Esta Blades?

[Matthew Schenker]

Hi Everyone,
I just got a set of Esta blades for my 6" jointer.  I'm pretty sure that I have installed them correctly, and they do seem to make knife-setting way better.

Still, I thought I would check here to see if anyone else has used these, and if you had any tips or tricks.

Matthew

 

[bill-e]

Matthew, that Self Start set for $169 is a pretty reasonable price if you have a 6" jointer.  I sharpen my own knives and actually don't change them all that often (something about the paying job that keeps me out of the shop) but I'd be curious to know how long the edge lasts on those...them seem kinda thin at least from the pics.

If you don't sharpen yourself and the edge lasts a reasonable amount of time, the replacement knife cost for double sided knives is very reasonable and attractive.

For me, the work and challenge of properly setting my knives is one that relaxes me after a long day of arguing with slimy defense contractors. 

 

[stvrowe]

Matt,
I have something very similar to the Esta in my Felder combo.  I can use the Esta knives as a replacement but would have to adjust my outfeed table about 0.010" higher.  The only tip that I have is when changing blades, I use a Oneway Multigage to verify the height of the knives is the same and in line with the outfeed table.  I also use this gage as a square to check the jointer fence and to check fence alignment with the sawblade on a table saw.  Honestly, the Oneway Multigage is the best $79.95 I believe I have ever spent.
Steve

 

[Matthew Schenker]

I'd be curious to know how long the edge lasts on those...them seem kinda thin at least from the pics.

Bill, they are noticeably thinner than my old blades, but I can't tell whether this will be an issue or not.  I'll let you know.

I can use the Esta knives as a replacement but would have to adjust my outfeed table about 0.010" higher.  The only tip that I have is when changing blades, I use a Oneway Multigage to verify the height of the knives is the same and in line with the outfeed table.

Steve,
Interesting you mention this.  Last night, I checked the Esta setup and was very surprised to see that the blades are not aligned.

With the Esta system, I measured knife heights in three spots (front, center, and rear).  I set the outfeed table height so the first knife just barely nicks a straightedge.  Then I tested all three knives.  Here's what I found:
Knife one: front and center nick the straightedge; rear is low.
Knife two: front and rear nick the straightedge; center is low.
Knife three: rear nicks the straightedge; front and center are low.

I tested the difference with a sheet of paper.  In those spots where the knives were low, I could just barely slip the paper in the space.  The different is slight, but I like to be perfect with jointer setups as nothing is more frustrating to me than not having glue edges align!!!!

When I last installed new blades, I aligned them using the Jointer Pal.  Yes, it was a real pain, but when I was done all three knives were perfectly aligned.

Am I being too much of a perfectionist here?

Matthew