Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 16
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    35

    Default Setting up tables to be coplanar on vintage jointer

    G'day,

    Being the proud new owner of a vintage machine that predates me by a couple of decades (I reckon), I have a question on how to get it set up just right.
    This is a Tanner jointer (planer, buzzer) and table saw combo unit - cast iron and fairly simple but solid. I have plied the forums for how to set the blades as there are no height adjustment screws nor springs under the blades. Didn't want to buy a magnet jig, so I inserted a bit of closed cell foam from a bed roll under each blade which helped just lift the blades enough to get them set.

    But now I need to get the infeed table coplanar with the outfeed and it drops away at the beginning end on the fence side. There are 3 adjustment screws (click on first photo) and I'm hoping someone might tell me what each does. Ideally, the middle is for lateral shift (side to side) and the top and bottom are for up/down tilt on the long axis? I've had a play but couldn't figure what if anything each does - they don't have a lot of travel even with the nut backed right off. I haven't touched the outfeed table ones, as I don't want the joy of resettting the blades again anytime soon.

    Cheers



    DSC03326.jpgDSC03329.jpgDSC03330.jpgDSC03332.jpgDSC03333.jpg

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Katoomba NSW
    Posts
    4,770

    Default

    Mine has similar screws and all they do is lock the table in place. I have hand wheels on the underside of each table that raises and lowers the table on the dovetail slides. Undo the screws, raise or lower, tighten screws. The small hand wheels don't wind the tables up and down do they? Try undoing the screws and winding the handle.
    Those were the droids I was looking for.
    https://autoblastgates.com.au

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by NCArcher View Post
    Mine has similar screws and all they do is lock the table in place. I have hand wheels on the underside of each table that raises and lowers the table on the dovetail slides. Undo the screws, raise or lower, tighten screws. The small hand wheels don't wind the tables up and down do they? Try undoing the screws and winding the handle.
    I didn't include a pic of the crank to raise or lower the table, which is underneath.
    The hand wheel is to lock it in place.

    The 3 screws are definitely adjusters of some kind, as they have a nut you can use to lock them in place, but as to which does what..?

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Pembrokeshire, Wales
    Posts
    61

    Default

    I think the row of three screws with locknuts on each slide will just tighten the 'jib' strip to remove all slack/play from the table slides, and are not used to alter the tables' attitude relative to the cutter block in any way; but they should not be tightened to the extent that they make the slide 'tight' to move, and should all be adjusted by feel to the same level of tightness. you have referenced the winding handle or screw for each tables height beneath the table in your reply above
    set all the adjustment screws as tightly as you can without making the table height adjustment hard move by hand, and then set the blades to be true with the outfeed table. Lock it in place the the four winged nut if that is what it is for and you shoudn't have to touch those three little screws on each table again for some time. Just alter table heghts as you need for whatever job you are doing.
    Hopefully good to go if that made any sense...

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Pembrokeshire, Wales
    Posts
    61

    Default

    I forgot to say that maybe the tables aren't as flat as you might expect them to be, just to throw another potential problem in there...

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Thanks, I'll try those adjusters to see how they affect the rise and fall adjustment for the infeed table. But why would there be three.

    And i guess I'm still stuck with how to get the infeed table coplanar with the outfeed. Read about putting a shim in, but at this stage I can't even see how to remove the the infeed table, maybe by taking it off and looking underneath...

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Pambula
    Age
    58
    Posts
    12,779

    Default

    I agree with sion.dovey. Sliding dovetails like that often have a gib strip, which is a just a steel plate. It floats between the two moving parts and has grub screws to adjust it in or out. It is used to take any slack out of the slide. I doubt they will give you any adjustment of the table itself.

    FWIW my old jointer was the same. The new one has eccentric bushes that allow the relative height of the table to be adjusted at four places.
    "I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to."

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Shepparton *ugh*
    Age
    48
    Posts
    1,185

    Default

    G'day Earth,

    Like some others have said, the three screws with nuts are just to hold a floating plate in place. While they do affect the position of the tables to a degree they are mostly there to control the tightness of the table slides.

    What you're looking at doing in getting the tables coplanar is lots of measuring with a long precision straight edge and putting smallish (say 1/2-1" long) shims of different thickness in at the bottoms and tops of the OUTFEED table dovetail slides on either side. Each "corner" will likely be different.

    This is a basic run down of the process (and general jointer set up) for a more modern Grizzly jointer, but should apply to yours too.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3caxVqv3FyU

    This one is pretty much the same but goes into a little more detail. Watch it through because the guy stuffs up in regards to measuring with the screws loose (which is a no-no)

    http://www.scottmorton.com/setting-t...izzly-jointer/

    It's usually a horrendously long and tedious process as each time that you undo and redo the gib screws and nuts the tables can shift a bit and settle in a different position that last time. But it's sure worth it. I've ended up using a quick change bit on a drill (set at a specific torque/tightness) to make sure I was tightening the screws and nuts consistently each time I made a change. It helped a little bit anyway and saved some knuckle smashing over using a spanner and allen key.

    With such an old beastie, it would be worth checking the flatness of the tables too before you start shimming. Check them in place on the machine with the gib screws done up properly as the iron can flex a smidge between loose and tight screws.

    It's a starting point, but I hope that helps anyway.
    Every time you make a typo, the errorists win.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Pembrokeshire, Wales
    Posts
    61

    Default

    When you strip it down you may find this has already been done, and has perhaps got out of place, or maybe the slides have been slack at some point and grime and shavings have built up on them which is in the way of correct adjustment.

    Well worth a quick strip down and cleaning all the slides and threads up then reassembling with oil before you start to try and add any shims. It probably won't take that long

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Shepparton *ugh*
    Age
    48
    Posts
    1,185

    Default




    (It took longer to find the emoticon than just type it...heh)
    Every time you make a typo, the errorists win.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Location
    Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia
    Age
    55
    Posts
    677

    Default

    Hi there,

    I went through the same machinations with my old woodfast.

    Mine was out of whack .. so I disassembled, cleaned, lubed and most of my issues went away.

    I suspect most of my issues were caused by chips and dust on the dovetail surfaces .. which threw things off.

    Details of what I did located below..


    https://www.woodworkforums.com/f155/adjusting-woodfast-model-150-jointer-181550
    Glenn Visca

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Thanks all for your helpful suggestions. Looks like I'll have to figure out how to remove the tables for a cleanup first of all. Will report back in when I've achieved this. At worst I'll have learned what to look for in the next jointer I acquire, and else I'll get this puppy humming (if that's not mixing my metaphors too terribly).

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    96

    Default

    Hi all,

    I'm so very glad I found this thread. I own a Woodfast 10" buzzer / jointer where the tables weren't co-planar.

    Have been struggling to get things to work properly and then I watched the Grizzly video.

    Five shims made from a coke can later and things are running perfectly!

    Steven.

    2014-08-16 23.29.03.jpg

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    coffs harbour
    Posts
    2

    Default Old TANNER jointer set-up

    Hi, I have an old Tanner jointer and when breaking it down to clean the unit I have forgotten how to re-attach the fence and guard, would it be possible to send me some photos of the process that you would go through as when I look at your photos the table and blade set-up is exactly what I have and is as pic 2 ie without fence and guardparts.jpg

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by archie slater View Post
    Hi, I have an old Tanner jointer and when breaking it down to clean the unit I have forgotten how to re-attach the fence and guard, would it be possible to send me some photos of the process that you would go through as when I look at your photos the table and blade set-up is exactly what I have and is as pic 2 ie without fence and guardparts.jpg
    Hi Archie, Welcome aboard. I no longer own the same jointer, so can't help you with photos. But I reckon if I managed it with the help from this thread you can figure it out too. I'm no engineer or metalworker but still managed to get there. If anything, I learned from the exercise (10+hours) that there is a real advantage to buying a jointer with set adjusting screws for blade adjustment - a later innovation that post dates these lovely old Tanner beasties. But that said, I learned a lot in the experience of stripping it down and cleaning it up and did find success (with some patience). If you find you're still stuck then post pics of what you're trying to do with specific questions - it may not be as fast as you like but will get you there without spending $ on an "expert". Go well Ron

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Jointer tables not coplanar
    By legin in forum GENERAL & SMALL MACHINERY
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 15th March 2014, 11:05 PM
  2. Do you flatten your vintage jointer plane?
    By snafuspyramid in forum HAND TOOLS - UNPOWERED
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 10th March 2013, 01:14 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •