I have 10 sets of blades/knifes that came with the 15" planer I bought. All are in good but dulled shape, No nicks or chips, evidently swapped out in timely fashion it seems. I have tried to find a local source for sharpening them to no avail. The only place I've found is near New Orleans and they want .65 per inch, which is a bit higher than I was hoping for. That's over 300 bucks for all the knifes I have to sharpen..... :-[
I did find a Makita sharpener never used for a decent price, one made for planer knifes up to 15 3/4".... but I have not yet heard back from the seller.
What do you planer owners do for sharpening?
stump
________I meant to post this in General Woodworking________
I have a woodmaster 20" planer & use a Tormek sharpener. Does a pretty good job.
jim
There you go! :)
Cypressstump, I send mine out. I am not that good at sharpening ;D Tim
Thanks Much Roxie !!!
Im not into spending too much if I can help it, not saying that .65 cents per inch is not the going rate, but, dog gone it, I just bought the planer,,, looking fer a break ! ;D I made/modified a wooden jig, but currently limited on correct length and grit sandpaper to hand sharpen them, but did give er' heck and managed to help a bit with some 400 grit roll paper and surprisingly a correct angled profile or so it seems.
I surely hope the seller of that makita unit comes thru, it looks like a very nice tool to have for all flat edged tool sharpening needs.
Now there ya go Jim, jus' had to rub that in a bit huh ? ? ;) I was trying to deal on a nice 20" Woodmaster, made the guy a cash offer, he never responded to me personally. 2 weeks later I call him, he sold the thing a few days eariler for the same price I offered... just my luck.
Stump
cyprussstump - i have the makita and it comes with 1000grit stone. it's nice for finishing the blades but takes forever to get to that point. i have been thinking about making another coarser stone for the unit. al
I have a friend who sharpens mine. I saw logs for him in return.
I have a Jet Wet Sharpener and the Tormek planer blade sharpening jig will work on it but I haven't been able to pull the trigger on one so far...especially with my buddy being adept at sharpening.
i use the grizzly brand planer blade sharpener for my 15 inch blades... actually all my blades., i even "freehanded" a couple 3" blades off my hand joiner the other day... not recommended by the health and safety org.
I've watched my father sharpen his Dewalt 12" blades using a standard bench grinder. He clamps a simple 2 piece homemade jig to the tool rest on the grinder to keep the blades a consistent distance from the wheel and just slides the blades across the wheel by hand. He makes light passes until he gets a bur rolling over the back of the blade. Once that's done he cleans them up a bit on the finer wheel using the same jig and then runs an oil stone along the edge by hand for good measure. It's crude and I would have told him that he'd end up with wavy edges had he asked my opinion first, but his blades turn out amazingly sharp and even.
Cypressstump, I have used 400 grit on my 6" belt as well. I thought it worked out well...but im as cheap a do it yourselfer as ther is. And my furniture is rustic. Good luck
I used to attempt it but, finally gave up. I send em out for what it's worth
I also have the Grizzly sharpener for my Grizzly 15 " planer and 6' joiner.
I do my own. Wooden jig on a 12 inch bench disc sander.If I feel real picky, I mount a white stone on the spindle of my vertical milling machine. Works good, but too Dang slow. There's a local guy who has a part time business sharpening planer blades for all the local cabinet shops. Think he charges 50 cents / inch.
Cypresstump,
I have a 16" Makita I bought in the 70's and use it a lot. Thousands of feet of lumber through it. I bought vertical 1 inch belt sander from Lee Valley tools years ago along with quality belts. Clamped a steel rule, set the table at the correct angle and move the blades back and forth by hand very evenly and it does a wonderful job. It just takes a little longer to remove nicks but they also vanish quite quickly. The sander was made in Quebec Province and sold at that time for $65.00 probably a little more now. It also sharpens the blades on my Makita hand planers . Haven't sent a blade out for years to be sharpened. Email me if you would like some photos of the unit and I'll be happy to send them to you.
Jim
Quote from: 1938farmall on February 12, 2013, 04:37:00 PM
cyprussstump - i have the makita and it comes with 1000grit stone. it's nice for finishing the blades but takes forever to get to that point. i have been thinking about making another coarser stone for the unit. al
This is the issue with the various water stone based grinders on HSS blades/tools. I use a Tormek to sharpen my 13" planer and other HSS blades (jointer blades and lathe tools), with the newer black silicon carbide wheel (I think it is called SG-250 http://www.amazon.com/Tormek-SG-250-Grindstone/dp/B0013N8Z0A ) replacing the gray/green one that came standard. It still is a chore for the long planer blades but at least the stone isn't wearing very fast. 65 cents a foot isn't that bad, it's $1.00 around here.
Thanks for the excellent feedback fellers ! Apprciate it much !
I am picking up the unit today, brand new never opened in box for 250 bucks. I have read on line of a nice 120 grit and 6000 grit stones at reasonable prices. The unit gets mixed reviews as anything would on-line. I think it will serve me well, from what you've reported to me on the unit.
WooHoo.... 8)
Keep your fingers off that stone! It will feel nice and cool while it turns red! :o :o :o
Good info,,, but the courious guy I am has to ask,,,, Just how would know that ? ;D
Well, The unit was almost as described to me, in the box, but slightly used, not new and un-used as said. But it did come with the standard 1000 grit stone plus the 6000 grit and a clamp for shorter jointer sized knives.
now the fun learning begins.
Quote from: Cypressstump on February 13, 2013, 05:04:12 PM
Good info,,, but the courious guy I am has to ask,,,, Just how would know that ? ;D
Think I read it in a FWW review, then being the curious guy I am I tried it myself happens pretty quick! :o :o :o