Over the past couple of years I’ve gotten excellent results from my DW735 planer. When I installed a new set of blades recently, however, the planer leaves a series of three or four ‘stripes’ down the boards. Instead of being raised (as a blade nick would cause), these turned out to be tiny gouges in the wood – presumably caused by tiny burrs that are so slight I can’t locate them on the blade with a fingernail. It occurred to me that ‘lapping’ the back of the blades might be a good way to remove the burrs, and I devised a holding jig for that purpose. On an old set of blades, I find the holder works well to keep the blades flat against microgrit film on glass. The problem is that the blade backs are so irregular (at least on the old blades), that I’ll have to remove considerable material to get a continuous lapped band down each edge. Am I on the wrong track, and if so, how can I address my problem with the new blades?
Thanks – Dave
Replies
Hmm. If you can't locate the presumed burr with your nail, your problem may be with your feed rollers or something lodged in the wood's path thru' the machine. I'd look there first.
As for lapping blades, I usually just run a few swipes with a fine stone down the edge with the blades still on the machine. You're not really trying to "sharpen" the blades -- just remove a hair from the edge.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
Thanks Mike - I didn't mention it in my note, but my first thought was the same as yours. I've already checked the rollers and and the rest of the path without finding anything. I appreciate your thought about a fine stone - any specific suggestion?Dave
I have an old black Arkansas stone I use. Or, if I want a bit more tooth on the stone, I use a fine diamond stone.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
I used to sharpen my dewalt blades.I found the heads of the screws that clamp the blade down tight to the cutter head will start marking the wood.I sent a set of infinity carbide blades to a local sharpening service.To be resharpened they came back too short.Got the marks you described.
Very interesting, ahughes, these blades are fresh out of the box, but I think I'll double check that as a possibility anyway. Incidentally, in my lapping experiments, I've been amazed at how scarred the back of the blade is from the grinding process, and how 'out of true' from the hole punching.
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