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I was just trying to thin some oak down with my safe t planer, I was taking smallish cuts at 2000 rpm and was getting burning unless I feed at a high rate, now I haven't sharpened it since new and I've used it on softwoods only before and it left a good finish and I feed exactly the same is this a sharpening issue or a hardwood issue?

Thanks

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I had a little bit of burning on maple as well. It comes right out with a hand plane afterwards. It happens because in some sections the wood may ride up a little bit and not be perfectly flat on your work surface. One of the jigs I saw had a wheel and spring attached on the fence of the drill press platform after the planer wheel to push the stock down towards the work surface and keep it flat.
I must admit I did not install this wheel and I wish I had. A vacuum running on the surface is a must as well, to keep the work surface clean, so nothing can sneak up under the board and lift it - causing a burn as well. Likewise as you found out - keep the wood moving at a constant rate.

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

I think they are rated to run at RPMs like double that, may be your problem.
BTW, for anyone who hasn't gotten one, these things are VERY handy.

I remembered Robbie O'Brien's Tips du Jour and reading that I didn't shim up the cutting edge with sandpaper, he suggests this to help prevent the cutter heating up I'll try touching up the cutting edges on an oil stone and adding the paper shim

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

you might find it cuts much better one direction than the other.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Do not touch the cutters with an oil stone, unless you know what you are doing. The supplied stone is the only thing they recommend for sharpening. Follow their instructions, and it will work great. Sharpen after every use, and you won't get so much burning. Not after every pass, but after using to thickness a couple of sides or back halves. For sharpening, only the inside gullet is ground. it's very easy to do on your dril press.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Yeah waddy my intent with the oil stone is to do the same job as the wheel, they look hardly dull to me and I've got a stone for sharpening gouges and other small stones that'll let me sharpen like the stone without being aggressive as the supplied stone appears.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I've used one of these for many years and have no doubt that it is best to sharpen the cutters after every use. Don't wait until you want to use the cutter again, as you'll just not bother sharpening before use, do it when you've finished. I use the as-supplied grinding disk and get very good results. You must hold the cutter in a bench vice, for stability and for the sake of your fingers. I run my drill press at its highest speed of 3640rpm.



Using a good quality drill press with little run out will improve results, I use an extended table that is perfectly flat and that has an adjustable fence and hold down wheel.



The table should be levelled to the chuck.



Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I use a set of vise grips to hold my cutters for sharpening which works quite well. I like the simple set-up you use with the vise however Colin. I'll definitely try it.

Has anyone ever polished up the bottom face of the cutter as you would on a standard plane?

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

With an oilstone I just cleaned off all the sort of burnt residue off the bottom and only one of the cutters was blunt, so I sharpened it I then added the shim to the leading edge and I've used it a couple of times to trim some bits for the kitchen so not guitar woods yet, but it seems greatly improved.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes