Powermatic 209HH - Manual (Page 2)

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The Byrd
® cutterhead is so effective because its 132 carbide inserts are arranged in spiral-
shaped rows. The inserts have a 4” radius ground into them and are mounted so that they
approach the wood at a 14-degree angle. That creates a true shear cut that dramatically reduces
impact and the resulting fiber disturbance other cutterhead designs deliver to the wood.
The Byrd
® cutterhead is so efficient that it
makes surprisingly little noise when cutting
wood. In fact, it is so quiet, new
POWERMATIC 209HH users often think it
is not cutting wood at all, until they see the
results. The shearing effect of the Byrd
®
cutterhead produces a remarkably smooth
surface on even heavily figured wood.
The Byrd
® cutterhead inserts are precisely
machined from solid high-grade carbide,
each with four identical cutting edges. If an
edge eventually goes dull, you simply index it to the next cutting edge! Each insert has a marking
at one corner that makes indexing all or any number of them the same way very easy, though
needing to do that is unlikely.
Each of the carbide inserts (left) has four cutting edges that can
be easily indexed should one edge go dull or be damaged. We
even include a set of inserts and the Torx wrench (right) needed
to make the change!
Because the inserts themselves and the seats into which they fit are so precisely machined, there
is no adjustment or “fitting” necessary. Indexing or replacing an insert takes just seconds. Simply
loosen the T25 Torx screw (wrench included), turn the insert to its new position and tighten the
screw.
The durability of the carbide combined with the low impact, shear cutting action mean the
Byrd
® inserts have an extremely long life, far exceeding that of straight blades. The potential
life span of these carbide inserts means that many woodworkers may go years before having to
index them. Should a hidden piece of metal be encountered and actually damage a few of the
carbide inserts only those need to be indexed or replaced. Just in case you accidentally encounter
a hidden metal object, we include a package of ten spare inserts and a wrench with the
POWERMATIC 209HH.
Feed & Rollers
The two speed feed rates are controlled by a simple push/pull knob (left) on the
side. We include a chain and sprocket (right) that allows you to change to a
second set of feed rates.
The POWERMATIC 209HH has
two material feed rate ranges
with four actual speeds. As
shipped the available feed rates
are 31 FPM (Feet Per Minute)
used primarily for rough
dimensioning and 24 FPM that
increases the cuts-per-inch to
create a silky-smooth surface. W