Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | May 27, 2003 09:12pm | #1

   Congrats Bill, you're gonna love having a planer!  I'll always remember that first piece of wethered salvaged oak (from a 80+year-old cabinet) I put through mine.  It was so exciting!!

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

1. 
   mbiker1999 | May 29, 2003 03:30pm | #2

   Thanks FG.  I was cool to see that first hunk of wood slide through that planer.  Now I can start saving my pennies for a jointer.  It's like owning a house... you never have all the tools you want.  :)

2. 
   shadyjim | Sep 23, 2004 10:54pm | #3

   I've got a 13" Ridgid planer also.  I'm really happy with it except...  I was lucky enough to get some rough sawn lumber at a nice price and have been working to surface it.  Now I've used up both edges on the knives.  Although I have the back-up set I wanted to do something with the original set and now find out they can't be resharpened and a new set (2 knives, 4 edges) costs about $100.  I'm looking around for third party replacement knives.  Anybody have any experience with this?  Can the original knives be resharpened and then set properly?

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 24, 2004 02:10am | #4

   "a new set (2 knives, 4 edges) costs about $100."   Yikes, that's nuts!  Ranks right up there with the cost of ink cartridges for deskjet printers, LOL.  The Delta 12.5" knifes run around $30 or $35.  I think the 13" blades for the new DeWalt run around $50 or $55.

   No, you can't resharpen disposable knives and have them work properly.  Has something to do with the automatic indexing system, I've read.  You can offset the two blades to compensate for a little nick or two.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

   Edited 9/23/2004 7:22 pm ET by forestgirl

1. 
   Michael6255 | Sep 24, 2004 04:16am | #5

   their knives cost 29 bucks at the borg and 35 bucks at some other places.

   Mike

1. 
   shadyjim | Sep 25, 2004 05:10am | #8

   Mike,

   What's the borg??  I like the $29 possibility.

   Jim

1. 
   mudman | Sep 25, 2004 06:02am | #9

   HOME DEPOT dude! Where you, I suppose, bought the planer. ;-)

   Mikeplease excuse my spelling.

2. 
   joejoe | Sep 25, 2004 03:02pm | #13

   Mike,

   I have tried for over a year to get replacement knives for the Ridgid 13" planer from Home Depot. No one there (even the managers) knows how to get them!

   Can you supply me a sku number that the knuckleheads at "Homey" would understand?

   --joejoe

3. 
   Curtis | Sep 25, 2004 03:48pm | #14

   Hello Joejoe

   Why not try another HD I have five within 10 miles from my home. It seems that each store in my area has a slightly different inventory, example Hilti equipment, some stores carry it others dont. the Hd closest to my house never has the Ridgid replacement blades but the one three miles always has them in stock.

   Ha! ask the store manenager to order them. It will take a day or two but at least it will not cost you any extra money.C.A.G.

4. 
   Michael6255 | Sep 25, 2004 02:48pm | #12

   Jim,

   The Orange Borg is Home Depot. Blue Borg is Lowes.  Sorry....I guess everyone didn't watch Star Trek.  In that TV series there was an alien life form that's sole purpose was to "assimilate" the collective conciousness of other less powerful civilizations.  Hence, the analogy of the big stores gobbling up or "assimilating" the smaller stores.

   Mike

2. 
   BG | Sep 25, 2004 01:18pm | #11

   FG,

   It would be nice to know if people are re-sharpening their disposable planer blades.  Last month I replaced mine and was quite surprised that the used set was in great shape...probably needing only a modest re-sharpening/honing.  Then I noticed a simple jig in FWW (I think) for holding the blades at the proper angle and sharpening both blades simultaneously...its got me thinking... 

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 25, 2004 07:17pm | #15

   Hi BG.  Hmmmmm.  I've honed mine once or twice (in a minimal sense).  My recollection is that because the disposables are made to be self-indexing, with very little play in them, and also they don't have much extra "edge" on them (they're thin and not very wide), there is very little true sharpening you can do on them without their losing the proper alignment in the head.

   Consider the fact that they are somewhat moveable horizontally, such that you can offset small nicks, but virtually un-adjustable vertically.  If you do a true sharpening job on them, they're not going to clear the cutterhead by the right amount (and maybe the angle would be wrong?).

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   BG | Sep 25, 2004 09:38pm | #16

   FG,

   I may give it a shot just for yucks.  The jig holds both blades securely at 41.5 degrees (I believe) forming a flat upside down trapazoid..with the blade faces at 90 degrees to the sides.  It would seem you could run a 1000 grit waterstone across both simultaenously...re-establishing the sharpness of the edge without removing much material at all...   I could also break off a couple of pieces from the blade and make a nice set of righthand/lefthand marking tools... 

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 25, 2004 10:27pm | #17

   Yep, it'd probably extend their lives some.  Such sharpening may fall under my very vague definition of "honing" LOL.  Where was it you saw that jig??

   The left-over blades can certainly be recycled into other useful items.  I use mine as straightedges to help check my jointer knives.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

3. 
   301 | Sep 26, 2004 07:21am | #18

   I don't understand why they are designing these planers with disposable blades.  It is just not something that appeals to me.  The disposable blades cost about the same as the a re-sharpenable blade.  Is it because the disposable blades are easier to replace?  You know full well that at some point in the future orange 'borg will no longer carry those baldes and owners will be stuck.  I will stick with tools that have blades that can be resharpened, it is a matter of simple economics.   Are you paying attention out there orage 'borg! (All your 'borgs are belong to us!)

4. 
   BG | Sep 26, 2004 12:07pm | #19

   el papa,

   I hear what your saying and for the most part agree...the yankee part of me says don't waste, get ready for another depression, be self-sufficient....beat the Red Sox!

   But then there is the business part of me....produce standard quality replacement blades for probably less than a $1 a pair...preserve reputation for quality not make it subject to poor sharpening or poor installation...loose to Red Sox...more people will come to the Bronx for the games.

   Then there is the idiot side of me who will spend countless hours building a jig to re-sharpen disposable blades...which will be used once with marginal results....and never found again two years from now when needed.....and think the Red Sox and Cubbies in a World Series is just around the corner....gees!! 

5. 
   301 | Sep 26, 2004 11:01pm | #20

   I hear you, just in case of another depression I have a whole bunch of old plastic bags tied up in bundles and stuffed inside our pantry, the door won't close anymore.  And I also keep 2 or 3 thousand bread wrapper ties in the cut-glass bowls in the china cabinet...JUST IN CASE.  You never know when you might need these things.  Do you save old velveeta cheese boxes?  I'm thinking they might make good shoes...but you can't have mine!  Save your own, doggone it.

6. 
   TomB | Sep 27, 2004 03:46am | #21

   Bought my planner at the orange borge box about 11/2 yrs ago and tried for 10 weeks to get blades from them. Evan  went against the grain and gave them money up front. Still got jerked around to the extent that I e mailed them ( no reply) and vented. My daughter got onto the Ridged web, and located a shop on the east coast that charged me $10.00 shipping. Blades were approx $60.00 for 2 . my wife phoned on Tuesday noon and got them Thursday morning.Try their web site and may find one closer to you. Have 2 closer to me but won't deal with them for personal reasons. I, too am fed up with the big borge stores. Wife just came in and gave me the phone # and name. Ridgid (Ryoby) (Barrett Diversified) 13" planner blades part #ac-8630 Woodstock Nova Scotia Canada. Phone#1-800-561-0004. Give them a call (their dime) and see what they can do for you.                                                                      Good Luck

7. 
   CajunDan | Sep 27, 2004 03:25pm | #22

   el papa,

   Its because of tool tests in all the magazines. Self-indexing blades take less time to change than re-sharpenable blades. No one makes re-sharpenable self-indexing blades.

   The old DeWalt planer has gotten dinged very badly in the last few tests for having re-sharpenable (not indexed) blades. That's why they came out with the new planer.

   Be careful what you wish for....

   Dan

2. 
   Curtis | Sep 24, 2004 04:35am | #6

   I also have a Ridgid planer.

   and I might add I think it is a very good machine.

   I just bought a set of knives at H.D. and they cost me $29.00.

   Im not all to sure you were looking at the correct planer blades for your machine? unless they sell a package set of 6 knives, I somehow slightly remember a bigger blade package offer, but I bought only a 2 blade set at that time.

   "AnyHow"  I dont think you will regret your perches.

   "O" one word of advice, when changing the blades ware a set of gloves, the blades are easy to change, but those nuts are small, if the wrench slips, you will cut your self. (at least I did! Twice!!)  ;-)

   enjoy your new toy. and have a good night.C.A.G.

3. 
   dem_tortas | Sep 24, 2004 11:26pm | #7

   I get my knives on my 13" rigid planer resharpened for 17.50 for the set.  Did you ruin them so bad they couldn't be resharpened, or we you told they can't be sharpened?  I find when they are resharpened they are better than the off the shelf ones

3. 
   mudman | Sep 25, 2004 06:04am | #10

   I have had one for a year and I am satisfied with it. It did well in all the reviews. The new monster Dewalt has since surpassed it. However the new Dewalt seems to have a defect with the roller gears.

   Mike

   please excuse my spelling.
1. 
   Bouboubomber | Sep 27, 2004 06:49pm | #23

   what do you mean by defect with the new roller gear for the new Dewaly planer?? and where did you get this info??

   Thanx

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 27, 2004 10:53pm | #24

   There was a problem with the bearings in the first release of the new DeWalt 2-speed planer.  Here is a quote from ToolGuy on how to make sure you get one that's from the "cured" run of planers:

   If you are looking at buying a new 735 then make sure you check the production run date code on the box. Make sure you get one that is in a factory sealed box or get a guarantee that the box that you are getting is the same one the planer came in. Any who.... the date code needs to be in the 2004 series. This is the redesigned version I am told and does not have the problem with the bearings seizing up and breaking the gears.

    

    forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)