Electric planers are an essential tool for modern carpenters, joiners, and all specialists involved in processing lumber. Their prevalence is due to practical efficiency and the presence of significant advantages of this equipment compared to manual analogues. To fully utilize the device's potential, electric planer blades must be pre-adjusted before processing wood. Also, the blades must be sharp. This, together with the correct adjustment of their position, will allow processing significant volumes of boards or beams without any problems or effort on the part of the user.
Knives on an electric planer are consumables. With their help, wood surfaces are processed.
Often knives come complete with power tools in the amount of 2 pieces.
Electric planer knives are classified according to the following criteria:
- opportunities for practical reuse;
- blade shape;
- knife blade sizes;
- cost.
When buying an electric planer, in addition to checking its performance and configuration, you should pay attention to the quality of the knives installed on the drum and their sharpening. The blades should be sharp, with a straight edge and no bends or gouges. You should also check spare knives. The final quality of lumber processing depends on the correct selection of cutting attachments.
Knives intended for one-time use are made from steel-based hard alloys in the form of plates sharp on both sides. Such cutting parts cannot be sharpened. After the edge being used is completely worn out, the blade is turned over and placed on the drum with the other side. At the same time, the tool continues to work. If the second cutting edge becomes dull, then the blade is simply thrown away.
Disposable knives are intended only for performing work that does not require high precision and quality of workpiece processing. But they are convenient for practical use: during installation they do not need to be precisely adjusted and balanced.
The shapes of disposable products are:
- straight;
- wavy;
- straight, but rounded at the ends.
The first type of product has a straight cutting part. It is convenient to use such consumables to process parts that have a smaller width than the length of the installed blade, and to select quarters. Wavy knives are used when necessary rough processing of lumber. With their help, you can give a wooden surface a different texture, for example, to simulate “aging.” Straight cutting edges, rounded at the edges, are good because they do not leave marks (grooves, steps) on the surface of the wood being processed. This suitable option if necessary work with wide wooden blanks.
Disposable blades have a longer service life, but can break quite easily if they accidentally collide with metal (for example, a nail, bolt). Are the best option attachments if necessary to work with hard wood workpieces.
Reusable cutting attachments
Products that are intended for reusable use differ in both their shape and size from disposable cutting attachments. They are made using high quality steel, which ensures ease and quality of processing of wooden surfaces.
Using reusable knives, you can achieve such a smooth surface of the workpiece that grinding is not required. They have HSS marking(completely High-Speed Steel, which translates as high-speed steel). These blades are considered professional. Their installation is accompanied by high-precision balancing and adjustment. The sharpening must also be of excellent quality. In this case, tool high-speed steel can be sharpened so that it is very sharp.
It is more profitable to buy reusable cutting attachments because they can be sharpened multiple times. But high-speed steel products do not allow processing hardwood (for example, larch or oak).
The working drums of most models of electric planes can be equipped with both disposable and reusable cutting attachments. But there are also devices that can only be equipped with blades that are not intended for sharpening. For this reason, when purchasing an electric planer, it is recommended to give preference universal power tools.
Classification by size
Electric planer knives can be standard or custom size. Products of the first type, called “plates,” have a length of 82 mm, a width of 5.5 mm, and a thickness of 1.2 mm. Such cutting attachments are suitable for most models of electric planes from foreign companies Makita, Skil, Bosch, Black&Dekker.
Straight knives for electric planers Bosch, SKIL
Non-standard cutting attachments with larger blade widths and thicknesses are typical for electric planers from Baikal and Interskol. Due to their parameters, they are stronger and better than standard plates. When they come into contact with metal, such knives do not break. They can be sharpened using sandpaper. The width of the nozzles is about 1 cm. The length can be 82 mm, 102 mm, and for products from the Rebir company it reaches 110 mm.
Straight knives for electric planer Rebir IE-5709
Cutting head price depends on the manufacturer. Also, this factor often determines the quality of the product. If you purchase knives from well-known companies (for example, Bosch), you can count on their long service life.
Some models of electric planers are equipped with cutting attachments of unusual shape and design. In order not to be mistaken with the dimensions, it is recommended to take the old blade with you for comparison before purchasing.
When do you need to adjust or replace electric planer knives?
The knives on an electric planer wear out over time. They need to be removed and sharpened or replaced altogether, and then installed back on the drum. Newly installed cutting attachments need to be adjusted in order to process lumber as efficiently as possible. The blades of new power tools also require pre-setting. before use.
The following signs indicate that adjustment is necessary:
- change in sound when processing workpieces;
- vibration of the tool during operation;
- deterioration in the quality of planing lumber (formation of waves, chips, grooves, protruding fibers and other defects);
- increase in effort spent on work.
The change in sound is not typical for all models. This symptom may also indicate a number of other problems.
If, after adjusting the blade blades, the symptoms discussed above do not disappear, then more serious repairs to the power tool will be required.
Setting the correct position of the cutting attachments is carried out according to the following parameters:
- the height of the part of the blade that protrudes above the sole of the power tool;
- the size of the side protrusion of the knife intended for picking out quarters.
By correctly adjusting the position of the knife blades on the drum, high final quality of lumber processing is achieved.
How to properly adjust knives
Adjusting the knives on the drum yourself is not a big problem. To set the position of the tool blades before work, you will need:
- hex wrench included with the plane;
- metal ruler or piece of glass of suitable size.
The setup is carried out by performing all operations in this sequence.
In the considered sequence, the working position of the cutting edges is adjusted for models of electric planers with one, two or three knives.
It should be taken into account that the working parts of straight-shaped knives should protrude by approximately 0.5 mm, and rounded ones by 1 mm or more.
If the adjustment is carried out correctly, the cutting edges on the drum should be parallel to the sole of the power tool without distortion. A number of new models contain adjusting screws, which simply need to be twisted to install the knife plates in the desired position. To set up the tool, it must be disconnected from the power supply, and in cordless models, the battery must be removed. This will ensure that the power tool does not start spontaneously.
Algorithm for replacing knives on an electric planer
To remove the knives from the electric planer and replace them with new ones (or properly sharpened ones), you will need a set of wrenches, and also, in some cases, a screwdriver. There is no need to completely assemble and disassemble the electric plane to change working attachments. Replacement is performed in the following sequence:
- rotate the drum, placing it in such a position to gain access to the knife mounting bolts;
- loosen, but not completely, these bolt clamps;
- remove the working attachment manually or using a flat screwdriver;
- the rest of the blades are treated in a similar way;
- place new knives in the sockets, securing them with bolts;
- put them in the correct position.
The main point is the need to place the blades exactly in the sockets and securely fix them so that they do not fall out while using the tool. Due to the fact that different models Electric planers, the attachment of working attachments may differ, it is recommended to first read the operating instructions for the equipment used.
On sale you can find knives whose blades rotate. This is very convenient because it is enough to simply turn over the dull edge, replacing it with a sharp one.
When the drum of an electric planer is installed two cutting attachments, you need to change both at once. This will prevent the occurrence of an imbalance, which results in a decrease in the quality of lumber processing and failure of the electric planer.
Sharpening electric planer knives at home
With regular use of an electric planer for processing wooden surfaces (planing, quartering, chamfering), its cutting edges become dull. If the knives are intended for repeated use, then you can sharpen them yourself. Sharpening is carried out according to the same principle as with hand planes. The differences are only in the number of cutting edges that need to be sharpened.
Use power tool with dull blades This is not possible for the following reasons:
- the load on the electric motor increases, as a result of which its wear accelerates;
- The quality of surface treatment of lumber is significantly reduced.
Experts will help you sharpen the cutting edges of working attachments correctly. service centers or special workshops. If it is not possible to turn to professionals, then you can do all the work at home. To sharpen your blades yourself, you can use the following tools:
- knife sharpening machine;
- an ordinary whetstone (abrasive stone, whetstone);
- emery;
- metal file;
- grinding wheel.
You will also need special clamp to hold the part being sharpened.
Sharpening a blade using an abrasive stone is done as follows.
- Remove the working attachments that need to be sharpened from the electric planer drum.
- The knives are secured using special screws in the clamp so that their cutting edges lie in the same plane.
- The fixed blades, with light pressure, move smoothly over the surface of the abrasive, ensuring that they are sharpened at the same time.
- Inspect the sharpened parts for deviations, repeating the entire process if they are detected.
- Check the sharpness on any piece of the board.
- Install the knife plates on the drum, adjusting their position.
Before performing work, it is recommended to pre-moisten the abrasive stone with water. It should be taken into account that coarse-grained abrasive is intended for primary processing, and fine-grained abrasive is intended for finishing. It is recommended to maintain the original sharpening angle of the blade (approximately 30 degrees).
The considered manual method works well for straightening sharpening. If the edges are very dull or have jagged edges, then we sharpen them on a machine. When doing this, you should be careful not to remove excess metal from the blades.
If a grinding wheel is used, the part removed from the drum is moved along its surface in translational movements.
With your own hands, all actions should be carried out carefully, carefully handling the blades to avoid injury. High quality sharpening will come with experience and skill.
The condition of the electric planer knives - their adjustment and sharpness - should be checked before starting to process lumber. Not only the quality of planing, but also personal safety depends on this. All operations for replacing, sharpening, and adjusting working attachments must be performed only with unplugged power tool. To give initial sharpness to the cutting edges, it is enough to use a regular whetstone.
In the age of modernization, the market is rich in various construction tools that simplify and speed up the work process. Also, not a single repair or construction can be done without an electric planer. Each tool has additional components, but for a plane these additional elements are knives, with which the wood is processed. These knives are double-sided and come in a set of two pieces. If the cutting elements become difficult to remove chips, it means that they have become inoperative and need to be sharpened.
But, before you start disassembling the tool, you need to know how to position the knives on the electric planer. In this regard, it is important to study in detail the principles of disassembling a plane.
The cutting elements are mounted on the plane drum, which rotates. The purpose of the knives is to plan the top layers of wood during the processing of products. This design is equipped with one or two cutting elements. The knives standing last are rotary; if necessary, their position can be easily changed if one of the sides is dull. Electric planer knives are made from tungsten carbide or tool steel. Products made of steel can be re-sharpened.
The blades have different configurations and are divided by shape:
- Straight - they are installed when selecting quarters and when processing small parts.
- Rounded - used when planing wide areas of parts, since the transitions between planed lines are made smoothly.
- Wave-shaped - similar knives are used when simulating antiquity on wood.
Diagram of options for sharpening a plane knife: a – on a whetstone, b – on a whetstone, c – position of the cutter blade chamfer when sharpening on a whetstone, d – sharpening on a whetstone disk using a stop device.
Before you start working with an electric planer, you need to make sure that the knives are installed correctly. If any errors were found, then you need to correctly set the knives on the electric planer. The cutting part of the element should be located parallel to the sole of the plane and protrude slightly upward. To be able to determine the correct adjustment of the knife, it is enough to turn it upside down and raise the plane at eye level.
Typically, the cutting part of the knife protrudes 0.5 mm above the level of the sole. But the sherhebel, which is used for the first rough planing, its cutting edge, is produced by at least 1 mm. Adjustments can be made without problems. In this case, it is important to alternately turn the small and large adjusting screw to the right and left until the cutting part is in place. These screws are located on the back of the platform designed for the electric planer blade.
After all the manipulations, the knife is installed in the tool itself and fixed with centering fasteners on the top plate. If the electric planer is new, then, as a rule, its knives are adjusted, but when using the tool, the settings get lost. In this regard, if the plane was not used for a long time, it is recommended to pre-adjust it. It is also important to remember that immediately after setting it up, it is not recommended to work immediately on the parts without first trying the tool on an unnecessary board.
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Classification of modern knives
Cutting elements for electric planers are classified by size.
Imported planers, for example, from Skil, are equipped with standard 82 mm knives, the common name for which is “plate”. If you choose inexpensive and at the same time durable options, craftsmen recommend “Bison” knives, which are made of carbon steel. Such products are universal, as they fit most planes from various foreign manufacturers. They are even used in famous tools like Bosh and Makita.
The exact dimensions of standard knives are available: length 82 mm, width 5.5 mm and thickness 1.2 mm. Today, on the shelves of specialized stores and markets you can find knives from different manufacturers, and their price will fluctuate depending on the company that produces these products. For example, Bosh knives cost twice as much as simple “Bison”, “Stayer”, etc. But, of course, the quality of the products itself will vary noticeably.
There are knives made specifically for individual plane models. Quite popular electric planes “Interskol” and “Baikal” have individual knives, whose width and thickness are greater than those of ordinary plates. Thanks to their parameters, they have higher quality and are strong, which means that if you suddenly get a nail or a knot while working with an electric planer, the knife will not break, and the jagged edges on it can be easily removed with sandpaper.
Such knives are usually about 1 cm wide, and they are visually different from their counterparts. The length of such knives is 82 and 102 mm, and it corresponds to the model of the plane. If they become dull, you can sharpen them without any problems even on your own.
There is also another type of knives for electric planes. They are made wide and thick and equipped with holes for fastening. This model of knives is extremely specific, as they are suitable only for certain models. Such models include planes from Rebir; they have a power of 2000 watts. Distinctive feature These knives are thick and powerful, and their width can reach 110 mm.
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How to replace electric planer blades?
Electric planer knives require special approach, and very high demands are placed on them. When knives become dull, it can be determined with the naked eye. To do this, simply examine the chamfer in the light. It needs to be examined by turning it around the cutting edge. If a sanded strip the thickness of a thread has formed at the end of the chamfer, then the cutting part has become dull. The knife is sharpened at an angle of 30 degrees.
Modern manufacturers have begun to produce knives with rotating blades. This is convenient: when one of the blades becomes dull, it is simply turned over.
In an electric planer, the cutters are installed in a special knife holder. It is located in a conical groove and is clamped with three nuts. The height of the protrusion can be adjusted with screws located at the edges. When the element is removed, the nuts are loosened and the screws are tightened, which allows the holder to be pulled out of the groove.
Next, select a drift to fit the size of the product and use it to knock it out of the groove. The next action will be to replace or turn over the element, which is carefully driven into its original place. When installing the cutting product, it is important to ensure that it fits parallel to the holder.
After making the replacement, you need to place the knives on the electric planer, adjusting them in height, after which they are clamped with nuts. It is important to ensure the same clearance when installing both elements. This is necessary to avoid shaft imbalance.
After sharpening the cutting edges, it is important to immediately test the blade by removing a few shavings. This is important, since the blade of the tool, which was immediately used after sharpening, becomes dull much less. To avoid frequent sharpening on a sharpener, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the cutter during operation, and when initial signs appear, it is better to straighten the blade immediately.
The sharpened knife is placed in the block of the plane so that the blade protrudes from the sole without distortion, i.e., it is parallel to the sole. Otherwise, the knife will not remove chips of the same thickness along the entire length of the blade. This also applies to electric planing tools. The installation of planing knives on the machine shaft is carried out in the following order: when installing the knives, check that they enter the shaft sockets to the same depth and that the blades of all knives protrude 1...2 mm above the surface of the shaft. Then the knives together with the clamping wedges are tightened with bolts. A block of hard rock is placed on the plane of the machine table so that its end overlaps the working shaft of the machine. Rotate the knife shaft manually until the blade of one of the knives touches the block. This place is marked on a block. The turning shaft with the blade moves the block until the blade comes off. Mark the place where the blade separates from the block (Fig. 1), this control is repeated at the opposite end of the knife shaft. Typically, knife blades do not move the block the same distance. This requires raising and lowering the planer blade in the nest to even out the length of travel of the block. At the same time, adjust the thickness of the chips. A repeated check with a block, recording the same distances, means that the planing knife is installed correctly in the working shaft of the machine. A similar check is performed with the remaining knives. The results of checking all knives of the working shaft should be the same. This ensures that all knives remove chips of the same thickness from the surface being processed. After this, the knives are finally secured. Tighten the bolts in several steps carefully and sequentially with each knife. Having prepared the planing machine, they process a test workpiece, checking the quality of processing. At good quality planers continue to work for 5... 10 minutes. Then, turning off the machine, check the installation of the knives again, tightening the bolts.
Techniques for correct installation of planing knives in the knife shaft
a - along a block on the plane of the table; b - using an indicator and a frame; c - according to the template; d - using an electromagnetic stand; 1 - rear (high) plane of the table; 2 - front (low) plane of the table; 3 - block (ruler); 4 - knife shaft; 5 - indicator; 6 - indicator frame; 7 - template bolt; i - locknut of the template bolt; 9 - template; 10 - stand base; 11 - knife shaft; 12 - electromagnets; 13 - bracket for electromagnets
The first task that a craftsman faces if he wants to do a quality job is to create an even square workpiece. This article will discuss such nuances as installing jointer knives, their adjustment, and the principles of operation of the tool. In order to form a general picture, you need to consider techniques that allow you to keep your jointer in working condition, after which you can learn some features that should be taken into account when working. Many novice professionals have difficulty setting up knives; first of all, this article was created for them.
The work involved in removing or installing knives largely depends on the fastening mechanism and may vary. In most cases, even a novice will have no difficulty removing the jointer blade and putting it back.
It is not the installation of the knives that is of great importance, but the adjustment of the jointer knives and the adjustment of the tables.
It often happens that workpieces have irregularities, for example, convex or concave. Before you rush to adjust the knives, you need to make sure that the problem is not related to the table. This is signaled primarily by concavities. This means that some part of the tables is tilted below the desired height. To determine the unevenness of the table, use a straight ruler. Convex edges indicate that the inside of the tables is excessively inclined towards the cutting head.
How to determine the correct installation of knives
Correct installation of knives is the key to successful operation of the machine. Experts say that the height of the blades should be approximately the same as the height of your workbench. In order to determine whether the machine is configured correctly, you need to try processing the workpiece. If after work there are unevenness or noticeable chips on its surface, then most likely the knives are adjusted incorrectly. Professionals use a ruler or a very even block of wood to determine the accuracy of machine settings.
Knife adjustment work
In order to remove the knives or secure them you will need spanner. In the first case, you just need to unscrew the nuts and remove the tool; in the second case, the same work is done in reverse order.
Removed and necessarily require cleaning from dirt using organic solvents, you can also wipe the blades with motor oil. This procedure is carried out so that they remain sharp longer and do not corrode. For better quality work, you will definitely need a perfectly flat board, which will be used to adjust the fastening of the knives.
Adjusting the jointer knives is possible only if they are loosely fastened, this is done so that you do not have any difficulties during adjustment.
To simplify the work, use a wrench to loosen the clamp; you do not need to tighten the clamp bar nuts too much.
Adjustment is made by moving the blade down or up. Pay attention to the shaft with knives; you will need to turn it over and move the knife with the blade up. Then you need to lay a pre-prepared board on the machine, the length of which should be slightly larger than the rear area of the machine.
Place the board so that its edge is just above the knife blade, and gradually rotate the shaft in different directions, thereby adjusting the height of the knife. Gradually the blade will rest against the board, at this moment you must fully secure it. After this, you need to start adjusting the second knife, or the rest, if there are several of them in the machine. When the work is done, rotate the cutting head until all blades just lightly touch the ruler or block. After you have done this work at least several times, the question of how to install knives on a jointer is unlikely to worry you in the future.
In the hands of a professional, a knife can become a precision tool or weapon. The variety of capabilities of the tool is amazing - from sharpening pencils to combat use.
At the same time, efficiency will increase many times if you ensure the correct sharpening angle of the knife. Its centuries-old use has not only formed various traditions, but also a scientific approach to the shape of the blade.
If you purchase a high-quality knife, it has an optimal edge angle formed by the manufacturer or craftsman. During use (if you did not buy the tool for collection purposes), the cutting edge inevitably becomes dull.
You can have the blade sharpened by professionals, but the real owner does this work himself. If you have the skills and special devices, the quality of the tip is no worse than in the factory.
The presence of expensive equipment does not in itself guarantee the correct processing of the cutting edge. It is necessary to maintain the correct sharpening angles depending on the type of work performed.
IMPORTANT! Any knife has several planes, each of them has its own degree of deviation relative to the plane.
To understand the process, consider the design of a hunting knife
Let us immediately make a reservation that such a blade requires permission to carry, since it is a bladed weapon. Regardless of whether you use it for its intended purpose, or whether it hangs on the carpet as interior decoration.
The main parts of a knife are the handle (1) and the blade itself, or blade (2). The correct blade corresponds to the length of the entire tool, that is, its plane (8) extends along the axis (14) from the nose (25) to the nut (3) that secures the handle (5).
A sleeve (7) is molded or welded on the back of the plane, which secures the handle with the help of the occipital tip (15). Hunting knives may have a hole (16) in the back of the head for a leather belt.
The handle is separated from the blade by a shank (6). This is not just a pen, it has a rather complex design. The back (4) and belly (17) fit comfortably in the hand. For fixation, an under-finger recess (18) and a cutout (20) can be provided. To prevent the hand from jumping off during a direct blow, a limiter or fang (19) is installed.