How often to sharpen blades on thicknesser?

**Spelunx** · 18th March 2014, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Al

If you have a reasonable table saw, I would reduce the thickness down as much as you can, using a good featherboard to ensure good contact with the fence over the whole length of the board. You will probably have to put the board through the saw in two passes, (depth of cut limitations) and try to get down to less than a millimetre to be taken off with the thicknesser. It might be worth while getting a cheap TCT blade for the tablesaw from Bunnings to save your good blades from the embedded grit. Alternatively, have a go with the electric planner, checking often that you don't get too close to your eventual thickness. You might get away with sharpening the electric planner blades yourself if need be.
Either way, the cost to resharpen these blades would be cheaper than getting your thicknesser blades sharpened.
A good blast with a high pressure water hose at a low angle as others have suggested should be your first step.
Good luck with it.

Alan...

Cheers, I am definately heading towards this idea. A saw blade is $20-$30, and should last the distance.

I am looking at featherboards now....

**Groggy** · 18th March 2014, 10:45 PM

Noisy blades and more dust and less chips are my rule of thumb. You get to know your machine.

For bad embedded grit a run over with a belt sander will knock the rocks off but may also leave some grit of its own.

**LuckyDuck** · 20th March 2014, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by Groggy

For bad embedded grit a run over with a belt sander will knock the rocks off but may also leave some grit of its own.

Hey, that's an interesting idea I've never thought of. I can imagine that that would work!

Even if it does leave some grit, I would rather the graded grit from a sander, than the unpredictable bits and pieces of "natural" grit.

**elanjacobs** · 20th March 2014, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

Hey, that's an interesting idea I've never thought of. I can imagine that that would work!

Even if it does leave some grit, I would rather the graded grit from a sander, than the unpredictable bits and pieces of "natural" grit.

If you really want to get serious, you can get wire brushes for an angle grinder which don't leave anything behind.

**Spelunx** · 20th March 2014, 10:21 PM

I just took out one of the blades.... it looks less 'blunt' more 'rounded over'!

I guess it is lesson learnt! That pair of blades needs to go to the professional sharpener, the spare set will get me through the weekend.

Lots of washing, circular sawing, and hopefully some thicknessing over the weekend for me!

Thanks for all your help on this one.....

Jayson

**Spelunx** · 23rd March 2014, 10:53 PM

Update: I put 36 linear metres through on Saturday. Hard going, taking 3mm off with the table saw in 4 passes, then through the thicknesser. The Jet is running like a dream, taking the last 1 to 1.5mm off in one clean sweep.

Have definitely bitten off more than I can chew...... Now it's time to chew like hell!

**Spelunx** · 30th March 2014, 05:14 PM

Update: put another 35 lineal metres through this morning. New table saw blade (cheap 40 tooth Irwin) is working a treat. Thicknesser blades are starting to struggle a bit, maybe another 15 to 20 lineal metres in it, but I am picking up the sharpened blades during the week so that might get me through. Have done 120 lineal metres so far, roughly 80 more to go!

**elanjacobs** · 30th March 2014, 05:21 PM

That's more like the mileage you should be getting. Glad you got a system sorted out

It's times like these where I can appreciate how spoiled I am with access to the toys at work

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