4E Magna jointer as an SPT standalone - possible?

[chapmanruss]

Steve,

Sorry, you are correct that the 5" pulley and the 3-step pulley from the Jointer Mounting Kit have a bore of 15/16" and not 13/16" as I originally stated above. So many parts and so many things to try to remember.

One option would be to buy Skip's parts. Another would be to get a regular 3 step pulley for the motor on the Model 10 and use the Drive Coupling you should already have with the 5" Pulley on the Jointer motor.

Having a place for the wood chips to go is a must and your idea may work very well.

[Seezle]

One of the things I'm curious about are these underside holes for bolts. Since none of these are used when affixing it to the 10er, are they some kind of support for an alternate bench? Do they align to some other specific structure? I've never seen them in use in a manual.

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[chapmanruss]

Scott,

Those three holes are for mounting the Jointer on a separate stand. If you look at the 4E Jointer manual on page 7 at the bottom there is information on making a separate stand for the Jointer. Figure 27 shows plans for a wood stand and in the middle near the top it says "DRILL 3, 5/16" HOLES SEE DETAIL B FOR LOCATION OF HOLES". These holes in the plans match the three holes in the 4E Jointer's casting that you indicate in your picture above for mounting it to a stand.

This is a case where Magna Engineering Corporation was thinking ahead when they came out with the Model 4E Jointer. As it says in the last paragraph on page 7 of the manual

The MAGNA JOINTER has exceptionally long tables for a 4" Jointer. For this and other reasons which mark it a superior machine, many people who still do not own a SHOPSMITH have requested information for mounting it as a single-purpose tool. This information is given in Fig.27.

As a bit of a Shopsmith historian I find two interesting parts in the paragraph above from the Model 4E Jointer. The first is the use of "mark" instead of "make" in the second sentence. Possibly a hint of something coming? The second thing I find interesting is the use of "single-purpose tool" since SPT's were referred to as "Add-a-Tool" in the 1950's and changed to commonly being referred to as Special or Single Purpose Tools later.

[Seezle]

Russ:

Very cool! I believe I scanned and posted the instructions of that stand on page 1 of this thread. I am also (of course) complicating things by trying to use an existing SPT stand with it instead of a custom stand, however those hole bore measurements help immensely. A nice vote of confidence from Shopsmith that the holes were not meant for a connection to an official SS part, but rather the individual to build onto. As summer is settling in, I will try to complete this project and keep updating my fumblings in full color.

[JPG]

Also interesting is the "exceptionally long tables" comment(it is often referred to as too short today). As well as the fence shortness.

[Seezle]

Update on the stand: I decided to stack three wider boards to do the following:

1) Bring the jointer to just below my wrist
2) Using the SPT table without marring it with new holes
3) Supporting the full weight of the jointer
4) Having a chip flute
5) Using the three support screw holes on the jointer

So I planed three pieces of board and drilled them to align with the SPT holes,

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then drilled and jigsawed out a chip chute and pulley opening.

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I stacked them to see if it would fit - initial alignment says yes.

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And then placed the 4" Magna jointer on top to see if it aligned. Seems to work, with the one area of concern that the pulley opening is tight. If need be I'll drill the SPT metal top to widen the hole, but would like to leave as-is, unless it's just unsafe.

I'll try to secure the jointer and engine placement tomorrow.

Onward through the weekend!

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[larryhrockisland]

Looks good!

[Seezle]

To get maximum clearance for the pulley belt, I took out two of the three wood tiers to make the smaller jointer pulley as close as possible to the hole on the SPT top. It has better clearance now, more room for the chip chute, and I will make up for the loss of height with boards and rollers on the legs.

I think this is a better arrangement.

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[chapmanruss]

It's looking good Scott. Should work very well for you.

I am curious as to how the dust/chip chute is set up. Were you able to make a Dust Collection connection for it? That would be a real time saver for cleanup having the shavings go directly into a dust collector.

[Seezle]

Russ:

Thanks! Yes, one of the main benefits of trying to set the jointer up this way is a drop chute right under the rotating blade.

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I was considering a variant of the table saw chip chute seen here - a triangular box with an opening for a vacuum.

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You can see the indicated green lines that hang over the motor in a diagonal flow that will be boxed in with plexiglass to allow to see when it fills, or if it is jammed - and a similar circular outlet for a vacuum (blue circle).

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The plexiglass is from my old place of work in Engineering, for nostalgia purposes I used it to help construct a simple record holder.

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I have some left over with some window framing whose slot would hold the plexiglass well enough on the sides.

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Onward!