Chopper Blade Life & Observations

[Verdaccio]

Hello Everyone.

So at 19 months into business, I am noticing that my two sets of chopper blades are getting shorter and I have had to adjust my chopper depth to cut all the way through a frame.

Wondering what others experiences have been with blade life. I usually sharpen each set once per month.

I just purchased a new set through my sharpening supplier. It came with the name Alliance Knife Inc. on them. Looks like the blades are what they are classifying as AKI-IV and their definition is below:

AKI-IV is an INLAID HIGH SPEED STEEL, which is manufactured from the traditional two-piece composite knife blanks. Our HSS inlaid knives contain 18% tungsten (SKH-2) at RC 62-63 which is designed to improve blade life as much as five times that of our AKI-I quality. This "high-tech" alloy is designed to be used under high production applications, to ensure an increased number of cuts between sharpenings, thereby reducing cost per cutting hour.

What concerns me is that the blades say they are made in China. Wondering if anyone has experience with this brand and their quality/longevity?

Thanks much!

 

[BILL WARD]

dont care WHAT the alloy the blade is...if you sharpen them every month they will have a short life....I'd think you'd have to cut a LOT of frames every month to warrent that action(and if you do C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !!!!!!!!!!!!). My primarily use is saws so I'm not a good judge of chopper blade dullness but monthly(not just when they start 'not cutting') really sounds tooooo often. perhaps a 'good' way to tell sharpness would be how fishing hooks are judged.....put them onto your thumbnail and if they 'catch' w/o pressure, they are sharp(watch out how much pressure you put on it!!! dont want to run around with bandaged thumb???).
curious to read what regular 'users' have to say here!

 

[Jay H]

I'd also mention this to your sharpening company to be sure they are being to agressive with your blades. If those blades started new, it sounds like they are going away a bit to quickly but it's hard to say.

 

[Couture's Gallery]

ours are sharpened about on the average of once every 2-2.5 mos.....if you cut a lot of hardwoods and knotty moulding it could be sooner.....sounds like you are sharpening too much...when the cut starts getting ragged on the tip end is a good way to tell if sharping is needed.....would not trust baldes from China, IMHO.

 

[evartpat]

ours are sharpened about on the average of once every 2-2.5 mos.....if you cut a lot of hardwoods and knotty moulding it could be sooner.....sounds like you are sharpening too much...when the cut starts getting ragged on the tip end is a good way to tell if sharping is needed.....would not trust baldes from China, IMHO.

I have 2 sets and I would say the same. Every 2 to 2 1/2 months.

 

[Bill Henry-]

I usually send my blades out for sharpening when I can just begin to feel a burr on the interior edge of the blade. About two months on average.

From the “interior” of the chopper blades, very lightly run your finger from the bottom of the edge to the top. If, when you reach the top, you can feel the slightest burr, send it out.

Because of their method of honing, hollow ground blades will “roll over” more quickly than chisel ground and need to be sharpened more frequently.

We’ve had two alternating sets of blades for over twenty years but have only had to adjust the yoke downward once in that time (about a year ago).

 

[Verdaccio]

Heh...the things you never learn as a new framer. Okay well, waaayyy too much sharpening going on here. Thanks for your feedback. I will back off to 2-2.5 months and will feel for the roll or burr.

 

[Joe B]

Verdaccio, I have my chopper knives sharpened when they get dull and do not give a good clean cut. Sometimes it is 2 - 3 months but then again if I get into some dirty moulding (asian most predominately) I have to have them sharpened more often. Also, if you chop a lot of moulding that has a large Gesso build-up the blades will dull quicker too - that Gesso take the edge off a knife very quickly. I think the rule of thumb, 2 - 3 months between sharpenings, is a good rule but the truth of the matter is it depends upon how much you are chopping, the quality of the wood in the molding, and how much Gesso is in/on the moulding. Just my thoughts. Joe

 

[Jeff Rodier]

You should be getting hundreds of frames out of a sharpeneing on the chopper blades. Softer materials will cross into the thousands.

 

[Joe B]

What Jeff said is what I was trying to say. When you don't get a good clean cut, sharpen the blades, if you can't judge the quality of the cut go 2 - 3 months or more. There has been many times I have been able to run a newly sharpened blade for 6 plus months.