According to this blog, it's been 3.5 years since installing the Shelix cutterhead in my planer. and I haven't touched it. until now. In that time I've thrown a small shit-ton of linear feet through the thing, with very little tear-out. I probably could have run it out for another 6 months without too much trouble, but I figured enough is enough.
So I rotated the inserts to their second cutting edge. Definitely tedious. Not sure how many hours passed. hundreds of the little suckers. But no doubt a time saving over setting straight knives once or twice every year. Certainly less voodoo magic involved.
I tackled one at a time, more controlled that way. Loosened with a socket wrench (and adaptors for the Torx bit). Brushed the insert platform and sprayed with compressed air; gave the insert a wipe down on a dry cloth; hit the odd one with a brass brush if it needed it; screwed it back in. To tighten I just snugged up by hand using the straight handled screwdriver in the picture. I thought about buying that torque wrench I've wanted for years, but I reckon a good hand snugging is all that's required.
Be sure to make a note in your journal of the starting orientation of the inserts (they have notations stamped on them) and which direction you've decided to rotate (in my case clockwise).
