to the Oliver is night and day

[@Rsama60]

Nice project, it’s good that you got some help too. The other Frank giving you a hand and Homer Simpson helping you to narrate. Too nocth video.

[@ScottHampshire]

Bed goes down. I love it every time.

[@timl3918]

Even though you have a helical cutterhead on your planer, you may want to keep the indexing collar and indexing plunger on your machine to lock the head in place while you rotate or change the carbide cutters. I'm glad I kept mine on my PM221 planer.