Attachment for sharpening jointer or planer knives

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Jointer knives get dull pretty quickly, especially if they are in the cheap category. Such a knife needs to be sharpened after each use and the material can withstand a limited number of sharpenings, after which you need to buy a new knife. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this process, if not for one "but". You can hopelessly ruin the knife already with the first sharpening, so it is important to observe the correct angle for dressing. But how can you do this if you do not have a special machine for this purpose? And in principle, is it possible to sharpen such a tool by hand? It is possible, and in practice it was proved by the author of the English-language YouTube channel. Paoson WoodWorking. He offered his viewers a simple hand-held device that allows them to sharpen the blades exactly at the desired angle. You can easily make one for your workshop.

Read in the article

  • 1 What is required to make a sharpening tool
  • 2 How to prepare knives for sharpening
  • 3 Making a blade sharpener
  • 4 How to sharpen knives by hand

What is required to make a sharpening tool

To make a hand tool, you need a block of wood, preferably from a hard wood such as oak. In addition to it, 6 bolts will be useful to you. You need a saw and a drill to cut the tool.

Knife sharpener
PHOTO: YouTube.com
The structure itself will look like this 3D model: at the top there is a comfortable handle, which you can hold on tightly, and at the bottom, there is a working surface in which knives removed from the machine are fixed.

How to prepare knives for sharpening

To sharpen a knife, you must first carefully examine it. If you notice a slight bend on the knife, this is normal, this is done on purpose in order to increase the strength of the blade attachment and increase the rigidity of the cutting edge.

It is much worse if you notice chips or cracks on the knife. Cracked knives can no longer be used at all, it is dangerous, and chips can form, for example, if you planed old boards and missed a nail. It is very difficult to straighten such a knife by hand, it is better to contact professionals who will help solve this problem on the machine.
PHOTO: YouTube.com
It is much worse if you notice chips or cracks on the knife. Cracked knives can no longer be used at all, it is dangerous, and chips can form, for example, if you planed old boards and missed a nail. It is very difficult to straighten such a knife by hand, it is better to contact professionals who will help solve this problem on the machine.
Before manual sharpening, you need to degrease the surface of the blade with any means available to you. Remove any rust that has appeared on the knifePHOTO: YouTube.com
Before manual sharpening, you need to degrease the surface of the blade with any means available to you. Remove any rust that has appeared on the knife

Making a blade sharpener

The cutter blade is at a 40 degree angle, so you need to lock it at that angle for sharpening. Just in case, check the sharpening angle with the tools available to you.

On a bar blank, you need to make a cut with a depth of about 1.2 centimeters at the required angle. This slot will fit a knife blade. Pay attention to the thickness of your knives, they vary.PHOTO: YouTube.com
On a bar blank, you need to make a cut with a depth of about 1.2 centimeters at the required angle. This slot will fit a knife blade. Pay attention to the thickness of your knives, they vary.
To form a handle on the tool, you need to select in the lateral parts from two opposite sides wood, as shown in the photo, and sand this part with sandpaper so as not to splinter your palms during workPHOTO: YouTube.com
To form a handle on the tool, you need to select in the lateral parts from two opposite sides wood, as shown in the photo, and sand this part with sandpaper so as not to splinter your palms during work
In the lower part of the die, on each side of the cut, at equal intervals, 3 holes should be drilled to fix the boltsPHOTO: YouTube.com
In the lower part of the die, on each side of the cut, at equal intervals, 3 holes should be drilled to fix the bolts
These bolts will press the blade in the groove and prevent it from moving during sharpening, the fixation is quite reliablePHOTO: YouTube.com
These bolts will press the blade in the groove and prevent it from moving during sharpening, the fixation is quite reliable
Now you can put the blades in the grooves, fix them and start sharpeningPHOTO: YouTube.com
Now you can put the blades in the grooves, fix them and start sharpening

How to sharpen knives by hand

It is very easy to check if you have chosen the correct angle on the handheld device.

Before sharpening the knives, apply paint to the edge of the blade with a marker and by the abrasion of this paint you will immediately see how well the sharpening is.PHOTO: YouTube.com
Before sharpening the knives, apply paint to the edge of the blade with a marker and by the abrasion of this paint you will immediately see how well the sharpening is.

The second important point is the correct placement of the sandpaper. It is recommended to stick it on glass or perfectly flat stone countertops. For gluing, you can use thin double-sided tape or purchase emery with a ready-made sticky layer on the back.

Three types of skin are used for sharpening: first, coarse, for preliminary leveling. Hold the device by the handle and direct back and forth movements with slight pressurePHOTO: YouTube.com
Three types of skin are used for sharpening: first, coarse, for preliminary leveling. Hold the device by the handle and direct back and forth movements with slight pressure
Then successively change the emery to a finer one for accurate dressing.PHOTO: YouTube.com
Then successively change the emery to a finer one for accurate dressing.
Thus, you will quickly and accurately return the blades of the jointer or planer to their former sharpness, and without much effort and special tools.
Thus, you will quickly and accurately return the blades of the jointer or planer to their former sharpness, and without much effort and special tools.

The device is really very simple and it is quite convenient to use it. The main thing is not to bring the knives to such a position when it will be impossible to edit them. And for this - carefully inspect the boards before work and remove all nails. And here is another option for sharpening the blades, now on the machine:

In this case, the angle of sharpening of the blade can be adjusted by raising and lowering the grinding wheel.

What is your opinion on the manual blade sharpener? If you use a similar one or you have an improved model, write about it in the comments!

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