Thread: Spiral cutter head for Electra Beckum HC 260-M

Thanks Roy. Robert has given me that machinist's details and hopefully he'll be able to modify either my pulley or the new cutter to suit.

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New CTS cutter is back from the machininst. The pulley wheel has been bored and broached. You can see the key that he also made for it. For those thinking of doing this mod, take note that the thread at the other end of the shaft is a different pitch so you won't be able to re-use the nut from your old cutter head. Frank the machinist did all this for 50 bucks. Money well spent I reckon.

The new head went in with only minor modifications required to the guards between the cutter head and the infeed and outfeed rollers. Basically, the holes have to be slotted (see pic) so that the cutters don't foul on the guard. The CTS Helical Cutter is now installed on my Elektra Beckum HC260. I've calibrated the tables as best I can but haven't been able to try this baby out as it was too late in the evening and I didn't want to upset the neighbours. I'll let you know how she goes tomorrow if I get a chance to make some sawdust......

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Happy days !!!

I'm happy to report that the CTS helical cutter performs brilliantly and provides a very smooth finish. And the EB handled the 1m long 145 x 45 blackbutt with ease.....at least it did after I figured out how to tension the drive belt after it slipped for the 2nd time. For those looking to do this mod in the future, you do this by loosening the 4 engine mounting bolts on the side (see pic) and re-tightening them whilst levering the motor down.

For those in the market for a planer/thicknesser combo for hobby/weekend use, I highly recommend the EB HC260.

PROS:
- small footprint
- heaps of performance for its size (260mm wide jointer and 250mm x 165mm thicknesser capacity)
- light
- heaps of adjustments
- morticing attachment available (but very rare)
- made in Germany so it's built to last
- parts still available
- easy to work on
- cheap. I paid $450 for mine and that came with an EB 3/4hp dust extractor which I didn't end up using
- CTS helical cutter is available for this little beast
- standard cutter head can either use HSS re-sharpenable blades, or disposable blades with an adapter kit available (great for reclaimed timber)
- dust extraction is surprisingly good but I can only comment with the CTS cutter that produces smaller chips

CONS:
- tables are not cast iron
- fence is a bit fiddly but surprisingly sturdy and I can confirm that my dressed timber has perfectly 90degree faces
- changing modes takes a bit longer than other machines but with practise it can be done in about a minute
- tables can be longer.....but that would reduce its compactness which is one of the things that I like about this machine
- I'm not sure, but I think this may be a 15amp machine (13amps by my calculation). Mine came with a standard 10A plug and it works fine.


So to summarise, the EB HC260 is awesome and the CTS helical cutter is a great and worthwhile mod. I paid $650 + $32 postage for mine but I believe Rob has just put the prices up. That's all from me. Now I just have to build an infeed and outfeed roller setup to reduce that dreaded snipe and then I can start building my Frankenstein Roubo workbench.

Your comments on the dust extraction are interesting. I've given up trying to catch the chips on mine, which still has straight blades. I spent more time clearing blocked ducts than putting timber through it. I just let the ribbons fly now and clean up afterwards. This was one of the biggest reasons I was thinking of going to the spiral cutter head. How does noise compare ?

We dropped 10 dB(A) on the work thicknesser by switching from 4 straight knives to a 10 row Shelix head; both when idling and cutting

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

We dropped 10 dB(A) on the work thicknesser by switching from 4 straight knives to a 10 row Shelix head; both when idling and cutting

I never thought about the noise level. But switching from my DeWalt 733 to a Grizzly Jointer Planer (Thicknesser) the noise level dropped significantly. Although I don't recall any significant noise from my Delta 6 inch jointer. But it is apples and oranges. The DeWalt uses a universal motor and both the Grizzly and Delta used a synchronous motor.