Setting planer knives - a minor victory

[YorkshireMartin]

I was dreading this. I finally had to fully set my planer knives today after buying a new set. Got them back from the saw guy recently and much as I wanted to, I couldn't put it off any longer.

I'd read all sorts of stories, lost afternoons, unbearable frustration, nightmarish fiddly jigs and all sorts.

As it turns out, I need not have worried. Unbeknownst to me, the Sedgwick, even this little one, has two little set screws for height which are simplicity itself. I'd heard some machines had sprung blades which could be a faff to set due to needing to hold them in position. I knew the sedgwick didnt have these but didnt realise just how easy it was to adjust the blade.

It took me about 1hr on my first try, mostly down to being over zealous with the allen keys and 30 minutes on my second. With practice I'd say it's a 5 minute job.

What a relief. Just sometimes these little things really spur me on. So, fellow newbies, fear not the planer knives! #-o

 

[custard]

Good post.

If I go into the workshop of a newcomer to woodworking (and plenty who aren't so new!), it's a banker's bet that the planer knives will be way, way past their replacement date. That means they're dangerous and do a carp job.

You're fortunate, plenty of machines really don't make the job straightforward, so the occasional user forgets how to do it efficiently and then they just keep putting off the day of reckoning.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I reckon there's a small fortune waiting for the inventor of a sharpening device that truly works with the blades still in situ!

 

[Steve Maskery]

+1
I do change my blades regularly, but it is not easy. My little Kity does not have jack screws, just springs, and it is a pain in the amaryllis to adjust them.

 

[deema]

The advantage of a properly made British machine. No fancy gauges, bits of aluminium, just good sound British engineering.......but then again I'm biased as I have a few of their machines!

 

[Robbo3]

I reckon there's a small fortune waiting for the inventor of a sharpening device that truly works with the blades still in situ!

Something like this?
Axminster Diamond Planer Blade Hone
- http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-di ... one-510258

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Forgot to mention that doing this also managed to rid me off the tail end snipe I'd been getting. One blade was set higher than the other, so that was nice too.

Now, if I can just stop tearout on maple..I'll be a happy bunny.

Not sure on that planer blade hone....it looks like a pain in the buttocks waiting to happen to me....but not tried one.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

The advantage of a properly made British machine. No fancy gauges, bits of aluminium, just good sound British engineering.......but then again I'm biased as I have a few of their machines!

I invested more into the unit than any other single bit of kit I have for this reason. It's not new and I'll have to fully strip it down and rebuild it at some point, but I'm pretty sure if I do that correctly, it will outlive me. Luckily, a kind soul on here posted a long thread about how to refurbish this exact machine.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I reckon there's a small fortune waiting for the inventor of a sharpening device that truly works with the blades still in situ!

Something like this?
Axminster Diamond Planer Blade Hone
- http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-di ... one-510258

Yes I've seen that many times and just about recovered from the uncontrollable fits of laughter I'd like to see that remove the nick from my 12" startrite blades. I meant some from of grinder that works in situ. Pipe dream I realise

 

[Jake]

You'd still have to reset the knives after an in-situ grind, and have some nice abrasive swarf and dust in your planer.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Realistically, it takes about ten mins on my Kity 439 to swap a set of knives over, but I still tend to fall into the Custard Trap(tm) of putting it off till I'm getting nasty tearout.

Some people never learn

 

[memzey]

If I'm dawdling it takes me about 1 minute to swap out the 4 x 12" knives on my planer thicknesser:

Sorry couldn't resist

 

[r0nmlt]

My planer has been without blades for the last 10 days because the manual states the knives should be 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head. I still haven't found an accurate way to do this. Ordered a dial indicator and some magnets to put a jig together and hopefully get this thing back together.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

 

[YorkshireMartin]

My planer has been without blades for the last 10 days because the manual states the knives should be 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head. I still haven't found an accurate way to do this. Ordered a dial indicator and some magnets to put a jig together and hopefully get this thing back together.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

Feeler gauges but 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head? doesn't sound like a lot.

What make and model of planer? Someone will be able to offer advice, I'm sure.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

If I'm dawdling it takes me about 1 minute to swap out the 4 x 12" knives on my planer thicknesser:

Sorry couldn't resist

I'd love one but they are just way too expensive for me to justify at the moment. Maybe after I've refurbed the machine and got a bit more of my money's worth out of the existing.

 

[pops92]

Made this after watching you tube it works great have one spare set ready to go.
Took 3 attempt to get the angle correct but worth it

 

[worn thumbs]

I would echo the praise for the Sedgwick,a really good and simple system.If you enjoy a challenge I recall an old Danckaert that needed a very long parallel punch and most of a morning to get right.I'd rather deal with a Wadkin PAR and that has sixteen knives to change,but mercifully a jig takes most of the sting out of the job.

 

[r0nmlt]

My planer has been without blades for the last 10 days because the manual states the knives should be 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head. I still haven't found an accurate way to do this. Ordered a dial indicator and some magnets to put a jig together and hopefully get this thing back together.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

Feeler gauges but 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head? doesn't sound like a lot.

What make and model of planer? Someone will be able to offer advice, I'm sure.

It is a replica of the axminister aw106pt2 / charnwood w583 10x7 thicknesser /planer. The cutter block is a 75mm drum that takes 3 blades.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

 

[heimlaga]

My planer has been without blades for the last 10 days because the manual states the knives should be 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head. I still haven't found an accurate way to do this. Ordered a dial indicator and some magnets to put a jig together and hopefully get this thing back together.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

Feeler gauges but 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head? doesn't sound like a lot.

What make and model of planer? Someone will be able to offer advice, I'm sure.

It is a replica of the axminister aw106pt2 / charnwood w583 10x7 thicknesser /planer. The cutter block is a 75mm drum that takes 3 blades.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

You sound like yet another poor soul who has been seduced into making knife setting more complicated and expensive than it needs to be. Sometimes I suspect some sort of conspiracy created by dealers selling self setting cutterheads and all sorts of knife setting jigs and gadgets and futher supported by tool snobs who like to swagger about showing of thir new fancy gadgets.

You need nothing more than a straight hardwood stick and a pencil. Learnt the "stick method" and just do it. It is neither difficult nor complicated. Just takes an afternoon or a long evening of training before you get the hang of it. Once you are past that step you have a lifetime of rather easy and very cheap knife setting ahead of you.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

My planer has been without blades for the last 10 days because the manual states the knives should be 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head. I still haven't found an accurate way to do this. Ordered a dial indicator and some magnets to put a jig together and hopefully get this thing back together.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

Feeler gauges but 0.7/0.8mm above the cutter head? doesn't sound like a lot.

What make and model of planer? Someone will be able to offer advice, I'm sure.

It is a replica of the axminister aw106pt2 / charnwood w583 10x7 thicknesser /planer. The cutter block is a 75mm drum that takes 3 blades.

Sent from my GT-I9515 using Tapatalk

They make replicas of those????

Does it have a brand shown on it at all? Unusual piece of machinery to be a simply a generic. Can we see the page from the manual perhaps?

As heim says, the way forward for setting knives is the simplest method. A flat and straight section of wood on the outfeed table with a third going over the knives to the infeed. After lowering the infeed fully, you set the knives and manually rotate the block until the stick only moves about 5mm or so, from outfeed to infeed. This distance needs to be tested at either side of the blade, to ensure it is level.

It's actually very easy to do in practice.