What's So Special About the V-Spiral Cutterhead?
Have you ever seen or heard of a V-Spiral cutterhead? Unlike spiral or helical cutterheads, the V-Spiral cutterhead features V-shaped rows instead of continuous spiral rows. In other words, rather than wrapping around the drum of the cutterhead in a spiral pattern, the carbide inserts follow a V-shaped pattern. You might ask:
- What does this unique design do?
- How does it work?
- And most importantly—why does it matter?
The Engineering Behind the V-Spiral Cutterhead
Straight Board Feeding
The reason for the V-shaped rows is that they keep the cutterhead symmetrical, which ensures the wood boards stay straight as it moves through the planer. With traditional spiral cutterheads, only one section of the carbide inserts engages with the board at any given time, which can create kickback on the board at that area. The board will tend to rotate or shift toward the side with greater kickback. If the feed rollers on your machine are weak, this can cause the wood piece to shift or rotate during thicknessing, leading to unwanted dents.
On the other hand, the V shape of our cutterhead counteracts this kickback by distributing force evenly. This helps keep the board from trying to rotate, allowing it to follow a straight path through the planer. As a result, you significantly reduce the chances of dents on your wood pieces.
Dust Extraction
While spiral or helical cutterheads have spiral grooves to help extract the sawdust produced during thicknessing, when the cutterhead spins at high speeds, the dust tends to go up the spiral and then eject out to one side. This can lead to inefficient dust collection and a messier workspace.
On the other hand, the V-Spiral Cutterhead's design has the grooves in a V-shape, so when it cuts the boards, it effectively ejects the dust forward. This innovative approach greatly enhances dust extraction, keeping your workspace cleaner and ensuring better airflow throughout the system.
Shearcut
Despite its unique design, the Sheartak V-Spiral Cutterhead still preserves superior shear cutting action. The carbide inserts are still positioned at an angle, creating a true shear cut that leaves boards glossy and as smooth as butter.
You can watch our Youtube video on our channel showcasing the V-Spiral Cutterhead here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE4jje_5L6g.
Upgrade your Machine with a V-Spiral Cutterhead
At Sheartak, we manufacture V-Spiral cutterheads for various thickness planers including brands like WEN, RIDGIDE, Ryobi and many more. Check out our selection of V-Spiral Cutterheads in our shop!
Ryobi AP1301 13” planer: https://www.sheartak.com/products/sheartak-spiral-cutterhead-ryobi-planer-ap1301
RIDGID TP1300 13” planer: https://www.sheartak.com/products/ridgid-tp1300-thickness-planer-spiral-cutterhead
Leave a comment