I have a Delta Model 37-195C Jointer. This is their mid range model mounted on a closed cabinet . The problem I am having is if I edge joint a new piece of stock it starts cutting at the leading edge and about 2/3 of the way through the piece it stops cutting. Each succsessive cut continues to make the leading edge more and more tapered. Just before coming to write this email I took a scrap of stock about 18″ long and it did this same thing.
Over the past 4 days I have tried adjusting the outfeed table height, and checked if the infeed table and outfeed table are parallel. I am using a 36″ steel straight edge from Lee Valley to check the tables. Currently using the straight edge on the outfeed table the infeed table is about .002 high at the right end. Should that small amount make a difference. I also am using the Multi Gauge from One Way with a dial caliper to set the outfeed table exactly the same height as the knives at top dead centre.
For my technique I start out with pressure on the infeed table until the lead edge is 4″ to 5 ” past the cutting head and then transfer the pressure to the outfeed end of the workpiece.
I think that ever since changing the knives last time was when my problems started. I have had this machine for about 8 years and have been very pleased with it until recently.
Any suggestions anyone can give would be much appreciated.
John C.
Replies
Did you ever get your jointer problem fixed. I'm having a problem just trying to get mine coplaner I need to get the out feed table even from front to back with the knife 's arc. Any suggestions?
My apology to Mr. John White for butting in..
I saw this post and I had to comment.
John C. I only will state what I would do (right or wrong). Not that it will correct your problem. I noticed that you said that your straight edge is 36 inches long. In my opinion your straight edge should be at least as long as the total length of your machine. As in it should reach the ends of both the input and output tables. At least then you have a reference that will allow you to 'see' what you 'think' you see.
I gave away my jointer because I needed the room in my shop and I hardly ever used it. I only state this because now I have no reference to test my thoughts against what I am typing at the moment. My jointer worked well but it was only an 8 inch and my table saw, with a sharp blade, did as well for edge surfacing. I can now only reference what my mind remembers. I base this on leveling very large printing presses and paper cutter tables to the paper cutter knife. I could not carry a 100 inch (or more length) straight edge in my travels on aircraft.
Unless it was damaged, a length of common 'L' shaped aluminum or even a 8 foot length of common copper pipe runs 'fairly true'. I would think 'looking' down the length of the 'L' or the pipe, will tell most human eyes, if it is reasonably straight. I think most of us were born with that trate.. Not sure.. I was!
Anyway,,, I found that the 'L' shaped aluminum or steel was easier to work with, but much more expensive than a $5.00 length of hard copper pipe.
The 'L' or round pipe and a bright light shining inbetween the reference object and the table surface will tell you ALOT about the level of the two opposite ends they are resting onto! Be very sure that the cutting blades are NOT in-the-way.... As in touching the reference (L or Pipe).
If you have alot of patience a LASER that is self leveling (or not,, with a bit more preparetion work) you can get a true reference. I used a (from china) laser level that cost about $12.00 that put out a vertical and horizontal beam. I was very surprised at how accurate it was between the vertical and horizontal... It even had a magnetic base to hold it in place....
A common transparent plastic ruller with black markings attatched to a true 90 degree metal base would 'tell all I needed to know'..
I would add your statement...
The problem I am having is if I edge joint a new piece of stock it starts cutting at the leading edge and about 2/3 of the way through the piece it stops cutting. Each succsessive cut continues to make the leading edge more and more tapered.
I am NOT making fun of you! Really.. I am not!
I only want you to 'think really hard about your words typed. (I would even suggest to you that I could be very wrong)..
If you enter the cutter... It cuts.. And as you travel the wood across the cutting blades... The cut becomes less and less..
You said something like "if I edge joint a new piece of stock it starts cutting at the leading edge and about 2/3 of the way through the piece it stops cutting. "
I admit that this very old brain may be thinking back-ass-words.. But I would think the new wood is running 'downhill' on the outfeed table As the outfeed table is low at it's very end..
I posted this to get some 'flack' from others... I really have no idea what those spinning Blades have do with a taper upon cutting wood.
I look forward to 'flack' back at me.. I still can duck down really fast IF... I hear "INCOMMING"....
How To Set the Tables
I wouldn't worry too much right now about whether or not the tables are flat and parallel to each other, figuring that out is much more complicated than it seems. Taking a few measurements with a straightedge doesn't give a clear picture of the machines condition. Also, since the problem started right after you changed out the knives, it is much more likely that the problem is with the height setting of the out feed table.
First of all, go to your machine's manual and make sure that you have set the knives at the proper height in relation to the head's surface. The knives are installed referenced to the out feed table's surface but you first need to get the out feed table's height at a specified height, typically a few thousandths of an inch higher than the surface of the head. It is a simple process to set the table height and the manual should explain it clearly.
Once you have the knives properly installed, set the out feed table's height a bit lower than the height of the knives and take a test cut on two boards each about three feet long.
Next, place the two jointed edges against each other and you will probably find that they aren't straight. Now slightly raise the out feed table, take two new cuts, and again check how well the edges match. As you raise the out feed table the edges should begin to straighten out. When you get a good gap free joint between the two boards, the out feed table is properly set.
Somewhere in the FWW videos there is a segment showing how to do this.
jointer setting
My Powermatic 6" jointer has two problems. First, there is no simple way to find top dead center of the blades in the cutter head so as to align their height with that of the outfeed table. Using a dial indicator with much fiddling and adjusting, finally gets all three blades in reasonable height relative to each other and to the outfeed table. The idea of running a sharpening stone over the rotating blades to bring them into final height relative to the outfeed table seems dangerous so I don't do it. The cutter head has no reference marks to help find TDC. The second problem is that the outfeed table is slightly higher at its far end than at the cutterhead, reasulting in the board lifting off the cutterhead after about two/thirds of its length. I can find no adjustment on the machine for this obvious lack of parallelism and am curious as to how others have dealt with these problems. Although I am a longtime reader of FWW (still have the first issue, et seq.) I am a first time user of this internet connection so forgive me if I get it wrong.
Find TDC By Eye
Top dead center can be spotted by eye, being a little bit to either side hardly makes a difference in any case as long as all three knives are installed at the same head position. I would skip trying to set the knives with a dial indicator, use a magnetic jig, they are much faster and more accurate. Before you start changing knives you need to set the height of your outfeed table, the machine's manual will explain this.
Although anything is possible, it is unlikely that your out feed table rises toward its far end, it is harder than most people realize to accurately measure table alignment. Usually the best approach is to adjust the ways on both tables so that they are snug, install sharp new knives using a magnetic jig, and then to adjust the out feed table by making test cuts on two boards until the boards dress out straight when the jointed edges are placed together. If you are still having problems at that point then start trying to figure out if the tables are out of line. If you have a conventional jointer with dovetailed sliding ways there is no way to correct the problem except by either shimming the tables or by having the tables remachined while they are assembled onto the base. I have only seen one or two dovetailed way small jointers in many years that actually had the tables out of line because they were warped or worn out.
Delta Jointer Problem
Thanks for everyones comments. I have now got my jointer working again. I After making the adjustments to my jointer I tested it and realized after some thought that the workpiece was catching slightly on the edge of the outfeed table. So I went back and using my multigauge I lowered the outfeed table .003". I was amazed at the difference this small adjustment could make. I am now getting a straight cut on much longer work pieces.
Thanks again for the comments and suggestions.
John C.
Jointer Problem
I had this same problem with my brand new grizzly jointer last year. After dealing with this and many other problems, ive come to the conclusion that grizzly just isnt a heavy duty piece of equipment by any means. Anyways, I ended up shipping the whole thing back to grizzly. They said that the jointer bed had broken inside the dovetailed ways that the outfeed table hooks on to. Doesnt really make a whole lot of sense as to how it happened because the jointer worked fine for the first couple weeks. It just started cutting tapers spontaneously, so I dont think it could have had anything to do with damage in shipping. So the technician at grizzly called me and said that there was no way to "fix" this, so they just sent me a whole new machine.
I recently acquired an older Rockwell Delta 8" jointer. While tuning it up I found that the dovetail ways on the base
(or, maybe, one of the table ways) were no longer at the angle they were supposed to be - the castings had become warped. This made it impossible to adjust the gibs properly without pulling the table out of line. I suspect this is why the previous owner got rid of it. The manual helpfully stated that in this case the machine could be returned to the factory for re-machining. I don't think that's going to happen.
I used a precision machinists level to get the outfeed table level with the infeed, side-to-side, and contrary to the above poster, I believe it is entirely possible to use that Lee Valley straight edge to get the tables level. The straight edge doesn't have to go all the way to the end of the table in order to see if the table is tilting up, down, or flat. Just extend it out as far as you can, making sure it's sitting firmly on the infeed table - use a weight on it if need be. That's what I did. I fixed the warp problem by putting shims in the ways of the outfeed side. This works because you rarely move the outfeed very much once it's set.
Use your dial indicator to find top dead center for each blade and make a scratch mark or something. Then put it away and follow John White's good advice about the magnets and adjusting the tables using two boards.
Howard
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled