# Who Sharpens Their Own Chipper Knives?



## linckeil (Mar 31, 2009)

for those of you that sharpen your own knives, what kind of device do you have? 

I have a cary bearcat 20hp 5" chipper with double sided knives. i use it quite a bit on my own property, and help out friends and family every now and then. i'm not using it everyday so i don't need a big dollar device to make a perfect edge. just something that will sharpen the knives relatively well that isn't gonna cost me a ton. any suggestions?


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## Bigstumps (Mar 31, 2009)

linckeil said:


> for those of you that sharpen your own knives, what kind of device do you have?
> 
> I have a cary bearcat 20hp 5" chipper with double sided knives. i use it quite a bit on my own property, and help out friends and family every now and then. i'm not using it everyday so i don't need a big dollar device to make a perfect edge. just something that will sharpen the knives relatively well that isn't gonna cost me a ton. any suggestions?



Take them somewhere - they need to be sharpened at the correct angle and the knives have to be matched as they are sharpened. They need to be fixtured off the center holes. This makes sure the knives stick the same distance out of the disk and thus take the same cut out of the wood. They also need to be wet sharpened - the coolant keeps you from ruining the temper of the blade.

You can get them sharpened for a buck an inch or less. Money well spent IMO.


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## linckeil (Mar 31, 2009)

i called a local power shop that sells chippers. they told me they send knives out to be sharpened. i asked for a per inch estimate and they told me just to bring it in and they wouldn't be sure what the price would be until it came back from their sharpener and that the rates are not consistent....

either they hardly ever send knives out, or they are looking to rip me off.

so if they are sending knives out, i assume i could do the same and avoid their markup. so any places i can ship the knives to that will do the job?


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## windthrown (Mar 31, 2009)

I have a Bandit chipper and I use a stone grinding tool to sharpen the blades. No problems with angles and all that. They are just like sharpening a chisel. They are not that sharp; pretty wide angle. Same with chainsaws; you can do them yourself. Just get the dings and rounded edges off and they are fine.


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## linckeil (Mar 31, 2009)

do you have a jig you use to ensure the correct angle? do you have a link to the tool you are referring to? where can i buy it?


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## windthrown (Mar 31, 2009)

Its just a grinder wheel with a stone. Nothing fancy. Cheap one from Harbor Freight. No jig needed. I grind them by hand on the sides of the wheel. If it is slightly uneven, so what? The chips still fly. You can make a jig out of wood and bolt the jig to the blade if you are worried about exact angles. From the semi-circular marks on the new set of knives that I have, they use the same method using a grinding stone to sharpen them at the factory. That is what gave me the idea for how to sharpen them. And if I screw them up, I have a new set of blades. But the older re-sharpened ones work just fine.


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## Bigstumps (Apr 1, 2009)

"They are not that sharp" - Yes they are - they are very sharp!! They will cut you just handleing them. You should pay about a buck an inch per sharpened inch to get them sharpened.

These guys will sharpen them or tell you where to take them

http://www.knifesource.com/


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## windthrown (Apr 1, 2009)

I never cut myself handeling or sharpening any chipper knives, ever. On my Bandit 95 or my Bandit 90. Even my brand new factory knives are NOT THAT SHARP. Chisel sharp, yes. Razor sharp? No.


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## 380LGR (Apr 1, 2009)

You have to sharpen your knives so you can shave with them!! You want to cut the wood not chisel through it. Dull knives will kill you on fuel and time.


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## oharatree (Apr 1, 2009)

windthrown you are just plain retarded. Once you learn a thing or two about chippers you'll be embarrassed you made those statements. Chipper knives should be done on the correct machine. Machine sharpened knives are more consistant and your motor will not work as hard to chip. Your belts will last longer, knives will not get as a hot, you'll use less fuel, and so on.


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## tomtrees58 (Apr 1, 2009)

we sharpen are own my sharpener was$ 4500.00 ten years ago tom trees


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## windthrown (Apr 1, 2009)

oharatree said:


> windthrown you are just plain retarded. Once you learn a thing or two about chippers you'll be embarrassed you made those statements. Chipper knives should be done on the correct machine. Machine sharpened knives are more consistant and your motor will not work as hard to chip. Your belts will last longer, knives will not get as a hot, you'll use less fuel, and so on.



Buuuuuuuullllllsssssshhhhhiiiiiittttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is this an April fools joke or something? 

Embarrased? Nope. Retarded? No. This is my second Bandit chipper, and I have owned and run them for over 5 years. I know how to run and maintain them. I have always sharpened my own knives. I keep the chipper knives sharp, but I do not need to shave with them. The pair on this Bandit disk can more than keep up with the feed rollers. The machine does not bog down. My chipper runs at the same pace as the Bandit 95 in their factory online video. The knives more than keep pace with the feed rollers. My knives do not get overly hot. My belts are nice and tight and bearings are in great shape. Overall, this chipper is in far better shape than when I bought it. I have had several offers from pro arborists to buy it. 

I just do not understand your insitance that you cannot sharpen your own knives. Comparing my self-sharpened knives to running with the set of FACTORY SHARPENED NEW knives that I have, I canot tell the difference. Microdefects at best. Of course, I also work on my own vehicles and saws. I tore down and rebuilt the Wisconsin engine on the Bandit. OH MY GAWD! I should have taken it into a pro shop and had them do it instead. I am a moron for thinking that I could do it myself. It is going to blow up any second now. I also welded up all the cracks on it myself. I should have had a professional do that as well, eh? My arc welder is not good enough to do a proper job?


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## 380LGR (Apr 1, 2009)

If you owned a lathe would you when you rebuilt your engine cut out your own pistons and ring??? Somethings cant be done in the backyard.


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## windthrown (Apr 1, 2009)

I do not have to forge the knives. I only have to sharpen them. Huge difference. Also a lot of people have good shops, my brother's included. His happens to be in the back yard here.


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## 380LGR (Apr 1, 2009)

Again you miss the point.


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## oharatree (Apr 1, 2009)

2nd chipper, 5 years, bandit 90..........all spells rookie.


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## windthrown (Apr 1, 2009)

380LGR said:


> Again you miss the point.



Yes, you are right. I just do not see the reason that I should pay and send out the knives to be sharpened by some outfit on some super snazzy device, with molecular accuracy to a razor sharp point, rather than sharpen them myself, when in my experience, sharpening them myself they do just fine in my chipper. :monkey:


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## 380LGR (Apr 1, 2009)

Its really not a snazzy machine,kinda boring,just makes all the knives even and sharp.


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## windthrown (Apr 1, 2009)

oharatree said:


> 2nd chipper, 5 years, bandit 90..........all spells rookie.



Huh. I know crews here that suffice just fine on Bandit 65s. I sold the 90 at a very good profit. I do not need a larger chipper, as the 95 does just fine. But if that makes me a rookie? Hey great. You sure seem to know it all. Just like all the Mexicans I compete with here every day.


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## CentaurG2 (Apr 3, 2009)

linckeil said:


> for those of you that sharpen your own knives, what kind of device do you have?
> 
> I have a cary bearcat 20hp 5" chipper with double sided knives. i use it quite a bit on my own property, and help out friends and family every now and then. i'm not using it everyday so i don't need a big dollar device to make a perfect edge. just something that will sharpen the knives relatively well that isn't gonna cost me a ton. any suggestions?



The easiest and fastest way we have found to sharpen chipper knives is with a flap disk. We have been using Walter enduro-flex disks 4.5” 60 grit with a Makita hand held grinder. The disks are available at better welding supply shops and are about $80 for a pack of 10. To sharpen, clamp the knife in a bench vice and follow the original angle. Keep the disk moving and monitor the knife edge with a bare hand to make sure it is not getting too hot. If the edge is getting too hot to handle, dunk in a bucket of water or let it cool down while you work on another knife. Angle the flap disk to sharpen chipped or damaged areas in the knife edge. Flap disks run much cooler than grinding disks and remove less metal. With a little practice, you can put an edge on a chipper knife in under 1 min that will rival a samurai sword. Be sure to check the knife/anvil clearance when you reinstall them on the disk. You can flap sharpen chipper knifes about 5 times each side before they really need to be sent out to be properly re-ground. Be sure to shop around. We have found it is cheaper to purchase new knives than to have the local shop re-grind them. As a side note, flap disks also work wonders on lawnmower blades, brush hogs, tiller tines, corn knifes or anything else you need to sharpen. Good Luck


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## arbadacarba (Apr 3, 2009)

I grind all my own tools, and chipper knives are not difficult at all. The tool below will let you do anything from a chisel to a 20" planer knife without worrying about too much about balancing or scorching the blade.

I bought mine at www.busybeetools.com but I'm sure that Grizzly etc. carry them as well. At $205 Cdn, two sharpenings of a set of planer blades and you're there.

Hope this helps!


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## Bigstumps (Apr 4, 2009)

I've never seen that tool before. Looks very interesting. The link doesn't work. Can you give us some more info?


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## jac1 (Apr 4, 2009)

Interesting discussion. I think it will all depends upon what skill and tools you have. Lets face the facts, these knives are not that complex. As long as you do not severely overheat the blades (alter the steel hardness), keep the blade angle correct and sharpen the set to the same height you should be good. I use a Bridgeport mill with an angle vise and a simple grinding stone. Flow some coolant while you are sharpening and you are good. As for how sharp, "razor" sharp requires a shallow grind angle which is fine for razors but not for chipper knives since the edge would be very easy to damage. Yes, I get mine sharp but not "razor" sharp. 

As for having this in your backyard...Nope...All in my basement.


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## arbadacarba (Apr 4, 2009)

www.busybeetools.com

I have used their tools for quite a while. In this particular case, if you can run a knife sharpener on a can opener then you can run one of these. If you are worried about weighting on the individual knives (as you should be) then just pick up a cheap digital scale, make sure that the values match, and that will prolong the life of your chipper or planer.


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## B727 (Apr 4, 2009)

*Makita 9820-2 electric water cooled blade sharpener*

I've sharpened 15 inch woodworking planer blades with a Makita 9820-2 blade sharpener. I recently picked up a Fitchburg 12 inch drum chipper. The blades were nicked and worn and the anvil came out of the machine in two pieces. I purchased a new anvil from Zenith Cutter and decided to sharpen the 12 inch knives on the Makita machine. I used a 60 grit course wheel to remove the nicks and obtain the correct bevel. Finished up with a 1000 grit wheel for a super fine edge. The wheel's 560 rpm speed and water drip cooling prevents overheating and preserves temper. After replacing the blades and anvil and adjusting the knife to anvil clearance to specs at 0.004" - 0.006" the machine feeds and chips awesome. I purchased the machine years ago for $199.00. The unit is still available but sells for around $350.00. I just saw one that sold on ebay for around $160.00. It takes some time and practice and self sharpening may not be for everyone but I was impressed with the results and operation of the Fitchburg after sharpening. Google Makita 9820-2 and have a look at the sharpener.


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## Sharp101 (Apr 29, 2009)

*I sharpen chipper knives*



linckeil said:


> for those of you that sharpen your own knives, what kind of device do you have?
> 
> I have a cary bearcat 20hp 5" chipper with double sided knives. i use it quite a bit on my own property, and help out friends and family every now and then. i'm not using it everyday so i don't need a big dollar device to make a perfect edge. just something that will sharpen the knives relatively well that isn't gonna cost me a ton. any suggestions?



I sharpen chipper knives in my shop. They are professionally done on a surface grinder with a tilting magnetic chuck set on the surface grinder chuck. The normal charge for a set of 6" or 12" (4 pieces) is about $40 to $50 dollars depending on whether they are double edged. I have machine shops bring these to me to do from asplundh and other tree services. You could set up something to sharpen these yourself but I don't think you could get the chipper knives at the correct angles and do them in coolant for what you can pay to get them done.


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## Burvol (Apr 29, 2009)

My buddy has a really nice 1250 Vermeer and he sharpens the knifes. I think it helps if your not a retard. Windthrown is like a lot of us up here in OR/WA. Logger, former logger, decent of a logger, ect. We are more capable than you ####ers back east.


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## Burvol (Apr 29, 2009)

oharatree said:


> 2nd chipper, 5 years, bandit 90..........all spells rookie.



Six red bars spells #######...


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## Sharp101 (Apr 29, 2009)

*Capable in the east too!*



Burvol said:


> My buddy has a really nice 1250 Vermeer and he sharpens the knifes. I think it helps if your not a retard. Windthrown is like a lot of us up here in OR/WA. Logger, former logger, decent of a logger, ect. We are more capable than you ####ers back east.



We have a lot of logging companies in the east that are quite capable. I enjoy taking trees out near homes, stumping, and I enjoy sharpening other capable tree service owners chipper knives that aren't set up to sharpen there knives.


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## gr8scott72 (Apr 29, 2009)

oharatree said:


> windthrown you are just plain retarded. Once you learn a thing or two about chippers you'll be embarrassed you made those statements. Chipper knives should be done on the correct machine. Machine sharpened knives are more consistant and your motor will not work as hard to chip. Your belts will last longer, knives will not get as a hot, you'll use less fuel, and so on.



So I guess all these other people posting that they sharpen their own knives are all retards also? :monkey:


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## Bigstumps (Apr 29, 2009)

I think what Ohara was referring to is the technique this guy was using. No matter what people say chipper knives should be precise - the angle - the distance from the anvil - not to mention the temper - it all adds up to better performance. 

No different than cutting stumps with mismatched dull teeth at incorrect angles - the machine will still cut - just not very efficiently and not smooth - ultimately resulting in other problems within the machine. 

Nothing wrong with doing something yourself - just make sure you do it right.


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## windthrown (Apr 29, 2009)

Well, I will post photos of my 'retard-sharpened' west coast rookie hillbilly chipper knives after I sharpen the set I just swapped out of my Bandit. They are flat, the angle is within one degree of factory spec, and the chips do fly.

A question comes up though. How dull do you let your knives get before you flip them around/swap them out? I use a honing stone to get the burs and dings out. They take a beating from the occasional nail or rock. I have been flipping them when the edges just start to round over and no longer feel sharp. Sharp here is relative though, and seemingly some take it to extremes. Ninja knives with scalloped edges, the knife steel folded over 10,000 times to slice a human hair in half... schwing!


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