pro-planer knives?

[jsburger]

I ordered a new planer setting gauge as I could not find the one that came with my father's planer. The new one looks like the one Nick uses on the video, not like the curved one shown in the original manual. I assume that the only way to make this one work is to put a masking tape pointer on the gauge and eyeball the clearance with the blades as Nick explained. I think something far less crude is warranted, but because I have the SS table, I cannot use a magnetic base with dial indicator. Are any of the setting tools that actually clamp to the cutterhead recommended? Thanks for the help, Glenn

The SS planer knife gauge works fine. Just follow the instructions in the manual. I have not seen Nick's video but I don't know why you would use masking tape. The manual tells you to scribe an index line on the gauge. It works just fine in my experience although I don't know why the gauge doesn't come from the factory with the index line all ready on it.

The procedure certainly is not any more crude than the SS jointer procedure and that works just fine also. I recently used the SS knife sharpening jig to sharpen the knives on my Powermatic 6" jointer and then used the SS jointer knife adjustment procedure to reinstall them and it works fine on the Powermatic also. No jigs necessary.

[JPG]

1/2" is WAY below the 11/16" limit that SS states for safe operation.

[GEG]

Thanks for all the comments. You are correct, there is no scribe mark on the new gauge tool. However, with my situation, I would need to grind the flat on the tool to have the edge of the blade in the middle of the adjustment flat so that I could use it properly. Maybe my tie bar placement is a little off, I do not know. The new blades are only slightly wider at .760" than the originals, and they do not have a bevel on the back edge. I will try the dial indicator method as it seems to be the best option for now.

[jsburger]

Thanks for all the comments. You are correct, there is no scribe mark on the new gauge tool. However, with my situation, I would need to grind the flat on the tool to have the edge of the blade in the middle of the adjustment flat so that I could use it properly. Maybe my tie bar placement is a little off, I do not know. The new blades are only slightly wider at .760" than the originals, and they do not have a bevel on the back edge. I will try the dial indicator method as it seems to be the best option for now.

There is no scribe mark on any of the gauges. They don't come that way. What is your situation? The manual tells you where to place the scribe mark your self. The instructions in the manual give you a specific dimension on where to put it and it is NOT in the middle of the flat spot. You don't EVER grind on any setting gauge to get the results you think are correct. If you do that you are not using the gauge correctly. Just follow the instructions in the manual and put the scribe mark on the gauge and use it. It is dead simple and works perfectly. The SS gauge not only sets the blades at all the same height but it also sets them to a SPECIFIC height. You can't set the specific height with a dial gauge unless you know what that height is to start with and then you need a gauge of that height to calibrate the dial gauge. Is the specific height that important? Probably not if you are reasonably close but if it is not correct you will have to recalibrate the table height scale to match your knives.

You say your new knives are only slightly wider than you originals. The new ones are 1/4" wider. That is SIGNIFICANT given what we are discussing.

[JPG]

Thanks for all the comments. You are correct, there is no scribe mark on the new gauge tool. However, with my situation, I would need to grind the flat on the tool to have the edge of the blade in the middle of the adjustment flat so that I could use it properly. Maybe my tie bar placement is a little off, I do not know. The new blades are only slightly wider at .760" than the originals, and they do not have a bevel on the back edge. I will try the dial indicator method as it seems to be the best option for now.

I hope you are not referring to a lack of taper with the 'new' blades. It is very slight so you may not recognize it.

All this talk of scribing the gauge. Not in my manual. Manual sez just barely touch the gauge as the cutter head is rotated, but does not say 'where'. The manual also refers to that gauge surface as an arc. Could later versions of the gauge be 'straight'?

[BuckeyeDennis]

Thanks for all the comments. You are correct, there is no scribe mark on the new gauge tool. However, with my situation, I would need to grind the flat on the tool to have the edge of the blade in the middle of the adjustment flat so that I could use it properly. Maybe my tie bar placement is a little off, I do not know. The new blades are only slightly wider at .760" than the originals, and they do not have a bevel on the back edge. I will try the dial indicator method as it seems to be the best option for now.

I hope you are not referring to a lack of taper with the 'new' blades. It is very slight so you may not recognize it.

All this talk of scribing the gauge. Not in my manual. Manual sez just barely touch the gauge as the cutter head is rotated, but does not say 'where'. The manual also refers to that gauge surface as an arc. Could later versions of the gauge be 'straight'?

It does sound like there was a change at some point. There's a PDF manual available at VintageMachinery.org that agrees with my paper manual and gauge. And yes, it says to scribe a line on a straight section of the gauge. See page 29 of this manual.

[JPG]

Yep! It also refers to the gauge surface as a 'ramp'. So there be two versions of the gauge.

[dusty]

Yep! It also refers to the gauge surface as a 'ramp'. So there be two versions of the gauge.

Please, more explanation. I have a gauge like the one described in this Shopsmith document (I think). I would like more information about the "other version" to which you refer. I have done a document search for "'ramp' and 'gauge surface' and come up with nothing. Where do you find comments that lead you to believe there are multiple versions of the gauge.

We are both referring to the Pro Planer - right?

[JPG]

Yep! It also refers to the gauge surface as a 'ramp'. So there be two versions of the gauge.

Please, more explanation. I have a gauge like the one described in this Shopsmith document (I think). I would like more information about the "other version" to which you refer. I have done a document search for "'ramp' and 'gauge surface' and come up with nothing. Where do you find comments that lead you to believe there are multiple versions of the gauge.

We are both referring to the Pro Planer - right?

Yes!

My 'references' are two versions of the manual. The printed one I have refers to that surface as an arc. The pdf previously mentioned refers to that surface as a ramp and defines the location of the scribed line at which the blades should touch.

I think since the arc shaped sheared edge is rough(and more difficult to manufacture accurately) the design was changed to a straight edge. That created the need for a reference point(scribed line).

The important thing is the knives are the same both between the three diffefent knives and across the width of each.

[dusty]

Thank you. I found that to which you refer. I had to read it. The Adobe Reader search did not locate it. I must be expecting Adobe to do something that it does not do.