Magna Jointer Refurbishing

[dusty]

Houston, we have a problem....

I assume the only fix for this is to order a new wedge

[ATTACH]12227[/ATTACH]
(sorry it's fuzzy, me and Vivitar are not getting along right now)

According to my manual (#505681-B 3/85) the wedge is #502903. According to the blow-up on the SS site, the wedge is 521945. The SS site describes this as "Wedges Jointer - 5 hole" which confuses me because mine has 3 and the drawings (both in my manual and online) also show 3.

SS also likes to sell these for $15 apiece, and bearings are $10. So... anyone got an old wedge out there they no longer need? And does anyone know the specs on the bearings?

The wedges in my jointer have five holes. The wedges are four inches long with one hole centered. There are holes offset from center by 1 3/8". Other than these three holes, there are two others that I believe are access holes for adjusting the depth screws. Please don't hold me to that - it has been a while since I was in my jointer. One side of the bar measures 9/16" and the other side looks to be 15/32" (due to the taper). The bar is 11/32" thick.

I would be concerned about replacing just one of these. Doing so may create a balance problem. Especially since some are different than others.

Someone who rebuilds (SDSmith, Bill Mayo) would be able to confirm this much better than I.

[SDSSmith]

fiatben has the early style jointer (like the 4E for the 10ER). I would not be surprised if he has a couple of holes for mounting the 10ER swing bracket on the right side of the jointer. You will note that the wedges are a little shorter than the ones one the newer jointer. I have a set of wedges that I will have to check to see if they are the older style or the newer style.

I agree with Dusty that if you can not find an exact replacement, then you should buy a set of three. I will look in my box of spares later today and see if I can help.

[SDSSmith]

Houston, we have a problem....

I assume the only fix for this is to order a new wedge

[ATTACH]12227[/ATTACH]
(sorry it's fuzzy, me and Vivitar are not getting along right now)

According to my manual (#505681-B 3/85) the wedge is #502903. According to the blow-up on the SS site, the wedge is 521945. The SS site describes this as "Wedges Jointer - 5 hole" which confuses me because mine has 3 and the drawings (both in my manual and online) also show 3.

SS also likes to sell these for $15 apiece, and bearings are $10. So... anyone got an old wedge out there they no longer need? And does anyone know the specs on the bearings?

I checked my "spares" and I do have a set of 3 hole jointer wedges. If interested contact me at the email address in my signature.

I do not remember the bearing specs, but you should be able to pull that information off of the shields. Or use the old fashioned method and measure them.

[fiatben]

I did try to research refurbishing this jointer before starting, really I did. I used SEARCH and keywords and variations and all that, and got very little. Then a few minutes ago I look at the bottom of this thread I started on my refurbishment and saw "similar threads" which took me to really good info that I was fixing to ask about, i.e. bearings. One was https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=6185 which helps with the replacement bearing issue.

By the by, my thanks to Rob and Bill. I think this old Magna jointer will soon be making LOTS of shavings.

[wingrider]

Houston, we have a problem....

I assume the only fix for this is to order a new wedge

[ATTACH]12227[/ATTACH]
(sorry it's fuzzy, me and Vivitar are not getting along right now)

According to my manual (#505681-B 3/85) the wedge is #502903. According to the blow-up on the SS site, the wedge is 521945. The SS site describes this as "Wedges Jointer - 5 hole" which confuses me because mine has 3 and the drawings (both in my manual and online) also show 3.

SS also likes to sell these for $15 apiece, and bearings are $10. So... anyone got an old wedge out there they no longer need? And does anyone know the specs on the bearings?

When I got bearing for my headstock rebuild, I Googled Berry Bearing for a store near me. Berry Bearing is now called Motion industries. I took the old bearings in with me and they matched them right there and I walked out with a new set. I got all the bearing for a 1955 Greenie for $47.00, didn't have to wait or pay for shipping. I started my rebuild on Friday and have the headstock cleaned up, painted and almost back together. I would check to see if you have a parts store near you that can get you the bearing you need. I think it would save you some money over SS unless you are ordering other things from SS.

[fiatben]

in reading thru the "similar threads" on jointer refurbs I ran across this thread:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=5973
in which there is a discussion of "special" washers under the 9 bolts holding the wedges. Having just taken mine apart today, I'm relatively sure there are NO washers anywhere under any of the 9 screws that hold the wedges on. So now I'm wondering if I need them (or the #8 SS splits per Bill Mayo), and if possibly these were added after my jointer was made (June '54) in response to a problem (maybe the breaking of wedges similar to mine).

And I can confirm, as mentioned in the other thread, that the old wedges on these old Magnas are crowned in the middle, in other words they are not truly flat. Which is further confirmation of needing to replace all 3 as a set if one is not sure of a match.

This afternoon I sanded the tables and fence, using 220 wet/dry and water on a small 1/3 sheet finishing sander and followed up with Johnson floor wax after wiping them down. I also cleaned up the handle, cutter head, various bolts, and basically anything with bare metal showing using a wire wheel mounted in my benchtop drill press and either 220 or 500 wet/dry. While the tables/fence are not all bright and shiny, they are SMOOOOOOTTTHHH now and I'm happy. After all, this is a refurb, not a restore. I intend to wear this puppy out or die trying (quite literally).

I'll post pics tomorrow.

[wannabewoodworker]

Fiat,
The washers should be there if not you will need to get them as I am sure they are very important. I remember just last week when I re-did my jointer adjustments that again the washers were stuck inside the wedge holes. I think only one or two of them came out with the allen bolts. Just use something to pry them up and out of the holes in the wedges if you have them that is where you will find them. And don't be fooled if you indeed have them they will be stuck down inside there and it is almost impossible to see them until you use something sharp to unstick them and pull them out of their respective holes.

[SDSSmith]

in reading thru the "similar threads" on jointer refurbs I ran across this thread:
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=5973
in which there is a discussion of "special" washers under the 9 bolts holding the wedges. Having just taken mine apart today, I'm relatively sure there are NO washers anywhere under any of the 9 screws that hold the wedges on. So now I'm wondering if I need them (or the #8 SS splits per Bill Mayo), and if possibly these were added after my jointer was made (June '54) in response to a problem (maybe the breaking of wedges similar to mine).

And I can confirm, as mentioned in the other thread, that the old wedges on these old Magnas are crowned in the middle, in other words they are not truly flat. Which is further confirmation of needing to replace all 3 as a set if one is not sure of a match.

This afternoon I sanded the tables and fence, using 220 wet/dry and water on a small 1/3 sheet finishing sander and followed up with Johnson floor wax after wiping them down. I also cleaned up the handle, cutter head, various bolts, and basically anything with bare metal showing using a wire wheel mounted in my benchtop drill press and either 220 or 500 wet/dry. While the tables/fence are not all bright and shiny, they are SMOOOOOOTTTHHH now and I'm happy. After all, this is a refurb, not a restore. I intend to wear this puppy out or die trying (quite literally).

I'll post pics tomorrow.

I have a copy of the manual for the 4E jointer which is like your jointer (without the mounting posts). The parts diagram does not show washers under the 9 screws that hold the wedges in the cutter head. The washers were added on later versions of the jointer.

[jgiblin]

Hi, I am brand new here. I bought a '56 vintage Shopsmith 500 off craigslist last week. I was just taking an inventory of all the rusty stuff that came with it and one of the things is a Magna model 620 Jointer Ser no.46754. I have never used a jointer, but I am encouraged by this thread. Mine still looks like the "before" pictures.

I was lucky enough to find a manual for one on a vintage tools site but I am clueless on how to hook it up to the headstock. I am sure I am missing a part. When I mount the jointer and slide the headstock up to it I see two knobs that can be removed with an allen that almost touch. I figure there is something else that bridges the gap and you take those two knobs off? Can someone clue me in?
Thanks,
Jim

[SDSSmith]

Hi, I am brand new here. I bought a '56 vintage Shopsmith 500 off craigslist last week. I was just taking an inventory of all the rusty stuff that came with it and one of the things is a Magna model 620 Jointer Ser no.46754. I have never used a jointer, but I am encouraged by this thread. Mine still looks like the "before" pictures.

I was lucky enough to find a manual for one on a vintage tools site but I am clueless on how to hook it up to the headstock. I am sure I am missing a part. When I mount the jointer and slide the headstock up to it I see two knobs that can be removed with an allen that almost touch. I figure there is something else that bridges the gap and you take those two knobs off? Can someone clue me in?
Thanks,
Jim

The 'knobs' are probably drive hubs and you need a power coupler to connect the two hubs.