Sharpening Planer Blades, Getting Them True

[GoodWood]

I have an older Craftsman 4" Planer that I use for braces, necks etc. Love it (cant see doing Luthieri without it- 1 hour by hand=10 minutes on planer), but the blades are a bit worn out one the one side that gets the most use. Ive seen a jig at craftsman for setting blades, but are there any tricks to this, or any good companies that do it?

Thanks

[Woodenspoke]

I have an older Craftsman 4" Planer that I use for braces, necks etc. Love it (cant see doing Luthieri without it- 1 hour by hand=10 minutes on planer), but the blades are a bit worn out one the one side that gets the most use. Ive seen a jig at craftsman for setting blades, but are there any tricks to this, or any good companies that do it?

Thanks

Some hand planers come with blade setting jigs and rely on fresh blades to work properly, some newer models have reversible disposable blades. I don't know what sears model you own which may help someone answer your email more precisely. My first suggestion is to replace the blades if you have such a jig, or better yet look for some carbide blades to help reduce sharpening and your blade setting interval.

On my jointer I use a magnetic jig that holds the blades at the proper height and side to side alignment, you must also make sure the Head (piece that holds the blades) is in the same position for each blade setup. I have marked my jointer fence of this alignment and use a wood wedge to hold the head in place.

You can make this jig with 4 small magnets and two very straight pieces of wood, metal or plastic but it must be stiff. two magnets for the blade and two to hold the pieces to the bed, my jig has magnets that are flush to the surface of the jig. Other aids will be necessary to align the head during the setup. You can alway try a indicator on a magnetic base but I found it took me longer to set the blades that way and you still have to align the head.

If you have to resort to spending more than $50 for any solution I would suggest a re-conned planer with disposable blades. Look on amazon.

Woodenspoke

Woodenspoke