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jointer knifes and using a dial indicator question

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Update:

Took the dial indicator home this weekend. It is in metric and one mark equals .01 mm. Something was wrong with it though because I could not turn the magnet off.

Is it best to try and use a dial indicator to set the blade height or is it acceptble to just use a block of wood? If I use the dial indicator to set blad height how do I do it? Do I zero the meter at the outfeed table and then raise the blade to equal zero on the indicator when using it on the blade at the highest point? I guess the question I have is if I were to measure the end of the outfeed table closest to the blades going the entire width (6 inches or so) I get different readings. Should I just use the highest readind and use that to determine blade height? Or should I pick a spot on the outfeed table next to the blade exactly across from it and set the blade to that height?

It was frustrating because that thing is hard to pull around with the magnet not turning off. I am thinking of just breaking down and buy one in standard.

The first blade I just set by raising it to a block of wood. All ends of the blade touch the wood. But it seems the middle may be a slightly different height than the ends for some reason. The blade will actually move the wood a very small distance in some places on the blade and touch but not move it at all in others.

I also tried magnets but there is not enough room to tightne the allen head bolts holding the blade on while the magnet is holding it. I tried everythign I could think of but the screw holes are under the machine when the knife is being helt at its highest point.

I just want good enough accuracy to have perfect fitting edges so I can glue up pannels and do some face planing on small boards.

ANy advice is greatly appreciated!

Reply to
stryped
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Either your knives aren't straight, or the table is worn.

Start out with straight, freshly-ground knives.

Read a book on how to adjust planer knives. You'll find it in the "WOODWORKING" section of the library.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

Reply to
stryped

Sounds to me as though your outfeed table may not be flat, or that your dial indicator has a problem of some sort. Maybe the indicator shifts on its fixture as you turn it due to the high magnetic force. Don't trust the indicator at the far end of its travel. Make sure it is being pushed at all points when you take your readings. Is your piece of test wood dead flat? I can't see how new blade would touch the wood at the edges and not in the middle. Turn the piece of wood over and try again. Are the bearings worn? You can buy a magnetic tool for holding the blades in plane with the outfeed table. It leaves plenty of room for wrench access on the 2 jointers and the one planer that I have. I don't understand your comment ---but the screw holes are under the machine----.

Pete Stanaitis

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stryped wrote:

Reply to
spaco

Stryped, you _really_ need to stop brain-sucking, and read a book about this. There are lots of good ones, and nearly any one of them would clear up the whole matter pretty much instantly.

Try "Modern Woodworking".

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

x-no-archive:yes

How can I ensure the table is flat?

What I am saying is with the knive at TDC I cant get an allen wrench behind the cutterhead to tighten the scres to that knife. I was using aplain magnet.

I did notice that in the cutterhead there are two "extra" allen bolts that do not go to any blade. WOndering what that is used for?

Should I try to set the best I can with a block of wood? Or use the dial > Sounds to me as though your outfeed table may not be flat, or that your

Reply to
stryped

Reply to
stryped

Jesus! 0.2mm is a freaking grand canyon-sized difference, even in wood joinery. Are you completely bereft of any mechanical skills whatsoever? Can't you figure out how to tell if the table is flat? Do you even KNOW if you've twisted it while mounting?

Do you even give a damn? I don't... last answer on the subject. Go suck another benefactor's head.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

You need to adjust the knife such that the difference is 0 at both ends. If it's not also 0 in the middle at that point, either the blade or the table needs to be reground, and a straightedge (parallel to the short axis of the table) will tell you which.

Thus, you reference each end of the blade to that side of the table, at the point where the table is closest to it. The far/fence end of the knife to the far/fence side of the table, the near/user end of the knife to the near/user side of the table, straightedge or dial indicator lined up parallel with the long axis of the table in both cases.

Your jointer head either has adjusters (below the blade, separate from the blade locking screws) which permit angling the blade, or you regrind the blade or use shims.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Don't bother... he won't understand that -- deliberately. He's back on that troll crap he did a few months back.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

After reading many of your posts, My advise would be to steer clear of power tools or anything with sharp edges or points.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

Firstly learn to selectively snip AND bottom post

Also stop using x-no-archive:yes as it stops anyone reading your messages and possibly those who may reply in future, loosing messages like yours would be truly tragic.

While you are at it getting half a clue might be an idea :)

Reply to
Mike

Silly thing but you need to put the magnet in a place where you can get access to the grub screw.

-- Yeppie, Bush is such an idiot that He usually outwits everybody else. How dumb!

Reply to
Bob May

Reply to
stryped

See? He's doing it again. You suggest something; he says he can't do it, or can't understand it.

Troll alert.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

Better yet, ship that ancient POS to me and go buy a good quality hand jointer plane. The satisfaction of using such a tool to clean up the edge of a board quickly is far, far greater than flipping a switch and shoving the board through a machine. It's only got one blade to adjust and sharpen also. You could have planed ten thousand linear feet in the time you've already spent tinkering and posting. 'Nuf said. Tom

Reply to
Tom Wait

If you don't understand the concepts, maybe you should let it to those that do. You don't pull the cards from a computer by removing the motherboard to disconnect the cards from the motherboard, do you? There is a process that is described in all of those manuals, follow it!

-- Yeppie, Bush is such an idiot that He usually outwits everybody else. How dumb!

Reply to
Bob May

Tom, if he can't adjust the knives on a jointer, do you _really_ think he can handle the hyper-critical sharpening and adjustment (and frequent honing) of a smooth's iron? Hell, he'd never figure out what the shoe did!

No, he needs to go back to his "2 to 8 years" Erector set, and leave sharp objects alone.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

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