Installing Jointer Blades

[dusty]

This post will likely result in closure for this thread. At least for me because I have nothing more to add once this is done.

With the cutter head removed, I was able to verify what I thought was happening. What is shown here is the cutter head with the adjustment screws adjusted out 2 full revolutions. Why do I make that point? Because this is how I do blade changes. I screw the adjustments screws all the way in and then back out 2 revolutions. This is then my "starting point" for blade adjustments.

Except for the total height of a blade (3/4") the dimensions all remain the same as the blades are sharpened. The adjustment screws compensate for whatever is taken off by sharpening.

Added as empirical data: One revolution of the adjust screws will raise the blade 1/32" (.03125"). That's a lot when setting depth of cut. If you are trying to tweak the adjustment for thousandths it doesn't take much. This is why it gets touchy when tightening every thing down. A very little bit makes for a big change in depth of cut.

I hope that this is informative and does not become basis for argument.

[JPG]

Not as an 'argument', but rather a pesky detail.

The top surface of the height adjusting screws may or may not be a fixed distance from the center of rotation when run all the way in.

[dusty]

Not as an 'argument', but rather a pesky detail.

The top surface of the height adjusting screws may or may not be a fixed distance from the center of rotation when run all the way in.

Oh yes, you are so right.

The six adjusting screws on the cutter heads that I have on my work table right now measure .612, .614, .621, .612, .628 and .613. This is of no consequence, however, because those screws never end up in that position after alignment.

When I install a blade, I run the screw all the way in and then back it out two full revolutions (2/32"). The critical adjustments are made from there.

[jms]

Not looking to revive this old thread - just wanted to say thanks to everyone who contributed - it helped me greatly yesterday.

I bought a SS jointer from eBay and out the box it of course was not cutting square, the culprit was a misaligned blade. After reading the owners manual, using a rule to accurately set the blades seemed a daunting task - and seemed rather crude and not quite accurate enough.

So I turned to the forums and found this little gem of a thread.

Dusty -- I like your method of removing everything including the blade adjustment screws every time you do maintenance on the cutter head -- and your tip about running them down all the way and then backing them out 2 full turns and then making the small adjustments from there -- that really saved my day as I had to "start over" on each blade a few times as I learned what "small adjustments" meant LOL.

Now, it still took me 2 hours to remove the blades, clean everything, and put it back together and set the adjustments -- but I will say that I now have a very near square cutting jointer -- still not quite perfect so I'm going to go through the process again after church this afternoon and set them again.

One thing I did run into -- I used a block of wood with marks on it for my measuring device -- but I found that the same blade in the same place would move the block of wood different distances depending on the speed in which I turned the blade - in some cases I found that it wouldn't move the block at all even though it would lift it up - which surely is causing some inaccuracies.

My block of wood is a piece of 3/4" plywood on edge (edge created by SS combination blade - so it's darn near glue ready, i.e. perhaps pretty slick) --- wondering if I need to try another, maybe softer wood. I used the plywood because I knew it had one edge that was true.

[JPG]

Since you have 'learned' what 'small adjustment' means, perhaps learning what 'slow rotation' means would be appropriate.

Just a guess, but a sharp blade is unlikely to 'slip' when nudging the block of wood SLOWLY.

I prefer using a combination square blade set on edge (a couple of blocks will hold it upright). Precalibrated, and easily slides on the outfeed table.(also provides incentive to rotate very slowly).

Good Luck this afternoon!!!

P.S. Your marked piece of wood IS very narrow and you ARE 'testing' at opposite ends of each blade?

[dusty]

I agree. It is very doubtful that the block of wood will give you consistent results. For that task I use a six inch steel rule. It balances on across the gap between the tables and gives a very good indication of how far it moved using the end edge of either of the tables.

Whatever you do, do it on both ends of the blades and check for consistent (identical) results in the middle of the blade.

This can be a tedious endeavor but once done it will last for quite a while (unless you joint a lot of wood) and will be easier the next time.

[Hobbyman2]

I have used over the counter guage's ,,,her is a magnetic one available from Rockler https://www.amazon.com/Rockler-Magnetic ... B004AJYQIO

I was surprised when we purchased our stand alone planer that it came with a guage, a sharpener { honing stone } and the tools .

[Sazerac81]

I think the manual lays out a great plan of action for setting the jointer blades, but it can be a bit more time consuming than I like so I just built a handy little jig for it.

There are a couple of youtube videos out there showcasing how to make a similar one to mine.

It's a fun little project if you enjoy making fun little jigs.







Works like a charm!

Cheers,
John

[JPG]

The mark is at top dead center?

[Sazerac81]

The mark is at top dead center?

Yep TDC as set up by a dial indicator gauge and then reconfirmed after setting all 3 blades. Really does speed up changeovers!

Cheers,
John