I was a little leary of doing this, but based on the results of recent operation, it needed to be done. Let me say that Makita's instructions wer spot on! I had all the tools and magnets that came with the planer. I still have replacement blades that came free with the planer, but I didn't need to use them as the blade are reversable.

Each blade has a recess in the top of the blade running lengthwise. I had to take of the right side outer housing and the chip cover as part of the operation. In so doing the cutter head locks in position every 180 degrees making the operation a snap. I got it apart, the blades reversed and reassembled in 30 minutes at most. I ran a test piece and the wood came out just like it did when the machine was brand new.

Needless to say I was feeling pretty happy with myself. This did not last long. I decided to replace the cutter blades on my Powermatic Model 53 Jointer. I am taking a break from that as it is not going well. I actually have the cutter head removed, but cannot seem to remove the blades from the cutter head. Powermatic's website is down and the manual is silent as to replacing the blades. It recommends sharpening the blades by running the planer with an India stoen or oil stone over the blades. It sounds and looks extremely dangerous. I will get back to it later. At least this brought me back down to earth.

Doug