Grizzly Model G1033Z manual Maintenance, General, Knife Sharpening

General

Make a habit of inspecting your planer each time you use it. Check for the following conditions and repair or replace when necessary.

1.Loose mounting bolts.

2.Worn switch.

3.Worn or damaged cords and plugs.

4.Damaged V-belts.

5.Any other condition that could hamper the safe operation of this machine.

DO NOT make adjustments or attempt any maintenance procedures while this machine is running. Ensure that the switch is off, power is disconnected and moving parts have stopped before making any adjust- ments. Failure to follow this directive could result in serious operator injury.

Knife Sharpening

Knife sharpness is one of the most important fac- tors in getting good results with the planer. Knives can be made to last a long time if care is taken in checking the condition of the wood which is put into the machine. The biggest problem will come from wood with nails or other metal embedded. This will nick or chip the knives and can require a complete regrinding. Another wear factor is sand, grit, or other dirt on the surface of the wood which the knives have to cut through. At the speed the cutterhead is rotating, these types of surface con- tamination can have a very abrasive effect.

This planer has knives with a grind angle of 45û which is a configuration which should suit most general planing needs. The optimal grind or bevel angle is a compromise between effective cutting (the smaller the angle the better the cutting action) and edge life where the larger the angle the more the edge is supported, thus the longer it will last.

For the best results it is best to have planer knives sharpened by a professional sharpening service which has the grinding and measurement equipment to assure that the knife cutting geom- etry is maintained at optimum levels. It is a pro- cedure which requires some care and precision, otherwise a set of blades can be easily ruined. Knives should always be ground as a set so they can be properly matched. Unequal material removal can result in an unbalanced cutterhead which can affect not only planing surface quality but ultimately the life of the cutterhead bearings.

Please refer to Section 5 Adjustments - Knife Adjustments for complete detail on the removal and reinstallation of the planer knives.