Every new project for me requires milling lumber. Starting off with my planer and jointer knives at their sharpest always sets the right tone. After the design and drawings are done, performing the sequence of steps to bring my knives back to peak sharpness is really rewarding and fun. Watching pro football in my shop on a Sunday afternoon sharpening my tools for the week’s work ahead is really one of life’s simple pleasures for me.
Brand New Makita Blade Sharpener
When I first started woodworking professionally I was at the mercy of sharpening services. The money and the time without my knives was an irritation, but the lack of consistent results with no recourse drove me to find a self reliant alternative. I never hollow grind edges. I prefer a flat facet. The way I produce these single facets on planer knives, jointer knives, chisels and plane irons makes secondary bevels unnecessary.
Minimal metal removal in minimal time, using machines and tools that are reasonably priced, very simple and reliable is a priority. These requirements are filled perfectly by the Makita 9820-2 Electric Blade Sharpener for planer/jointer knives, and DMT diamond stones and the General Sharpening Jig for chisels and plane irons. Could my tools be sharper? Of course. I could spend more time honing the edges and I have. But the extra time and effort does not seem to produce a substantially sharper or more durable edge. Is it sharper? Yes it is. Will the edges I will show you how to produce work the hardest woods with ease? Yes they will.
The lesson of sharpening tools is to not let unobtainable perfection be the enemy of good solid function that allows us to complete our cutting tasks.
I know from personal experience that less then optimally sharp tools wastes time and money. That’s why I made a series of videos covering Blade Sharpening For Milling Lumber and how to use the Makita Blade Sharpener 9820-2. This low tech machine is undoubtedly one of the most important tools I own.
AskWoodman's 20+ year old Makita Blade Sharpener
EXAMPLE: On a huge job using long leaf pine I had to pull, sharpen and reinstall my knives four times in one day on several occasions. How would a sharpening service have helped me here? This machine helps you “get on with it”.
Here is are some of the tools I used in the videos above.
I have owned my Makita Blade Sharpener for over twenty years and I highly recommend purchasing one of your own. I don’t know what I’d do without mine.
Makita Electric Blade Sharpener
DMT Diamond Stones
General Sharpening Jig
Simple Green (as a cutting fluid, mixed 50/50 with water)
Technorati Tags: woodworking, planer, jointer, blade installation, sharpening, wood, woodworking demo, simple green, DMT Diamond Stones
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Allan! or should I address you as Mr. Woodman;D
Your site looks so great. I can’t wait to show Jerome. He’ll actually knows what you are talking about. HA! You and Sue are on a roll! No stopping you now!
All my best,
Melissa
I like how the information is broken down. The garbage bag uniform is nice too, form and function.
Great site Allen! Although it’s hard to believe I just spent half an hour watching someone work in a garbage bag, the videos were clear w/ lots of good information. Now I have a new machine to covet–that looks like a good one.
For many years I had my knives sharpened by a sharpening service, which usually meant I would go way too long with dull knives before dealing with it. When I finally started doing it myself (using wet sandpaper on a granite block with a holding jig), it was one of those rare “oh my god” moments when I put them into use. Now I find the sharpening is a pleasant chore–you could almost say foreplay before the satisfaction of using a finely honed machine.
So what’s the next lesson? Can’t wait.
Thanks for leaving a comment Jerome. There are two more 10 minute videos to come that talk about reinstalling planer joiner knives and then using them to dimensionalize a board. Then I have several videos awaiting editing on sharpening chisels, plane irons and scrapers that I think you might like. Hope to have them up soon. I am also looking forward to interviewing you about some of your techniques. Your work is amazing!
@CherylFinfrock Glad you liked the garbage bag attire. More to come!
Hey Melissa!
Thanks for commenting, and of course you know that we’re on a first name basis. You don’t have to call me Mr. Woodman,… although it does have a nice ring to it.
Very informative video Allan. Can’t wait to get a wetstone sharpener of my very own.
Thanks Adan. You will get so much use out of it for your
work.
What grit stone do you use? It comes with a 1000 grit. Did you use a 6000 grit for these videos?
thanks so much for info… lots of good info
i bought the same makita sharpener awhile ago ,and wasn,t sure how too set it up,so thanks for the tips .in the morning iam going out to my garage ,and will sharpen my jointer knives,cant wait .and i will put on the garbage bag smock. great site keep it up.
Thanks for the comment Richard. I am using the 1000 grit stone that comes standard with the 9820. My results have always been so good that I never invested in the 6000 grit wheel. I would like to hear from someone who uses one about their results to see what I am missing. As I mentioned in the video, I do own the course green stone that I use on badly damage knives. I don’t use it very often, but it makes quick work of chipped edges.
Glad you found the videos helpful. I also have some videos on sharpening chisels, plane irons and scrapers you might enjoy that I hope to post next month. Thanks again.
Hi Brian,
How were the results sharpening your jointer knives? The 9820 is a fine machine. Remember not to over tighten the knobs in the plastic housing. After twenty plus years of use, other than the wheel wearing away, the cracked housing on my machine is all that is wrong with it. And that is from me being a gorilla when it comes to tightening things. No offense to gorillas.
Could you please send me a photo of you wearing your version of the plastic bag smock to post on the site?