Planer Blade Tolerance

[Robert Strasser]

I have a jointer/planer with a "quick change" cutterblock. When I changed the blades, or actually rotated the two sided blades, the top of the blades ended up between 0.003 above the outfeed table to 0.003 BELOW the outfeed table.

What tolerance should you try to achieve in setting jointer/planer blades?

[Joe Jensen]

I have a jointer/planer with a "quick change" cutterblock. When I changed the blades, or actually rotated the two sided blades, the top of the blades ended up between 0.003 above the outfeed table to 0.003 BELOW the outfeed table.

What tolerance should you try to achieve in setting jointer/planer blades?

I used to have traditional blades in my 12" Powermatic model 100 planer. With a dial indicator and lots of time I could get all three within +/- 0.0005". I would set the high point at 0 on the dial indicator, and then the dial indicator would be no more than 0.001" away from 0 on the + side, and none on the - side.

I am still not certain that delivered the best quality. When knife grinders are used on large machines, all three knives cut in essentially the same circle so the error at any point in the head is zero.

I think .006" of error is a lot. It sounds like you are using feeler guages to measure between the table and the blades. If yes, are you sure the table is flat. .006" is a lot in my experience and I would be surprised that indexed blade would be so far off. Is this error from blade to blade at the same spot on the table, or across the table?

[Robert Strasser]

I use a dial indicator.

On a Delta 15-inch planer I could get the blades within +/- 0.001.

I was just curious how accurate a "quick-change" cutter would be. It is easier to adjust than my Delta planer. But you cannot get 0.001 accuracy without adjusting the "self-adjusting" blades.

Has anyone with a Tersa cutterblock checked blade height after changing them?

[Joe Jensen]

I use a dial indicator.

On a Delta 15-inch planer I could get the blades within +/- 0.001.

I was just curious how accurate a "quick-change" cutter would be. It is easier to adjust than my Delta planer. But you cannot get 0.001 accuracy without adjusting the "self-adjusting" blades.

Has anyone with a Tersa cutterblock checked blade height after changing them?

I had a Tersa in my jointer and it was dead one. I now have Byrd heads in everthing :D

[Tim Sproul]

I have a jointer/planer with a "quick change" cutterblock. When I changed the blades, or actually rotated the two sided blades, the top of the blades ended up between 0.003 above the outfeed table to 0.003 BELOW the outfeed table.

What tolerance should you try to achieve in setting jointer/planer blades?


What is the variation in thickness of the wood that you run through the planer as it comes out? Are you getting too much scalloping on the face of the wood? Most thickness planers leave scalloping...but it should be so little that you can't tell it is there by naked eye or hand.

To me, these are much more important indicators of a thickness planer operating properly or not. I've never tried to run my planer with essentially no space between table and cutters.

[Roger Barlow]

What kind of quick change cutterhead? I have a terminus, and it is dead on when I change knives.

[Joe Jensen]

What is the variation in thickness of the wood that you run through the planer as it comes out? Are you getting too much scalloping on the face of the wood? Most thickness planers leave scalloping...but it should be so little that you can't tell it is there by naked eye or hand.

To me, these are much more important indicators of a thickness planer operating properly or not. I've never tried to run my planer with essentially no space between table and cutters.

I've found tearout to be the signal of knives set to the same projection. Uneven board thickness across the width is a variation across the knives...joe