4E Magna jointer as an SPT standalone - possible?

[Seezle]

Hello all, my name is Scott and I am very new to the Shopsmith world. I recently bought a 10er SN#69781 (Circa December 1952) that came with a 3/4 hp motor, two boxes of attachments, a 3-ring binder of all the manuals and the original Cristoforo book. I'm trying to go carefully through all of it along with the education of this forum.

I also recently bought a SPT power stand with a 1/2 hp motor attached and am now thinking of mounting the Magna 4E jointer to it as a standalone. I am aware the motor is underpowered for a jointer/planer, and will be getting a more robust one to replace it. However, I am hoping for advice on the mount itself.

SPT.jpg (179.24 KiB) Viewed 2050 times

My issues are threefold:

1) The triad of holes on the 4E underside do not track to the various holes of the SPT top.
2) There is no place for the chips and sawdust to escape underneath if it is directly bolted to the SPT.
3) Should there be a vacuum attachment or just a place for the chips to fall?

I can sandwich some wood to bolt into each as an intermediary, but that seems inelegant and does not allow raising/lowering for belt tension. I have included a scan of the original DIY jointer table plans from the manual as inspiration.

Original Stand Plans.jpg (349.6 KiB) Viewed 2050 times

Any help or insight is appreciated, thanks -

Scott

[JPG]

For starters, take VERY good care of the mounting bracket (The one with the two ears and slot). It is cast iron and fractures quite easily(hence there are few survivors today).

I defer to those who have actually had their hands actually touch a 4E to answer the mounting question.

[Seezle]

JPG, yes, noted - in fact the cautions from this forum about that mounting bracket's brittleness is what partially inspired this project.

[chapmanruss]

Hi Scott,

First welcome to the Shopsmith Forum. The Model 4E Jointer is a nice find. Also, in the picture I noticed the Model 10 wood bench has the retractable casters. Another nice feature you will enjoy having. As for mounting the Model 4E Jointer to a separate stand the SPT Power Stand was designed to mount SPT's using the SPT Mounting Base which in the case of a Model 620 Jointer or later will have the bottom of the Jointer off the power stand top. That allows room for the Dust Chute, an upgrade item now standard for new Jointers. By the way that is the one Item made as an Upgrade for the Jointers that the Model 4E cannot use. If you decide to mount the Model 4E Jointer on the SPT Power Stand the simplest way I could think of would be to make a riser box to go between the top of the Power Stand and the bottom of the Jointer. You could use lag bolts to attach the box to the 3 mounting holes of the bottom of the Jointer and do the same from the underside of the Power Stand top. Add a 2-1/2" hole to a side of the box and you have dust collection. Since I have my 4E Jointer set up to be mounted on my Model 10ER I really haven't considered a single standalone setup. Honestly, I haven't used my Model 4E Jointer much since I have a newer SPT Mount Jointer I use on my Mark tools and it has the dust collection chute upgrade. When mounted on the Model 10E or 10ER the Model 4E Jointer uses a 5" pulley for the motor and a 1-3/4" pulley on the Jointer. If you have all the parts to make the Jointer work on the Model 10 you might want to try it there first. Besides the bracket already attached to your Jointer that would include

the screw and flat plate that goes through the center hole of the bracket to lock it to the special Headrest.
The Jointer special Headrest with all parts.
The special 3 step motor pulley (similar to a Headstock Pulley) and 5" pulley with the 15/16" OD sleeve for the motor shaft.
The 32" belt for the Jointer.

I store my Model 4E Jointer on a simple wood stand I made for it (shown below) when not in use on the Model 10ER.

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Jointer and Jig Saw stands 1.jpg (96.07 KiB) Viewed 2008 times

.
Without the tools on the stands.

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Jointer and Jig Saw stands 2.jpg (97.29 KiB) Viewed 2008 times

[Seezle]

Russ:

Thanks for your welcome, your thorough reply and the pictures of your stands with and without sparkling machinery. I'm particularly taken with the cleanup/painting on the jigsaw lamp and stock unpainted jointer guard. Really well done.

Luckily my 10er purchase was kitted out for immediate use and I've already jointed several 2x4s (workbench top glue-up). There was significant pitting in all three blades (knives?) so I ordered new ones and am replacing them now. Ultimately, I'd like to learn how to sharpen them myself, and perhaps even restore the whole 10er at some point, but recently made a deal with myself to stay focused on one thing at a time - so I've already re-mounted the 4E and will be finishing board jointing in the morning once the replaced blades are level with the outfeed table.

However, your suggestions got me excitedly thinking and I found a large electrical switch box that may be the perfect midwife between the 4E and SPT. That is to say - ahem - if I decide to go forward with making the 4E a standalone; I'm now fairly leery of modding something this rare at the risk of breaking any part of it.

Your help and insight is very much appreciated.

Cheers,

Scott

[chapmanruss]

Scott,

I do sharpen my own Jointer and Plainer Knives. I use the Planer / Jointer Knife Sharpener and Conical Sanding Disk shown in the Shopsmith catalog at the link below. For the Jointer it works great and very easy to get the knives sharp all at once. Being made for the 12" Planer Knives too, all three Jointer Knives can be mounted and done at one time.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cat ... rpener.htm

Once you get the new knives follow the instructions for setting them as shown on page 3 of the Model 4E Manual. Do remember the knives are wedge shaped so when adjusting the height of the knives up they will tighten against the Wedge Blocks that lock them in place. Loosen the Wedge Blocks as you raise the knives to keep the blades against the side of the slot. If lowering the knives to get the correct height remember to tighten the Wedge Blocks as you go. Remember not locking tight but close enough to keep the Knives against the side of the Cutter Head's slot.

I realize I call them Knives while you call them Blades and both terms are correct. Older Manuals list them as Blades while newer Manuals list them as Knives. The online catalog also lists them as Knives.

One of the great things about the Magna/Shopsmith Jointers is that even the first Jointer the Model 4E can still use replacement parts from the current Jointer. Some, like the Knives, can be used as individual parts while others, like the Cutter Head, may have to be replaced as an assembly.

[Seezle]

Russ:

Thanks for the tip, I'll start saving for those two items now.
I removed every screw and wedge block for a cursory wipedown, then spent a long yet satisfying time doing repeat placement and measurement until the blades were flush with the outfeed table. The re-installation instructions printed in the jointer manual as well as Scott Markwood's tutorial helped immensely for placing it all back.

https://youtu.be/TeEXQ5tQj-M

Now to watch for knots or the odd staple in my 2x4s lest I do it all again tomorrow.

Blade_Lineup.jpg (33.66 KiB) Viewed 1932 times

One question: What is this hexagonal hole for on the outfeed table? I could not find its definition in the manuals although it's in the images.

Second_Hexagonal_Hole.jpg (36.37 KiB) Viewed 1932 times

Thanks,

Scott

[JPG]

That hex hole accepts the blade guard when the fence is positioned far to the outer edge of the table(think rabbeting).

That covers the exposed rotating blades behind the fence.

[chapmanruss]

JPG is correct. The Model 4E Manual covers rabbiting on page 6 but unfortunately the use of the cutter guard is not mentioned there. Later Manuals (I checked the 9-56 manual) do mention the use of the cutter Guard behind the fence when rabbiting. It shows it in place in the reference pictures too. With the addition of the fence mounted rear cutter guard more recent manuals no longer mention moving the Cutter Guard and I believe the hex hole is no longer there on the back side of newer Jointers. On newer Jointers Rabbits are not as easily done since the Feather Guard bolts to the table and the Stop Pin is in the way. Older Guards with newer mounting hardware bolt to the table also. Since my other Jointer is upgraded with the Feather Guard, I would use my Model 4E to do rabbits if doing them on a Jointer.

[Seezle]

Aha! Thank you JPG and Russ - that is fascinating, both in structural use and evolution timeline. I'm champing at the bit to try to build something small in the future that would require that cut. This piece of machinery gets more interesting every time I look closer.

Well, down the rabbet hole I go.