Veritas Jointer Blade Sharpener

[jkljosh]

Hi Guys

I'm mightily impressed with the Veritas honing guide (and indeed the array of other tools I've bought from their stable!) and in the light of my excitement at being able to get consistently sharp blades with it turned my mind to my planer/thicknesser blades. I'm becoming a bit anal about sharp tools and am less than happy with the results I've been getting with my P/T, even having replaced the blades with new, and subsequently having had them professionally sharpened. I wondered if anyone has experience of using the Veritas Jointer Blade Sharpener and whether it "does what it says on the tin" to the same standard as the honing guide.

My supplementary to that would be - the literature indicates the unit will clamp blades upto 200mm long, but I can't see what causes that limitation (my Sedgwick P/T has 300mm blades). Any reason why I couldn't use it with more blade hanging over the ends?

Grateful for anyone's thoughts before I shell out another ~£65

Cheers
John

 

[carlb40]

Before you spend any money. If you have 30 minutes spare and some timber? You could try this jig from steve maskery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIBKp9_hWLo

 

[jkljosh]

Thanks Carl, looks interesting, might well give this a go! I'm getting into jigs! (hammer). I'd still welcome anyone else's f/b on the Veritas option if there's anyone with experience with it.....

Cheers
John

 

[mickthetree]

am less than happy with the results I've been getting with my P/T, even having replaced the blades with new, and subsequently having had them professionally sharpened.

Hi John

What planer thicknesser do you have? What issues are you having? A new set of blades or re-sharpened blades, correctly setup should, should solve most issues. Sharpening them further is not going to make any difference.

I love a good sharpening session as much as the next man / woman, but I'm sure we could help solve the issues you are having before you start grinding.

Also bear in mind that the blades should all be equally sharpened so they are balanced when flying round at a rate of knots inside your machine. Could cause nasty vibration / or worse if done incorrectly.

Apologies if this is teaching to suck eggs...

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thanks Carl, you saved me having to look up the link!
S

 

[carlb40]

Thanks Carl, you saved me having to look up the link!
S

No probs steve, i have you in my subscribed list on youtube.

 

[Steve Maskery]

It's not really surprising that blades straight from the grinder are disappointing. After all, we wouldn't dream of using a chisel or bench plane straight from the grinder, would we?
I do some voluntary work at a local community workshop and we have a P/T there. A company from Sheffield comes and collects the knives and returns them a week later.
Recently I was trying to install a new set of knives and was struggling. It turns out that they are out of straight by 27 thou over their 10" length. That is nearly 3/4 of a millimetre! I could do better with a file, and I'm no metal man. When I rang and asked what degree of precision I could expect I did not get a straight answer.

In the film I show the knives being honed with a stone, but you could also stretch a length of fine emery over your cast iron table, or get a long piece of thick glass loaded with some grinding paste. You could go as fine as you like really, right up to using a polishing compound like Anusol, although I'm not sure the end result would be that much more noticeably better.
S

 

[marcros]

is that definately a polishing compound Steve? lol

 

[Steve Maskery]

Autosol. Easy mistake to make.
S

 

[SammyQ]

Steve Mate, the image conjured up by an 'easy mistake' in that region of human intimacy, with that product, just is wrong on SO many levels......

Sam, who has a wicked side that is nothing to do with alcohol.....

 

[Jacob]

The Veritas jig is bolo**s, and expensive.
I didn't watch Steves video but if its the jig with two saw kerfs in a block the length of the planer blades then yes it's a goodun. That set up is infact well known, except by Veritas it seems! I got a little version with by B&D planer many years ago, which is where I first encountered it.

 

[jkljosh]

TY everyone for you input, looks like the ££ can be diverted towards other "toys". Gonna make up the jig and do some seriously careful set up work on the P/T to see if I can't get it singing!

 

[SteveF]

anyone made one of these from the video ?

not sure I have the skills

Steve

 

[deema]

I was in the same position as you before I got my new P/T with Tersa blades, and was looking for a good solution to sharpening up the P/T blades. After looking at many options, the one I settled on was to buy off eBay a proper straight knife grinding machine. They occasionally pop up and can be bench top size, single phase. The one I nearly bought went for about the same as the Veritas jig, I think it was £15 more. I pulled back from the purchase only because I found a second hand P/T with Tersa that I could not resist.

The reason I looked at a proper straight knife grinder is that you must keep a set of blades together and balanced. A professional machine will allow you to repeat the amount youbgrindviff each blade exactly the same. The P/T will run better and safer.

As mentioned before, just take off the burr.

 

[SteveF]

tesla system looks amazing but.......i just a diy er

and blades at £20-30 a set r painful

got the pt 85 which is prob worst investment \ waste ever

Steve