Jointer Issues

[D'ohBoy]

I am getting twist in the machined face of boards that I run through my 6" Delta 'Deluxe' jointer. I am fairly certain that my in/outfeed table planes are parallel, having checked them thoroughly with a reasonably decent straightedge.

The fence, on the other hand, appears to be warped. If I am close to a reasonably-sized town (i.e., 150,000+ residents) should I expect to be able to find someone to machine the face of the fence back to true?

What kind of business should I be looking for? Can I expect any stability out of the cast iron fence after it is machined? Should I dump this jointer after I get the fence milled and get something else (love my granite-topped saw, maybe one of them there with the granite fence)?

Thanks!

D'ohBoy

[dpb]

You'll need somebody w/ a surface grinder big enough to handle the fence length. That'll be a fairly sizable machine shop; unlikely to find anybody in a small shop w/ a large enough capacity.

The stability after is a hard one -- depends on why it warped to begin with and what it takes to get it flat again.

Also, it's possible there's a problem in the mounting that is causing it to warp rather than the casting itself.

I had a 8" longbed Delta that was salvaged from pieces of a couple so I got the parts for next to nothing. It cost half the price of a new one

30 years ago--probably would be more than a new one now.

--

[Scott Lurndal]

Since the fence is not used in face jointing, it cannot be responsible for the twist in your boards. If the tables are indeed coplaner and your blades are all set at the same height and are parallel, then you'll want to address your technique.

scott

[Bob S.]

Just a couple of quick thoughts:

1. If you're face jointing and getting "twist", I would suspect that your knives are not set even across. Have you checked them?

1. If this a new phenomena, then I would doubt it's your technique but just in case, be sure the pressure on the board is only on the outfeed side past the knives. If not, what you're calling twist may be just plain old cupping due to poor technique.

2. Look for a machine shop that will grind the fence flat for you. There are several ways it can be done and I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be able to provide you with the correct terminology to use.

Bob S.

[HeyBub]

Can you add an "adjustable" plate to the existing fence?

[D'ohBoy]

Hi, All -

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. Here are my responses:

1. When I said machined face, I meant the edge of the board that meets the cutter head. And not talking about when trying to flatten a board but rather edge jointing for glue-ups. Keeping the workpiece 'flat' against the fence.

1. Not a problem with the outfeed bed being higher or lower than the knives. I know what that looks like, and this ain't that. Fixed that the first month I had the jointer.

2. I can look down the machined surface and it is apparent that the twist occurs at the end of the cut, where most of the workpiece is against the outfeed side of the fence (where a decent square seems to indicate the twist in the fence).

1. I am meticulous about setting knives and doing any sorts of adjustments that impact long-term quality of tool function. Yes, the knives are set perfectly relative to the outfeed table.

2. I have actually been able to flatten a face of a 3" x 6" 6' white oak timber using this jointer (NOT using the fence), so I can safely say that my assertion in my original post is correct, i.e., the bed is good, it is the fence that is the issue.

Anyone care to further address my question about what to look for in a machine shop?

Thanks again to all participants for your suggestions!

D'ohBoy

[Pat Barber]

That jointer has a problem with a warped fence. Delta will make it good.

A warped fence will not cause a "face jointed" board to twist, but not properly dried lumber might do something weird when face planned.

Call Delta about the warped fence.

D'ohBoy wrote:

[D'ohBoy]

Hi, Pat -

I was under the impression that my warranty ran out four years ago. Will they still honor it?

That would be kicka** if they would but.... really?

Thanks!

D'ohBoy

[Pat Barber]

I would still give them a call.

Did the fence warp "after" the warranty or before and you didn't do anything ???

Worse case, you have to buy a new fence from Delta, but I would ask before I made the purchase.

D'ohBoy wrote:

[Steve Turner]

Silly question: Have you determined for certain that the face of the fence actually IS twisted and that it needs machining? I have Delta's

6" "Professional" jointer and began experiencing a similar problem, but only when the fence is retracted such that the majority of the blades are exposed. If I'm edge-jointing a board (4/4, 6/4, 8/4, whatever) I've found that if I move the fence towards the front of the machine so that only enough knife surface is exposed to get the job done, I don't get those funny surprises. That leads me to believe I have a problem in the fence *mounting" mechanism, but I've never bothered to get to the root cause of the problem.

[D'ohBoy]

'Deluxe' jointer, I was underwhelmed by the fence attachment. I will poke at it a bit and see (per your experience).

Thanks!

D'ohBoy

[Mark & Juanita]

Had the same problem with my Delta Deluxe jointer (37-190 I think). I wound up selling it to my FIL who was going to use it for window trim, so it didn't matter so much. However, it should be possible to find a good machinist to flatten it for you.

[Bruce]

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:34:36 -0600, D'ohBoy wrote (in article ):

A machinist may be overkill. Engine rebuilders often use what basically is a large bely sander to flatten cylinder heads quickly and accurately when <

0.010" needs to be removed. It could save you a ton of money compared with grinding and be more than accurate enough.

-BR