Honing planer blades

[Jervisekken]

Does anyone have any experience with the diamon planer blade hone, e.g. the one sold by Axminster: http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=22400&name=hone&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=0

I have bought one, and my blades need some treatment, but I'm a bit afraid to make them worse than they are.

Any input appreciated,

 

[crazylilting]

Why worry so much. It only cost about £12 to get a set sharpened. give or take a bit depending on size.

 

[DaveL]

I have one of those and used with care itt does help to keep the edge on the knives. The care is in not cutting your fingers as much as keeping the angles and number of strokes the same on each blade.
I would suggest you look at this thread, Steve has made a honing jig, I have seen it in use and its on the must make list.

 

[kayak23]

I use one quite a lot..................however, I can't say as I get stunning results with it though it does seem to pretty much do what it should.
I am always looking for some alternative that would give me much better results....

 

[Alf]

I use one and as a touch-up solution, it works just fine. You do need to take care in using it but it does the job it claims to do. If it all goes pear-shaped it's never going to do enough damage that sending it out for a proper regrind won't solve anyway.

Cheers, Alf

 

[wizer]

Agreed, I have one and I use it if I get a ding in the blade soon after a re-grind. If I am desperate to get something machined up and I can't be ar$ed to put the spare blades in then I might give them a few swipes with the hone but I don't find it does much to help.

 

[9fingers]

Tom,
If you get the problem of dinged knives again, a good trick is to slide the knives over with respect to one another to offset the nicks.

hth

Bob

 

[Alf]

Absolutely, Bob; saved my bacon a few times, that has. For nicks, the honing wotsit is perishing useless, to be honest. But just before running some "challenging" timber through the P/T it can make just enough difference.

 

[Mr Ed]

I tried this with a credit card sized diamond stone, after reading David C's book and didn't get on that well. I have 2 sets of blades and changeover when one is knackered.

There is a temporary solution to a ding in the blade, which is to slightly offset the 2 blades so the ding on one lines up with a good bit on the other. Useful in a pinch.

Ed

EDIT - realised Bob already said this while I was slowly typing...

 

[wizer]

yep, I've played the off set trick. That hasn't stopped me sending another board through with a staple tho..... I refer you to my avatar.....

 

[9fingers]

yep, I've played the off set trick. That hasn't stopped me sending another board through with a staple tho..... I refer you to my avatar.....

OK another board with a different staple is just one of those things but the same staple would deserve the dunce cap!

Bob

 

[Jervisekken]

Thank you, all, for your advice. I will give it a try later today.