Big thanks to this gang       https://www.patreon.com/wordsnwood

I've wanted to do this for years, but the price was prohibitive and the task was daunting.  
Turns out, it's not that hard to do, and the price on this one is a lot less than competitors!

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UPDATE VIDEO 18 MONTHS LATER:  https://youtu.be/PpXINuaRf4A

THIS is how a video should be done! Excellent job and very informative! Thank you

Very well made.  Thanks for using sharp blades to compare it to a brand-new sharp helix cutter.  I've seen other reviewers compare it to old dull blades and it made me roll my eyes when they talked about how much better the cut quality was.

To those tuning in later. 16:00 I would highly suggest that before you install all the cutter heads, you button up the planer and give it a quick run to make sure you have no rattles, noises, etc.  You can even feed a scrap board through it to make sure your rollers are all working as intended before you install all the cutter heads and find a problem, and have to redo all that work.

Great video!  I did that exact conversion about a year ago, and I LOVE IT !!!  I should have done it years earlier.  Worth every penny!!!  Much smoother cuts, and SO MUCH QUIETER !!!  No more continuous changing of those standard straight blades that can be nicked immediately after replacing by one knot!  This is a great investment, and eliminates the continuing cost of new blades.  I was done in about 45 minutes, and was thrilled to plane that first board.  After a year of regular use, it's still like new.  FindBuyTool's cutterhead is helical - not spiral, and is LOADED with inserts. Four rows with fourteen 4-sided rows for a total of 56 cutter inserts (224 edges!).  Based on my first year, I may never replace a cutter insert again.  If you're even pondering this conversion, trust me, DO IT!  Sharper, smoother surfaces, about 60% quieter, and much finer chips, easier for your dust vac, and cheaper in the long run!!!

This is a reminder to make an update video on the helical head.

I finally just put mine on. About 2 1/2 hrs for me. I had to go back and fix a few operator errors. 😂 I looked at the bow and checked on Find buy tool and I ordered it July 2024. It’s now September 2026. As I was opening the box I was praying that all the pieces were there and in operational condition. Whew 😰 😂 All there all in excellent shape. Now for some cutting. 🥃

Excellent video, step by step instructions, extremely thorough and easy to understand with the clear voice.
Thank you,

Well done.  I installed.a byrd shelix a few years ago.  These cutterheads really shine when dealing with difficult grain and having the ability to rotate a cutterhead instead of having to replace a nicked blade.  2-3 sets of blades and this cutterhead nearly pays for itself.

this is the best of all of the videos regarding installation of the findbuytool cutterhead into the dewalt planer! The only drawback is that the lighting is poor in some cases and details aren't visible. Looking at other videos with better lighting helps to fill in the visual gaps even though those videos do not give necessarily good or complete explanations and in some cases give bad advice or just provide video without explanatory commentary.

I'll add my comments from my own experience:

1. my cutterhead was soaked in packing oil and i thought that much oil could affect the seating of the cutters and also gum up with sawdust, so i first meticulously removed all of the oil using rags, compressed air and even acetone.

2. also, as i performed the disassembly, i first vacuumed and then used compressed air at each phase to clean out all the accumulated dust and chips, both to clean out the machine and to reduce chances of getting dust on the cutterhead before installing the cutters.

3. removing the existing cutterhead lock was a bitch kitty. I immediately stripped one of the crappy Phillips-head screws [Dewalt should have used Torx EVERYWHERE they used wretched Phillips], but unlike in one video that just cut it off, i used an angled Dremel to cut flats on the side of the stripped screw head and used a Vice-Grip to unscrew it. On the second, unstripped screw, i used a Lisle 3/8" Impact Tool Set to loosen the screw. [I debated about reinstalling the lock, and even though i decided to put it back, was happy to see others here thought it was a good thing to simply toss.]

4. i did pick up one handy tip from another video, namely to use a sacrificial rubber band to hold up the gear-end of the cutter head to align it with the chassis housing while pounding in the other end.

5. and speaking of  pounding in the cutterhead, i was VERY trepidatious about doing that, but others were doing it and it seems not to have wrecked the bearings. Still, i wish i had first seen some of the comments here about using freezing and heating to ease the fit and/or pounding the outer bearing race instead of the inner one.

6. apparently the factory nut that holds the cutterhead drive pulley on is 23mm (a socket i don't have), but it's not very tight so a 24mm or 15/16 socket works OK. Interestingly enough, the thicker nut that findbuytool supplies was 24mm on my kit.

7.  my own little trick was to use a thin metal strip inserted between the belt and cuttrerhead drive pulley to help slip the belt onto the drive pulley; did the same thing on the motor pulley as well. i had to do this a 3-4 times for each pulley, rotating the pulley and belt each time after i inserted the thin metal strip, and each time pushing the belt a little further onto the pulley.

8. i also sat on a rolling shop stool for performing much of the work because that put me at the right visual and leverage height for much of the work.

9. I also briefly  tested the operation of the machine after i had installed the new cutterhead and reassembled all of the drive parts, but before i installed the cutters, first manually depressing the semi-hidden top safety switch.

10. i'll reiterate that it's extremely important to seat the cutters properly on clean seats AND to torque them (with a decent torque wrench) to specification. It also important here to have a long extension for the torque wrench, so the wrench can be turned above the machine.

11. Personally, i find when disassembling something like this with so many parts, that it's important to keep them organized. I used the left and right covers to hold most of the associated parts and used zip lock bags to hold groups of parts, particular things like spacer washers. i actually taped the spacer washer for the drive pulley to the drive pulley itself.

12. as usual, i ended up using A LOT more tools than the basic ones due to "complications". also as usual, it seems like i ended up using practically every too in my shop!

oh yeah, all's well that ends well: when everything was back together, test boards planed smooth as budah, and the machine was WAY quieter! Yea!

One thing that wasn't mentioned is the debris created by the different cutting surfaces. The helical head creates much smaller chips when compared to the larger slices created by the standard blades. This allows your dust collector to more easily capture them and decreases the probability of your hose getting clogged with the larger pieces. It may be a moot point if you are using a large diameter hose, but for those using a standard shop vac, it could save a lot of time and effort clearing clogs.

Internal and external snap ring pliers. You should hit on the outer race of the bearing. Hitting on the inner race transfer force through the bearings.

Just installed mine.   Amazing results.  No slow down.   I think the noise was cut back by 20% or more.   The quality of this brand was top notch.   Id recommend it.

I greatly appreciate you putting the new blades on to make it a fair comparison! Really going above and beyond.

Great presentation. I just got this planer last week and have been looking into these helical cutter heads. This is the best installation demo I have seen so far.

Excellent step by step.  I need to do this for my planer.  Will save your video for reference. Thank you.

The snap rings are referred to as internal and external snap rings. the internal squeeze together and the external spreads when removed/installed

We have helical cutter at work and it gives a nice finish, as long as the previous board was free from metal of course 🤭

I've had mine for about 5 years and have never replaced blades... yet... LOL It needed blades about 4 years ago... LOL i have a lot of cost in sand paper... LOL. Also, most of my projects go on the CNC router so i use it to flatten panels before routing. anyway, i think it's time for one of those helical heads especially knowing that your planer has lasted for 18 years!

Good for you!   i installed my Shellix helical head two years ago, has saved me so much time and trouble.   I've run literally hundreds of BF on my first set of cutters.   More another day perhaps.