jointer tables not parallel

[Joe Helmick]

Okay, I'm trying to move work along a little faster here, getting away from hand-jointing all the time... So I now have a Delta 6" jointer (mode 37-195) and after doing a google search for ideas, I see that my problem is different from most:

It seems that I have *negative* sag on my infeed table.

That is to say, relative to the outfeed table, the infeed table (on the right side) goes down and to the left. A board with a nice square end therefore hits the rightmost edge of the outfeed table and has to "jump up" before continuing. The same is true when I ran a good straightedge in the direction of feed.

Most of the articles I've seen address the problem of infeed table sagging in the other direction.

I know I'm not building a space shuttle here, but I'd like to get it a good bit closer, and having a piece stop because it hits the outfeed table is neither good for getting a straight edge, nor is it particularly safe!

Any advice or references I could check out? The manual doesn't go into too much detail about table adjustment other than how to tighten the gibs.

Thanks!

Joe

[Jim Wilson]

First of all, I don't know your particular jointer, so there could be some adjustment on it for this misalignment. However, I *have* seen your problem before on a different jointer, and the fix was to shim between the table and the base.

Jim

[Bernard Randall]

Some years back I re furbished a 24" Daenkurt planer / thicknesser, this had provision on both in & outfeed tables for shims. The normal method is to shim the out-feed table only; instal a shim, adjust the table to be the exact height of the blades, I use a flat steel parallel on the O/F table with a dial indicator over the cutter head and rotate the cutter block by hand (against normal direction of cut) and watch the indicator and adjust for about a 1 thou rise. Actually I use 2 indicators one on each side of the table. (If you don't have a dial indicator use a flat piece of wood with a laser pointer fixed to it and mark the surface where the beam falls. )

Span both tables with a long straight edge, I use a 24" rule held on edge against a magnet, raise the I/F table until the indicator just moves, check for gaps and repeat as necessary. The best shims are brass, but Al kitchen foil is a reasonable substitute.

Bernard R

[Jim Wilson]

Good point. That is what I did also, but wasn't clear about it.

Jim

[Philski]

Buy some shim stock. Then shim both the infeed and outfeed tables as needed. First, look at the manual and check out tightening/adjusting the gibs. You may be able to take out the differences that way.

Graingers sells shim stock as does a lot of automotive parts houses. And you can use feel gauges in a pinch.

Philski

[Joe Helmick]

UPDATE

Well, close inspection has revealed at least one major problem. The rear dovetail way on the infeed table is broken.

Yep, the "wall" of the angled part of the dovetail way is cracked pretty noticeably and bent away from the gib.

I talked to the local Delta & Porter/Cable service guy -- his take is that although it *can* be pushed back into place and welded, it'll never be the same as new again. And then there's the machining cleanup of the weld, and the disassembly and reassembly.... bottom line is that it's going to be costly to fix, the price approaching that of a new machine. Bummer.

He also said that broken ways are pretty common on smaller jointers, because they're light enough to be a two-man carry.... so people (and movers) haul them around by the table ends. Very bad. Finally he said that there's really no good way to transport a jointer, and that the only really safe way was to disassemble the machine and reassemble it at the new site.

I wish I'd known this when I moved here to CO in June of last year. I never thought to inspect my machines that closely!

Joe

Joe Helmick bellowed forth with this wisdom for all to hear:

[Joe Willmann]

Joe Helmick wrote in news: [e-mail]:

BUMMER!

[Bernard Randall]

Joe,

I wouldn't give up on it yet. Is it possible to drill through in the broken area and put a bolt into a supporting bracket?

It is worth while talking to a small welding shop, though I think the correct repair would be a braze in this situation. I found in the past that the small shops were sympathetic when they found out I was a hobyist and mainly just asked me to put something in their coffee fund, that was when I was in the U.K.

Bernard R

to

[Joe Helmick]

Bernard,

I was thinking of your first option, running a few #10 hex socket machine screws through the piece and down into the main casting. Drilling the top holes for a tight fit and bottom part of the hole for tight threads...

Joe

"Bernard Randall" bellowed forth with this wisdom for all to hear:

[Bernard Randall]

Joe,

Sounds like a good first step to me. Keep us informed how its going.

Bernard R

wisdom

[Jim Wilson]

Unfortunately, I don't think a threaded faster can provide the mechanical strength needed for a dovetail way.

The suggestion to "make friends" with a local small welding shop is spot on.

The filler rods I've used for brazing butt-joints in cast iron required a substantial gap (1/16 to 1/8") between the parts to allow enough filler material flow to create a strong joint. That means some material would need to be removed, either before brazing or during subsequent machining. When two parts are brazed together with fillets, the fillets provide the strength. But if I understand the OP's problem, most of any fillets, along with the repair strength, would be lost in machining the repaired part back into shape.

Cast iron isn't the easiest thing to weld, but done properly, it should yield a better repair than brazing -- at least as strong as the original casting.

Since the dovetail is structurally damaged, it may very likely require machining after welding. I'd recommend making friends with a small local machinist, too. It sounds to me like the rep the OP spoke with got it right. The work required to repair the machine -- at reasonable shop rates -- will run close to the cost of replacement. The only way out that I can see is to get the work done for less than market rates. That means "making friends."

Good luck!

Jim