I need to Upgrade DJ-20 to Helical - Help please
#11
I have a 1990s or so DJ-20.  Great machine.  I need to replace the strait knife head to an 8" helical head.

I believe Holbren is the best place to order from, am I right on that?  I know they support the forum, and don't they give us a discount somehow?

Do I need to order it with bearings? Or without.  The old bearings are probably 25 years old, so it's a no-brainer right?  If I order the head with bearings, are they already pressed on, or do I need to do that?

Do I need any specialty tools to do this installation, working with the bearings, or just standard wrenches and such.  The old head is already removed from the jointer, but one bearing is stuck on the old head, and the other is stuck in the cast iron part that it sits in on the machine... 

Thanks, I know you guys will take care of me.
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#12
Brian is great dealing with us, getting your head form him would be a good idea. As for bearings, I suppose you could get one with them pressed on, I've not tried that. But if you chose to install them yourself, it can be done with thing like a deep well socket and hammer, and maybe a clamp. I bought a bearing splitter kit from HF (about $25 or so as I recall) and it works great for the removal of the old ones, and to install the new ones. The one that's still stuck in the bearing block will have to be removed somehow, maybe a drift punch and hammer to tap it out.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#13
(02-03-2018, 10:38 AM)Strokes77 Wrote: I have a 1990s or so DJ-20.  Great machine.  I need to replace the strait knife head to an 8" helical head.

I believe Holbren is the best place to order from, am I right on that?  I know they support the forum, and don't they give us a discount somehow?

Do I need to order it with bearings? Or without.  The old bearings are probably 25 years old, so it's a no-brainer right?  If I order the head with bearings, are they already pressed on, or do I need to do that?

Do I need any specialty tools to do this installation, working with the bearings, or just standard wrenches and such.  The old head is already removed from the jointer, but one bearing is stuck on the old head, and the other is stuck in the cast iron part that it sits in on the machine... 

Thanks, I know you guys will take care of me.

Bought the Byrd head for my Shopfox 8" jointer from Brian many years ago. Great guy to deal with at competitive prices. I removed the old head and bearings myself, bought new bearings locally for the new head and installed them myself. No special tools IIRC. Were I to do it again I'd probably go for the bearings already installed if that were an option. Saves time and the need to scout up or buy any tools, should that be necessary.

There is one thing for certain, you will love the new spiral carbide cutterhead!

Doug

P.S. Should you need some additional bearing tools, I recommend HF if there is one in your area.
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#14
(02-03-2018, 12:15 PM)Tapper Wrote: Bought the Byrd head for my Shopfox 8" jointer from Brian many years ago. Great guy to deal with at competitive prices. I removed the old head and bearings myself, bought new bearings locally for the new head and installed them myself. No special tools IIRC. Were I to do it again I'd probably go for the bearings already installed if that were an option. Saves time and the need to scout up or buy any tools, should that be necessary.

There is one thing for certain, you will love the new spiral carbide cutterhead!

Doug

P.S. Should you need some additional bearing tools, I recommend HF if there is one in your area.

I went ahead and made the purchase this morning.  Ordered from Brian, and with the bearings included.

I will update as I go along, any other thoughts from you guys let me know.

Thanks for the help.
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#15
(02-03-2018, 12:35 PM)Strokes77 Wrote: I went ahead and made the purchase this morning.  Ordered from Brian, and with the bearings included.

I will update as I go along, any other thoughts from you guys let me know.

Thanks for the help.

+1 I would like to do the same thing myself, I have the same vintage dj20.  I will be following your postings on this
thanks
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#16
WARNING  -- one may not be enough  
Laugh

Put one on my planer and immediately ordered one for my jointer.
Cool

They are SOOOOOO much better than straight knives
Big Grin
"Truth is a highway leading to freedom"  --Kris Kristofferson

Wild Turkey
We may see the writing on the wall, but all we do is criticize the handwriting.
(joined 10/1999)
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#17
I'm no machinist and I figured out how to swap a Byrd into a DJ20 with minimal effort, so its not too bad a task. I did have a minor issue with the pulley key not fitting into the slot in the new head spindle, but some filing took care of that. One thing that is not often discussed is alignment of the new head. In a perfect world, you would remove old head and replace with Byrd head, and alignment to tables would be perfect. In reality, it may not be perfect. Of course you have the option of futzing with the outfield and indeed tables with the 4 adjustment cams on each table. However, if you already have everything dialed in to your satisfaction, I suggest checking head alignment with a dial indicator while you are installing it. I ended up shimming one end slightly, and that saved me from having to re-set both table to the new head.
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#18
You may find shims under the pillow blocks in your jointer. Keep track where they came from and replace exactly as they were. Keep the area clean as well.
VH07V  
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#19
Wear gloves!
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#20
Best upgrade I ever did to my DJ-20 and PM 20" planer.

The jointer head was simple to do.

Your hearing will thank you!  So much quieter.
"This is our chance, this our lives, this is our planet we're standing on. Use your choice, use your voice, you can save our tomorrows now." - eV
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