I hate changing jointer knives

[poolhound]

I think the title says it all. This is more of a rant than anything else.

I have hardly had any shop time over the past weeks but I did just finish a small box project (will post more on that later) and I decided to do some shop tasks that needed doing.

I had been meaning to change the blades on my jointer for ages so I set to the task thinking that an hour should do it. After two hours I thouight I had everything perfect and did a test run and its not even close.

After many rude words and gnashing of teeth I went in and had a cup of tea. Now I have to go out and see what the problem is and probably take them all out and start again. As its now 5:30 I think I will just end up cleaning up and going at it tomorrow.

Its a PITA and there has to be an easy way to do this but I just cant seem to find one...

[Ed62]

It won't get any easier tonight. Tomorrow is a better bet.

Ed

[mycatisretarded]

I have seen a couple videos on youtube where they use a dial indicators to set the knives- this looks pretty accurate. What method are you using? dc

[cgallery]

Make a jig to hold your dial indicator. If you don't have a dial indicator, get one. You'll also feed a flat tip.

[Bruce Cohen]

I feel your pain, really. Got sick and tired of wasting half a day changing blades and cutting the heck out of my fingers.

Changed to a spiral cutterhead from Sunhill, changing blades is a snap, no alignment new blades fairly cheap, and disposable.

http://www.sunhillmachinery.com/en/s...&product_id=40

And the price is right.

Bruce

[cabinetman]

I've never used a dial indicator. Guess it would be pretty accurate. I use a piece of paper as a scuff dimension.
.

[LCHIEN]

i built a jig kind of like Cgallery's (Phil's).
I had to futz a little bit to get the right height, but the jig helped me set the blades all to the same height. It still cut a bit concave even though i thought they were perfectly even and level with the table. I found out that meant the height wasn't perfect. At first i was afraid i'd have to reset them all, but after a bit of futzing i learned the outfeed table height adjustment (yeah that's what it's for) could be used to make it right after the knives were evened up even if the height weren't correct after setting them all. You can quickly go thru several heights to find out which work right. $8 HF dial gauge - another HF gem. The good thing about the dial gauge is that its lightly spring loaded to keep it in contact with the item being measured. A lot of jointers use a set screw to set the hieght so you can bring it up against the spring load and not take too many hands.
Anway, now it cuts perfectly.

Construction notes: the stem on the dial gauges is 3/8", a standard, i think. I used the bandsaw to cut a slot and there's a set screw to tighten it up on the stem. I used a nice flat laminated board about 15 inches long but I think maybe Phil's idea of a couple of feet may be a good idea.

I no longer fear setting jointer knives but I do dread the day I have to install new planer knives.

[just started]

The Oct issue of Woodsmith I just got has a shop tip that shows using a couple of those big triangular welding magnets to hold the blades in place while you install them. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like a workable idea to me.

[jussi]

Where do you guys get your tips? Only ones I saw were sold in bulk

[LCHIEN]

Where do you guys get your tips? Only ones I saw were sold in bulk

I have found a source of flat contact points

www.use-enco.com catalog #325-1380 but they cost about $4-

something each and also there’s a $5 shipping cost involved. That makes a $9+ point for a $7 gauge.

I do have an article that describes dial gauges, details of these contacts, and how to make your own workable substitute points.

Send me a PM with your e-mail address, ask for the dial gauge flat contact PDF file.

selection of avaialble contact points at Enco:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=356&PMCTLG=00

[jonmulzer]

http://www.ptreeusa.com/edirect_092509.htm

Peachtree has the a-line-it deluxe setup on sale. That is what I used to set my jointer knives. I had never changed a set before and got it right the first time out of the gate. Tom Hintz also has a writeup and video on his website about how to do it with Oneway's tool. The a-line-it setup was also crucial in diagnosing a vibration problem on my bandsaw. It takes a lot of guesswork out of machine setup and diagnostics.

[pelligrini]

Where do you guys get your tips? Only ones I saw were sold in bulk

I don't have it yet, but Peachtree has a nice tip set. Item #1233
http://www.ptreeusa.com/layout_products.htm

[jussi]

Here is a vid by Bob Vaughan

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...7014177&hl=en#

[jonmulzer]

I forgot to mention, the a-line-it system includes a box of 20 or so different tips. I can't imagine a situation where you couldn't get one of them to work for whatever you needed to do.

[LCHIEN]

I don't have it yet, but Peachtree has a nice tip set. Item #1233
http://www.ptreeusa.com/layout_products.htm

Enco also has that kit, but i don't find it nearly as useful as the flat contact.

The Bob Vaughn video, he recommends a button head contact, but you have to slide it back and forth to make the high point of the tip match the hjigh point of the blade. I prefer the flat contact tip myself, in a 1/2" or 5/8" diameter. It allows you to set the dial indicator over the blade within about 1/4" and not have to futz with it anymore.