Rust on jointer knives

jmilligan · Post by **jmilligan** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:09 pm

I am cleaning up a 6" jointer (purchased in 2000) that sat in a damp garage for a few years before I got it. Both the cutter head and the three knives have some rust on them. Can I clean up the knives or do I need new ones?

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:18 pm

jmilligan wrote:I am cleaning up a 6" jointer (purchased in 2000) that sat in a damp garage for a few years before I got it. Both the cutter head and the three knives have some rust on them. Can I clean up the knives or do I need new ones?

Clean them first; you can always buy new ones (availability not withstanding). You might be able to have them sharpened.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:58 pm

[quote="a1gutterman"]Clean them first]
Do not remove too much material abrasively(you want to keep as close to original dimensions as possible). Chemical rust removal would be best(evaporust/naval Jelly or electrolysis. OR just soak them in coke for a week!

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:29 pm

While we all generally like to have stuff all spotless understand that as long as your table is clean and waxed and the contacting surfaces of the blades are clean and honed the jointer will work fine for immediate use. That rust on the drum will not ever contact the wood and will not bother the functionality of the jointer. That is not to say that you shouldn't go ahead and clean it up, just understand that you can use it with rust on the drum and around the lower parts (especially the back side) of the blades. It is not necessary to remove the blades to hone them lightly. Rather than explain it all here go to the Shopsmith page here.
http://www.shopsmithhandson.com/archives/mar_apr_04/html/academy_tips.htm

jmilligan · Post by **jmilligan** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:41 pm

Thanks for all of the information. This is one of the best values of owning a Shopsmith (this forum).

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:07 pm

jmilligan wrote:Thanks for all of the information. This is one of the best values of owning a Shopsmith (this forum).

You will get a lot of very useful information here but at the same time this forum presents a lot of opinion and you must be ready to weed out that you might disagree with.

Like: There are very few wood working tasks that can not be completed using a Shopsmith. The operative words being "wood working" - not to be confused with "wood milling".