harryangel69 Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Does anybody still put a micro bevel on the back of their jointer blades. It is supposed to help with figured wood so they act more like a scraper. I can't remember the last time I heard or read anything on this. Is it something that had just faded away, or have byrd/shelix cutterheads filled that gap in the market? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Good question. I think its still a good practice if you can find someone to do it. But I don't think the results are so dramatically better that its a "must-have". But I think you also identified one of the reasons why its not discussed as much. Shelix heads have really changed things from a maintenance perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryangel69 Posted May 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2011 I was actually beginning to think that I was going crazy. It is probably something some jerk said that I absolutely had to do. Now I have to sort out the quality information from the crap. I wasn't looking forward to pulling off the blades on my jointer sharpening and resetting anyway. Thanks, you saved me some time and frustration yet again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking1@sbcglobal.net Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Does anybody still put a micro bevel on the back of their jointer blades. It is supposed to help with figured wood so they act more like a scraper. I can't remember the last time I heard or read anything on this. Is it something that had just faded away, or have byrd/shelix cutterheads filled that gap in the market? The first person and possible the only person I’ve heard to recommend a back bevel on jointer blades was David Marks on one of his DIY woodworking tv shows. I haven’t tried this method myself but I always clean up the surfaces with a hand plane that may or may not have a back bevel based on the type of wood used. I wouldn’t discount anything a professional woodwork of such status as David Marks but I didn’t see him use any hand planes in making his projects. Perhaps that’s why he finds the back bevel on the jointer knives useful. Miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryangel69 Posted May 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 I was taught this by the local association of woodworking jerks forever ago. When I say taught I mean it was the only way that it could possibly be done, and when they (the jerks) walk in your shop and it is not done the ultimate conversation of how I'm doing it wrong ensues. All the work in the shop must cease and every project will be picked apart so I can "see" the mistakes and errors it has caused. It will go on for as many hours as it takes to convince me that I am wrong. There comes a point of either caving to make them shut up or stroking ego so that the loco jerks won't ostracize me from their "over 750 combined years of experience". Yes that is a quote. But i am not bitter. As I was watching the woodworks videos I was reminded of the "lesson". You are right where else has anybody seen or heard this? David Marks at least gave a reasonable explanation of why this was done. Once again I thought I'm not doing that. Well I was wiping the dust off of my used jointer the other day, and sliced my finger open. Wasn't running, I'm just stupid sometimes. I did not expect the knife to cut through the rag and my finger. As I am carefully wiping the blood from my jointer I notice these knives have a back bevel. The old woodworker guy (who was building boats out of mahogany) has done this as well. I thought this might have been one those obvious things that nobody ever mentions because it is in every instruction manual that never gets read. Like the wax on the plane thing that was mentioned in another post. In my personal experience it dulls the blades faster, and won't allow you to cut as deep. That's something that should be known but I did find that out the hard way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 I always find it funny when someone or a group of someones who are set in their ways start nit-picking like that. If there is an obvious safety risk that they are trying to correct, right on. However, I think one of the great things with woodworking is that there are so many different ways to accomplish a given task. Some work better than others, but most are valid. If you are a guild member, the last project is a prime example of this. Two very different techniques, each with its own pros and cons, were used to build two very similar cabinets. As for the jointer blades, I would do what works best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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