Free jointer

Trey1984

Trey
User
My father in law brought this to me Saturday morning and gave it to me. Been sitting in his shop for a while collecting dust and he said he knew I would put it to good use. My first time every using one but downloaded the PDF and going to watch some YouTube videos on setup. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Needs little tlc but I'll get it cleaned up and running smooth.
 

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bphaynes

Parker
Corporate Member
My grandfather gave me one just like that earlier this year and I restored it and it works great. You can use something to get the rust off like W-D 40, vinegar works well too and then sand a lot on the cast iron top and it will get there. Don't worry about getting it perfect, but it does need to be relatively flat. There are four screws under the infeed table that adjust it into parallel with the outfeed table, which does not move. Adjusting those four screws is a pain, but if the tables aren't co-planer then it's not going to work. If you need a new belt for the motor then there are several good replacements and a bunch of youtube videos walking you through the whole process. I also took the time to paint it, but you don't have to.
 

Trey1984

Trey
User
My grandfather gave me one just like that earlier this year and I restored it and it works great. You can use something to get the rust off like W-D 40, vinegar works well too and then sand a lot on the cast iron top and it will get there. Don't worry about getting it perfect, but it does need to be relatively flat. There are four screws under the infeed table that adjust it into parallel with the outfeed table, which does not move. Adjusting those four screws is a pain, but if the tables aren't co-planer then it's not going to work. If you need a new bel
My grandfather gave me one just like that earlier this year and I restored it and it works great. You can use something to get the rust off like W-D 40, vinegar works well too and then sand a lot on the cast iron top and it will get there. Don't worry about getting it perfect, but it does need to be relatively flat. There are four screws under the infeed table that adjust it into parallel with the outfeed table, which does not move. Adjusting those four screws is a pain, but if the tables aren't co-planer then it's not going to work. If you need a new belt for the motor then there are several good replacements and a bunch of youtube videos walking you through the whole process. I also took the time to paint it, but you don't have to.

t for the motor then there are several good replacements and a bunch of youtube videos walking you through the whole process. I also took the time to paint it, but you don't have to.
Yeah a little elbow grease I think it will cleanup pretty good. Those 4 screws so is that a one time thing that you have to adjust or once you get it right your good? The only thing I think it is missing is the bracket that mounts behind the fence not on the end... Will that make a difference or will it work fine without it?
 

awldune

Sam
User
A year or two ago I got one of those from a member here. A huge upgrade over the benchtop jointer I had.

If there is rust, a good way to remove most of it is to scrape it off with razor blades. It is a similar process to scraping paint off a window. When finished, wipe down the table with paste wax.

You might be missing a piece. See part H on page 6 here:
(Page 9 has a better view)

It is just a piece of sheet metal on a hinge, but it stabilizes the fence. Maybe it is around somewhere but not visible in your photos. Edit: looks like you noticed this too. You could fabricate one without too much trouble, I think.

A worthwhile upgrade IMO is to replace the depth adjusting handwheel with something bigger. That makes it a little easier to dial in your depth and almost anything will be nicer to handle than the plastic thing that comes from the factory. I made a wooden one on the lathe.
 
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awldune

Sam
User
Another note or two:

It is easy to remove the height-adjusting feet from the stand and add casters if you have limited space in the shop.

Dust collection is nonexistent. If you put a box under the cutterhead, it will catch some of the chips.

FWIW I didn't mess with the table screws and the planer works fine. Anecdotally I hear that it is extremely difficult to get these perfect.
 
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bphaynes

Parker
Corporate Member
I had to adjust my screws because the tables were not co-planar. Once you get them right you should be good and turning the knob to move the infeed table up and down should move it perfectly in parallel. You can use a straight edge on the outfeed table and turn the screws underneath until the infeed table touches the straight edge, but it's difficult because every time you turn one screw, the table changes and you might have to adjust other screws as well.
 

Trey1984

Trey
User
On removing rust I've found that sanding blocks work great. Wd 40 and sandpaper work good too (what I done when I got my table saw but it is really messy and stops up sandpaper). It already has casters on it. Not the best but they will do for now. I got some (from someone off of this site) that I might switch out with). Bc I do have a small shop and it will have to be moved back and forth to be used. Thanks for the info. Will update on howit works out
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
An earlier model was my first jointer. Using it made a huge difference in my woodworking.
The best tip I can give is to keep sharp knives in the jointer and have the knives set about .001" to .002" above the outfeed table.
I did find the stand lacking. It took up too much space and has been mentioned, the shavings went everywhere. I cobbled together another stand out of framing lumber and that was an upgrade in space, stability, and dust collection. Consider doing that. Below is an old photo of what I did. I made a lot of furniture with that jointer.

1     boxbed - 1.jpg
 

Trey1984

Trey
User
An earlier model was my first jointer. Using it made a huge difference in my woodworking.
The best tip I can give is to keep sharp knives in the jointer and have the knives set about .001" to .002" above the outfeed table.
I did find the stand lacking. It took up too much space and has been mentioned, the shavings went everywhere. I cobbled together another stand out of framing lumber and that was an upgrade in space, stability, and dust collection. Consider doing that. Below is an old photo of what I did. I made a lot of furniture with that jointer.

View attachment 205109
What did/do you use to measure the height of the knives? I've seen on amazon a gauge that mounts to a magnet and think that's what they are for. Never have used one. I don't get howyou can measure different spots with it to get the same measurement. In other words don't know how they work. I want to get one so I can dial in my table saw table top and fence also
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
I eventually started using a cheap dial indicator from Harbor Freight. Hint: never turn on the magnet. You can even make some rig to hold the indicator instead of using the base. Chances are your holding rig will be far more stable.
Here's pretty much how I do it to this day. The video says set the knives even, but that's wrong. They should be .001 to .002 high to get a straight edge on your work.

1     boxbed 1 - 1.jpg

Here's a steel base I made that I use on jointers. It could be heavy wood or anything. Three points work best. A 6" jointer usually takes me 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the condition of the components and if there is a knife lifter screw.

One of the most terrifying things in woodworking I ever did was to set that first set of knives in my Sears jointer. After that, I was embarrassed that I was so frightened of a relatively straight forward job.
A hand plane blade is roughly 2" wide. Consider that you are about to embark on the equivalency of setting the blades perfectly in nine hand planes. It takes a while, yes, but not all day.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Its not original by any means. It was one of those self-evident solutions to a universal problem.
Because it is pretty fool-proof, its a method that sellers of woodworking gadgets would rather their customer base not know about. It negates the demand for all those useless gadgets they offer in the pretense that the user can easily set jointer knives.
That mud bath video was shot with a hand held Sony high band 8mm back in the 1990s, but the information is still good except for the part where I say the knives should be even with the outfeed table. That's really not the best way. The knives should be .001 to .002 above the outfeed table for the best jointing.
My friend Kieth Rucker uses the same dial indicator process on setting knives in a full size jointer.
The indicator is your eyes telling exactly where the arc of the knife is in relation to the outfeed table.
 

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