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joe aiello
06-16-2007, 9:57 PM
Has anyone made a jig to sharpen jointer blades in place while in the the jointer head? I'm thinking just to fine tune - just like we would with chisels - one or two passes over a stone. For example --- Lock the arbor, place a base on the head, and pass a stone (i.e. DMT stone) over the knife edge. Their has to be better way than taking them out, fine sharpen and then reinstall. --- joe
Jim Becker
06-16-2007, 10:08 PM
When I had my previous jointer (a Jet 6") I had a small honing stone do-jobbie that was used exactly as you suggest...to touch up the jointer knives and help keep them keen longer. It's not really a "sharpening", but it does help when used carefully.
J.R. Rutter
06-16-2007, 11:10 PM
Before I got a custom Byrd head for my 12" jointer, I used a method that I first saw in Tage Frid's first book on joinery. He suggested a method to index the cutterhead knives on a piece of aluminum bar fixed to the infeed table. Then a router with grinding stone was used to sharpen, taking a VERY light cut. I imagine you could do the same thing with a diamond stone. It is too complicated to go into here, but you should find that book and take a look.
glenn bradley
06-16-2007, 11:24 PM
I have one of these:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2419&filter=hone
Cliff Rohrabacher
06-17-2007, 10:39 AM
I got a DMT Diamond Medium exactly for that purpose.

My Felder cutters are high speed steel and my Norton oil stone wasn't making any headway. b I just wanted to edge 'em a up a scoshe and get more life outta 'em.
I haven't tried it yet as the DMT stone only recently arrived. But I can tell you that diamond will work better 'n anything else.

I have a rig to clamp the blades a'tween two pieces of maple with one piece beveled along the edge to help guide the stone.
Jeff Raymond
06-17-2007, 8:07 PM
Oh dummy me!

I was cleaning up a taper leg on an old piece of wood the other day and THOUGHT all the nails were out. Jointer found one and nicked all the knives.

Soooo, I am going to stagger then a bit to get a flat cut until I get around to replacing them. Got a pretty good chunk out of them.

Dern!