Rotary cutting head assembly

An apparatus for planing a work surface on a workpieces, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a platen secured relative to the frame;
• a carrier secured relative to the frame;
• moving means for moving the carrier relative to the platen;
• a motor;
• and
• a rotatable cutting head assembly rotatably supported within the carrier and rotatably driven by the motor, the cutting head assembly including:
• a rotatable elongate support block extending along a longitudinal axis;
• a pair of blades, circumferentially spaced about and removably attached to the support block, each blade having a straight elongate cutting edge which extends parallel to and is spaced radially from the longitudinal axis of the support block;
• and
• a pair of elongate retainers, each retainer being attachable to the support block to clamp a respective blade therebetween;
• the retainers, the blades and the support block having cooperating alignment ribs and elongate slots, the slots extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support block, which maintain at least two of the cutting edges at equidistant radial distances from the longitudinal axis while permitting the blades to be longitudinally adjustable relative to the support block to enable a user to offset any longitudinally aligned nicks formed on the cutting edges during planing so that the cutting edges create a smooth planar surface free of ridges.

A disposable blade for use in a rotatable cutting head assembly, the cutting head assembly having a rotatable elongate support block extending along a longitudinal axis and a pair of retainers which are secured to the support block, each retainer having a generally square alignment rib for aligning the blade relative to the support block, the blade comprising:

• an elongate body having a pair of laterally spaced cutting edges, which extend longitudinally and which are parallel to one another, a retainer interfacing surface and a block interfacing surface, and an elongate slot which extends longitudinally and is centrally located between the cutting edges, the slot extending through the body from the retainer interfacing surface to the support block interfacing surface;
• wherein a pair of such blades may be mounted to the support block with the retainer interfacing surfaces and the support block interfacing surfaces being juxtaposed the respective retainers and the support block with the alignment ribs being slidably received within the elongate slots to maintain at least two of the cutting edges at equidistant radial distances from the longitudinal axis of the support block while permitting the blades to be longitudinally adjustable relative to the support block to enable a user to offset any longitudinally aligned nicks formed on the cutting edges during planing so that the cutting edges create a smooth planar surface free of ridges.