Powermatic 54A Jointer - Sharpening knives

[Noel Hegan]

Hi,

Recently got my new jointer, a Jet 54A which is the European version of the Powermatic 54A, identical apart from a Euro style bridge guard rather than your usual spring loaded guard. Anyway, downloaded the Powermatic manual for comparison purposes and it suggests sharpening the knives with a stone whilst the motor is running.Is this safe? Is this normal practice in the US / Canada? Seems to me that removing the knives to sharpen them would be a safer option although that would obviously involve increased set up time refitting and resetting the knives. What the standard practice on your side of the pond?

Rgds

Noel

noel dot hegan at virgin dot net

[The Davenports]

While this practice is done, it is normally done AFTER newly sharpened blades are installed, not to sharpen them, but to joint and dress them so that both(or all) blades are cutting at exactly the same height. When it is done, the blades are set at .0005" to .001"...that would be .012mm to .025mm then using a fine, hard stone on the outfeed table and the cutter head running, SLOWLY easing the stone over the blades at one end and gently sliding the stone over the head until you do not feel the blades touching AND NO MORE! Otherwise you'll actually stone the outfeed table down and that isn't a good thing.

If you close your eyes and visualize this operation, I'm sure you'll see the hazards to your fingers are pretty obvious.

Altho it is something that I do, I cannot, in good conscience, suggest to anyone that hasn't done it, to try. Just a little white lie to myself so that if something DOES happen to someone trying to learn it, I can tell myself that I TOLD him not to do it.

YMMV

Luck

Mike

[Bay Area Dave]

I honed the blades on my 54a just as the instructions suggest. it works fine as long as you are super careful. those blades are whirling around at a pretty good clip! :)

"Safe" is a relative term. I was apprehensive about doing it, but I took my time and made sure the blades weren't going to hit the stone too deeply. I set the tables so that the blades barely grazed the sharpening stone. They ended up very sharp, and of course even with the table.

dave

Noel Hegan wrote:

[Tom]

Use a goodly flat stone, too. Tom Someday, it'll all be over....