A helical cutterhead is an upgrade of the traditional cutterhead used in planers, jointers, and jointer-planer combos. Compared to the straight cutterhead, it offers superior performance, including a smoother surface, lower noise level, and improved dust collection.
Although there are lots of advantages of a helical cutterhead, you will incur a higher initial investment. Is it really worth it? In this blog, we will explore the specific benefits and features of a helical cutterhead, and we hope you will have a full understanding of this tool after reading!
What is a Helical Cutterhead?
A helical cutterhead has a cylindrical shaft that arranges multiple inserts in a helical pattern. And these inserts have an inclined angle, typically around 14 degrees, which means when they contact the workpiece, there will be an inclined angle between them, reducing the noise and impact and resulting in a shearing cut and a smoother surface.
It is worth mentioning that these inserts are made of tungsten carbide, which is durable and long-lasting, making them maintain sharpness and wear resistance after continuous cutting.
And these carbide inserts are also called indexable inserts, which means each insert can be individually indexed 90 degrees. So if a single edge of the insert is dull or broken, you can rotate it to show the new edge utill all edges are unused, then you can change to a new one.
A helical cutterhead serves different uses on different machines. On a thickness planer, a helical cutterhead is used to plane rough lumber to a consistent thickness, especially when working with hardwoods or highly figured woods.
On a jointer, a helical cutterhead is used to create flat and smooth surfaces, remove twists, and prepare board edges. Before you use a thickness planer with a helical cutterhead, you need to use the jointer to make a flat surface and take it as a reference.
Due to the high standards for a high-quality surface, more and more woodworkers prefer the helical cutterhead in fine woodworking. Exceptional cutting capability makes it suitable for creating furniture, cabinets, and other intricate woodwork.
Related Read: [2025]The 6 Best Benchtop Thickness Planer
Pros & Cons of a Helical Cutterhead
A helical cutterhead features some benefits but also comes with its own set of challenges. Next, let’s delve into these aspects in detail.
Pros:
Improved cut quality
The staggered placement of the carbide inserts ensures a continuous and even cut. Compared to the straight cutterhead, the shearing cut produces a smoother surface and reduces marks and imperfections.
Reduced tear-out
We've been saying the helical cutterhead reduces tearing, but how does it do that? Actually, we've mentioned before.
The carbide inserts on the helical cutterhead are positioned at an angle in relation to the movement of the workpiece and are curved to ensure that their intersection with the workpiece takes place in a single plane. This design makes a shearing cut rather than a chopping motion.
Therefore, it can minimize the likelihood of wood fibers being lifted or torn. This results in cleaner cuts with smoother surfaces and reduces tear-out in woodworking projects.
Improved dust collection
Helical cutterheads are designed to produce smaller wood chips and dust, making it easier for the dust collection system to capture and remove them efficiently. The helical arrangement of the carbide inserts helps to direct the chips away from the cutting path, reducing the risk of clogging and improving overall dust collection efficiency.
Sound reduction and less vibration
The helical arrangement of the carbide insert knives is set at an angle to each other, producing a canceling effect that reduces vibration, resulting in smoother and quieter cuts, and reduced noise and vibration as well during the cutting process. This creates a more comfortable working environment for woodworkers.
Convenience and a longer cutting-edge life
For one thing, the knives are always carbide on a helical cutterhead and have four cutting edges; each of those edges will stay sharp about ten times as long as the high-speed steel knives.
The frequency of replacing or rotating the inserts depends on the material and the times you use them. Like we mentioned before, you don't need to change a knife when it is dull or broken; rotate it to show the new edge. This prolongs the overall lifespan of the carbide inserts, and generally, the knives will last up to 40 times longer than straight-blade knives.
On the other hand, this also makes maintenance simpler compared to sharpening and adjusting multiple straight blades in a traditional cutterhead. Although the initial investment is relatively high, it actually saves costs in the long run.
Cons
Initial cost
Helical cutterheads are generally more expensive than straight-knife cutterheads. The precise engineering and advanced design of the helical cutterhead provide superior finish and durability, which contribute to their higher upfront cost.
Increased effort in feeding
One notable difference with helical cutterheads is that they require more effort to feed through the machine. This is because there is always at least one knife in contact with the wood, creating constant resistance to the feed motion. As a result, more force is needed to push the board through the machine compared to straight-knife machines. Meanwhile, the constant resistance encountered when using a helical cutterhead leads to the need for more horsepower in planers and jointers.
Higher power requirement
The utilization of helical cutterheads may exert a high load on planer motors, particularly on consumer-grade machines. This increased load can be attributed to the continuous shear cut they provide compared to the intermittent chops of traditional cutterheads. Additionally, carbide inserts, which are frequently utilized in helical cutterheads, could not perform as well in terms of sharpness as high-speed steel(HSS) knives.
Final Thoughts
In summary, a helical cutterhead is a valuable tool for woodworkers looking to achieve superior results in their crafts. Check your cutterhead before purchasing a new one. When there are signs of deterioration in the face quality of the wood, more noise during operation, and increased effort to push the wood through, replacing a helical cutterhead with a new one can help you solve these problems effectively.
Regardless of the initial cost of a helical cutterhead, the decision to purchase one is always worth the investment in the long run. If you are looking for a cutting tool that encompasses all of these advantages and are willing to pay a bit more, investing in a helical cutterhead can prove to be a cost-effective choice, particularly when working extensively with challenging wood types such as white oak. These advantages can offset the initial investment by reducing the frequency of replacement for standard straight blade inserts.
FindBuyTool supplies fine planer/jointer helical cutterheads with top-quality tungsten carbide insert knives mounted. Our upgraded helical cutterhead with 56 tungsten carbide inserts and 4 rows is designed specifically for models DW735, DW735X, and DW735-XE, which will leave the least tear-outs and superior cutting quality. The body of this helical cutter head is made from premium steel and black oxidized for long-lasting rust protection.
In addition to that, our helical cutterheads also fit major brands such as Jet, Makita, and Grizzly. We provide you with perfect surfacing quality that you do not need to sand, and dramatically reduce the noise byover50%. If you cannot find a cutter head for your machine model, we also provide an option for a custom cutter head.
If you still have any questions about our products or blogs, please leave a comment with an available email, and we will reply to you ASAP!
FAQ about Helical Cutterhead
#1 Which is better helical or spiral cutterhead?
Although a spiral cutterhead is cheaper than the helical one, the helical cutterhead is better. It uses a shearing cut to minimize the tear-out and produces a smoother surface. If you're looking to switch from spiral to helical, this is definitely worth the money.
#2 Can you put helical blades on a DeWalt planer?
Of course. It must be an upgrade to your planer. We provide helical cutterheads for DW735, DW735X, DW734, etc. You can go through to shop around.
