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Planer Blade Sharpening

Planer blade sharpening information & recommended planer blade sharpener products. Includes video on how to sharpen planer blades & written guide to sharpening plane iron blades. Applicable to planer knives & blades.

Sharpening Planer Blades

Sharpening a new planer blade

When sharpening a new plane blade you are going to need to flatten the face before you sharpen the bevel. This is done by lubricating an extra coarse diamond bench stone (Diamond Whetstone™, Duo-Sharp® & Dia-Sharp® models available) with water and placing the back of the plane iron blade down on the sharpener.

Push downward on the face and move the planer blade from one end of the diamond stone to the other with long fluid strokes (see illustration below).
planer knife sharpening - new knives
Chisel pictured but same technique used for planer blades

Next, use the coarse grit stone and step down through the grits, ending with extra fine. Use the same procedure as with the extra coarse stone.

After all the diamond grits have been utilised, you can step down into the Dia-Paste™ diamond compound to achieve a mirror finish.

Sharpening the bevel

Now we're ready to sharpen the bevel of the planer knife. Put your thumbs under the blade and your fingers on top (see the video below for an illustration of this). Using your hands in this fashion gives you a makeshift jig.

Make long fluid strokes back and forth, pushing the plane blade downward onto the stone. Use a fine grit diamond sharpening stone unless the blade is very dull or chipped, in which case start with a coarse grit.

planer knife sharpening - the bevel edge
Chisel pictured but same technique used for planer blades

Adding a micro bevel

After sharpening the bevel you may want to put a micro bevel on the end of the blade. This is done by holding the plane iron blade in the same manner and matching the bevel to an extra fine stone. Now lift the planer blade up a small amount to an angle of about 1 or 2 degrees greater than the bevel. Only a few strokes and you have a sharp micro bevel.

Finally, lay the face down flat again and give two quick strokes to take the wire burr off the bevel edge.

How to sharpen Plane Iron Blades - Video

How to sharpen a planer knife blade. Courtesy of DMT® ...



>> Buy a DMT Dia-Sharp® continuous diamond bench stone!

>> Buy a DMT Diamond Whetstone™ interrupted bench stone!

>> Buy a DMT Duo-Sharp® double-sided interrupted diamond stone!

Planer Blade Sharpeners - Recommended Products

The first rule of work shop maintenance is sharpen your tools. DMT Diamond Whetstone™, Duo-Sharp® and Dia-Sharp® bench stones are renowned by woodworkers and others for their remarkable sharpening speed, precision flatness and ease of use. Each range offers it's own benefits...

DMT Diamond Whetstone - bench stones

DMT Diamond Whetstone™ Bench Stones

Interrupted diamond surface with recessed holes that collect the metal bits during sharpening, preventing loading and making sharpening fast, easy and clean. Available in 6in & 8in models.

DMT Duo-Sharp - bench stones

DMT Duo-Sharp® Bench Stones

Double-sided, innovative sharpening stones. Precision-flat, two-diamond sharpener, guaranteed to provide consistent, even sharpening every time. Interrupted diamond surface. Available in 8in & 10in models.

DMT Dia-Sharp - bench stones

DMT Dia-Sharp® Bench Stones

For users who prefer a continuous diamond surface or must sharpen small or pointed tools. Available in the widest array of sizes and grits, including extra extra coarse & extra extra fine. With non-skid rubber feet. Available in 6in, 8in, 10in & 11.5in models.

Diamond Grit Types - Which to use?

DMT diamond grit types guide

By working through the DMT® system of progressively finer grits, you will quickly achieve a razor sharp edge on quality knives and tools. The DMT® diamond products are colour-coded for identification. In our product descriptions, coloured diamond shapes denote the specific grits in which each model is available.

Which grit you should use depends on... How often do you sharpen? How dull do you let your knife or tool edge get before you re-sharpen it? How sharp is sharp enough for you? Ask yourself these questions, and then read the grit descriptions (left) to determine which grit(s) best suits your needs. Hint: the pros use more than one grit & move from coarser to finer grits as they sharpen.

Planer Knife Sharpening - Questions

If you have any questions about sharpening planer blades then please don't hesitate to contact us.

You can email us at sales@buybrandtools.com.

Or you can call us on (0114) 251 3535 - Monday-Friday (8.45am-5pm).

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