Byrd knives are tough

[Gary Herrmann]

I was jointing some 8/4 cherry and turned the board over to check the cut. Saw two shiny eyes peering at me, surrounded by a sea of black. I guess the nails had been in there for a long time to cause that much staining.

Pulled two 1/2" long nail shanks out. Went back to the jointer and checked the knives. No apparent nicks or cracks. Jointed a couple more boards and checked the knives again. Carbide is pretty hard.

No pics, sorry. I was so happy the knives weren't broken, I completely forgot.:D

I've chipped planer knives on bloodwood knots before. This is a nice change.

[Don Bullock]

Gary, I'm happy to read that you're finally able to actually do some work on the jointer. Congratulations. It's nice to know that the Byrd knives are so durable.