Recommend a gauge for setting up planer blades?

[carpenteire2009]

I've had my Dewalt DW733 for 7 years, hasn't had all that much use but looking at buying a spare set of blades for it. When I read up the instructions I discovered it didn't come with the planer blade gauges that are normally supplied with the machine from new. I'll have to buy an after market set, some of these look quite useful, with micro adjustment and magnetic blade holder. Does anyone have any advice on particular brands they'd recommend? I don't want to spend too much, probably less than €40 or about £35 maybe. Thanks!

 

[Inspector]

Doesn't Dewalt have parts in the UK to get a replacement?
Part Number: 285980-00

Or one of the parts companies like this US based one? You should have UK companies like them too.
https://www.ereplacementparts.com/g...bRGqzJtxUDuIHyypD9iGBfgZT1wnf7AxqoFBe-uRxaq4d

Or Amazon sell them too. Shipping not a factor if you have Prime.
https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-28598000-Gauge-Blade-Setting/dp/B00XEL840K

Or eBay. Same sort of part numbers reveal them too.

There must be more but the above should be ample.

Happy hunting and Merry Christmas.
Pete

 

[niall Y]

When I first got a planer/thicknesser I thought that a gauge was important and ended up making my own profiled template that set the height, of the blades, relative to the circumference of the cutter block,Over the years I came to realise that I could dispense with this,
I now set up the blades relative to the amount of drag I get off a straight edge laid on the outfeed table when I revolve the cutter block by hand Basically, the highest point of the cutters should align with the top of this table. There should be a small amount of drag which should be the consistent, across the width of the blades

 

[Inspector]

Language confusion Niall Y. The Dewalt 733 is a portable thicknesser in UK parlance and a planer here. The OP by mentioning planer blade gauges has muddied the water a touch. Your advice is good for a planer/thicknesser or planer only but not for the Dewalt thicknesser.

Pete

 

[Fitzroy]

Language confusion Niall Y. The Dewalt 733 is a portable thicknesser in UK parlance and a planer here. The OP by mentioning planer blade gauges has muddied the water a touch. Your advice is good for a planer/thicknesser or planer only but not for the Dewalt thicknesser.

Pete

The drag technique still works for a thicknesser only machine. Thickness a piece of wood to uniform thickness. Set the knife approximately in the block, raise the table (or lower the head) so that the knife drags the wood by the required amount (3-5mm) adjust the knives so that the wood is moved by a uniform amount on all the knife positions.

 

[Sideways]

For a lunchbox thicknesser, all that matters is that the blades are ground straight and that they are installed parallel to the thickness table. How far they stick out and by implication, the drag, isn't important in the way it is essential that they are correctly set relative to the level of the outfeed table on a planer (UK) jointer (USA).
The best jig I can imagine is a digital dial gauge with a flat rather than pointed anvil. Stick it in a homemade stand, plunger as near as you can get it vertically upright.

 

[Jacob]

There's a beautifully simple setting jig came with my minimax Lab 300. Can't find a picture I'll see if I can dig it out in the new year (in storage).
Difficult to describe: It's basically an aluminium bar about 10" x 2" x 2" machined out along one side to the radius of the block each side and plus blade extension in the middle. You just press the blade into its slot with it, and tighten. Couldn't be easier/simpler.
The other easy trick is to set the blade so that it'll just lift a straight edge on the out-feed table and shift it a mm or two, when you rotate the block.

 

[Sideways]

This concerns a lunchbox thicknesser.
How you set the blades on a planer / jointer is utterly irrelevant.

 

[Jacob]

This concerns a lunchbox thicknesser.
How you set the blades on a planer / jointer is utterly irrelevant.

The Minimax setter would work exactly the same on a thicknesser. Lifting a straightedge wouldn't.
If I can't find it I'll do a sketch of the idea, after christmas (too busy!)

 

[carpenteire2009]

Oops, I seem to have set the cat amongst the pigeons with this one! Yes, the machine is a "lunchbox" style thicknesser, and is fitted with what I would call "planer" blades. I know I could order the DeWalt gauges as spare parts but I think they are expensive for plastic parts, so I thought for a little more I could order something a little better! They might also be useful on my small bench top planer.

 

[meccarroll]

I would agree with the above regarding a straight edge working on both planer and lunchbox thicknesser. I use a piece of wood with a pencil mark on it, set it on one side and let the blades move it about 5mm then aim to set the blade on the opposite side to move the wood the same distance (5mm). I repeat the process until both sides are both working the same on all blades in the block. It has always worked for me.

 

[Lons]

Far more fiddly to do that with a lunchbox thicknesser than a planer. The former har the cutting block above the work and in my experience trying to drag a piece of wood is far too much of a faff.
I also own a DeWalt 733 bought used almost new but no setting gauge, I've never seen the tool Jacob described but by co-incidence what I did was cut a bit of hardwood, just flat not shaped and cut a narrow 2mm deep groove down the middle on the table saw and use it in the same way he described. I've thought of 3D printing a fancier replacement but don't see the point now. It's in a drawer somewhere so if I remember I'll take a pic but it's self explanatory

 

[Beau]

Another vote for a short straight edge or a decent piece of hardwood thats lovely and flat. Around 10mm wide and say 200mm long. Depends on the job how much you want the knives to project sometimes when edging just having them brush the guide was enough and when doing lots of rougher planing pulling forward around 5mm fits the bill.

 

[niall Y]

Language confusion Niall Y. The Dewalt 733 is a portable thicknesser in UK parlance and a planer here. The OP by mentioning planer blade gauges has muddied the water a touch. Your advice is good for a planer/thicknesser or planer only but not for the Dewalt thicknesser.

Pete

Ah yes... thanks for clarifying things.. I have to admit I'm not really up on the different DeWalt machine numbers.

 

[Inspector]

The drag technique still works for a thicknesser only machine. Thickness a piece of wood to uniform thickness. Set the knife approximately in the block, raise the table (or lower the head) so that the knife drags the wood by the required amount (3-5mm) adjust the knives so that the wood is moved by a uniform amount on all the knife positions.

Having a couple thicknessers I have to ask how you deal with the feed rollers. As I see it they are going to be in the way unless the stick is quite short and since they are part of the drive train that also moves the cutter head how would you know the stick is moved by the cutter and not the chain/gears/belt of the rollers?

Not saying it can't be done but can't picture the process in its entirety.

Pete

 

[Fitzroy]

Having a couple thicknessers I have to ask how you deal with the feed rollers. As I see it they are going to be in the way unless the stick is quite short and since they are part of the drive train that also moves the cutter head how would you know the stick is moved by the cutter and not the chain/gears/belt of the rollers?

Not saying it can't be done but can't picture the process in its entirety.

Pete

Good point, I forgot that detail! I cut a notch out the piece of wood so that the roller doesn’t foul it.