Dave Norris
11-08-2013, 2:26 PM
Hi everyone,
I've done woodworking now for a few years, and I have always struggled with getting my planer blades sharp and reset correctly. I finally mastered sharpening them on the Tormek (I think), but getting them set has remained a challenge.
I studied the jigs from Bob Vaughn's video and also in a post here http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?107016-Planer-Knife-Setting-Jigs.
I used a set of planar pals that I got when I bought my planer probably seven or eight years ago. They never gave good results, possibly because there is a lot of slop where the magnets attached to the bracket. I also struggled with making the jig in Bob's video as well as in the post cited above, because I have bigger gauges and they would want to tip over. Then it occurred to me…
A couple moments at the drillpress, and I was in business, using the planer pal as the base for the gauge. Nice and hefty, stays put... I don't use the magnets by the way. I turn them up, so the jig sits solidly on the four legs.
Knives are spot on accurate, and the whole process took about 15 minutes. Even at that, most of the time was spent on one knife that wanted to shift when I tightened the screws down.
Thought I would share and maybe this could help someone else out who experiences the same frustration.
I've done woodworking now for a few years, and I have always struggled with getting my planer blades sharp and reset correctly. I finally mastered sharpening them on the Tormek (I think), but getting them set has remained a challenge.
I studied the jigs from Bob Vaughn's video and also in a post here http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?107016-Planer-Knife-Setting-Jigs.
I used a set of planar pals that I got when I bought my planer probably seven or eight years ago. They never gave good results, possibly because there is a lot of slop where the magnets attached to the bracket. I also struggled with making the jig in Bob's video as well as in the post cited above, because I have bigger gauges and they would want to tip over. Then it occurred to me…
A couple moments at the drillpress, and I was in business, using the planer pal as the base for the gauge. Nice and hefty, stays put... I don't use the magnets by the way. I turn them up, so the jig sits solidly on the four legs.
Knives are spot on accurate, and the whole process took about 15 minutes. Even at that, most of the time was spent on one knife that wanted to shift when I tightened the screws down.
Thought I would share and maybe this could help someone else out who experiences the same frustration.