
You are not logged in. Consider these WOODWEB Member advantages:
A personal "member history" that displays your posts at WOODWEB
Your forms at WOODWEB will be filled in automatically
Create your personal "My Favorites" page
Numerous automatic notification options
Learn more about WOODWEB Member benefits ...
Safest insert cutter heads -- 4 -- 
5/21

I have seen people warning about certain types of insert cutter heads. What are the safest and what are the least safe. We are using grazed tooling now but are looking to get into insert heads for some of our shaping heads. Any advice would be appreciated.
5/21 #2: Safest insert cutter heads ...

Website: http://www.southeasttool.com
Dan, I personally like the insert tooling where the insert bolts directly to the body. Not sure if this is what you are asking or not.
5/21 #3: Safest insert cutter heads ...

That is what I'm looking for. I see locked ge cutters, corrugated cutters and others and just wondering what is the safest type.
5/21 #4: Safest insert cutter heads ...

IMHO there's no one-size-fits-all head regardless of the safety aspect.
Euro heads are a great thing to have on hand as they allow a lot of flexibility for shorter molding profiles, are very safe, the heads and knives are fairy inexpensive and the knives are thin enough you can grind/alter the profiles pretty easily. There are several companies making these heads but they work pretty much the same. If you do a variety of different work these are an item you won't know how you did without.
Corrugated heads allow for taller molding profiles and larger cuts in general. Knives are much thicker so require specialized grinders or outsourcing. These are plenty safe as long as the operator knows what they're doing. Again hard to imagine not having several of these on hand.
Insert heads are typically more specialized and use replaceable carbide inserts. Also, plenty safe…..in the right hands.
Heads that start to get a bit questionable are things like lock-edge knives. These heads allow more versatility than corrugated heads but require more diligence in operating. These can be used safely with an experienced operator.
Then there's smooth knives. These are held in a collar by friction alone and these are where many guys, including myself, get a bit squeamish. They've been used for a long time and can work well for certain tasks. But the tooling and collars need to be in nearly perfect condition and the person setting up really needs to know what they're doing. That's as far as my knowledge goes with these as I haven't used them so can't give any first hand feedback. Oh and I don't believe you can buy these new anywhere in the states anymore so you'd have to source them used.
that's about the extent of my knowledge….good luck,
JeffD
5/22 #5: Safest insert cutter heads ...

Ok. So euro and the corrugated or bolt on seem to be the way to go. Who would you suggest for a good , knowledgeable source to go to for product and advice. This stuff is really expensive and I don't want to do it twice! Thanks again.
5/22 #6: Safest insert cutter heads ...

What are you cutting?
5/22 #7: Safest insert cutter heads ...

Solid wood usually maple or cherry. Some suggestions too for maple. We have a lot of problem with maple. Someone said you have to get a head with the right hook angle for running maple. Thoughts?
5/22 #8: Safest insert cutter heads ...

Crown molding, Doors, small molding?
What are you trying to make?
5/23 #9: Safest insert cutter heads ...

Regular moldings but in woods like cherry, maple, walnut and others that are not readily available through our local suppliers except with setup fees and minimum footages.
5/27 #10: Safest insert cutter heads ...

JeffD gave a good overall. I've had experience with all but the smooth knife heads. Knowing what you are doing is the safety. Lock edge & corrugated have limits about extension past the head based on their thickness. Corrugated heads come with a choice of hook angles. Corrugated heads can come with two different hook angles in the same head. It is best to have ground the knives for the specific angle used. Knives ground for the sharper hook can be run in the less sharp but you give up some life. The less hook the less likely to tear, the more hook the freer cutting and better finish using less power. Both of these systems (lock edge & corrugated) lack the chip limiting for hand feeding that is required by European standards. OK to use a power feed with if you stick to the design standards. Once I decided to put a little more knife out. It snapped off. Luckily I was running a power feed. Haven't done that trick again. Unless you have a profile grinder you will always run out of balance with these. A trip balance helps a lot on corrugated but not as much on lock edge. On a heavy shaper it won't hurt to run a little out. We've got a variety of heads that take insert knives. All of ours are dedicated to one pattern. There are sets sold that offer a variety of knives for the same head. Only get the ones that have the matching chip limiters.
We run a molder and profile grinder and often use the molder heads on the shapers if we need a match between straight and curved moldings or for shapes requiring a tilt head. Even the curved work is power fed. If you are hand feeding don't run a very tall knife. Too risky.
Count your fingers each morning, go home with the same # still attached!
4 -- 
Buy & Sell Exchanges | Forums | Galleries | Other Resources | Site Map
Buy and Sell Exchanges
Job Opportunities and Services Exchange
Employment opportunities and services within the woodworking industry
Lumber Exchange
A worldwide buy/sell exchange for lumber and wood products
Machinery Exchange
A worldwide buyer and seller exchange for woodworking machinery and equipment.
Classified Ad Exchange
Classified advertising for the woodworking industry (for advertisements that do not include machinery, lumber products and employment listings)
Forums
Adhesives Forum
Discussing topics related to adhesives within the woodworking industry
Architectural Woodworking Forum
Discussing quality standards and production of architectural wood products
Business and Management Forum
A forum for the discussion of business topics: from sales and marketing to dealing with difficult customers.
Cabinet and Millwork Installation Forum
Discussing all aspects of installation issues encountered by cabinet and millwork installers.
Cabinetmaking Forum
Discussing 32mm and face frame cabinet construction including fabrication, casegoods design, and installation.
CAD Forum
Shedding light on the all-too-often shadowy world of CAD.
CNC Forum
Discussing CNC (computer numerically controlled) woodworking equipment, software, and automated product manufacturing.
Dust Collection, Safety and Plant Operation Forum
Discussing topics related to maintaining a safe and productive working environment.
Professional Finishing Forum
Finishing issues for the production environment
Forestry Forum
The science and art of forest cultivation and timber management, planting, surveying, tree diseases, silviculture and timber harvesting
Professional Furniture Making Forum
Helping professional furniture makers improve quality, save time, and increase profits
Laminating and Solid Surfacing Forum
Issues related to laminating and solid surface materials and processes
Commercial Kiln Drying Forum
Discussions covering issues faced be commercial drying operations that process at least 750,000 bd. ft. of lumber per year
Sawing and Drying Forum
Discussing topics related to primary processing and drying of lumber
Solid Wood Machining Forum
Discussing topics related to the machining of solid wood
Value Added Wood Products Forum
Learn how to improve your output, find new markets, and boost sales of your lumber products
Veneer Forum
Discussing topics related to veneer processing, manufacturing, and fabrication
WOODnetWORK
An electronic discussion group for woodworkers throughout the world
Galleries
Project Gallery
Where professional woodworkers can post examples of their work
Sawmill Gallery
Professional primary processing companies display and describe their sawmill facilities
Shop Gallery
Professional woodworkers display and describe their shop facilities, products and equipment
Shopbuilt Equipment Gallery
Professional woodworker's jigs, rigs, and shopbuilt equipment
Other Resources
Industry News
Late-breaking news from all sectors of the wood industry
Video Library
Index of industrial woodworking related digital videos on the web
Auctions, Sales and Special Offers
Advertisers offering woodworkers discounted prices on good and services, and announcements of upcoming auctions
FORUM GUIDELINES: Please review the guidelines below before posting at WOODWEB's Interactive Message Boards (return to top)
WOODWEB is a professional industrial woodworking site. Hobbyist and homeowner woodworking questions are inappropriate.
Messages should be kept reasonably short and on topic, relating to the focus of the forum. Responses should relate to the original question.
A valid email return address must be included with each message.
Advertising is inappropriate. The only exceptions are the Classified Ads Exchange, Machinery Exchange, Lumber Exchange, and Job Opportunities and Services Exchange. When posting listings in these areas, review the posting instructions carefully.
Subject lines may be edited for length and clarity.
"Cross posting" is not permitted. Choose the best forum for your question, and post your question at one forum only.
Messages requesting private responses will be removed - Forums are designed to provide information and assistance for all of our visitors. Private response requests are appropriate at WOODWEB's Exchanges and Job Opportunities and Services.
Messages that accuse businesses or individuals of alleged negative actions or behavior are inappropriate since WOODWEB is unable to verify or substantiate the claims.
Posts with the intent of soliciting answers to surveys are not appropriate. Contact WOODWEB for more information on initiating a survey.
Excessive forum participation by an individual upsets the balance of a healthy forum atmosphere. Individuals who excessively post responses containing marginal content will be considered repeat forum abusers.
Responses that initiate or support inappropriate and off-topic discussion of general politics detract from the professional woodworking focus of WOODWEB, and will be removed.
Participants are encouraged to use their real name when posting. Intentionally using another persons name is prohibited, and posts of this nature will be removed at WOODWEB's discretion.
Comments, questions, or criticisms regarding Forum policies should be directed to WOODWEB's Systems Administrator
(return to top).
Carefully review your message before clicking on the "Send Message" button - you will not be able to revise the message once it has been sent.
You will be notified of responses to the message(s) you posted via email. Be sure to enter your email address correctly.
WOODWEB's forums are a highly regarded resource for professional woodworkers. Messages and responses that are crafted in a professional and civil manner strengthen this resource. Messages that do not reflect a professional tone reduce the value of our forums.
Messages are inappropriate when their content: is deemed libelous in nature or is based on rumor, fails to meet basic standards of decorum, contains blatant advertising or inappropriate emphasis on self promotion (return to top).
Libel: Posts which defame an individual or organization, or employ a tone which can be viewed as malicious in nature. Words, pictures, or cartoons which expose a person or organization to public hatred, shame, disgrace, or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person or organization, are libelous.
Improper Decorum: Posts which are profane, inciting, disrespectful or uncivil in tone, or maliciously worded. This also includes the venting of unsubstantiated opinions. Such messages do little to illuminate a given topic, and often have the opposite effect. Constructive criticism is acceptable (return to top).
Advertising: The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not an advertising venue. Companies participating in a Forum discussion should provide specific answers to posted questions. WOODWEB suggests that businesses include an appropriately crafted signature in order to identify their company. A well meaning post that seems to be on-topic but contains a product reference may do your business more harm than good in the Forum environment. Forum users may perceive your references to specific products as unsolicited advertising (spam) and consciously avoid your web site or services. A well-crafted signature is an appropriate way to advertise your services that will not offend potential customers. Signatures should be limited to 4-6 lines, and may contain information that identifies the type of business you're in, your URL and email address (return to top).
Repeated Forum Abuse:
Forum participants who repeatedly fail to follow WOODWEB's Forum Guidelines may encounter difficulty when attempting to post messages.
There are often situations when the original message asks for opinions: "What is the best widget for my type of shop?". To a certain extent, the person posting the message is responsible for including specific questions within the message. An open ended question (like the one above) invites responses that may read as sales pitches. WOODWEB suggests that companies responding to such a question provide detailed and substantive replies rather than responses that read as a one-sided product promotion. It has been WOODWEB's experience that substantive responses are held in higher regard by our readers (return to top).
The staff of WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at WOODWEB's Message Boards. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB's Message Boards after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages it deems inappropriate. (return to top)
Forum Posting Form Guidelines
|
Your Name
|
The name you enter in this field will be the name that appears with your post or response (return to form).
|
Your Website
|
Personal or business website links must point to the author's website. Inappropriate links will be removed without notice, and at WOODWEB's sole discretion. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
|
E-Mail Address
|
Your e-mail address will not be publicly viewable. Forum participants will be able to contact you using a contact link (included with your post) that is substituted for your actual address. You must include a valid email address in this field. (return to form)
|
Subject
|
Subject may be edited for length and clarity. Subject lines should provide an indication of the content of your post. (return to form)
|
Thread Related Link and Image Guidelines
|
Thread Related Links posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should point to locations that provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related Link that directs visitors to an area with inappropriate content will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
|
Thread Related File Uploads
|
Thread Related Files posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. Video Files: acceptable video formats are: .MOV .AVI .WMV .MPEG .MPG .FLV .MP4 (Image Upload Tips) If you encounter any difficulty when uploading video files, E-mail WOODWEB for assistance. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related File that contains inappropriate content will be removed, and uploaded files that are not directly related to the message thread will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links, files, or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
|
|
|
|