Jointer Cutterheads

[drumpriest]

I have straight knives on both jointer and planer. When the jointer was new, the first thing I did with it was to slice some veneer on the bandsaw, so I face jointed 8" curly maple. No tear out at all, came out beautifully, so I'm going to say like most things, sharpness matters a bunch.

Infinity makes an aftermarket straight and resharpenable blade for the dewalt...

http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1111

[jarhead]

Typical Marine!, What are you waiting for. It takes about 1/2 Hr. for most of us. Three hours for Marines, Semper Fi.

Bruce

Doesn't it require both hands to install it? I usually have a beer bottle in one hand. When it gets a little warmer, I'll install it before my next project. Semper Fi, Bruce.

[Schleeper]

Are there warranty issues if you "upgrade" to the Sunhill cutterhead? I'm only three weeks into the three year warranty on my Ridgid JP0610. And then there's the lifetime service agreement to think about...

I'm a little concerned, because I've only run a half dozen boards of hard maple, and already I'm seeing streaks and burn marks. I'm hoping that it just needs a little cleaning, and if that doesn't help, I guess I'll try sharpening the knives. I don't have any replacements, because I didn't expect to need them so soon. I tried to pick some up when I bought the jointer, but HD didn't have any. (Ditto for their planer knives.) I assume I'll have to buy them online. Where do the rest of you Ridgid jointer and planer users buy your replacement knives?

[SARGE..g-47]

Are there warranty issues if you "upgrade" to the Sunhill cutterhead? I'm only three weeks into the three year warranty on my Ridgid JP0610. And then there's the lifetime service agreement to think about...

I'm a little concerned, because I've only run a half dozen boards of hard maple, and already I'm seeing streaks and burn marks. I'm hoping that it just needs a little cleaning, and if that doesn't help, I guess I'll try sharpening the knives. I don't have any replacements, because I didn't expect to need them so soon. I tried to pick some up when I bought the jointer, but HD didn't have any. (Ditto for their planer knives.) I assume I'll have to buy them online. Where do the rest of you Ridgid jointer and planer users buy your replacement knives?

"I'm a little concerned, because I've only run a half dozen boards of hard maple, and already I'm seeing streaks and burn marks"....

Maple is notorious to burn...

First.. I would make absoulutely sure you read the grain and feed it into the cutter-head "with the grain". If you don't.. you'll get burn and tear-out.

Second.. I would raise tbe cutter-head to take a shallower pass. I leave my jointer set to dead on 1/16" for most hard-wood stock but... with maple I raise the front table to give off slightly less than a 1/32" pass. You just have to make more passes. And if you can't determine the grain direction as some maple stock is difficult.. raise the head to even a more shallow cut.. you will know after the first pass which way the grain is running.

Third.. I skew the fence on my Steel City 8" jointer which takes about a minute or so. Most jointer fences will skew but they are made in a way that it is a PITA to do it and most don't even know they will skew.

And... if the streaks you refer to are "ridges"... you may have a nick in your blade which can be caused by sand particles in stock. In the case of a jointer with jack screws... simply loosen the jack screws and move each knife slightly to one side. That will eliminate a ridge left by a nick.

Straight knives are tedious to replace and require patience on the operators part. But.. I would hope that changing them is not the most difficult thing that someone has to do in their lifetime. The more you do it.. the easier it gets as anything else really.

I have straight knives and no intentions of changing but.. my Steel City 8" has metal peg positioners built on the cutter-head. You simply loosen 5 screws and turn the SC double sided knives around.. place the cut-out on them back on the pegs which self align the knife. It took me 9 minutes 2 weeks ago to change knives.

BTW.. Sunhill sells HSS knives and are priced about as cheap as anyone. Most 6" knives are inter-changeable. Just check to see if what is called for is the 6" x whatever they sell.

Gotta go blow leaves for the final time as it warmed to the 60's today in Atlanta. I have to chain-saw two large 22" - 24" hardwood trees that fell in my back-yard during the recent rains. I only wish I could trade that task for changing a set of jointer knives on a jack screw type jointer. There would be no doubt which I would chose!

Good luck....

[Schleeper]

Thanks, Sarge. That's all good stuff.

Cleaned off the knives, and it didn't help. So i took the knives off, and looked at them under magnification. They're all nicked. Must be that Chinese steel...