Planer/Jointe.r Setting up the knives

[Nick deMolitor]

Hello all, Nick here. I just have a quick question. I'm new to woodworking and have recently acquired a planer and jointer. After looking both of them over it appears that one of the blades on the planer is doing 90% of the cutting.

I have the A-Line-It deluxe dial gauge and would like to reset all my blades, the only thing is I don't know what kind of clearances the blades should have. I can zero the gauge on the drum or whatever you want to call it. So all I need to know is what is considered the minimum to maximum amount of blade showing and is there an optimal depth I should be using?

Thanks in advance
Nick

[William C Rogers]

I set mine between 0.0005 and 0.001 above the outfeed table.

[Mark Wooden]

Study your manuals, there should be specs. for setting the knives. The knives are set in the machine's cutterhead.
I'd also like to suggest you look up a few articles and videos by Bob Vaughn. In them he explains the parts of the machines, what they do, and shows how to set them up.

[Mark Wooden]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRnrWOwun68&feature=gv&hl=en

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSM7Jrg34a8&feature=gv&hl=en

[John Piwaron]

I just acquired a planer and jointer. I would like to set my blades - is there a depth I should be using?

Thanks in advance
Nick

Are these separate machines?

I don't have an A-Line-It so I can't speak to that device's capabilities.

I set my knives on my jointer (Delta DJ-20) with a metal straight edge (12" scale) I place the scale on it's edge on the outfeed table and rock the cutter head back 'n forth and adjust the height of the knife so it just barely touches the scale. I do that in a few places from end to end of each blade. My results are very very good.

My planer is a lunchbox type. That machine has a magnetic setting gage. It's easy to get good results. If I had a floor standing planer I'd probably buy one of those magnetic gadgets to help set the knives. Even better would be a shelix head for the planer. There'd be no knives to set at all. :)

[Steve Rost]

Nick, For years I set my jointer like John. He is finding top-dead-center for the knives using the straight edge. I thought I had a pretty good system till I read the set-up procedure used by the Wood Whisperer. My jointer is the best I have ever attained using his jointerknife set up procedure. Take your time and go thru each step. It is worth it. Do a google search for the Wood Whisperer, go thru the archives watch the video a few times, you won't regret it.

[Stephen Cherry]

I sharpen the jointer using a small stone chucked into a router. Clamp a putty knife (flexible metal) onto the infeed table to catch a knife with the ground part flat as it counter-rotates, reference the router to the outfeed table, and take very light passes, rotate the cutter and repeat a few times. Then adjust the outfeed table and it's ready to go.

Fast, easy, sharp and low stress.

[Nick deMolitor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRnrWOwun68&feature=gv&hl=en

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSM7Jrg34a8&feature=gv&hl=en

Great videos especially the planer.

The machines are separate, a 20" Grizzly G0454 and a Delta DJ 20. I've also watched most of the wood whisper videos. I think that I can actually thank Mark for re-sparking my interest in woodworking. I'm an electrician by trade but my father's a carpenter so I grew up helping him and working with wood.

The main question I have is the planer knives. I've looked in the manual and it refers to a knife gauge for setting the height on the cutter head. However when I bought the planer it didn't come with this. So I'm still not sure the minimum amount of knife that should be showing above the cutter head.

[John Piwaron]

First, however you set your knives, it's the results that matter. I set my jointer knives as described above, the Wood Whisperer likely sets them somewhat differently. Yet, in the end, all that matters are the results - the wood is flat and smooth. Remember that the jointer is probably not the last stop for a piece of wood. It'll probably go through the planer. If not, then it'll be sanded or scraped. The jointed surface is gone at that point! So all the jointer has to do is remove any warp. Or make an edge square to a flat face. That's it.

The planer - get on Grizzly's website and look for parts for your machine. If the manual refers to a gauge, then it must have come with one. It's probably available through their repair parts. Or email them for the height you need.

OR

Buy an aftermarket knife setting jig. They're magnetic, kind of a semi-circle and locate the knives for you while your tightening them in place.

[Curt Harms]

There's a low tech way to set jointer knives that works quite well. The equipment required in addition to wrenches is one stick of wood about 1" X 1" about 12"-18" long. Make two marks about 1/8" apart on one end of the 1X1 stick a couple inches from one end. I would remove the blade guard so it's not in the way. Lay the stick on the outfeed table with the end with the two marks on the cutterhead end. Align one mark to the edge of the outfeed table. When you rotate a knife under the stick, it should pick up the stick a little and move it about 1/8" to the second mark. Check each end of each knife. If they all move the stick the same distance, the knives are all set the same. If your knives are set well now, you could check how far the stick moves now and mark accordingly. A benefit to this technique is you don't have to worry about top dead center. Low tech and seems quite accurate and repeatable.

Jet shipped an aluminum extrusion with their 12" jointer planers. It was a hollow box about 8" long with what looked like a saw kerf cut perpendicular to the long axis close to one end. No one knew what it was for. The manual said what it was for, right in the section on setting the knives.;). Not everybody has an aluminum extrusion but I expect any woodworker can find a square stick.

[Mike Cutler]

Great videos especially the planer.

The machines are separate, a 20" Grizzly G0454 and a Delta DJ 20. I've also watched most of the wood whisper videos. I think that I can actually thank Mark for re-sparking my interest in woodworking. I'm an electrician by trade but my father's a carpenter so I grew up helping him and working with wood.

The main question I have is the planer knives. I've looked in the manual and it refers to a knife gauge for setting the height on the cutter head. However when I bought the planer it didn't come with this. So I'm still not sure the minimum amount of knife that should be showing above the cutter head.

Nick

The gauge that shipped with my Jet planer, was probably pretty close to the gauge that the Griz' uses. If so you don't really need it, because it doesn't set the actual height of the blade above the cutter head.
The dimension you're looking for isn't really a measured dimension, it's a visual. My Jet manual doesn't even give a dimension, it expresses it as a relationship.
The blade has a bevel angle to it. The back side (non edge) of the bevel should line up flush, very closely, to the top of the cutter head when finished. It may not be perfect, but it will be very close. You're trying to minimize the amount of unsupported blade above the rotational axis of the cutter head, which can cause chatter.
Don't end up with the bevel below the cutter head, or it will collect crud behind the blade and won't clear properly. Your last adjustment with the A-Line tool would be to raise the blade into position, and then tighten.

[Jim Barrett]

Great videos especially the planer.

The main question I have is the planer knives. I've looked in the manual and it refers to a knife gauge for setting the height on the cutter head. However when I bought the planer it didn't come with this. So I'm still not sure the minimum amount of knife that should be showing above the cutter head.

Nick,
Here is the manual for your planer: http://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g0453_m.pdf
Look on page 36 where the specific information you asked for is located.
You should set your knives 0.059" above the cutter head.
Have fun!

Jim

[Nick deMolitor]

Mike, Jim, thank you both. What you said Mike makes perfect sense, and Jim I did read the manual but by that point I must have gleaned right past it.