Uses for old planer/jointer knives?

[Richard Magbanua]

Since sharpening my jointer knives cost almost as much as buying new ones, I bought a new set. I now have three dullish jointer knives and a few sets of old planer knives on a shelf. I may try to sharpen the jointer knives some day, but the planer knives are for the Ridgid, which has a preset depth designed into them. So I was wanting to ask if anyone out there has found other uses for them. New scrapers? Blades for planes? I did find that the old jointer knives worked well for setting the height of the new ones.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

I've got this urge to drill holes in the end and to screw them into the head of a weed eater so I can run around the neighborhood laughing manically while trimming peoples over grown brush.

http://steve.deadlycomputer.com/microwave/images/warning.png

[Dan Friedrichs]

I've got this urge to drill holes in the end and to screw them into the head of a weed eater so I can run around the neighborhood laughing manically while trimming peoples over grown brush.



Ha! I like that :D

Seriously, though- you can grind the edge off ~3/4 of a jointer knife and use it as a marking knife.

[Steve Rowe]

I am planning on making detail chisels out of mine.
Steve

[Richard Magbanua]

Hmm, great suggestions! I may do both! Keep 'em coming...

[Brian Effinger]

Thin kerf parting tools. :)

[Simon Dupay]

Get them sharpened, shouldn't cost more then $12-14.

[Richard Magbanua]

Well, I checked at a nearby place and it ran $1.50/inch or $27 for my jointer blades. New ones were $30. I didn't think the savings was worth the wait. I still may check around and have the old ones sharpened so I have extras waiting just in case. I'm sure I can make a jig to take care of it myself. The planer blades however may become new tools someday.

[george wilson]

If they are standard 3/32" or 1/8" thick jointer knives without holes in them,they make nice narrow chisels,or you could grind a bevel on them across their width and use them for a wider chisel. I essentially made a thin mortising chisel out of 1.

You can also grind bevels on each side of 1 end,and make a nice bench knife out of it. Don't do any twisting with it though! Sink the remaining length into a handle.

Many of the old guys in the millwork shop seemed to take pride in making very long chisels out of old thickness planer blades. Some of them were about 16" long!

[William Nimmo]

I have an idea. I am losing my retail business of 25 years due to this economy. I can use your old blades to slit my wrists.

[Paul Atkins]

No slitting wrists! I use old planer/jointer blades for turning tools. See 'rosette cutter' post a few days ago. I have a parting tool made of a 12" x 1" x1/8" planer blade that I've had for 20 years. Still lots of metal to sharpen. Usually these are M2HSS which makes them perfect for this. Use as a straight edge or paper cutter.

[Steve Clardy]

Know anyone that forges hand made knives?

Those guys really like to get their hands on most any type of blades.

[Frank Drew]

Any of the suggested uses could be good ideas, but even if there was very little difference between sharpening and buying a new set, I'd have them sharpened rather than chucking them -- throw some work the sharpener's way plus keep useful stuff out of the landfills.

[Harold Burrell]

Uses for old planer/jointer knives?

Send them to me.

:D

[george wilson]

You cannot forge HSS knives. They fall apart and crumble when they get too hot.

[Tony De Masi]

I know some turners that use they as a scraper. Not a bad idea but I prefer a scraper with a handle keeping my hands further away from the spinning object.

Tony

[Paul Atkins]

Like this?

[Wayne Sparkman]

Use a 12/13" planer blade to make a jig for cutting sandpaper to size for your sander. Fix the blade at both ends down to a board such that you can just slide the paper under the blade. Mark the board at 4.5" and 5.5" marks if quartering the paper.

[george wilson]

Be warned that THIN HSS lathe tools can break right in your face,and could hit you in the eye. The HSS lathe tools you normally see for wood turning are MUCH thicker. Reground files can also blow up on you. Back in the 60's I made a nice skew chisel out of a 2" X 1/4"(or thicker) file. I polished all the teeth off,and got the chisel nice and sharp. BLAM! it broke in half instantly,whizzing right past my head. Even annealed files are still pretty brittle because they have the carbon content of a straight razor.

Now,with these new Chinese files,they could just be case hardened. No telling. The one I used was a good Nicholson.

[Tony De Masi]

Paul, the turners I know who use them aren't quite as sophisticated as you. Those look like tools that I certainly would try. The folks I know just use the blades as is with a bit of duct tape opposite the business end.

Tony

[Doug Shepard]

I've had a set of old jointer knives I've been saving for years with plans to cut some lengths off them and use them for trimming inlay. I've never gotten around to making this but what I've got in mind is a sort of mini guillotine (sp?) with some straight and mitered fence pieces. Put the inlay against the fence and push or tap the blade down to trim it. Sort of a mini Lion miter trimmer? Dont know if it will work but it seems to make some sense to me.

[johnny means]

I have an idea. I am losing my retail business of 25 years due to this economy. I can use your old blades to slit my wrists.

I believe he said they were dull.:D

[Adam Grills]

My 12" jointer knives are 24" knives cut in half from the SCMI planer when they were to short to run in the planner anymore but fit the jointer nicely :D

[Tom Adger]

Check the website for Dynamic Saw in Buffalo. They have been around for a while, and have a good reputation. Their price is 50 cents per inch for jointer and planer blades. An earlier poster said he checked somewhere and their price was $1.50 per inch. Sounds like those people are putting some kids thru college, or trying to retire early.

[Howard Pollack]

I have several and I wonder how one might cut them to shorter lengths. I'd appreciate any suggestions. _howard

[Mel Fulks]

Use a carbide cut-off wheel .

[Steve Clardy]

Zombie thread.....Lol

Yes, a cutoff wheel in a 4" grinder will work.