Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Nov 28, 2010 07:58pm | #1

   What kind of furniture are you making that would stress an 8" jointer, let alone a 12"?   My bet is that older US build heavy iron will provide your answer. 

2. 
   tkarlmann | Nov 29, 2010 02:29am | #2

   What are you doing?

   I've always known that the jointer, perhaps of all power tools, requires the most skill and technique to get results.  That said, what are you doing that motors burn out, etc?

   Check: 

   1. What is your typical depth of cut?

   2. What type of wood are you surfacing?

   3. What is the condition of the wood you are starting with?  Logs or s2s from lumberyard?

   4. How fast are you feeding the boards through?

   5. Going from idle to feeding boards, how is your motor sounding?

   6. Presuming you also use thickness planer(s), how are they working for you? (Q's 1, 2and 5 above apply to thickneess planers as well.)

   7. Carefully, check your blades for nicks.  What do you find?

   8. Where is your outfeed table with respect to your blade height?

   9. If you are using the jointer 8-hours per day, how often are you sharpening or changing blades?

   10. Scale from 1-10: To what level have you adjusted and aligned your jointer?  Out-of-the-box (1), or tables coplanar, blades sharpened frequently, tables aligned to the nth degree (10)? 

   11. How much downward pressure are you applying while feeding?

   We all need to get on the same page as you before the real experts here can assist you.

1. 
   Chrismitchell | Dec 09, 2010 09:19pm | #3

   What I'm doing

   1) My typical depth cut would be about  1/64

   2) This paticular wood is QSWO

   3) 5/4, 4/4  rough clear premium 6% mc

   4) med slow

   5) the new motor sounds great no boggin what so ever

   6) 15" Byrd Shelix Cutter headf Powermatic works great zero, again zero snipe

   7) Knives are brand new no nicks, 

   8) Out feed table set .001 below tdc

   9) I dont use a jointer 8hr per day. I'm disabled I can only work for an hour at a time before I have to rest for a couple of hours depending on the work load and how stressful it is on my body. I must have had a TO some where in my message. Sorry

   10) Tables were less than .001 gap using a 72" starrett straight edge. Tables were co-planer within .003 on the in feed side on the far right end.

   11) That all depends on the board. I always put the concave side down on the table to where only the ends of the boards are touching the table. I let the cutter head take the ends down until the center of the board is being cut. When I get to this point  usualy raise the infeed table to take a few light passes until I'm happy with the straightness of my stock.

   12) My findings were the new cutterhead they sent had a dry bearing on the operator's side and was cousing the problem. Delta wanted the machine back so they could run it back through the system via Tawaiian

   14) Now I'm looking for a new Jointer. The first Jointer I had worked great for 1 1/2 years the the out feed table warped. My shop is climate controlled at around 68 to 74 degrees year round. Alot of people talk good about the grizzly. I have sinse then learned a little story about the company " Grizzly" that was really good. I'm still a little shy. The last thing I need is another jointer problem. This would just about do it for me and woodworking. Just kidding. But I do need a good jointer. What about General International. The 8" paralleaogram jointer seems like a solid machine. It's made in tawaiian but I'm not scared of that place all that much. What about the 10" oliver with the Baldor motor and the three belt pully's. I'm not sure. For the other replies I already have a shaper and a LN #7 hand plane. also a beautiful  #6 Stanley fore plane with the corragated bottom. thanks people

3. 
   bones | Dec 10, 2010 10:56am | #4

   check out grizz

   I've had the Griz 12" now for 3 + years and its worked great.  Lots of meat and never failed to deliver.  Only PIA is its heavy.  I have the 4HSS knives and its been great, I do plan on upgrading the head to a byrd head at some point.  They do have a model hat has the head already in.  Biggest advantage would be the eas of changing the blades and if you deal with a lot of high figured stuff like birds eye maple etc. 

   
4. 
   JeffHeath | Dec 10, 2010 11:11am | #5

   You should consider looking at a restored old American all cast iron jointer.  There are several manufacturers that come to mind.  I was having similar troubles as you are presently having about 11 or 12 years ago......consistent problems keeping the jointer tuned well enough to work.  I was working with heavy timbers, and went through 2 "commercial" Delta's (DJ line) with nothing but problems.  

   At that point, I purchased a 12" HD (heavy duty) Northfield jointer, nicely restored, that was originally built in 1957.  Major difference.  It weighs 1800 lbs, and you could literally smack down 12/4 stock, 10" wide, without budging the setup.  1/8" facing cuts off 12" wide stock were no big deal, and I could joint 3/8" to 1/2" off 8/4 stock, on edge, in one pass.

   From that point on, I've replaced all the machines in my shop with Old American iron, and haven't looked back.

   I'm presently restoring a 16" jointer that might interest you, and if not, I can probably help you find what you're looking for quite easily.  Send me an email if interested.

   Jeff