Shopsmith Forums

I just got a shopsmith jointer and need a bit of advice. If I tighten the main bolt under the tables even just past finger tight, the table locks up and I can't turn the depth of cut knob. If I loosen the nut just a bit, there is too much slack, but i can turn the depth knob. All 5 wafers are under the table like they should be. Is this just normal or have I missed a step somewhere?

I would normally have said "No, you do not need to loosen the main bolt under the table to make depth of cut adjustments". But, I just went out to the shop and attempted to make that adjustment and I can move the table (depth of cut) only about 1/16".

I do believe that the depth of cut should be adjustable throughout the entire range without loosening the main table bolt. I am under medical restrictions and cannot handle that weight or I would loosen the bolt to verify. If I would do that, the next thing I would have would be the infeed table dismounted -- so I won't. I'll just stay tuned and hear what others will have to say.

Be patient, you'll get an answer.

WildHorseHans wrote:I just got a shopsmith jointer and need a bit of advice. If I tighten the main bolt under the tables even just past finger tight, the table locks up and I can't turn the depth of cut knob. If I loosen the nut just a bit, there is too much slack, but i can turn the depth knob. All 5 wafers are under the table like they should be. Is this just normal or have I missed a step somewhere?

How much torque are you applying? It be stiff(intentionally)!

JPG wrote:

WildHorseHans wrote:I just got a shopsmith jointer and need a bit of advice. If I tighten the main bolt under the tables even just past finger tight, the table locks up and I can't turn the depth of cut knob. If I loosen the nut just a bit, there is too much slack, but i can turn the depth knob. All 5 wafers are under the table like they should be. Is this just normal or have I missed a step somewhere?

How much torque are you applying? It be stiff(intentionally)!

What is "just past finger tight"?

The question is: "Does the bolt need to be loosened in order to adjust depth of cut".

I don't have a shopsmith version so I can't really say how they work but the two I have do not have to have any screw adjustments made to change table height and neither did the one we had back at home that looked very much like the shopsmith one.

Now it could be some gunk is on the ways and a cleaning and readjustment is in order??

Ed

I could not leave this hanging so I went to the shop to see. I could adjust mine the full range of adjustment with out doing anything. However, with just very slight tightening of the nut, I could seize the infeed table such that I could not move it with the depth of cut knob. I then backed off about 1/8 of a turn and it now moves freely. That is where I intend to leave it.

I believe this is the very first time that I have ever adjusted that nut and I have had my Mark V for a very long time. The manual says nothing about it.

Can anyone explain the principles behind the unusual stack of washers on that bolt?

dusty wrote:

JPG wrote:

WildHorseHans wrote:I just got a shopsmith jointer and need a bit of advice. If I tighten the main bolt under the tables even just past finger tight, the table locks up and I can't turn the depth of cut knob. If I loosen the nut just a bit, there is too much slack, but i can turn the depth knob. All 5 wafers are under the table like they should be. Is this just normal or have I missed a step somewhere?

How much torque are you applying? It be stiff(intentionally)!

What is "just past finger tight"?

The question is: "Does the bolt need to be loosened in order to adjust depth of cut".

It means run the nut down with my fingers until it just stops and then just a bit more. It locks the table up solid. I have to back the nut off and that makes the back of the table tilt and you can see a slight gap on the front ways. Then I can turn the knob to adjust the depth of cut.

I checked my jointer and it would not go past about 3/16. That's enough for my purposes since I've never cut rabbets with my jointer. But I couldn't just leave it in that condition. I disassembled it to check the machined runners for gunk. As the photo shows they weren't gunky, but one of them looks kind of chewed up. A bad casting job perhaps. I ran a flat file along the edges of the raised flats on the right side then waxed the runners and reassembled the jointer. I tightened the nut just until any play was removed from the infeed table. It will now move through the whole range, although it does get a little hard to move past 1/4". Dusty, those stacks of washers are alternating flat and compression washers.
Edit: I'll have to resize the photo and upload it later.
Edit: I also put some graphite lube on the adjuster threads.

Bruce wrote:I checked my jointer and it would not go past about 3/16. That's enough for my purposes since I've never cut rabbets with my jointer. But I couldn't just leave it in that condition. I disassembled it to check the machined runners for gunk. As the photo shows they weren't gunky, but one of them looks kind of chewed up. A bad casting job perhaps. I ran a flat file along the edges of the raised flats on the right side then waxed the runners and reassembled the jointer. I tightened the nut just until any play was removed from the indeed table. It will now move through the whole range, although it does get a little hard to move past 1/4". Dusty, those stacks of washers are alternating flat and compression washers.
Edit: I'll have to resize the photo and upload it later.

Thank you. I gathered that from the parts list. I need to do some research into "compression washers". To me, they just appeared to be washers of a different size and color than the others. They obviously are more than that.

dusty wrote:

Bruce wrote:I checked my jointer and it would not go past about 3/16. That's enough for my purposes since I've never cut rabbets with my jointer. But I couldn't just leave it in that condition. I disassembled it to check the machined runners for gunk. As the photo shows they weren't gunky, but one of them looks kind of chewed up. A bad casting job perhaps. I ran a flat file along the edges of the raised flats on the right side then waxed the runners and reassembled the jointer. I tightened the nut just until any play was removed from the indeed table. It will now move through the whole range, although it does get a little hard to move past 1/4". Dusty, those stacks of washers are alternating flat and compression washers.
Edit: I'll have to resize the photo and upload it later.

Thank you. I gathered that from the parts list. I need to do some research into "compression washers". To me, they just appeared to be washers of a different size and color than the others. They obviously are more than that.

Start your search with the Bellville disk spring. That is the original (I believe) "spring washer". It was invented in 1876. They are actually a spring in a washer shape. They are typically ued for things like pre-loading bearings. Depending how they are stacked (nested or opposite) they act either in parallel or in series.

Here is the link for the originals...

http://www.bellevillesprings.com/index.html

I have personal hands on experience with them if you want more information.