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Planer knives wear out after use and sending them for sharpening is expensive and time-consuming. Planer sharpeners come in three models: manual, semi-automatic, and automatic. Choosing the right sharpener depends on the structure, size, and weight. It’s best to measure the size of the blade and get a unit that fits it. The weight of the sharpener is also important, especially if it needs to be moved.
Planer knives, used in woodworking and many other applications, wear out after use. Sending a planer knife for sharpening is expensive and it may take several days before the knife is sharpened and ready to use again. Using a planer sharpener will keep your blades sharp without having to waste time and money sending them to a sharpening company. Choosing the right planer sharpener will be determined by the structure of the knife sharpener, the size of blade it can accommodate, and the weight of the sharpening unit.
There are three models of planer knife sharpener: manual, semi-automatic and automatic. Manual knife sharpeners are just wooden brackets that have a gritty substance, like sandpaper, inside. Pass the plane blade through the inside several times to sharpen the blade. These units require no sharpening experience and cost less to maintain, but can take longer to sharpen the blade.
The semi-auto construction has a honing disc and the knife is passed along the disc as it spins. This drive requires some experience and the drive will need to be changed after many passes. Knife sharpening units for automatic planers only require the user to insert the blade into the machine and take care of the sharpening. These units are the fastest and most efficient, but they also cost more and require more frequent repairs. While both of these units are more expensive than the hand sharpener, it takes less time to sharpen the plane blade and the blade will usually be sharper than if you used a hand unit.
Each planer sharpener can accommodate a different size blade. Placing a shorter knife blade in a unit designed for a larger one won’t be a problem, but larger blades may be. With hand drives, larger blades can be sharpened on a smaller unit, although that might be inconvenient. The other two versions are typically unable to sharpen a full blade if it is too large, leaving a section of the blade dull. It’s best to measure the size of the most common blade used and get a unit that fits that blade.
The weight of the plane sharpener is also important, especially if the user has to move the unit. Most units are made to be lightweight for easy movement, but some sharpeners are quite heavy. If the sharpener isn’t moved, the weight won’t matter. Manual sharpeners are light in weight, but semi-automatic and automatic units can be very heavy, depending on the model.
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