How do you keep track of planer carbide insert rotation

[Roger Feeley]

I’m about to rotate the inserts in my PM 15hh for the first time. Any suggestions on how to keep track of the number of good edges?

[Jim Morgan]

Mark the worn edge bevel with a sharpie, rotate all inserts in the same direction. When you have marked three of the four edges, you will know your time is almost up.

[Robert Hayward]

+1 on what James said. The Sharpie ink has not worn off in about a year of hobby use on my jointer.

[Roger Feeley]

+1 on what James said. The Sharpie ink has not worn off in about a year of hobby use on my jointer.

Wow! I never would have thought that. I figured that with all that sawdust flying around, any sort of mark would wear off.

[roger wiegand]

Good idea. The cutters on mine came numbered on each side with a stamped number, 1 to 4. It's about time to turn them for the first time.

[Rod Sheridan]

I’m about to rotate the inserts in my PM 15hh for the first time. Any suggestions on how to keep track of the number of good edges?

Don’t your inserts have a number on them for orientation?

Regards, Rod

[Izzy Camire]

Thanks for this thread as I need to rotate mine too. I would have never thought the Sharpie ink would stay on it.

[Dave Sabo]

+1 on the numbers.

Only wrinkle is if you nick a few on metal embedded wood and have to rotate a those without doing the entire head.

[Mike Wilkins]

The inserts on my Hammer are numbered with some type of laser printed number, but I still mark them with a Sharpie. Not worn off after several years of use.

[Alex Zeller]

My Powermatic jointer has a dot on one corner of the carbides. The dot was on the right corner of the cutting edge. I rotated them for the first time last year (went counter clockwise). Once the dot gets to the left corner of the cutting edge it'll be 4 rotations. Marking the face with a sharpie should work just fine. It's not like the face touches the wood. All you need is the mark to still be visible on one cutter when it comes to rotate them again.

[Greg Quenneville]

Can’t you just fix a tag to the machine with a date you make each rotation?

[Robert Hayward]

Wow! I never would have thought that. I figured that with all that sawdust flying around, any sort of mark would wear off.

I thought so also. Every time I rotate the porkchop by hand for an odd shaped piece of wood or a thin piece I look at those Sharpie marks with amazement they are still there. I marked mine so I could take them all off at once to thoroughly clean the seats on the head. So the insert would seat properly on reinstall.