Blade sharpness

[Steve Maskery]

We often get threads about sharpening. This isn't one!

OK, we keep out chisels and plane irons sharp. We get our TS blades, our SCMS blades resharpened when they need it. Our bandsaw blades, too.

But who thinks about their Biscuit Jointer blade? I certainly don't. It's not a tool I use very often, and when I do, it's just a few biscuits. It's not an all-day-every-day machine.

Recently I made a picture frame and I was getting burning. Well it's oak, it's quite hard. But it was worse than I'd remembered it. Smoking a bit, actually.

I bought it new, the machine has 2003 on the plate. I've NEVER had the blade sharpened.

So guessing the cost of taking it in to have 6 teeth sharpened and then going to collect it again would exceed the cost of a new blade, I ordered a replacement.

What a difference! Easier plunge, no burning, clean cut. Night and day.

So if you use a BJ, ask yourself when you last had a new blade in it.

 

[Racers]

Yes mine needs sharpening, I had a load of saw blades sharpened through work but I forgot my biscuit joiner.
I have tickled it up in the past with a diamond stone which worked well but a proper sharpen would be better.

Pete

 

[topchippytom]

A new blade can only be a tennor surly.

 

[doctor Bob]

I just get them sharpened, fairly regularly.

 

[Eric The Viking]

They are definitely shapenable, at least my Makita's manual says its blade is, anyway.

In my very limited experience the blades that come back from the saw doctor (Leitz Tooling in my case), usually outperform new blades. I think Leitz's QC is very good.

E.

 

[Racers]

A new blade can only be a tennor surly.

Near £30 last time I looked.

Pete

 

[Lons]

:shock: Mine is older than your and never crossed my mind to sharpen it. Will look at it tomorrow1

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've router cutters that have done more hard work in fifteen minutes than my biscuit jointer has in fifteen years. I'll not worry for a while yet.

 

[Benchwayze]

My Elu Biscuit jointer needs a sharpen. It started to kick back the last time I used it. It doesn't operate the same way as modern jointers. The plunge is achieved by rocking the tool-body rather than plunging away from yourself. It can give you a bit of a start when kickback happens. Most disconcerting.

I will retire it and buy a modern piece of kit! Although I have a Domino, so is it worth the bother?


John (hammer)

 

[woodbloke66]

So if you use a BJ, ask yourself when you last had a new blade in it.

I had the same issue Steve with my Lamello C2 (you can tell it's a few years old ) so I put a new Ax blade in it...like having a new machine - Rob