blade life of carbide tipped knifes
I recently purchased this used jointer that came with carbide tipped knifes. I got the knifes resharpened and started flattening wood. I flattened about ten 2×4’s, 8 feet long, white pine, and three 2×8, 8 feet long, DF. It was getting tougher to push through the DF, which I did last, and noticed the surface quality was not as good as with the white pine. The white pine was producing a lot of pitch and had to clean the blades. I tried to wear the blades evenly by moving the fence periodically. Somewhere along the line I noticed some of the knifes had chipped and it only got worse towards the end. As it stands now I am only able to get good quality cuts on one end of the cutter head. How long were these blades supposed to last?
The blades were sharpend with a single bevel at 30 degrees. Is there a way for me to sharpen them on the jointer?
Replies
Get a fine diamond hone. Carbide will last longer but the initial edge is never as sharp as HSS.
Do I need to remove the knives? Or is there a way to fixture the cutter head and get a straight edge?
Your advise is much appreciated.
You only need to hone it lightly in the head. Not a substitute for having them resharpend professionally. You can make a wooden wedge to slip on the side of the head to secure it. Typically we only used carbide knives in our machines if we do a lot of teak or epoxy glue ups. Two sets of HSS steel knives is the norm.
T/C is usually used for working with MDF (custom wood) as it is very abrasive.
I have never seen T/C used other than for production work.
So,if it were me,I would get some HSS blades.I have a jig with a wet stone and sharpen my own.
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