A high speed planer head. Disclosed according to one aspect of the invention is a hub and a threaded member. The hub is axially disposed for rotation about an axis, and has a pocket for receiving a first knife against a supporting wall of the pocket. The threaded member has a frustoconical ramping portion for producing a wedging force against the knife when the threaded member is threaded into a threaded hole in the hub. According to another aspect of the invention, a second hub for carrying a second knife is provided, the second hub preferably being bolted to the first hub to that the hubs can be disassembled. The second knife preferably has two linear cutting edges and the second knife preferably has at least two curvilinear cutting edges and more preferably has four concave, semi-circular cutting edges that are spaced apart from one another with 90 degree rotational symmetry.