Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 5 -- Excerpts Part 5
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 6 -- Excerpts Part 6
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Troubleshooting Out-of-Square Moulders
Follow the saga of a woodworker trying to solve the puzzle of not one, but two, out-of-square moulders on the shop floor. April 30, 2009

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 1 -- Excerpts Part 1
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Grinding Your Own Moulder Knives
Here's a long, rich thread covering many aspects of moulder knife grinding. October 2, 2005

Troubleshooting Chatter And Snipe
Is it a knife grinding issue or a moulder set-up problem? April 10, 2005

Hand Grinding Cutters to Make Reproduction Mouldings
Detailed advice on how to grind your own custom knives in order to match unique profiles. March 28, 2010

Sharpening Jointer Knives on the Machine
Woodworkers discuss various ways to dress or sharpen jointer knives without removing them from the machine. August 1, 2011


Moulder Blade Sharpening and Touch-Up Tips
Here's extensive advice about moulder knife sharpening and touch-up and other issues that can affect knife edge quality and moulding appearance. October 18, 2011

Sharpness of High Speed Steel Versus Carbide Tooling
Here's a long, technically detailed, and authoritative thread that explains why high speed steel can be sharpened to a finer edge than carbide, but will lose that edge quickly in hard or abrasive materials. (And more.) February 22, 2011

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 2 -- Excerpts Part 2
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Choosing a Moulder and Shaper Knife Grinder
Advice on how to get into knife grinding for your own shop. August 31, 2010

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 4 -- Excerpts Part 4
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Troubleshooting Maple Moulder Tear-Out
Too-dry lumber, dull knives, complicated grain patterns, or other maintenance and operational issues could be causing this tear-out problem with Maple wood. February 25, 2009

Cutting Steel Blanks for Custom Moulder Knives
Recommended cutoff saws, blades, and cutting techniques for sharp, clean cuts in tool steel. December 2, 2006

Cutterhead Knife Angle
Long and detailed discussion of knife grinding, focusing on back bevel and side clearance. February 19, 2006

More Thoughts on Grinding Moulder Knives
Pros add to an earlier discussion about whether, when, and how to grind your own knives. October 2, 2005

Knife Grinding and Woodworking Manual 3 -- Excerpts Part 3
One in a series of excerpts from the grinding manual of Charles G.G. Schmidt & Company. 1998.

Rapid Dulling in Planer Knives: What's Wrong?
Trying to figure out why knives go dull so fast in a planing operation that handles both reclaimed and freshly sawn lumber. January 14, 2008

Knife Characteristics for Best Moulder Finish Quality
This informative thread includes some expert discussion of the old-school method of back-beveling cutter knives, and also describes other knife characteristics that can improve the quality of machined wood straight off the moulder. August 13, 2014

Sharpening Jointer and Planer Knives In-House
Machines with built-in knife grinders can be a good investment. October 30, 2005

Custom Cope and Stick Cutters
What's the most economical way for a small shop to get custom cutters for special profiles? July 14, 2010

Increasing moulder knife life
Increasing length of runs between sharpenings. March 21, 2002

Tolerance For Knife Stock Thickness
A discussion of thickness variations in moulder and planer knife blank material, and the attendant problems for custom-ground knives. April 27, 2007

Grinding Wheels 101
A description of grinding wheel characteristics, and some helpful tips on grinding tools. February 14, 2007

Knife Steel 101
Here's a nice rundown of the various materials used to make cutter knives, along with some lively discussion. November 27, 2007

Whether to Make Your Own Moulder Knives
Info on how to grind moulder knives, and thoughts on whether it's worth the time and cost to do so. December 30, 2007

Regrinding Corrugated Knives
Is it worth it to try re-grinding an odd-lot batch of old knives to new, useful profiles? Or alternatively, is there a used-tool market for them? July 25, 2010

Hardened or Coated-Steel Knife Material
Use and value considerations of plasma-coated or hardened cutters. August 30, 2007

Replaceable Cutterheads Versus Re-Sharpening
A quick discussion on the pros and cons of resharpening your own tooling on the planer. April 18, 2015

Grinding Wheels for Carbide Knives
Advice on grinding wheel choices and grinding techniques for carbide tooling. March 9, 2010

Jointer Stones 101
A basic rundown on knive jointer stone types and preparation. February 14, 2007

Knife Weight Balancing Tolerances and Scale Choices
Paired knives on a moulder should weigh within a tenth of a gram of each other. Here's advice on measuring and achieving that. October 19, 2013

Minimizing Tearout on an Old Crescent Planer
Advice on tuning and sharpening tweaks to reduce tearout on an older crescent planer. March 13, 2009

Keeping the Knife Collection Organized
A place for every cutter, and every cutter in its place — but how? Pros suggest ways to categorize and file cutter heads. March 3, 2006

Should We Sharpen Cutters In House?
Opinions vary: some see savings and convenience benefits, but others note expense, time, and safety concerns. July 30, 2007

Wire edge on planer knives
Tips for deburring freshly ground planer knives. January 24, 2001

Fine Points of Side Clearance and Draft Angle
Grinding a rabbet knife for accurate square cutting as well as good tooling life can be tricky. March 10, 2008

Tuning Up a Reconditioned Profile Grinder
Advice on adjusting and maintaining a used Weinig 931 profile grinder. March 28, 2010

Knife Sharpening Frequency
How many times can you sharpen moulder knives, and how do you know when it's time to do it? January 9, 2008

Grinding Wheel Glazing
Tips to minimize the problem of knife-grinding wheels loading up with metal during use. September 17, 2008

End-to-End Knife Marks in Maple
Knives in bad condition caused linear scratch marks in Maple moulding. What's the fix? May 11, 2011

Jointing knives of a side-head planer
Choosing and using the proper stone when jointing knives used in a side-head planer. November 7, 2000

Grinding custom shaper knives
Does it make sense to grind your own shaper knives? June 6, 2001

Choosing shaper tooling
Making the most of a new spindle shaper. Includes advice on grinding knives. November 7, 2000

Diamond Wheel Wear while Grinding Carbide Knives
Diamond grinding wheels can fail prematurely for different (preventable) reasons. April 11, 2008

Choosing a Grinding Coolant
A discussion of the pros and cons of various coolants (or lubricants) used in cutter grinding for woodworking equipment. July 23, 2014

Ownership of Custom Moulder Knives
When a customer buys a run of custom moulding, are they also buying the knives you ground to produce the moulding? March 4, 2009

Jointing Carbide Knives 101
Technical tips on selecting and preparing stones for jointing your carbide cutters. February 14, 2007

Accurate Scales for Balancing Cutters
What level of accuracy is required when weighing knives for balance during sharpening — and how do you achieve it?August 12, 2014

Grinding knives to match mouldings
Why knife templates don't match the finished product. January 24, 2001

Sharpening Insert Tooling
Some insert-type cutterheads can be sharpened once or twice, but it's a tricky process that can create complications. July 30, 2007

Jointing moulder knives
How to get good results when jointing straight knives. January 31, 2001

Grinding Carbide 101
Knife grinding basics for carbide cutterheads. February 14, 2007

Fit Problems with Re-Sharpened Cope-and-Stick Cutters
It's hard to sharpen matching cutters so that they still mill matching surfaces. Insert tooling is the answer. January 8, 2007

Water for Tool Grinder
Advice on water and coolant for a knife grinder. June 18, 2010

Feed Rollers 101
Recommended feed roller types, feed roller maintenance, and operating tips. February 14, 2007

Which Grinder for Sharpening Lathe Tools
Sharpening suggestions from satisfied sharpeners. March 28, 2012

Why Planer and Jointer Knives can Lose Their Straightness
Repeated sharpenings can create stress-relief curves in cutter knives. February 19, 2006

Hook Angle for Large Radius Cutters
To cut the right profile, very large cutters need special attention to hook angle. September 10, 2007

Jointing of Carbide Knives
Tips on the best technique for jointing carbide cutters. January 14, 2008

Grinding Carbide Cutters
Carbide is carcinogenic as well as hard, so take appropriate precautions. February 14, 2006

Full-bodied router bits
Advantanges and disadvantages of the full-body design. February 12, 2001

Scales for Weighing Cutter Knives
Out-of-balance cutters can do expensive damage, so shop carefully for a scale to weigh them. May 6, 2014

Touching Up Carbide Planer Knives
A diamond honer can touch up the edge on a carbide cutter. April 27, 2007

Basic Tips on Profile Grinding
Basic tips on knife grinding for a beginner playing catch-up. November 26, 2008

Hand-Honing Tips for Cutter Knives
Remarks on honing and deburring cutterhead edges, and some thoughts on knife materials and performance. April 30, 2006

Blued Steel Defect on Freshly Ground Shaper Knives
Bluing of the steel in a new or reground knife is a defect that indicates damage to the temper of the steel. December 31, 2013

Back-Beveling Tips
Fine points of back-beveling jointer knives. May 13, 2005

Planer is tearing-out -- on white oak, but not red
What could be the culprit when a planer is tearing out on one type of oak, but not another? June 14, 2000

Burnt Cutters and Tool Life
"Burning" or overheating a cutter edge, during grinding or regular use, can significantly degrade the service life of the tool. February 24, 2008

Planer Wear and Tear-Out Problems
Wear on the knives and the chip breaker could lead to tear-out problems when the knives are replaced. July 15, 2012

Planer Knives: Grind Yourself, or Send Out?
Both sides of the debate are represented in this thread. January 15, 2008

Best Hook Angle for Corrugated Insert Knives
Here's some insight into hook angles. Different hook angles may work better for different woods, but other factors matter more. May 5, 2007

"Chip Dent" in Planed Lumber
Here's a long, detailed examination of the problem of denting in planed wood, caused by knives pressing chips into the wood surface. Unfortunately, no solutions. October 15, 2009

Saws and Techniques For Cutting Moulder Knife Steel
Advice on choosing and using equipment for cutting off moulder and planer knife blanks. October 1, 2010

Reground Planer Knives Trapping Chips
Woodworkers help figure out why chips won't clear out from the workpiece after a set of planer knives comes back from the grinder. March 14, 2006

Couteaux de rabotage affûtés récupérant les copeaux
Des menuisiers tentent de comprendre pourquoi les copeaux ne s'échappent pas de la pièce après le retour d'un jeu de fers de rabotage de la meuleuse. 14 mars 2006

Setting and Adjusting Knives in an Old Planer
1920's-era iron is rock solid, but it can be finicky. Here are some detailed pro tips for aligning the knives in an old-school machine. January 28, 2014

Sharpening of band mill blades
A primer on sharpening band-mill blades. March 2, 2000

Affûtage de couteaux de façonnage personnalisés
Est-il judicieux d'affûter soi-même ses couteaux de façonnage ? 6 juin 2001

Antique, unsafe shaper knives
Safety and operational issues regarding shaper heads. April 4, 2001

Flattening boards with a planer
Methods for planing warped wood flat. September 25, 2002

Shaper Cutter Choices, Alignment, and Balancing
In this interesting thread, a question about good cutterhead choices for occasional use in hardwood evolves into a conversation about setting up and balancing the shaper. August 19, 2013

Troubleshooting problems when moulding MDF
A detailed discussion of challenges in getting a smooth finish when putting profiles on MDF material. February 13, 2001

Equipment for Cutting Knife Steel
Cutting with plasma versus grinding wheels. January 16, 2004

Creating templates for moulder knives
Thoughts on producing templates for cutting moulder knives. June 14, 2000

Acceptable Runout Tolerances for a Shaper Spindle
High-quality machinery has minimal runout. Excessive runout is a safety risk and a source of trouble. December 20, 2005

Finger Jointing
Finger jointing lumber can reduce waste and utilize marginal material - and in depth article -1999

Shopping for a Profile Grinder
Advice on getting into knife grinding, for mid-job touch-up sharpening or for needed custom profiles, without an excessive investment in time or money. April 21, 2011

Cutting M2 Knife Steel
Is burning the steel while cutting a concern? January 16, 2004

M42 high speed steel
Information on M42 and jointer knives. April 2, 2002

Machining crown moulding
What's the best way to run crown moulding? May 2, 2001

Using jointing attachment on moulder
Proper methods for jointing knives on a moulder, and myths concerning their sharpening. February 28, 2001

Sharpening Machine for Brad Point Bits
Insight into getting set up to sharpen your own carbide brad point bits. November 15, 2011

Diamond Saw Blade
It costs more, but rarely needs sharpening. Is it worth it? April 10, 2005

Troubleshooting Tearout With Maple Flooring
Check sharpening, settings, feed rates, and more. April 10, 2005

Getting Your Waterstone Back in Shape
If your waterstone isn’t flat, it can’t deliver a proper edge to your tools. Here's how to fix that. December 18, 2013

Should I Sharpen My Own Moulder Knives?
The advantages may be worth the set-up cost and the learning curve. December 2, 2006

Moulding maple versus oak
Why such problematic tearout on one and not the other? September 23, 2003

Sharpening Tongue-and-Groove Knife Sets
If you choose the right knives to begin with, tongue-and-groove profile cutters can be sharpened repeatedly. March 5, 2008

What Is Chip Load?
Average chip thickness vs. knife progression. December 26, 2004

Better moulder finish quality
Eliminating snipe on mouldings. August 13, 2002

Proper Grinding and Maintenance -- Will Increase Moulder Tool Life
Good grinding and maintenance help increase moulder life. February 23, 2001

Profile Knife Grinders for Replicating Mouldings
A discussion of knife grinding equipment and techniques for a woodworker who wants to reproduce historic mouldings for custom work. January 28, 2013

Troubleshooting Moulder Head Vibration
Many things could potentially throw a moulder head out of balance. Here, pros discuss the possible causes of excessive vibration. August 23, 2005

Resharpening Bandsaw Blades
Arguments for and against sharpening your own bandmill blades versus sending them out to a resharp service. May 11, 2005

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