Chipper Knives

[Menchhofer]

How many of you guys sharpen your own knives? How many send them away to be sharpened? How many have local contacts to sharpen them?

Personally, the only guy in town went of of business and I have had to ship mine away for sharpening. Cost about $60.00 each time. Being sometimes the knives last a couple days vs. a couple weeks or so, this seemed to be getting expensive to me. I was also going through about 3 sets per year. It also did not help when the knives were sent out, the companies almost always removed material far beyond what was necessary. I have also tried to sharpen them with a hand grinder, but results were not very good.

Currently I have purchased a machine that automatically grinds the knives. I have found since I have had the machine, my knives last twice as long as I can control how much material is removed each time.

Although the payback for the machine is about 4 years, I believe I will be money ahead in the long run.

 

[treeclimber165]

One popular place for sharpening knives around here doesn't even cater to the tree industry. They sell and service paper processing equipment for newspapers, etc. But if you know they can sharpen chipper knives, you can bring them in and they will do them in less than a day.
I'd ask around with the local newspapers, Thrifty Nickel, etc. and find out who in your town services the paper cutting equipment.

Sounds like you got yourself a nice piece of equipment there. Maybe you can use it to sharpen knives for your friends in the tree industry on weekends to help it pay for itself quicker.

 

[YUKON 659]

Menchhofer, I just recently purchased my first chipper. I'm able to sharpened the knives for it myself. Fortunately I'm a tool & die maker and the company I work for has a lot of machinery to use. In fact I made 2 sets of knives today!!! I got the specifications from the Bailey's catalog.

Jeff

 

[Eric E.]

Jeff,
When you made the Knives, did you make the center of the blades (where the bolts holes are) a softer hardness than the edges? The holes need to have some "give" so the badles don't shatter. Many used blades have mushed holes. I have a blade that mushed badly after an encounter with a rake. If the holes had not mushed I'm sure the blade would have shattered and gone through the chipper housing. Of course no one knows how a rake went through the chipper.
I once saw a rental BB 250 that was used to chip a barn that was dismantled. (Some gov't contractors are very creative). The machine lost a blade which went cleanly through the housing, very impressive and scary.

 

[Menchhofer]

Originally posted by YUKON 659
Menchhofer, I just recently purchased my first chipper. I'm able to sharpened the knives for it myself. Fortunately I'm a tool & die maker and the company I work for has a lot of machinery to use. In fact I made 2 sets of knives today!!!

It must be nice to be able to make your own knives. I am jealous......

The previous idea on the paper cutting industry is a good on also.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Read the article on chipper knives this month in TCI. Very educational.

Tom

 

[YUKON 659]

Eric, the knives I made are made out of A-2 tool steel. I hardened and double tempered them to a RC hardness of 54-56. The knives Bailey's sell are A-8 tool steel, 58 RC and also double tempered. There isn't much of a difference between A-8 and A-2. I didn't harden them quite as hard just to be safe. To answer your original question ...no the center is not softer. They are hard but not brittle. In my opinion, I think the knife edges would shatter and come apart way before the center holding section would. If you are seeing mushroomig (or any distortion) on your center holes wouldn't this mean something is moving?

Jeff