I wipe the newly sharpened blade with a clean rag and a bit of WD-40 and place it carefully back in position. Since the blade locking bar can fall out if the cylinder is rotated now, I work on one blade at a time.    When the blade is back in its slot, two springs raise it high in the slot. I will set the blade height and lock it in place.    The Delta machine came with a blade height setting tool which I have never used so I can't comment on how it works. Instead, I use the Planer Pals - two clever devices that use small but strong magnets to hold the blade at the correct height as I tighten the locking bar screws.    With the blade being held in position by the Planer Pals, I tighten up each of the blade locking screws. I tighten each one just a bit in turn so that I do not torque the blade. It takes a second longer but makes sense.    [Note of caution: be sure the blade and locking bar is centered on the cylinder and not protruding at either end.]    With the blade installed, I repeat the operation on the other blade. In all, blade sharpening should take about 10 minutes if you do it regularly. While these are disposable and reversible blades, I remove so little steel in this sharpening, that these blades will last a long time.    You could be done at this point but I find that another 10 minutes of cleaning and oiling pays off. I start by removing the four screws that hold the cover in place.       And I can ease the cover off. Now if my machine looks clean, it because it is. By cleaning it once a month, it stays respectfully clean...but the four corner posts require cleaning and oiling as do the two screw columns.    Armed with a spray can of WD-40 and a clean cotton rag, I clean the four corner posts. The sharpener is fully lowered here. I will raise it and get the lower section in a minute.    I use a brass brush and more WD-40 to get the threaded column clean.    Now with the mechanism raised, I can clean and lubricate the lower section. Once clean, I add 3-in-1 oil over the columns and threads       With the cover back on, the final step is to use some paste wax on the bed.    Well, for me that completes the preventative maintenance on this important tool. BUT, I have added an in/outfeed platform that has greatly improved operations.    This may be the least expensive jig or device in my shop—a 6' length of melamine covered chip- or flakeboard ($4 shelf from Home Depot) that is 12" wide. I have screwed a 3/4" square strip near the mid-point. This strip faces down when in place and prevents the piece from moving through the planer.    I set roller stands to support the two ends. The planer moves the wood smoothly through the planer. If you look closely, the board has snipe marks from before the white platform was installed. I wanted to see if this longer stage could minimize the sniping.       It more than minimized it. I have no snipe at all. To get this, I reduced the last two passes to very small cuts—about one quarter a turn of the elevation crank.    The added platform reduced the thickness I can plane by 3/4-inch but I never use the maximum width anyway.    To this point, I have always placed the planer on a Workmate or a set of horses, as here. I will now start a mobile base for it so that I can make better use of it. The white shelf I will remove between uses and hang on the wall so that it wont warp.   Main Menu Previous Page Next Page