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Grizzly Planer: G0544 20" Pro Spiral Cutterhead Planer

Started by Dan_Shade, December 29, 2008, 09:49:48 AM

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Dan_Shade

http://www.grizzly.com/products/20-Pro-Spiral-Cutterhead-Planer/G0544

Anybody here seen/used/owned one of these things?  I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger, but i'm concerned that i'm going overkill, and wonder if a G1033X would be sufficient.

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Norm

Dan I've got the G1033X and went through the same thoughts as you are when I bought mine. I will say I'm very happy with the model I bought. Since I didn't get the bigger one can't say much about it other than for the money and my usage I fell like I made the right decision.

Dan_Shade

Thanks, Norm.

You have the spiral cutter head model?  I've done some research on that, and there seems to be some debate as to if they are worth the trouble.  Any thoughts on  yours?

Also, how hard can you push the planer, what's the most you've fed through it at once, and did you wish you had a larger machine afterwards?
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

ADAMINMO

Looks like the old style Baker planer . Just in green and not blue. They are good planers. Grizzly gets theirs from the same manufacturer we get ours. You wont go wrong with it thats for sure.

Dan_Shade

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

ADAMINMO

Yup .... same one.The one we now have has a thicker max height.I sent you a pm with the link to the one we have that took the place of the Grizzly style one. 1/8" min to 7 " max I think. (You can squeeze it to 7.75" max)

Norm

Dan I have the spiral cutter head and would not go back to straight knives no matter what. It is so quiet I don't even have to wear hearing protection with it. I had a jet before and even with headsets on it was louder then this one without them.

I'm not sure how many bd ft I've done in one run but have never felt like I was lacking for power even when doing white oak with it. One thing though is you really need a heavy duty dust collector for it. My biggest constraint is having to empty mine because it's just plain too small. I finally got it hooked up in the new shop over on the farm and my Christmas present to myself is a bigger better collection system.

Now don't let me talk you out of the bigger one though. The only reason I didn't get it was my budget. :D

IL Bull

I have the 15" Grizzly with the spiral cutting head.  Just like Norm says, it is very quiet.  i have trouble with the out feed roller leaving little lines in the wood.  Anyone else have this problem?  i also don't like the location of the reset button.  You have to take a panel off and then the top of the relay box to reset it.   That should have been designed differently from a guy that probably crowds it a little too much.
Joe
Case Skid Steer,  Ford Backhoe,  Allis WD45 and Burg Manual Sawmill

Dan_Shade

while I was goofing off making up my mind they got more expensive, I should have seen that coming, though....
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Gilman

WM LT70, WM 40 Super, WM  '89 40HD
Cat throwing champion 1996, 1997, 1999. (retired)

ADAMINMO

The difference that I can find is that theirs has variable feed speed and the Baker don't. It is an option on the Baker for $500.00 I think.

TexasTimbers

Dan,

I always buy the most I can afford. The few times I have not I have regretted it. But when it comes to planers, "most" to me means width more than anything else, as long as it isn't going to be under-powered etc.

In this case, since they are both 20" planers and the 1033x gets such great reviews, I believe I would have to save the $1500 to use on a DC upgrade or whatever other need is most pressing in your shop.

The carbide cutterhead is a must-have. I have one on my Woodmaster and it is S-U-P-E-R   Q-U-I-E-T.

But of course if I were planer shopping I would probably buy the Baker unit from Adam after seeing this thread.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Left Coast Chris

Norm,   how much use have you gotten before you had to rotate the cutters on your spiral head?  And.... have you had to replace them?  I notice they are very expensive to replace.
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

Norm

Boy that's hard to say as I really have never kept track of it and I'm still on the originals. They are kind of pricey but I still feel that they last longer and do a better job so it's still cheaper than straight knives. Just a gut feeling as I don't have any idea of what I've run with them.

TexasTimbers

Chris,

The inserts have 4 sides so divide the cost of each by four. Because you just rotate them to get a "new insert".
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

metalspinner

Has anyone rotated their carbide inserts yet and kept track of the time?
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

TexasTimbers

I have not kept track of anything like that MS. I get lucky to find the time to even rotate them. There are 164 of them on my head and it takes more than an hour to remove the ducting, remove the  planer cover, loosen each nut, spin the insert 1/4 turn, tighten the nut, do the next one times 164, then replace the cover and ducting.

The trade-off is sure worth it though. I can't believe how much mileage I got out of that first side. I don't know how much it was but it was a bunch.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

WDH

I assume that when you turn one cutter, you turn them all in tandem rather than turn them in a random manner?  Is there any way to know which cutter has been turned and which has not been turned?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

TexasTimbers

Quote from: WDH on January 06, 2009, 09:29:43 AMIs there any way to know which cutter has been turned and which has not been turned?

At first I started out marking the used edge with a red sharpie, but after one row I realized it wasn't necessary. You can see the wear on the leading edge compared to the other 3 sides clearly. Just pick a direction and stay with it. I chose CW. I started at one end, and followed that helical row. I rotated the head as I needed to keep my driver in a near upright position.

For those considering a caride cutter, make sure it is helical (the rows of cutters do not all enter the wood at the same time, they are staggered) & offset. Offset means the leading edge of the inserts themselves do not enter the wood at a 90° angle, but a little less so that it has a better cutting ability. I don't know the angle on my cutters but I would guess they are about 2° to 3° off of 90°.


Don't buy a cutterhead that does not have these three important features:

1)Helical rows of cutters
2)Cutters that are offset from 90°
3)Inserts have four cutting sides

You are spending too much money to get *almost* there.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Dan_Shade

well, I pulled the trigger













I'll report back when I get the new circuit wired and run a test board.

My wallet is recovering.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Left Coast Chris

Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

pigman

Dan, I have a very important question for you. In the last photo did you obey the sign?  ;D

That is a nice looking planer, I am sure you will like it long after you forget what you paid for it.
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

TexasTimbers

That first board will make him think he underpaid before it's even completely through. It's so quiet. ;D

The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

WDH

I bet that you take the tags off mattresses, too ;D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

submarinesailor

Me thinks its time for a short road trip. ;) ;)  Dan is just up the road.  I wonder just how much black walnut and cherry the 250 can carry????

Hey Dan.......................... ;D ;D ;D

Bruce

Norm

Way to go Dan!

I'm amazed they had it in stock. Almost everything I've ever bought from them was on backorder for some time. The last tool I bought from them was my planer. Sure enough they said it's backorder for a month. I said enough of this if you list it you need to stock it, cancel the order. Then about a month later here shows up this semi with a huge crate on it. I couldn't stand to see it sitting there in that cold truck so I brought it home. :D

TexasTimbers

The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Norm

Yep, but I'm a soft touch....how many of you could turn away a lonely planer. :D

Dodgy Loner

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

TexasTimbers

Good thing you had not got one elsewhere in t he meantime. Oh well t hat wouldn't be a problem. How many shops have His & Hers planers. You could have painted one pink and enscribed across it Patty's Pink Planer. ;D

The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Don_Papenburg

You causin trouble Tex . Now Norm will have to buy a new planer and paint it pink
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Don_Papenburg

My buddy in the UP has a General 12" jointer with spiral insert cutter . He has had it for five years now . It gets used almost on a daily basis.  He told me that he has changed once . He also said that you will not get to use four sides as the wood will wear on the side of the cutter also .  It may be ok if you do not work highly figured woods like he does . I can tell you that even if you only use two sides of the cutters it would be worth every penny to be able to slide a 10or 12" board over the cutter and not have it beating your hands as the blade makes contact and doing it quietly and effortlesly.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

WDH

Pecan is killing (has just about killed) my little Dewalt portable planer.  It is on its last legs.  I am going to have to buy a real planer.  Dan, that is a real planer ;D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

TexasTimbers

Don that is an interesting tidbit. Had I known that maybe I should have turned my inserts 180° instead of 90°. Then the wear would be closer to even for the third turn of 90°, and then 180° for the fourth. Theoretically, but it would not work out that way of course as far as dead even wear.

I have to say though, I do not have any lines or weird patterns from just having turned them 90°.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

crtreedude

We have both Helix spiral and the Grizzly (the Grizzly is an 8 inch joiner) - and we rotate the inserts, no problems that anyone has mentioned.

A lot of the wood we pass through would never go with a regular head.

So, how did I end up here anyway?

BBTom

It has been my experience that carbide edge will last 10 - 20 times what a steel blade edge will last.  Now multiply that by four sides of the insert and you should agree that carbide inserts are inexpensive.
2001 LT40HDD42RA with lubemizer, debarker, laser, accuset. Retired, but building a new shop and home in Missouri.

Dan_Shade

This thing is nice, I got it wired in yesterday and took a video of the first "full length" board to go through it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAhzLBtbR-s

this one is a little shorter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uUJbfvJdrQ
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

pigman

Well Dan, I can't see the video until I get to the library since  I am on dialup , but I got to ask, do you like the planer.
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

Dan_Shade

I wanted to plane every board I had, a complete opposite feeling from using the old delta 22-580!
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Norm

Nice! But now I have planer envy. :D

What size of dust collector are you using and do you feel like it was enough?


Dan_Shade

The planer is in a friend's shop, he has a Bill Pentz style clear cyclone with a 5hp (I think) motor on it.

the chips built up in the first video because I forgot to open the gate...  they disappeared after I opened it.  I think the dust collection is adequate, it's running through a 6" pipe to the planer. 

the only thing I don't like is the gauge is hard to read, and from what I figured yesterday (need to look at it again), 19 turns of the wheel makes an inch... stupid metric system....
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

TexasTimbers

Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 11, 2009, 09:14:31 AM. . . .  19 turns of the wheel makes an inch... stupid metric system....

Dan,

I hooked up a spare 1/2" variable drill to my hand crank (cut the two 90s off the handle). Talk about fast.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Dan_Shade

I don't care about the speed, my complaint is 1/19", it would sure be nice if one crank were a 1/16" inch
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

TexasTimbers



Sometimes ya gotta spell it out for me. I didn't stop to think that 19 turns per inch, would equal 1/19th of an inch per turn.  ::)


It's Sunday. A day of (brain) rest. :)
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

tim1234

Nice Planer.

I've got the 15" with the spiral cutterhead (GO453Z) and have not used it much yet.  I had dust collector issues.  I had chips coming down on top of the board and getting mashed into the wood by the outfeed roller.  I noticed a little bit of chips at the end of the first video, but you said you didn't have the gate open so I assume that is why you had some chips on the board.

Since then I re-made my home made cyclone seperator top and adjusted fine tuned all the rollers using a dial indicator and the video someone posted about making the little triangle jig.  worked great.  I just got a grizzly dial indicator from my kids for christmas so I don't have to borrow it from work again.

I was getting the lines from the outfeed roller on the planed stock as mentioned on the fist page of your post, but I havn't run a board since I adjusted the pressure on the infeed and outfeed rollers.  Do you see any marks from the rollers?  They are really sharp on the grizzly's.

Tim

Tim

You buy a cheap tool twice...and then you're still stuck with a cheap tool!!
Husky 372XP, 455 Rancher, Echo CS300, Alaskan 30" Chainsaw Mill

Dan_Shade

the outfeed roller has a machined surface.  I've barely used the machine.  I'll report back as I use it more.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Dan_Shade

I've been using the planer for about 12 years now (minus a few years that I had to put it in storage).

It's a nice planer.  It will trip the breakers, but I think I need to rotate the inserts. 

Keeping the table waxed helps a lot. 
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

flatrock58

I have that planer and the only problem I see with it is the outfeed roller.  It is a slick steel roller that will slip at times.  I would much rather it be a rubber coated roller

2001 LT40 Super Kubota 42
6' extension
resaw attachment
CBN Sharpener
Cooks Dual Tooth Setter
Solar Kiln

Brad_bb

I bought the same planer and it arrived first week of January.  Still in the crate though until we get more building materials out from being stored in the shop.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

WDH

I ran one for 7 years and put over 100,000 bf thru it.  Upgraded to a 25" Oliver, not because of issues with the GO544, but to gain extra width.  I can cut 25" wide with the mill but could only plane 20" wide with the GO544.  I wanted the mill and the planer to be matched in the widths they can produce. 

I went with the Oliver over another Grizzly because when you go above 5 hp with the Grizzly line, you need 3-phase power.  With the Oliver, I could go to 10 hp 60 amp single phase, and I did not want to deal with 3-phase since that would have added more complexity and expense.  Anyway the 10hp Oliver just right for my business.  If I wanted to produce more volume, I would need to add 3-phase and a more powerful planer. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Dan_Shade

Handling chips/shavings has become my bottle neck.  It does not take long to fill a 55 gallon drum with shavings while planing. 
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

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