Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | May 09, 2007 06:19pm | #1

   Forest Girl,

   As far as I know, there is no one making aftermarket blades for the Delta.  Only the new DeWalt has aftermarket blades available for it, and that was because they were having quality control problems with the blades when they first came out with the machine.

   There aren't as many blade types as there are machine importers, several machines use the same cutter heads.  You may find that Ryobi, Grizzly, Craftsman, or some other brand of blades will fit your Delta.  With luck the blades from another maker might be of better quality or at least cheaper.

   John W. 

1. 
   forestgirl | May 09, 2007 07:45pm | #2

   I think you're right John.  I looked around last night and didn't find any.  I'm not at all sure the Delta's are deficient -- it's only this last set of edges that I'm feeling I didn't get my money's worth, but it could be I've just forgotten how much lumber I've run underneath it.

   I ran a bunch of poplar yesterday, and unless I took very shallow passes, the tear-out was rather depressing.  Don't remember that being a problem with the last poplar project.  And the nicks!  on the jointer knives too!  Must have run something with nearly-invisible grit across the knives.

   Question:  Does tearing out wear/damage the blades?  When I'm taking 5/4 stock down to 3/4", I'm tempted to live with tear-out for the first few passes (that little tiny, flecky tear-out) and then do a couple light cuts to get to final thickness.

   A new set runs $28 at Amazon, not too bad.  Will check about other brands and their possible cross-over.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   JohnWW | May 09, 2007 08:22pm | #3

   F.G.,

   Tearing out doesn't damage the blades, but dull blades do throw additional strain on the machine and they will continue to get duller at an increasing rate because of the heat and pressure on the dull edges. 

   I've taken blades off and touched them up with a diamond stone and gotten some additional life out of them.  This works best when they are still somewhat sharp.  Try wetting the wood with a damp cloth before you plane it, this sometimes reduces tear out.

   Brushing down the surface of the boards, avoiding knots, and trimming off the ends before you start planing can keep blades sharper longer.

   John W. 

2. 
   coolbreeze | May 09, 2007 08:45pm | #4

   FG, when I have excess stock to remove, I use my TS where possible to get close so I do not have to make too many passes through the planner.  Doing so does elevate the risk of injury factor so I do it fully alert. This, obviously does not work for wide stock.

3. 
   Ink Man | May 11, 2007 11:14pm | #5

   FG-I just recently finished planing some boards for a project, and was dismayed at how quickly a new set of blades for my Dewalt 733 got nicked up.  I brushed then vacuumed the boards, but there were several small knots which probably didn't help much.  After finishing this job, I checked the knives and they were still quite sharp-just had some nicks.  I decided that, rather than send them out for sharpening or buy a new set, I would instead learn to use a scraper to remove the ridges.  Worked pretty well, too.

1. 
   forestgirl | May 12, 2007 01:58am | #7

   Yeah, it's not too big a deal to get those ridges down.  The first thing I do is shift the knives right/left.  If they're still sharp when the next nick happens, out comes the scraper or sander.

   Yet another reason to keep an eye out for a good used cast-iron beast.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   philip | May 12, 2007 12:14am | #6

   Jamie, if you measure a blade you could then check out a manufacturer like Leitz to see if they have them- then you will be sure to get the best available in high speed steel or other materials they do.
   I suspect that if you get nicks from planing soft wood like Poplar that there must be foreign bodies in the wood such as grit or even soil.Surely the Delta knives are not that soft? A quick and effective way to reduce the risk of grit etc is to blast with compressed air after srcubbing the boards with a wire brush: painful, that is one good reason for buying graded timber from a dedicated supplier.
   Have you thought about touching up the knives while they are still in the block, to extend their effectiveness ?
   I attach another type of foreign body for your "collection".

   Philip Marcou

   
1. 
   forestgirl | May 12, 2007 02:06am | #8

   Hi, Philip.  I'm not sure about trying to touch up the blades.  Ages ago, when I was just starting out, I bought one of those honing things -- plastic block with a stone set at an angle on the edge -- supposedly to hone jointer or planer blades in place, but it didn't feel right to me the one or two times I tried to use it.  I think I just need to be more careful before I send the stock through.  I buy from a "real hardwood place," one of the 3 main dealers in Seattle.  I think something like poplar or say, Alder, is more likely to get a piece of grit stuck in it from wherever, because the surface is so soft.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)