Workshop services
Knife & surface
grinding
We grind planer knives, chipper knives, flaker knives and industrial profile knives on our in-house surface grinders — restoring a sharp, accurate cutting edge and the correct profile. Courier from anywhere in Southern Africa.
What we grind
Knife types we service
If it is a steel knife with a ground cutting edge — straight, angled or profiled — we can grind it. The most common types are listed below. For non-standard or unusual profiles, send a drawing or the knife itself and we will assess before quoting.
Planer knives
Straight planer knives in HSS and tool steel grades. Ground to a consistent edge angle and matched height across the full set — critical for chatter-free planing and correct finished thickness.
Chipper knives & wear parts
Counter knives, bed knives and chipping head wear parts ground to correct bevel. Worn chipper knives produce oversized chips and increased chip variability — a sharp, correctly angled knife restores consistent chip quality.
Flaker knives
Flaker knives for chip and particle board production ground to the correct edge geometry. Edge angle, flatness of the back face and knife thickness uniformity all affect flake quality.
Profile & moulding knives
Moulding knives, spindle tooling and profile cutters ground to drawing or matched to a sample profile. We supply matched profile sets ground consistently across all knives in the head.
Veneer & slicing knives
Long veneer knives and slicing blades ground to a precise, consistent bevel. Edge consistency across the full length is critical — any waviness produces thickness variation in the veneer.
What to include when sending knives
- Your name and contact number
- Machine make and model (helps confirm correct bevel angle)
- Number of knives in the set
- The required bevel angle — or the original knife spec if known
- Whether a profile drawing or sample profile applies
- Description of the cutting problem if fault-finding
Send the full set together. Planer and chipper knives must be ground as a complete set to matched height and profile. If you send knives in separately, or add additional knives to a partially-ground set, the result will be inconsistent — causing vibration and uneven cut quality.
We also stock replacement knives
If your knives are worn past serviceable limits, we stock planer knives, chipper knives and flaker knives in common HSS grades. If your specification is non-standard, we can source or manufacture to drawing.
Browse machine knives5 Rapid Street, Riverside Industrial Park
Nelspruit / Mbombela, 1201
Getting it right
Why knife geometrymatters
The bevel angle determines how aggressively the knife enters the timber and how quickly the edge dulls. Too steep and the knife pounds rather than slices. Too shallow and the edge is weak and chips rapidly. Both produce a rough surface and accelerated wear.
In a matched set, height consistency is equally important. A knife that sits even 0.1mm higher than its neighbours takes a disproportionate share of the cutting load — it dulls faster, the other knives chatter, and the finished surface is uneven. We grind matched sets to uniform height and profile across all blades.
Common knife specifications
| Knife type | Typical bevel angle | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Planer knives — softwood | 30° – 35° | Standard for pine and similar resinous softwoods |
| Planer knives — hardwood | 35° – 45° | Steeper bevel for denser timber — stronger edge |
| Chipper counter knives | 30° – 40° | Match to machine spec — varies by manufacturer |
| Flaker knives | 20° – 30° | Shallower angle for thin flake slicing action |
| Veneer slicing knives | 17° – 22° | Very shallow — strength not required, edge quality critical |
If you don't know your knife's bevel angle, send the knife — we'll measure the existing bevel and grind to match, or advise if a different angle would improve performance for your application.
Send knives for grinding
Courier the full set to Nelspruit — we'll grind to spec and return matched and ready to fit. Quote before we proceed.