Mike, that was a tremendous video. I purchased an old jointer many years ago and have struggled with setting the knives ever since - no fancy adjustments on mine - just like yours. Tried everything, including hours on you tube, magnetic alignment products, old tips from old hands - nothing worked. Set my blades tonight using your method and the jointer works like a charm. Made one minor change to the process, I used a small block of wood since it moved cleaner with the blades, and I marked it with a knife to get a very accurate start point, then measured the distance traveled with a dial caliper. After measuring it was just a case of getting the wood to travel the distance set on the lowest reading of the caliper - I swear it's accurate to a fraction of a mill. Thanks man, your video just gave me a jointer and saved my sanity.
Man, thank you for the video. I thought I had to manually move the knife up or down, but wasn't 100%. Now I can finally get this old hunk of metal spinning.
Thanks Mike. Your mention of the way the bolts loosen and tighten was very helpful. Getting ready to change my blades and you saved the job from turning into a nightmare. I guarantee they would have been broken or stripped. I have watched many videos before attempting it and yours is the only one that said anything about it.
I bought one just like that new in 1976. Your technique for setting the knives is quite creative and should produce good results. I learned to set the knives off a pair of bar magnets on the outfeed table, just overhanging tdc of the cutter head. To finalize the setting, I would lay a sheet of typing paper on the outfeed table and run a large, fine stone across the paper, barely touching the running knives. Our shop teacher in grade 12 taught us how to do it. As long as the kerf is no more than 1/16", it will work. Over the years I went from the Rockwell to a General 6" and on to a General 8". The magnets still reside under its outfeed table.
I've watched this video before, but I just wasn't hearin' what you were sayin'. This time it all made sense. I totally understood what you were doing. I think I missed some things that I caught this time. Thanks for the video.
Great video! I just picked up a Rockwell Model 6 yesterday, which has the same blade arrangement. Haven't been able to find a manual, so every little bit of info helps - and this helps a lot.
Excellent information. The straightedge technique and advice about the right-angle pick are very important. I was able to set up the knives accurately and easily on the same model jointer. Thanks.
Loved your video. I'm currently setting up an old craftsman myself and this was a very helpful video. Haven't read through any of the other comments but wanted to share one little thing I figured out for getting the blades balance to the same point. Tried adjusting by hand and kept going too far or not enough. Have one side at 3 and couldn't get the other to match. Then I realized that all I had to do was take the blade to the point where it would be at 3 and put some gentle pressure down on the straight edge which made it set at 3. That easily balanced both sides. Just thought I would share.
Thanks! My new blades sat for 2 weeks before I attempted. Really helpful closeups and explanation. I marked 1/8 inch gap on the straightedge of a shin and used that as my gauge, but I love your metric ruler. Getting one. Thanks!!!!!!
My jointer is probably as old as yours! I've heard of that technique and it's the first time I see it. And it's well explain (and clear)! Thank for your work!
Super explanation. no frills, and perfectly clear. Thanks. I have an Axminster machine (UK) spring loaded underneath the knife, so may need to set differently, but all good to see how to do this. First time for me.
@@mikeschmitz8355 As you say, the measuring will be exactly the same, just setting the blades will be different. I don't know how strong the springs are, I will find out when the blades arrive in the post I guess.
Mate! Cheerz so much for this information. Bought a 2nd hand jointer with blades removed. Truely thank you for this as I would’ve not done it this way at all. Cheerz from down under NZ
Et voilà! J'ai très bien réussi le changement des mes lames et c'est la première fois que je fais ça! Done! I've successfully changed my blades and it's a first for me! Thanks again!
I just bought a similar jointer today at auction, looks to be from the 50's, and has the same type of blades. Been messing with it all night and finally came in to look over the videos and found this, thx! So once I have all the blades parallel, I think I have to raise the out table bc I get some snipe. thx!
I will, thx, my jointer is real bare bones and only minimal adj for the feed side and the out side. I will have to get cute with the tables being co-planed bc all there is on either side is a 45deg raise and lower..whats your e-mail? great job!
you can reach me right here, I usually respond fairly quickly (was away for the last week). There were no adustments for making the tables coplanar on mine either. I had to shim the dovetail ways with strips I cut from an aluminum pop can (that's a soda can if you're American). You can see a little bit of what I did here: imgur.com/a/rgwSp
Appreciate this video. I have just restored on old 50's jointer that was the "table top" version of yours. Blades are at the sharpeners now and then it is complete.
Glad you liked it! What did you use for the straightedge? It was suggested elsewhere that a normal ruler fixed to a nice square stick would probably work, but I've never tried it.
As I have just finished restoring it I have not ever adjusted the blades before. I think I have a 2mm thick piece of aluminium in the workshop that I will mark the millimeters on.
@@mikeschmitz8355 Hi Mike, this popped up in my feed after all these years. To answer your question accurately I have a stainless steel metric rule that is able to stand on its edge. Works like a charm.
I used to spend Saturday mornings once a month doing the same thing which in fact is the old-school way. Many years ago I upgraded to a Tersa heads on my machines.
thanks for the info. this whole process has to be one of the hardest things a craftsman can do. but ill admit if you think this process will be 100%, guess again. like all older models you better be prepared for non perfection. do the best you can. and move on. the old wood workers where artist in their time, and could come close to perfection using this equipment, every day of their good ole lives.
This video is great. Going to try this method today. In the past for other applications, I've used a spring clamp to clamp a small block of wood to a steel ruler to keep the ruler standing up on its edge.
I guess im asking randomly but does anyone know of a method to get back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot my password. I would love any assistance you can give me
@Bobby Walter i really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
Interesting way to set knives il give it a try.on the screws if you back then all the way out an replaced the flats will be in a different spot to grab with a wrench
Great post and upload. I'm rotating my blades and have never been gold with machinery although forced to when blades hit a few nails from old recycled timber. It's been that long I cannot find the instruction papers and accessories. I have a leda or similar. It's a planer thicknesser. The standard blades are not really good quality. I guess it's to reduce cost of machine. In saying that the machines handles thick and heavy timber with ease. I'm very pleased with the machine as it's my second machine. The first machine I bought was not quite powerful enough for what I was using the machine for. So I traded. A few things on the machine could have been made better like plastic turn handles that already split and fell apart. The guide rail is aluminium and not easy pulling out to swap from planer to thickneeser. Like I said I'm not good with machinery and was cursing just pulling the planer cover to change to thicknessing. I also didn't buy a long enough hose for the vacuum so it gets a little in the way when running timber for thicknessing. I put both vacuum and machine on a board with wheels so I can move. The wheels have locking clamps and has been stable to not move. Thanks for the video. I will attempt to set the three blades so I can prepare some more wood today.
Used this method to set up a 6" jointer. It worked well, but still takes ages to do. Most often I tapped the blades too hard and had to start again. The relationship between holding the blade just tight enough with the bolt and tapping it to get accurate adjustments takes practice. One blade wouldn't set right on the inside edge. I worked to 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) and it all came together in the end. This will take time. Thanks for the video.
Yup, they're pretty basic machines that didn't change for a long time. Effectually they figured out that the fence design wasn't ideal and improved that.
Hello again Mike. I looked at the photos you mentioned. I cleaned up everything connected to the hand wheels on the in feed and out feed side. The wheels move but were very tight; I don't want to force anything in fear of breaking something. I read another comment were you told Tom to disassemble the mallet. Is the mallet the part that the long screw goes that is attached to the handle and exit the side of the table and has the lock screw on it? Thanks for your help Mike.
I was telling Tom to disassemble the tables and mechanisms and then to use a mallet to get them moving. Your tables are stuck too? If so do not force the adjustment wheels as Tom did. Instead you take apart the adjusters. Take the wheel off its axle by loosening the set screw. From there you can thread the axle out of the base.
+Benjamin Parker Good luck, hope it's useful on your machine. Watch out for stripped gib screws on the old machines. It's extremely common and a real PITA.
Hey Mike, Thanks for the video. I have never owned a jointer until now. I had no idea that the jib screws loosened clockwise (I'm guessing that is what you were referring to). If I didn't watch your video my jointer gib nuts/threads would end up striped just like the ones that you mentioned ;-} I just bought a Astro International" 6" that looks very similar to yours. Same fence style, 2 table adjustment wheels at front. I did a test cut on the top face of a 3-1/4" piece of Oak hardwood flooring yesterday and it was rough. bouncing a lot, terrible finish. I will check out the knives for uniformity using your method. When I did a cut on the side, the cut was actually nice other than a 1-1/2" long by 1/8" deep snipe at the end of the board (Funny because the table was high not low?) Another problem is the out-feed table. it's pretty much seized up, i.e. if I apply any more pressure trying to turn the wheel I'm worried that I break something. I am going to try to spray some wd-40 and use a small wire brush to attempt to clean of the treads. Here's hopin'. This is especially important since the co-plane is out by about 1/8" (I'm getting gauges this week to test more accurately). Basically the table is sagging at both ends. So from what I gather, and which makes sense I should adjust the out-feed to get the table the same height and than shim it? Again thanks for the video, and if you or anyone has any pointers for new/old guy. I'm all ears
Hi Tom, yeah I'd strongly recommend full dis-assembly to clean out the dovetail ways that the tables ride on. There will probably be some set screws that you remove to get them apart. If the outfeed is seized, don't use the screw adjust to break it loose. Remove everything and then whack it with a mallet until it starts to move, probably using ample penetrating lube of some kind. Then you have it right: shim the outfeed to get coplanar. you adjust that one way less, so the shims will stay put. Good luck!
Hey Mike, So... more troubles. I sprayed the outfeed table adjustment wheel threads, but it was still extremely stiff? So I continued to turn it by hand slowly but with a great deal of pressure, I figured something (gunk) had to give. It sure dd ---- ***crack**** a piece of the mechanism that the threaded adjustment rod travels through snapped off. Can I buy a new (old) part for this? I can send photos if anyone wants/needs? This just keeps getting better and better (I brought it on myself though)
Sorry but that's why I suggested disassembly and a mallet. The mechanism isn't going to be strong enough for that purpose. I have no idea about replacement parts I'm afraid. try an expert's site like lumberjocks. Good luck!
hi Ernesto, I don't have a video like that, but the trick is to loosen the set-screws that you'll find near the sliding dovetail ways of the machine on both sides, and to fully disassemble the raise/lower mechanisms. I took the tables off by lifting them UP, not by sliding them down. Good luck! Edit: the 4th picture in this album clearly shows the allen-key set screws I'm talking about: imgur.com/a/rgwSp. There's 5 in the pic: 2 on the left, 3 on the right. In the 6th picture there's a closup of a shim I put in. You can see the little bar that "floats" in the dovetail way too. This is the bar that the set screws tension. Loosening the screws may cause that bar to fall out. Collect it and mark its orientation for reinstallation.
Thanks for the useful video, but I have a question. I can't change the height of my outfeed table, only the infeed. It's an old Inca jointer. How would you suggest setting the height in that case? Seems like your method only works if you can readjust the outfeed table in the end.
Honestly I don't think I'd be able to cope with a jointer that couldn't adjust the outfeed. Setting the knives to exactly the right height would be exceptionally difficult, I imagine. Maybe sell that jointer and upgrade?
Thanks for the answer. The solution I'm trying now is to use your method, only with less travel of the straight edge (maybe 2-3mm). Hoping that will do the trick!
Hi Mike, I have an old Planer thicknesser I bought second hand many years ago. It is and old Dewalt table top. The only problem with my machine is the out feed table is not adjustable. what hight do you recommend I take the blade's to.
Not sure honestly. I play with my outfeed height until boards go through perfectly. I'd shoot for a tiny bit above outfeed level. Like a tiny tiny bit.
