Can anyone with a SS 4" jointer do me a favour?

justsomeguy · Post by **justsomeguy** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 4:49 pm

Greetings Shopsmith Experts!

I am attempting to refurbish a SS 4" Jointer and I am missing a few parts from the guard spring assembly. Now that I've got the blade setup and fence sorted out (thanks guys!) I'm on to the feather board. It is the retro kind - the steel paddle.

Having looked at the exploded parts diagram on the SS site, I am pretty sure that I can source substitutes for those parts from my fantastic local indie hardware store if I can get some dimension info and a good idea of how the parts actually fit together.

I'm hoping that someone with a SS jointer and retro feather guard might be able to take some good close-up photos of the feather guard assembly for me.

Here's what I would need:

1) remove the knob and take a photo of how the spring locks into the top of the feather guard. It looks like it just drops into the slot and pokes out against the top of the paddle, but it's impossible to tell from the exploded diagram.

2) remove the guard paddle so I can see how the parts stack on the threaded stud - i.e. - how the spring is retained and spaced under the guard paddle, how the torque washer fits in there, etc.

I have the retaining ring that sits at the bottom of the threaded stud which I assume holds the bottom prong of the spring, and the threaded stud itself but everything that sits on top of it (other than the guard paddle) has fled the coop.

The exploded drawing is so darn small and fuzzy I'm having trouble visualizing how the parts all go together.

If someone could help me out with a few photos I would be eternally grateful. I believe the SS part numbers that I would need to replace would be:

516401 - Knob (I might just use a wing nut glued into a wooden block handle for this instead of trying to source a knob)

515847 - Thrust Washer (what are the dimensions of this thrust washer?)

514196 - Spring (what are the dimensions of this spring?)

502909 - Torque Washer (what are the dimensions of this torque washer?)

514273 - Washer, 1/2"

514049 - Retaining ring (maybe - diagram shows two - I have one)

Any other advice you might have about how to McGyver up a spring-loaded mechanism to pop the guard back in place as the board passes the cutting heads would be much appreciated. I don't much care HOW that happens as long as it snaps back over the heads reliably and safely.

Thanks a lot!!

Steve

anmius · Post by **anmius** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:28 pm

If you are trying to cobble together a replacement part based on Shopsmith's current replacement parts catalog and diagram, you should know that they have upgraded the safety guard is attached and used. From your description, it sounds like you have an older jointer (with the "M" on the guard). So I have attached the older owner's manual which gives you a much better parts diagram to guide you (and could help you in other ways too).

On my older jointer guard, the only parts I can remove is the knob on the top and the hex stud. All of the other parts are enclosed in the guard itself and held in place with a retaining washer so I'm unable to give you those sizes.

The hex stud is 2-1/4" long (1-1/2" is hex, the remainder is for the knob to fit) and 3/8" in diameter (across the flats).

My camera is currently not working so I am unable to give you photos.

You might find it easier to order the new safety guard/featherboard from Shopsmith along with the upgrade kit.

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 8:13 pm

I have two of the guards:
[ATTACH]14459[/ATTACH]
One on left is a Magna, one on the right is off a Shopsmith, but the insides are different:
[ATTACH]14458[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]14460[/ATTACH]
You can see that the Magna one has a hex stud, not a bolt so I believe you are talking about the the newer one. Unfortunately the spring and likely some other parts are missing.
[ATTACH]14461[/ATTACH]
If any of these parts are useful to you, PM me your address and you can have them for the post office fee. If all you need are certain dimensions, please advise.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:41 am

justsomeguy,

Do the images posted above and the manual posted by anmius represent the jointer that you have?

If not, maybe this one will help. There appears to be a couple additional parts.

[ATTACH]14465[/ATTACH]

You may need this for the drawing to be of value.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 8:48 am

I had trouble attaching these to the previous post so we'll do it differently.

Hope these help some:

justsomeguy · Post by **justsomeguy** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:19 am

Thanks folks - I see that the type I have (next to the Magna - SS brand) might be a little trickier to macgyver than I first thought.

Your info and time are much appreciated. I'll see if I can source an upgrade kit at a reasonable price.

Cheers!

Steve