Replies

1. 
   philip | Sep 23, 2008 08:33am | #1

   The way to go is to buy blades directly from an established leader in that field such as Leitz, which is a German company specialising in the manufacture of high quality tooling and cutters for woodworking machines.
   Companies which manufacture woodworking machinery rarely if ever make their own cutters-they will purchase these just like ball bearings and nuts and bolts and may even have their logo placed on them. If it is yet another cost cutting measure then you could find that inferior blades are supplied -and you don't even know where they come from or who made them-or even what they are made of.
   The Leitz catalaogue I have here is about 4 inches thick and I am fairly certain that they can supply cutters for just about any machine- look them up on the internet.
   Initial outlay may be more but you always gain on the long run. You can also get up rated versions eg stellite, tungsten or superior high speed steel made for abrasive hardwoods.You need to know the dimensions of the knives which can be fitted in your cutter block.

   Philip Marcou
1. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 04, 2008 06:31pm | #10

   Philip Marcou..

    

   Sorry folks for jumping in with another question.

    

   However, it is related to Jointer blades. And I think what Philip Marcou post's has more than just a passing 'thought' on the reply he gives.

    

   Philip..

    

   Not sure what you think of him (as in I like his work).

    

   David Marks once said something about blades he uses in his HUGE Jointer. I may have the wrong words, but I 'think' he said he always has a .. 'back bevel?' .. put on his Jointer blades. As I recall he said it reduces tearout on the woods he uses.

    

   Do you understand what I'm talking about? Or maybe what I should be saying to ask the question?

1. 
   philip | Oct 05, 2008 01:48am | #11

   Hi Will,
   David Marks: once upon a time I wrote him a letter and there was no response whatsoever so I don't think too much of him (;)
   Back bevelling jointer or surfacer knives: I have used this dodge so I can tell you what I know:-
   Grinding a back bevel on the face of the knife changes the cutting angle and reduces clearance. Like many of these things it is a trade-off and can work nicely for some woods and not others, but in general it is no good for soft woods.Also, manufacturers of cutter heads can vary the angle at which the cutters or knives are slotted into the head or block, so there may be no benefit from changing cutting angles if the cutter head is designed for hardwoods. The reason for using a back bevel is to reduce tear out and it will change the cutting action towards more of a scraping action .
   It definitely works but I am not sure it is worth the extra bother because it takes more power to push the wood over the cutters, there is a lot more noise and you need more down pressure to avoid cutter bounce. It is easier to touch up the knives by hand honing, but when they require re-grinding it is more effort. The edge may be stronger but will get blunt quicker.
   For small machines like a six inch it may be worth experimenting as one can just work an approximate back bevel of say 10 degrees with a hand held diamond hone. But if you are using mostly hard woods then it is better to have a machine equipped with a cutter block designed to work those woods i.e it has the knives slotted in at suitable angle.
   Since most folk have a certain type of machine these days then I would advise that it is better to rely on a)good quality knives b) correct setting c)regular grinding combined with hand honing and d)suitable technique. A spare set of knives is an advantage too.Philip Marcou

   Edited 10/4/2008 11:00 pm by philip

1. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 06, 2008 02:55am | #12

   Thank you for the answer.

   Guess I'll leave my blades 'as is'.

2. 
   RickL | Sep 23, 2008 02:19pm | #2

   Never buy original equipment blades as they are not that good. All manufacturers of small machines use lesser grade tooling.  Plenty of good sources such as Skarpaz, Leitz, Wisconsin Knife Works, Forest City,Gudho etc. These are industrial grade tooling typically sold through distributors and the names won't be framiliar unless you are in the woodworking business.

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 24, 2008 07:00pm | #3

   Rick, would any of those company be stocking blades for the self-indexing "lunchbox" planers?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   RickL | Sep 24, 2008 07:20pm | #4

   I would have to say no. They deal with the commercial, industrial woodworking industry and have no interest in the hobby world. Those companies are the manufacturers and deal through distributors. What planer exactly are you referring to?  Anything can be had for a price. I can have all kinds of custom tooling made but it's going to cost. You might find something close and modify it but don't know enough of the end product you need.

   You might try Schmidt 800 724-6438  They carry a lot of blades for the smaller planers. Call don't, e-mail. E-mail is too slow and clunky. They can modify tooling as well.

   Edited 9/24/2008 12:25 pm ET by RickL

1. 
   wiskytango | Oct 01, 2008 07:32pm | #5

   The problem is i cant find blades for the Dewalt planer, Any one know where i can get some, Its for the DW734.

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Oct 02, 2008 02:46pm | #6

   I got my last set of the shelf at either HD or Lowes (my local Woodcraft Supply was out of 'em at the time) -- I've gotten them from all three of those stores in the past.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

2. 
   splash | Oct 04, 2008 04:30am | #7

   Ebay

   DeWalt DW7342 Planer Knives Blades for the DW734 NIB..

3. 
   forestgirl | Oct 04, 2008 06:22pm | #8

   Have you checked Infinity?  They make blades for the 735, but you'd have to look at the chart <click> and maybe call to see if they have any for the 734.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

4. 
   forestgirl | Oct 04, 2008 06:27pm | #9

   They have them at ToolsPlus:http://www.tools-plus.com/dewalt-dw7342.html

   Kinda pricey.  Didn't know that planer had 3 blades?  If Infinity (above) makes them, the quality might be better.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

   Edited 10/4/2008 11:33 am by forestgirl