Thread: Thicknesser table casting, rounding to remove sharp edges?

I have a H&F thicknesser that works reasonably well, but the finish is of typical "built to a budget" quality. The edges of the casting are completely unfinished - the surface has been ground (?!) which has left the edges like razor blades. Actually not razor blades, more like serrated bread knives because of the rough finish to the underside of the casting! In any case, after several years of being very careful, the other day I was slightly lax when waxing the surface and managed to slice through several layers of cotton cloth and my finger.....

So to my question; is there any advantage to the edges of the casting (specifically the hole where the blades/drum/cutters protrude) being sharp as razors? I can't see any reason why I shouldn't round over all those edges to make cleaning and waxing the surface a less risky process, but have I missed anything? Is there some benefit that I have overlooked to having these edges razor sharp? Obviously I'm not talking about removing so much material as to make the holes significantly bigger, just a few thou' to take the edge off!

The same question applies to jointers, table saws and all other similarly built machinery where there are holes and edges in ground cast iron surfaces.....

Any thoughts?