Drew Fisher from Fisher’s Shop shared the woodworking tip featured in this video.
After years of reliable service, Drew’s DeWalt 735 planer finally gave out, prompting him to pick up a replacement machine. Rather than start from scratch with the stock cutterhead, he walks through the process of pulling the Shelix cutterhead out of his old planer and transferring it into the new one, giving viewers a full look at what it takes to upgrade this popular benchtop planer.
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Getting Into the Machine
The process starts with removing the top cover and dust chute using the Torx wrench that comes packaged with the DeWalt planer. Once those pieces are out of the way, the stock cutterhead becomes visible, complete with a spring-loaded lock that holds it in place while blades are swapped.
Drew points out that the stock knives are double-sided, so a dull edge can simply be flipped rather than replaced outright. For this project, though, the entire cutterhead assembly is coming out to make room for something different.
Disassembling the Drivetrain
Before the cutterhead can be pulled, the thickness adjustment wheel and cover plate need to come off. From there, attention shifts to the belt and chain system that drives the cutterhead.
A spring-loaded chain tensioner has to be released first, followed by removing the bolts securing the sprockets. With those out, the sprockets and chain can be pulled off together. The belt requires turning the cutterhead by hand while holding down the spring-loaded lock, which allows it to walk off the pulley after a few rotations.
A pair of adjustable wrenches makes quick work of the locknut on the pulley, but Drew is careful to point out a small steel key hidden inside that must not be lost, since the machine won’t function without it. An internal retaining ring also has to come out at this stage, which he notes can be one of the trickier steps without the right tool for the job.
Removing the Gearbox and Old Cutterhead
Working on the opposite side of the machine, the same Torx wrench removes the cover bolts, followed by two more retaining rings holding the sprockets in place. A hex wrench then frees the long bolts securing the gearbox, allowing the entire assembly to be pulled out and rotated to the side to access the shaft and gear underneath.
With the gearbox clear, the spring-loaded locking mechanism can be removed entirely, since it isn’t used with the replacement cutterhead. A scrap block of wood and a rubber mallet are enough to tap the old cutterhead loose and slide it out the other side.
Installing the Shelix Cutterhead
The replacement is a Shelix cutterhead from Byrd Tools, featuring dozens of small carbide inserts arranged in a spiral pattern rather than straight knives. This shearing action produces a smoother cut and quieter operation, and it handles dense or figured hardwoods without tearing out the grain.
Drew has used this style of cutterhead for several years and considers it one of the more worthwhile upgrades he’s made in the shop. Because he owns the smaller version of the head, it slides into place with the inserts already attached; the larger version would require attaching each insert individually after installation.
Once the head is seated and doesn’t shift when tapped, the retaining ring goes back on to lock everything in place. A scrap block wedged against the head prevents rotation while the shaft and gear are reinstalled, with a bit of grease applied to the gear grooves before the gearbox is bolted back on.
Reassembling the Drivetrain
With the gearbox secured, the sprockets and chain go back on, followed by reinstalling the tensioner spring using needle-nose pliers. The retaining rings return to hold the sprockets on their shafts, and a light spray of lubricant keeps everything moving smoothly before the cover goes back on.
On the other side, the small steel key is tapped back into its slot on the main pulley, and the locknut is tightened with the same scrap-wood trick to keep the head from spinning. The belt is walked back onto the pulley by hand while rotating the cutterhead, and the sprockets, chain, and tensioner spring go back together using the same tools from earlier.
After a final wipe of lubricant, the cover plate and thickness adjustment wheel are reattached, followed by the dust chute and top cover to close everything up.
Rotating Blades and Testing the Results
One advantage Drew highlights is that each insert has four usable cutting edges, so a chipped or dull section can be rotated rather than replaced. After six years of use, this was the first time he’d rotated the blades, and the process took only a short amount of time per insert, even though the edges hadn’t fully dulled yet.
Testing the planer on a rough piece of oak shows the difference immediately. The cutterhead moves through dense hardwood with ease and leaves a surface that’s smooth enough to skip sanding altogether. Drew also notes that the small cutting edges produce fine chips rather than large shavings, which keeps dust collection hoses from clogging as easily.
Why the Upgrade Matters
Drew is upfront that his take on the Shelix cutterhead is a personal one, but he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of transferring it to a brand-new machine if it hadn’t proven its worth. For anyone running a DeWalt 735 who deals with tricky grain or wants a quieter, smoother cut, this kind of upgrade offers a practical way to get more performance out of an already popular planer.
See Drew’s plans here: https://www.FishersShopOnline.com/plans
Matt’s Take
These are my personal thoughts and tips based on my own experience in the shop. This section is not written, reviewed, or endorsed by the original creator of this project.
Swapping a cutterhead like this is one of those upgrades that looks intimidating on paper but really just comes down to patience and keeping track of small parts. That steel key and the retaining rings Drew mentions are the kind of thing that can turn a good afternoon into a frustrating one if they roll under a bench, so having a magnetic parts tray or even just a muffin tin nearby to organize hardware as it comes off is a small habit that pays off on any teardown like this.
If you don’t already own a snap ring pliers set, this is a good excuse to grab one. Trying to fight retaining rings with a flathead screwdriver works in a pinch, but the right tool makes that step go from “trickiest part of the job” to a non-issue. Same goes for having a dedicated Torx set on hand rather than relying on the single wrench that ships with the machine — it’s just faster.
On the Shelix side, the shearing cut from a spiral cutterhead really does make a noticeable difference in tearout-prone species like curly maple or quartersawn white oak. It’s not magic, but the way the inserts are staggered means the blade is never taking a full-width bite, which is why it sounds quieter and feels like it’s working less hard. The tradeoff is cost, so it’s worth thinking about how much figured or dense hardwood you actually run before committing to the upgrade.
Lastly, anytime you’re reassembling a drivetrain like this, double check belt tension and give everything a slow hand-crank rotation before plugging the machine in. It’s a cheap safety check that can save a cutterhead insert or a knuckle.