Archive for February 27th, 2011
Some Simple Steps to Help Keep The Cutting Blades
February 27th, 2011 | 
Author: Nothing cuts cleaner and faster than brand new planer blades, but after repeated use, they can wear down. Once time takes its toll, the blades will revert from cutting to instead chipping and tearing at the wood. This will create more work and may even cause a project to be ruined. There are a few simple steps to help keep the blades cutting like new for a very long time.
The first is to dress the edge before or after each use by using either a leather strop or sharpening stone. The strop method only works if done after each use of the planer. This helps to keep the edge at its original sharpness, much in the way a barber strops a straight razor during a shave.
The sharpening stone should be used sparingly so as not to alter the original edge too much. The blade itself should be kept against the stone at an approximate 22-degree angle to maintain the original chisel edge that was put on at the factory. Use oil when sharpening the planer blades to assist the stone in doing its job and use a stone that sharpens to a fine edge.