Rotary cutter heads

A rotary cutter head for woodworking machinery comprising:

• means defining a cutterblock body;
• a hydraulic chamber within said cutterblock body;
• first hydraulically actuable means for clamping said cutterblock body on a spindle of a woodworking machine in response to hydraulic pressure in said hydraulic chamber;
• a plurality of inwardly diverging recesses in said cutterblock body, each said recess being provided with:
• a cutter blade received substantially within but extending from the recess;
• and
• a wedge for retaining the cutter blade in the recess, said edge having a tapered lock angle and cooperating with the cutter blade and a wall which defines the recess;
• and
• second hydraulically actuable means responsive to hydraulic pressure in said hydraulic chamber for wedging said cutter blades in their respective recesses, said second hydraulically actuable means cooperating with said wedges, pressurization of hydraulic fluid in said hydraulic chamber causing simultaneous clamping of said cutterblock body on a spindle on which said cutterblock body is mounted and the wedging of said cutter blades, subsequent depressurization of the hydraulic fluid in said hydraulic chamber causing release of the clamping of the said cutterblock body on the spindle while said cutter blades remain wedges in their associated recesses by the taper lock action of said wedges.