A while back I picked up a Powermatic 54a jointer (long bed) on craigslist for a really good price. In fact I sold my Ridgid and actually came out ahead. It was in great shape except the knives had a nick. No problem freud replacements for my ridgid were a little over $20. Well unfortunately this jointer used PM quick-set knives which cost almost $100 a set. Luckily they were double sided so I just flipped them around and used the good side for the time being. But I knew those things would wear out eventually, and with my track record, I would probably end up nicking them first. I looked for a used non-quick set head, but to no avail. My only options were to pay the $100 for the quick set or replace with a shelix head. I put the decision off for a while because the jointer was working and just didn't have the spare cash at the time.
Well a big project (for me) was coming up and I figured it's now or never. Contacted Brian at Holbren.com and ordered a set. Amazing service btw, as I'm sure many here will testify. If you're looking for router bits or planer/jointer heads definitely check out his site first. I got the head very quickly but realized I should probably get new bearings. Asked around and accurate bearing company was suggested. Also highly recommended. I'm not very mechanical so when the head came with no instructions I was a little worried. But the process turned out to be pretty simple. Only hiccup was me nicking one of the knives when I used a rubber mallet to tap the fence bed flush with the outfeed table.
I wasn't convinced how much better the new head would be. But I must say I'm quite impressed. Installing the damage knife was so much easier and faster. Granted it was just one knife, the fact that I don't have to pull out the oneway multigauge and take measurements at 2 points on the knife, adjust, measure, and repeat 20 times made it so much faster. In fact I chucked the multigauge all together this time around and just used the stick method.
The cuts were much better. No jointer tracks. This was rough lumber (definitely not FAS) and there were even some points where grain switched back and a few knots. On my older jointer this would have definitely caused tear out. But not here. In fact when I ran the other side on the planer I did get tear out on those spots.
Some people comment that it's quieter but I didn't really notice the difference. The jointers I've used have all been pretty quiet. Wish I would say the same for my planer. In fact I like the new shelix so much I'm actually considering getting one for my DW735 planer. Unfortunately I stocked up on straight knives when one of the online stores had a sale on them.
Well a big project (for me) was coming up and I figured it's now or never. Contacted Brian at Holbren.com and ordered a set. Amazing service btw, as I'm sure many here will testify. If you're looking for router bits or planer/jointer heads definitely check out his site first. I got the head very quickly but realized I should probably get new bearings. Asked around and accurate bearing company was suggested. Also highly recommended. I'm not very mechanical so when the head came with no instructions I was a little worried. But the process turned out to be pretty simple. Only hiccup was me nicking one of the knives when I used a rubber mallet to tap the fence bed flush with the outfeed table.
I wasn't convinced how much better the new head would be. But I must say I'm quite impressed. Installing the damage knife was so much easier and faster. Granted it was just one knife, the fact that I don't have to pull out the oneway multigauge and take measurements at 2 points on the knife, adjust, measure, and repeat 20 times made it so much faster. In fact I chucked the multigauge all together this time around and just used the stick method.
The cuts were much better. No jointer tracks. This was rough lumber (definitely not FAS) and there were even some points where grain switched back and a few knots. On my older jointer this would have definitely caused tear out. But not here. In fact when I ran the other side on the planer I did get tear out on those spots.
Some people comment that it's quieter but I didn't really notice the difference. The jointers I've used have all been pretty quiet. Wish I would say the same for my planer. In fact I like the new shelix so much I'm actually considering getting one for my DW735 planer. Unfortunately I stocked up on straight knives when one of the online stores had a sale on them.