sharpening planer blades

[steve swartz]

I have been recycling a lot of old redwood, such as fence boards, to make planter boxes and small projects. I have been dulling my planer blades a lot. Hitting some of those old knots are like hitting a piece of gravel. I have been sending my blades out for sharpening, but I would rather not since it costs about one half of the price of new blades. Does anyone resharpen their own blades and what do you use? I've seen some Makita wheel sharpeners and would like to get some feedback if anyone has used that one or something similar.

[John TenEyck]

I sharpen my own straight jointer and planer knives using a Grizzly knife grinder, followed by Japanese water stones. You have to be careful to take very, very light cuts with the knife grinder to avoid putting any heat into the steel. Other than that, it work great. I can sharpen a set of knives in less than 30 minutes, start to finish. As a hobbiest, this is a no brainer for me. As a pro, I'd send them out.

John

[Judson Green]

I have just tuned them up while in the cutterhead. You'll havta figure out a way to lock the cutterhead. Not sure how dull yours are or if ya can get to them without taking them out but if they aren't real dull you may wanna give it a try. I guess you could also take them out and tune them up. If the blades are really bad I'd send em out. Also if you've got a nick you could just loosen one blade and move it to the left or right a bit.

[Dick Mahany]

I use a Tormek with a planer blade attachment. It was expensive so I tell my self that I have to use it. But I really like the scary sharp method of sandpaper on glass or granite floor tiles and I think the Deulen jig would probably be faster and waaaay less money.

[ken masoumi]

This is one way of sharpening them,I have made the jig but not tried it yet.
270423

[Richard Coers]

I'm pretty sure that buying a Makita sharpener is going to cost a lot more than sending them out. What size planer? Have you considered using a power hand planer to knock off the crud? You could probably get a throw away power hand planer from Harbor Freight for $45 and don't forget their 20% off coupon.

[Dan Hahr]

I'm not sure that's its better than the other methods, but it was surprisingly easy for me.

I took a very stable piece of 8/4 hardwood the length of my Dewalt 735 knives and squared it on my jointer. I ran two parallel kerfs at about 43 degrees, angles opposing each other, but far enough apart so that it did not affect the stability of the wood. That angle allowed me to put a very slight microbevel on the knives. I used a thin kerf blade and I think I had to put a strip of masking tape along the knife so that it didn't wobble. I wrapped a couple lengths of tape around the perimeter of the jig to hold the knives in place, and turned the whole thing upside down onto sandpaper on granite. I went from about 220 grit to 1000 grit and could shave with the entire length of the knife.

The best thing is that the edges are straight and there nicks were completely removed with the first grit. It only took about 5 minutes once I made the jig. I rotated the knives though it so that I didn't take too much off of one and watched the bevels until they were all about the same width.

It's similar to the jig below, but the edges wind up about 2 inches apart, and is more stable. It was so quick that I sharpened three sets of jointer knives with a similar jig with wider kerfs. I wouldn't spend any money on a grinder and attachments until you at least tried this set up.

Also, this assumes your knives are ground at 45 degrees or less...

Dan


This is one way of sharpening them,I have made the jig but not tried it yet.
270423

[Metod Alif]

Ken,
I would say 'good luck' with your jig :), but you will not need one. I use a similar 'upside down' version for one knife at the time, with sandpaper on a glass plate. I might start using my 3x8 diamond stones instead but no rush - as long as I am getting good results.
Best wishes,
Metod

[Dave Zellers]

I use the Makita sharpener and wouldn't be without it. I have 2 sets of jointer and planer blades and sharpen the unused ones at my convenience. When I sense the blades on the machine getting dull, I make a point of skip planing any rough lumber I'll be using soon, then change the blades.

It took me a while to master it but now it's rather quick and easy and free. Can't imagine buying new knives every time or even paying to have them sharpened. Just dropping them off and picking them up would be a pain.

[Richard Coers]

I use the Makita sharpener and wouldn't be without it. I have 2 sets of jointer and planer blades and sharpen the unused ones at my convenience. When I sense the blades on the machine getting dull, I make a point of skip planing any rough lumber I'll be using soon, then change the blades.

It took me a while to master it but now it's rather quick and easy and free. Can't imagine buying new knives every time or even paying to have them sharpened. Just dropping them off and picking them up would be a pain.

I'm the exact opposite. Our local sharpening service sharpens huge paper cutting knives as a big part of their business. Their machine has a 16' magnetic chuck on it. They index all my blades together, and it takes just minutes to sharpen. All blades within a couple thousandths of being the same width. Perfectly balanced, straight edge, and sharp enough to shave with. Less than $20, it's a dream.

[Dave Zellers]

... it's a dream.

That's a dream for me too! And likely to stay that way.:(

[Dick Mahany]

I'm the exact opposite. Our local sharpening service sharpens huge paper cutting knives as a big part of their business. Their machine has a 16' magnetic chuck on it. They index all my blades together, and it takes just minutes to sharpen. All blades within a couple thousandths of being the same width. Perfectly balanced, straight edge, and sharp enough to shave with. Less than $20, it's a dream.

That's a bargain. In my area sharpening goes for $1/inch.

[Mel Fulks]

My experience is much like Richard's,around 20$ and back quickly. The sharpener bought a new quite expensive machine a few years ago to replace old one which was worn out. Perfect nearby service.

[Keith Outten]

I use the Makita slow speed wet sharpener for my planer and joiner blades plus a chisel every now and then. I've had the Makita for probably 20 years, its a great machine once you learn how to use it.
.

[Kevin Godshall]

+1 on the Makita and doing my own.

Neighbors were impressed enough, that I do their's as well. Best part for me: I can stop in the middle of a planing job, sharpen them, and be right back to work within 15 minutes. (Although I usually have several sets already sharpened and ready to go).

JMO, but wouldn't be without my Makita.

[Bill White]

Makita here too. With all the talk about the other brands, I was beginning to think that I was the only hold-out left.
My Makita has been in my shop about 15 years. No probs.
Bill