congrats on the purchase... that planer sure gets the job done cool
I had the pleasure of using one on all my rafters, which you're right, was much quicker than setting them up on the mill. Just lay out a dozen or so at a time and let the Mak chew 'em up.
I used some wax on the sole to make it slide a lil' easier, that thing weighs a ton.
Any decent machine shop should be able to re-sharpen those for ya. The one I use to sharpen the 12's, also does the small 3.25" blades which are pretty thin.

there's a thin line between hobby and mental illness