Chipper Blade Maintenance

[Anthos]

I have a Vermeer BC1400 chipper, and I'd like to find some kind of tutorial on how to take care of worn blades. I understand Vermeer says on average every 10 hrs of operation, you need to rotate the blades, or swap them out.

Well, I'm at the point that I have one worn set, one sharpened set, and what I have in the drum right now is the dulled side cutting, and need to rotate to the sharp side.

So far, I understand that I need to torque the bolts to 210 pounds. But what I'm looking for is a comprehensive guide on how to 1) rotate the blades, 2) sharpen the blades, and 3) maintain the blades.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Rather than base your blade changing to hours, learn to read the chips. If your machine isn't chipping well, particularily with soft green material, chances are pretty good they need changing.

Not to be trite, but to rotate the blades, just take them off, turn them over and reinstall. They'll go on the same way they came off.

I would strongly recommend you send the blades out to get ground. The grinding should be done with precision to ensure they are balanced. However, many guys will touch up blades between grinding with an angle grinder. Just don't get carried away.

To maintain your blades, again not to be trite, but don't put rocks or metal through the chipper. That last bit of clean up debris can just be shoveled straight into the truck.

Make sure the cutter bar is set up properly.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lauritz]

I ve found that when our knives are getting dull .A swipe while still in place with an acu sharp gets us more hours out of each knive swap.Hope this helps

 

[Anthos]

I was told by a Vermeer dealer that there is a lot more to rotating them and swapping than what you described WetCoast.

Some things he said were that after I remove the blades, I have to grind clean the surfaces, but without taking off any metal, and that it has to be perfectly clean. And if I don't grind it, then use a non-chlorinated brake cleaner to scrub it. And I HAVE to use compressed air to clean more thoroughly.

I figured I can't sharpen them myself, but I did hear about touching them up periodically...what's "acu sharp". The dealer said they have a $30 kit to do periodical touch ups.

They also said to dab oil on the bolts before I screw them in.

I think I can see when they are just too dull. I was chipping strips yesterday afternoon, and I figured it is just way too dull.



Basically what I'm trying to get here (and I really appreciate the help) is what do I make of the dealer's reccomendations? Nice people, but I KNOW they are biased, because they want me to pay them to service it. But that just won't work realistically.

 

[Lauritz]

acu sharp is a little hand sharpenerthat takes a second to put a nice edge back on knives, you dont even remove off drum.I get saw doctor to sharpen then when getting dull .I touch up with acu sharp once or twice depending on condition then back to saw doctors normally costs me approx $100 nz dollars to get three sets sharpened.But the acu sharp is worth it as it cuts sharping costs . Id say thats what your dealer is trying to sell you Ive also see them on ebay.Used this on system on vermeer 935 just brought bc 1000 arrives this week

 

[Mikecutstrees]

I agree with what has been said. Watch what the chips look like, or open up the chipper and look at the knives. A little touch up with a file does help too. Make sure both knifes and surfaces are clean. I scrape mine down with a putty knife, then wipe em clean. Make sure the knives are both seated nice and flat and with sharpened knives the same side is forward. (they usually mark them). Oil the bolts and torque them correctly. Change the bolts every time you change the knives. Flipping is fine on the same bolts. When your done and everything is torgued spin the drum or disk by hand to make sure the knives clear correctly. Be Careful of the sharp knives. I usually get 10-30 hours out of a set of knives. I often change them before a big chipping job like a big pine or willow takedown. Good Luck..... Mike