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 put 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
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 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 sections 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 align 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 compared to 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 as thick as 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 is to replace or turn over the element, which is carefully driven into its original place. When installing the cutting tool, 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 while working, and when initial signs appear, it is better to straighten the blade immediately.
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 concavity. 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 wrench. 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.
Setting up the planer knives is easy. Using a simple hour indicator, a homemade support for it and six simple techniques, you can achieve the ideal in half an hour.
The importance of setting planer knives is often underestimated and often neglected. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are many methods and devices (some very confusing, others too expensive) for setting planer knives.
Most carpenters do not want to spend a lot of time and money on maintaining their machine park. If your planer's blade shaft has adjustment screws, you can make quick adjustments using an inexpensive dial indicator and a homemade dial mount. Start by making the support and then follow the steps below.
Step 1.
After unplugging the machine and removing the planing knives, clean the knives, fixing bars and grooves of the knife shaft from dust and dirt. Coat the parts with a thin layer of machine oil to make adjustments easier and prevent parts from sticking to each other.
If knives require sharpening, contact a professional sharpener. Note. When starting the engine, all excess oil will quickly fly away from the surface of the parts and will not stain the workpiece.
Step 2.
Place the knives in the cutter shaft slots so that they are lower than the back table. Turn the screws of the locking bars to lock the knives in place. Do not overtighten the screws.
Step 3.
Place the support with the hour indicator attached on the surface of the back table and rotate the outer ring of the indicator to set it to the zero mark.
Step 4.
Place the tip of the indicator on the middle of the cutting edge of the knife. The indicator should show less than 0. Note. The flat tip of the indicator makes it easier to align to the center of the edge, but an indicator with a semi-circular tip can also be used.
Step 5.
Using a hex socket wrench and blade shaft adjustment screws, raise the blade until the indicator reads 0 along the entire length of the blade. Tighten the screws at both ends of the knife to achieve the desired height.
Step 6.
Alternately, as shown in the photo, tighten the locking bar screws until the blade does not move up and does not require re-adjustment. Check the knife height again and repeat steps 5 and 6 with the remaining knives. Check all screws and protective devices before starting the machine.
Based on materials from the magazine "Wood-Master"
E. Kosmachev 8 From the advice of V. Ovchinnikov
DISPLAYING THE KNIVES
Anyone who has been involved in installing knives in a planer knows what a hassle this is. For good quality For planing and ease of operation on the machine, the following three conditions must be ensured:
The knives must be installed strictly parallel to the plane of the machine table;
All knives should be set at the same distance in height;
When installing the lower (moving) part of the machine table in the uppermost position, the knives should only touch the flat board without removing the chips.
There are several methods for installing knives: 1) on a block, 2) using an indicator and a frame, 3) using a template, 4) using an electromagnetic stand (see, for example, H.A. Stern. Carpentry work, M. , Stroyizdat, 1992, p. 17).
The first three methods help to more or less correctly control the position of already installed knives, and the installation itself comes down to the “poke” method (hit - good, miss - no luck). And only an electromagnetic stand, which works, as a rule, with the shaft removed from the machine, allows you to set the knives to a given height, but does not guarantee compliance with the above three conditions. I propose a method for installing knives that guarantees very precise fulfillment of these requirements without the use of special tools. Here's how it's done.
Check that both parts of the table lie in the same plane, remove dirt, smooth out scratches, burrs, and protruding bolt heads.
Set the movable table to the lower position 2 (Fig. 1).
Loosen the fixing bolts 3 of the clamping blocks 4, remove the knives 5 and sharpen them (sharpening
the device is included in the kit of some machines), removing as small a layer of metal as possible, but ensuring that the entire surface of the cutting part is processed. Do not forget to remove burrs from the back of the knives with a fine whetstone. Having removed the knives, clamping blocks and even springs 6, mark the sockets from which they were removed so that during assembly you can put them in their places. If the knives are worn, weigh and, if necessary, equalize the weights of the sets of parts in each slot, for example, by adding the required weight of metal under the corresponding knife.
If there are springs on the shaft under the knives, clean and lubricate the grooves for the knives, the spring seats, the springs themselves, the knives and the clamping blocks with machine oil. Put everything back in place. If there are no springs, make recesses 1 from the end of the knives 2 (Fig. 2).
Place a metal plate 7 weighing 5-8 kg with a flat bottom surface on the stationary part of the table 1 of the machine. The plate should protrude beyond the axis of the knife shaft 8 by 5-10 mm. The width of the plate located above the knife shaft should be chosen such that it allows working with fixing bolts 3. Apply marks 9 on the ends of the plate on both sides: the first - along the edge of the plate 10 on the fixed part of the table, the second - on the perpendicular from the plate to the axis shaft Check that the distances between the marks on different sides are equal.
Install the shaft so that the tip of the knife 5 is opposite the right notches 9. Check the tight fit of the tip of the knife to the plate under the action of springs 6. If there are no springs, lift the knife until it stops in the plate, hooking it with screwdrivers on both sides to the notches, and in this position tighten fixing bolts 3 (this operation must be performed by two people). Check the tight fit of the knife tip to the plate on both sides. Carry out this operation with all other knives.
Check the first two requirements for blade installation as follows. Place a 300x300mm square board with a flat and smooth surface (an inverted stool will do) so that its middle passes over the axis of the blade shaft (Fig. 3). Place a weight of 3-5 kg in the center of the board. Move the lever that sets the planing depth 1/4 full travel. Draw a pencil line along the bottom edge of the board. Turn the shaft so that one knife goes under the board. Also draw a line at the new position of the board. Measure the distances between the lines on the edges of the moving part of the machine table. If these segments are the same (±1 mm), the knife is installed parallel to the stationary part of the table.
Carry out a similar operation with other knives. If they move the board by equal distances ±2 mm, then they are installed at the same height.
Set the lever used to set the planing depth to the minimum position. Turn on the machine and run a smooth, well-planed board across the machine. If the knives touch the board but do not remove shavings, the third point of the requirements has been met.
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When making a slate roof, situations often arise when a nail, having passed through a sheet of slate and roofing felt, does not hit any of the sheathing boards. Unpleasant.
I situation - the sheet is not nailed, but there is already a hole in it.
In this case, it is easier to place a piece of board under the nail, which would rest on the sheathing. Supporting this section from the attic side, they hammer a nail into it - and everything is in order.
slate sheet
Lathing
Cutting board Lathing
Ruberoid
When manufacturing non-essential auxiliary objects: shed walls, outbuildings and various fences, it is advisable to use various short sections of boards 1, 2, which can be in two or three rows in height. Installing wooden sills between rows is labor-intensive and there is still no guarantee against water flowing between the rows. Flashing boards quickly crack and the walls
the barns begin to rot.
In this case, it is more convenient to use metals
ical dividers in the form of “S”-shaped self- 3 model profiles from scraps of roofing iron. First, the bottom row 2 2 is nailed, then the divider 3 and then the top row 1.