Never had a thicknesser, never needed a thicknesser,

[artie]

but I've got one.

Was offered an old and neglected PT for a very reasonable sum so just to while away the spare time that I don't have I took it.

The blades were as sharp as butter knives the chains were dried up and the bushes hadn't seen oil since Adam twert lad.

I cleaned, oiled, lubed etc. Then made a little crude jig and sharped the blades some.

I put them back using the marked piece of wood which moves 5mm when the blade is turned method.

It's working but the finish looks like it was smoothed with a spade.

How sharp do the blades need to be, and what have I missed?

 

[flh801978]

Very very sharp for the blades

do you mean the finish is a series of scallops? ....maybe pushing the wood through too fast

 

[JSW]

Very very sharp for the blades

I have a Triton TPT125 Thicknesser, had a few 'skids' from a local timber merchant I wanted to clean up, Bandsawed them to width, then rather than use the decent, relatively new blades in the Triton on junk timber, I dug out an old set that were chipped and blunt as blunt can be.

Screwed the old blades down to an MDF offcut through the fixing holes, used a Sharpie to highlight the bevel, then attacked it with a 600 grit diamond stone, really didn't expect much from the whole exercise, so just went for creating by eye a micro bevel, till I could just about feel a slight burr on the underside, took all of two minutes.

It actually worked quite well, surprisingly! Not as good as a professionally sharpened set, but certainly decent enough

 

[recipio]

I'd invest in a new set of blades.or get them professionally sharpened.They can reduce in width from repeated sharpenings - I found the blades for my Scheppach had gone from 19 to 13 mm and were difficult to sharpen. ( I have a jig for my Scheppach whetsone sharpener ) I also find that using the method of moving a lath 5 mm back tends to set the blades too high resulting in snipe. Just set the blades so that they ' kiss' the lath without moving and they should be perfect. What is the make of the P/T ?

 

[artie]

. What is the make of the P/T ?

.mine carries the name wood star.
But I believe they are sold under many banners.

 

[Sandyn]

Was offered an old and neglected PT for a very reasonable sum

Lucky you!
from a similar problem with my planer, sharp blades set correctly make a huge difference. When I got the machine, the blades felt sharp, but the finish was a bit hairy. Level, but not smooth. I sharpened the spare blades as well as I could and what a difference!!! Like night and day. Sharpen the blades, or treat yourself to a new set.
To sharpen them, I used a diamond whetstone, then various grades of wet/dry on a cast iron surface. as you tilt the blade, you can feel when it's flat against the surface, then work slowly.
I've been looking for a good old cast iron thicknesser for about a year now, but nothing suitable on the market. I'm at the point of buying something like the Triton TP125.

 

[gmgmgm]

How much are new blades? For my old Wadkin they are surprisingly cheap, so it's a "no-brainer" to remove dull blades as a possible cause of any problems.

Another possible cause could be poor/no dust extraction, could flakes/chips be sticking around on the surface?

Well done bringing a PT back to life!

 

[artie]

Here it is in all its glory.
I imagine even if it was working perfectly it wouldn't be worth a ransom.
A quick search brought up blades at £30+
If I was certain that was all it needed I would get them.

 

[Inspector]

If they are not disposable blades take them to a sharpening service, the ones that do saw blades. Here they charge about a buck an inch and I bet yours have probably never been sent out before so have lots of sharpening left in them. I would decrease the amount the stick moves to 2mm or 3mm. There should be a manual of some kind around that tells you how to set the blades.
https://www.manualslib.com/products/Woodstar-Pt-85-10916263.html
One other thing. If they have been sharpened before and were done incorrectly at too steep an angle the heel of the blade may be hitting the wood ,causing the bad finish. Two of my machines have 40º angles and a new to me planer/moulder/sander/gang saw specifies 38º to 50º if I remember correctly. It has a bigger diameter cutter head. Check yours and see if they are about 40º or so.

Pete

 

[Fitzroy]

As sharp as your plane irons, personally mine will shave hairs easily when first sharpened. With blunter blades you'll find the 5mm set up is a bit hit and miss as the blade struggles to move the wood at the start and end of it's rotation.

With it properly adjusted you should be able to get super whispy chips on a light cut. Then you can dial in a heavier cut and it should give a good finish.

 

[MARK.B.]

replacement blades £13.99 @ pickclick .co.uk

 

[yetloh]

Sending them out for sharpening is well worth it, but make sure the firm you go to know what they are doing and have decent kit. I had mine sharpened by a small local outfit and they came back sharp but concave along their length - the last thing you want. - too small a firm to have decent kit. A recommendation is best. If you ask on here for recommendation in your area someone is likely to respond.

Jim

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I've got an erbauer that looks remarkably similar, and it came with a curious little metal jig for setting the blade height.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/888006/Erbauer-Erb052bte.html?page=22#manual
I wonder if you should have something similar?

 

[artie]

I wonder if you should have something similar?

I wonder too, maybe someone knows.

 

[Inspector]

I came across a little more information on setting the blades.
https://www.glen-l.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2366
Pete

 

[artie]

I came across a little more information on setting the blades.
https://www.glen-l.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2366
Pete

Thanks, I'll give that a try.
According to those instructions mine is set a bit greedy.

 

[MikeJhn]

I set my blades as above level with the outfeed table using a bit of plate glass, don't be greedy by trying to take too much off in one pass.

 

[TRITON]

I dont know if anyone else does this(Probably not) but when i machine hardwood, i sometimes feed it in at an angle then apply side pressure as the board moved through till it straightens up.
Basically starting with the knives impacting on a corner rather than the entire width. I feel this is less of a solid impact where the blade edges whack hard into the timber, a bit like moving slowly up to full width cutting.

 

[Sandyn]

I set my blades as above level with the outfeed table using a bit of plate glass, don't be greedy by trying to take too much off in one pass.

Your blades must be effin sharp to take anything off a sheet of plate glass!!