# Planer blade sharpening jig



## MikeG. (23 Aug 2020)

My back is stuffed at the moment, so I'm just fiddling about. Rather than laying concrete, which was the original plan, I decided to have a go at making a jig for sharpening my planer knives. Now, it's easy to think of a simple jig to hold the knives in place before running a diamond plate over the top of them, but my plates are fixed down into a board. I'm not buying new ones just for this job, so I came up with a way of holding the knives and taking them to the plates, in the way you would with any other edge. Electrons were disturbed in the making of this:






















By design, the angle between the blades is just a tad under 90 degrees, which means that the leading edges only will be sharpened, rather than the whole of the bevel. In effect I am putting on a secondary bevel. I expect I'll sharpen the blades 3 or 4 times before sending them off for regrinding. 

Previously, I had always left the knives in the planer too long, and had sent them off each time to a sharpening service. Now, I've no excuse and should be able to keep keen edges on my planer blades all the time.


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## Daniel2 (23 Aug 2020)

I do like that....
Also the fact that you can do 2 at once. Genius  

Hope the back gets better soon.
ATB,
Daniel


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## sammy.se (23 Aug 2020)

Sorry to hear about your back, hope you feel better soon!


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## SammyQ (23 Aug 2020)

Wow. Just trying to work out a) how you came up with those shapes and b) cut them accurately...impressive. Respect Fella. 

Sam


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## MikeG. (23 Aug 2020)

It's a pair of rebates out of a square, then the edge planed off. The wood was squared up on the PT (because planing hurts my back). The little bracket/ clamp thingies were just cut out of scrap on the bandsaw.

If anyone copies this, don't make the mistake I did of making the rebates deeper than the thickness of your knives. They should ideally be just a gnat's under the knife thickness.


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## sploo (23 Aug 2020)

I've seen a lot of over the top, fiddly, planer knife jigs, but that's a really nice, simple, effective (and also quite aesthetically pleasing) solution. I'd make one... if it weren't for the fact my planer has three knives


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## MikeG. (23 Aug 2020)

sploo said:


> .......I'd make one... if it weren't for the fact my planer has three knives



Then you need a total of 7 knives. Four out the planer at any time, so one will be unnecessarily sharpened each sharpening session. Just keep a careful track of which ones to use and when.


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## Steliz (23 Aug 2020)

That looks pretty good Mike. I was looking at the various designs to do this myself just recently and I had decided on a similar approach. Once my current project is complete I'll knock one together. I also have the same diamond plates.


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## MusicMan (23 Aug 2020)

Neat and very ingenious.


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## SammyQ (23 Aug 2020)

*"It's a pair of rebates out of a square, then the edge planed off....The little bracket/ clamp thingies were just cut out of scrap on the bandsaw. "*

Ahh! Penny droppeth! Still nice. 

Thanks, Sam


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## sploo (23 Aug 2020)

MikeG. said:


> Then you need a total of 7 knives. Four out the planer at any time, so one will be unnecessarily sharpened each sharpening session. Just keep a careful track of which ones to use and when.


Interesting idea. I wonder if there would be any problem imbalancing the knives, but I guess the difference would be tiny.


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## Trevanion (23 Aug 2020)

I do mine freehand on a dished Norton india oil stone, rounded bevel of course.


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## Joiner Jim (24 Aug 2020)

Nice solution. I've always used a piece of squared stock with a 45' enlarged saw kerf taking the plate to the stone, you rdesign is much better.


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## Doug B (24 Aug 2020)

Trevanion said:


> I do mine freehand on a dished Norton india oil stone, rounded bevel of course.


All these mod cons what’s wrong with the door step?


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## Starling (24 Aug 2020)

MikeG. said:


> Then you need a total of 7 knives. Four out the planer at any time, so one will be unnecessarily sharpened each sharpening session. Just keep a careful track of which ones to use and when.



I have two sets of blades (three in each set). I use the first set, when they are dull I swap in the next set and when they are dull I sharpen all six blades in a similar jig (not as nice as the subject jig!) two at a time. This process means that all the blades are ground down at a similar rate with a consistent-ish secondary bevel.


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## Steve Maskery (24 Aug 2020)

If you have 3 to sharpen, you can do them in pairs, counting the number of strokes. A+B, A+C, B+C.


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## gmercer_48083 (24 Aug 2020)

I have a Dewalt 2 blade model. I place the blades into the jig, and with the jig clamped to the bench... I lap them with a diamond plate. Very easy and effective.


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## MikeG. (24 Aug 2020)

Yeah, but as I said, that means having a loose diamond plate. If your diamond plates are fixed into a board, that type doesn't work.


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## gmercer_48083 (24 Aug 2020)

MikeG. said:


> Yeah, but as I said, that means having a loose diamond plate. If your diamond plates are fixed into a board, that type doesn't work.


To remove heavy Knicks you can also use a single cut mill file to draw file. To do this you hold the file to a right angle to the knives and stroke the file from left to right without pushing the file forward while keeping an even downward pressure. After, you can use a fine stone or fine sandpaper stuck to a board, if you don't have a diamond plate. Planer blades generally are sharp using 600 grit.


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## MikeG. (5 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> My back is stuffed at the moment, so I'm just fiddling about. Rather than laying concrete, which was the original plan, I decided to have a go at making a jig for sharpening my planer knives. Now, it's easy to think of a simple jig to hold the knives in place before running a diamond plate over the top of them, but my plates are fixed down into a board. I'm not buying new ones just for this job, so I came up with a way of holding the knives and taking them to the plates, in the way you would with any other edge. Electrons were disturbed in the making of this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Is anyone else not seeing these images? They've disappeared for me.


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## marcros (5 Sep 2020)

coming through fine for me


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## MikeG. (5 Sep 2020)

Thanks. Time for a re-start, methinks.


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## Jackbequick (7 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> Is anyone else not seeing these images? They've disappeared for me.



I can see the images all ok Mike.


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## RGIvy (7 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> Is anyone else not seeing these images? They've disappeared for me.


Yes, I can see them.
Interesting design


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## Inspector (7 Sep 2020)

I see'um.

Pete


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## MikeG. (7 Sep 2020)

So do I folks. Don't worry, it was just a computer issue at my end.


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## Sheptonphil (7 Sep 2020)

MikeG. said:


> Is anyone else not seeing these images? They've disappeared for me.


All images showing here.


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