LISTEN when that little voice speaks!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu May 14, 2009 9:23 am

I just recently installed a new cutter head in my jointer. The installation went well but the alignment procedure took a little longer than I remembered. Probably because I don't do one of those very frequently.

When I finished, I mounted the jointer onto the Mark V and gave it a very quick test run. All seemed good - ready to go. There it sat for nearly a week, unused.

This morning, in preparation for another project that is going to require a lot of jointing, I decided to give it another test run after squaring the fence. Just to make sure. Before I turned it on, that little voice kept nagging at me. "Check all the lock screws, check the lock screws", so I did. I am so thankful I did.

Obviously, when I set the blades the last time I did not go back to properly secure the three lock screws on one blade (I assume the last one). When I checked, I found two blades properly adjusted and locked in place. To my own horror, I found the three lock screws on one blade only finger tight. After getting proper blade height, I had NOT LOCKED down the last three screws.

I am so thankful that I listened to that little voice which I so often disregard.

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Thu May 14, 2009 12:05 pm

Dusty-

After looking at your new avatar (I really like it by the way), it goes to show that woodworking machinery are just like aircraft: always do a "preflight check" before taking off!

BPR

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu May 14, 2009 12:13 pm

ryanbp01 wrote:Dusty-

After looking at your new avatar (I really like it by the way), it goes to show that woodworking machinery are just like aircraft: always do a "preflight check" before taking off!

BPR

So very true. I do remember though (June 1966), once when we had to take off from Recife, Brazil without doing a preflight. The natives were restless and we had to leave in a hurry. Needless to say, it is a bit nerve racking, out over the south Atlantic and not being certain that everything is working as it should.

mbcabinetmaker · Post by **mbcabinetmaker** » Thu May 14, 2009 4:11 pm

I'm glad you caught that one dusty!

Mark

beeg · Post by **beeg** » Thu May 14, 2009 4:39 pm

I'm GLAD he didn't have to CATCH it.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu May 14, 2009 5:24 pm

beeg wrote:I'm GLAD he didn't have to CATCH it.

I'm glad it didn't catch HIM!:)

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Thu May 14, 2009 5:47 pm

JPG40504 wrote:I'm glad it didn't catch HIM!:)

I'm glad his brandy new blade edges didn't catch any cast iron surface.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu May 14, 2009 5:51 pm

Really, I got lucky on that one.

reible · Post by **reible** » Fri May 15, 2009 6:57 pm

Hi,

Since I don't have a shopsmith version of this tool I was wondering if the assembly has wedged parts designed to hold things in the machine even if the screws were not torqued in all the way. Not that one would want to rely on this...

I personally have never heard of a knife coming loose in a jointer in use so I started doing a search and came upon the following:

"Worse yet most jointer knives can come loose if they aren't properly tightened. The SS jointer knives are ground in a wedge shape, and they are locked in place with an opposing wedge. If the capscrews which hold the wedges in place are even lightly tightened, centrifugal force will cause the knives to hold tight against the locking wedges. I'm not explaining his well, but most importantly this design is just plain smart."

Taken for educational use only from:
http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.c ... essor.html

Interesting hey??

Ed

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri May 15, 2009 7:22 pm

reible wrote:Hi,

Since I don't have a shopsmith version of this tool I was wondering if the assembly has wedged parts designed to hold things in the machine even if the screws were not torqued in all the way. Not that one would want to rely on this...

I personally have never heard of a knife coming loose in a jointer in use so I started doing a search and came upon the following:

"Worse yet most jointer knives can come loose if they aren't properly tightened. The SS jointer knives are ground in a wedge shape, and they are locked in place with an opposing wedge. If the capscrews which hold the wedges in place are even lightly tightened, centrifugal force will cause the knives to hold tight against the locking wedges. I'm not explaining his well, but most importantly this design is just plain smart."

Taken for educational use only from:
http://shopsmith-tool-hunter.blogspot.com/2007/05/shopsmith-air-compressor.html

Interesting hey??
Ed

Yes, the blades are a wedge and the hold downs are too. The blades are wider at the bottom and the wedge locks are wider at the top. And yes, If the wedge locks screws are down just finger tight (with and allen wrench) they probably will not come out.

None the less, finding the screws only finger tight scared the bejebbers out of me. I doubt that I will make that error again.