Author Topic: Sharpening planer blades (Read 9962 times)

DanG · « **on:** July 09, 2006, 01:21:22 PM »

I have a Ryobi benchtop planer that I don't use very much, but the blades are finally in need of sharpening. I don't have a clue how to go about it, at least not how to do a good job of it.

What are you REAL woodworkers doing about this? Should I just take them to someone that knows what they're doing, try to do it myself at the risk of getting something out of whack, or simply replace them?

Tom · « **Reply #1 on:** July 09, 2006, 03:20:22 PM »

Dan,
The blades are very angle sensitive. You can build a jig and sharpen them on a bench grinder but you need to know the recommended angles. One of the "professional" sharpeners around here was changing the angle on everybody's blades, because he is one of those who knows better and always has a better idea than the factory. He lost a lot of business because of it.

If the blades haven't been "nailed", you can touch them up with one of those hand-held diamond files.

Throw-away blades are recommended by many folks. They cost about the same as a sharpening and have edges on both sides.

You can also gain some extra time by moving the blades a little from side to side to clear up nail damage, chip damage or rough edges. By getting the damage on each blade to pass in a different place, they will clean up after one another. That doesn't make them sharp again though.

Part_Timer · « **Reply #2 on:** July 09, 2006, 03:24:34 PM »

Dang

I am far from a real woodworker but here is my .02

I have a dewalt 3 blade and sharpened my own for awhile but didn't like results. I'm not patient enough I guess.

I ended up purchasing a second set so I could send one out to get sharpened and still use the planer.

I figured that if I messed up one set I payed for several sharpenings.

Tom

Faron · « **Reply #3 on:** July 09, 2006, 06:34:34 PM »

I send mine out for sharpening, too. After they are sharp, though, regular honing with that diamond hone Tom mentioned is a big help. I bought mine at a Woodcraft store. I'll use it a couple times a day when I am working it hard.

DanG · « **Reply #4 on:** July 09, 2006, 11:19:55 PM »

Thanks. I don't feel quite so dumb now. I've seen a hone in the Harbor Freight catalogs for about 10 bucks. Is that something you use without removing the blades? Of course the HF one probably isn't very good for that money.

LeeB · « **Reply #5 on:** July 09, 2006, 11:48:47 PM »

I never had much luck with the one like harbor freight sells. I bought a similar one from woodcraft. I might just not know how to use it right. :(LeeB

GF · « **Reply #6 on:** July 10, 2006, 11:38:45 AM »

FYI, the harbor freight 4 sided diamond sharpener, dows not stay very flat when pressure is applied. the metal sharpening surface is only attached in the four corners and is floating in the middle when you apply pressure the center collapses and you end up just sharpening on the ends where is firmly attached to the block. The sharpening surface that has the diamond material is very very very thin causing it to flex this way. Just my .02 cents worth. I got one and dont use it much because of this.

Brad_S. · « **Reply #7 on:** July 10, 2006, 05:38:36 PM »

This reply won't be much help to you since you are looking for a low cost option, but here goes anyhow.
I have a 20+ year old 10" benchtop Ryobi and love it! It leaves a glass smooth surface and the blade setting jig is simple and accurate. I send any dirty lumber that will fit through that machine because it is so easy to sharpen and reset those blades. I use a Makita sharpening wheel, available at most woodworking outlets and costs about $200 give or take. If you ever plan on doing more with the planer, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, paying to have them sharpened isn't too bad a deal. Around here it costs $1 per inch per blade.

SAW MILLER · « **Reply #8 on:** July 10, 2006, 06:45:31 PM »

Dang,
Here's what I do.measure the width of the bevel and sharpen on my belt sander.Make sure your bevel remains the same width and your angle will be o.k.
I check my edge with a straight edge to make sure it is straight.I hold the blade with vise grips.I also use a diamond hone between sharpenings.

Cheapo Ron

bitternut · « **Reply #9 on:** July 10, 2006, 09:37:35 PM »

I have the same Ryobi planer. I made a fixture for grinding the blades on a surface grinder. I could do a set in about five minutes. Everybody in the whole building brought their blades in for me to sharpen. Since I am now retired I have no surface grinder available and now sharpen them on my Tormek slow speed wet grinder. If I remember right I think my planer came with a fixture that you attached the blades to. You could then stroke the blades on a piece of plate glass that has a sheet of wet dry sandpaper stuck to it with some spray on adhesive. They are a good planer for the money and the blades are real easy to set up.

mur · « **Reply #10 on:** July 10, 2006, 11:19:06 PM »

DanG:
I ship mine out to be sharpened and the cost is one buck Canadian per inch per blade. I feel it's worth the money as I get a perfect job done and I really don't care much for working with metal. I have a Tormek sharpener too but only use it in an emergency.

bitternut · « **Reply #11 on:** July 11, 2006, 12:15:36 PM »

Holy cow mur I must have sharpened a couple miles worth of those planer blades. Most I ever got was a offer to buy me a cup of coffee.

Dan you did not mention what model Ryobi planer that you have. I assumed that you had the 10" model like mine. If you do there should have been a plastic fixture with it that is used to sharpen them. I dug mine out and I know it worked pretty good the few times that I used it. It has a setting for rough sharpening and then finish sharpening which is a different angle. If you need the directions I can make a copy to send you.

DanG · « **Reply #12 on:** July 11, 2006, 12:52:48 PM »

Thanks, BN but mine is the 13" model. I bought it new and there wasn't any sharpening jig with it. I need to dig out the manual and see what they have to say about it. As far as I know, I might have the reversable blades and could just turn them around. Don't know, cause I've never taken them out.

LeeB · « **Reply #13 on:** July 11, 2006, 10:59:41 PM »

Faron, please splainto me how to use the hone you bought. I never have had any luck with it. LeeB

Faron · « **Reply #14 on:** July 12, 2006, 02:53:40 AM »

Lee, I don't know if I can do a good job of explaining, though there isn't much to explain. Mine has two steel square rods (holding the diamond dust) clamped in a wood housing. One side is clamped parallel to the housing, and the other at a 45 degree angle to it. I dip mine in water (or spit on it). The angled rod is for the beveled edge of the knife, the edge you would take off if sharpening. I use long strokes all the way across the knife, holding the hone flat to the surface and applying even slight pressure. It doesn't take a lot of strokes. I can generally feel rather than see when the edge is finished. The hone on the surface will feel slicker than when you started. The other stone is for deburring the other side of the knife. There is a small bevel in the wooden holder on both steels that kind of acts as a guide to help keep the hone in proper position. You will not really think you are doing much good with this hone. There isn't any cuttings or anything like that, but you will be able to see a little bit of dark stain come off the hone if you dip it in a pan of water. I think the key is to use it before the knife gets dull, and to use it often. I think regular use prevents small knicks from getting started. Of course if you hit a nail or something, this won't help any. I thought mine was a joke the first few times I used it, as I wanted it to act more like a file. After I used it a while, I realized it was helping, and greatly extended the life of my knives.

LeeB · « **Reply #15 on:** July 12, 2006, 05:03:17 AM »

I guess I been using it right all this time

. maybe my expectations were just too high. LeeB

Faron · « **Reply #16 on:** July 13, 2006, 11:01:43 PM »

"One of the "professional" sharpeners around here was changing the angle on everybody's blades, because he is one of those who knows better and always has a better idea than the factory. He lost a lot of business because of it."

I had a set of knives sharpened this week at a place recommended by a customer. I noticed before I put them on today that the bevel angle was a lot steeper than I remembered, and a lot steeper than the set on the planer. I went ahead and put them on and by the time I had planed 20 hickory boards they were showing several knicks.

I yanked them back off and put the other set back on after I touched them up a little on a diamond flat stone. These had just planed 3000 feet of hickory and hard telling how much oak without a knick. I planed all afternoon without a knick. Why do you suppose they changed the angle of my knives? At least I sure don't remember them having that sharp an angle. Surely the machine can be set at more than one angle. This was the first resharpening for these knives, and as far as I am concerned they are ruined. I haven't called about them yet, so I don't know what they will have to say about it. Tough luck is the answer I imagine I will get.

Tom · « **Reply #17 on:** July 14, 2006, 08:59:49 AM »

Some of these guys don't know the drastic differences they can cause by changing the angle on the blade of a knife.

He might have been innocently following instructions of the manufacturer of his device. He might have given the knife to his thirteen year-old grandson to sharpen. It might be that he just doesn't know what he is doing. Then again, he might be one of those guys that knows everything better than anybody else. If the latter is the case, he is a lost cause.

iain · « **Reply #18 on:** July 23, 2006, 02:42:51 AM »

Faron
tough luck my backside he owes you a set of knives,
the angle is critical on knives, not just to be sharp, but to supply support behind the cutting edge to help stop nicking, and the edge rolling over

iain

hiya · « **Reply #19 on:** July 23, 2006, 04:33:24 PM »

DanG, Back in my younger years an old cabnet maker showed me how to sharpen planer blades on a table saw. You put a grinder wheel on, than adjust it height wise to the correct angle. Lay the blade against the wheel and clamp a framing square against the blade. The square is adjusted to grind the right amount off. Then slide the blade along the square. All blades are ground uniform.Richard

Forestry ForumSponsored by:

Author Topic: Sharpening planer blades (Read 9962 times)

Forestry Forum
Sponsored by: