Oh crap !

[Glenn.Visca]

Pat,

Changing the jointer was a task of necessity really. Had I not buggered the original head, I wouldn't have really considered the investment. I don't think I want to know what a new head for a 16" thicknesser would set me back.

Elan,

I might leave the end grain testing to you!

[StevenManos]

Got my segmented head week before last. Trip down to local bearing place for some new bearings and got them on no problems. Of course, my original cutter head had a flat to take the grub screw on the original pulley, whereas the new on has a key way, so off to the the bearing place again to get a new pulley and some key steel. Mounted up - all good.

However, I must say, aligning the outfeed table to be about .001" lower than the cutter is easier said than done. As soon as I tighten up the gib screws on the table, it moves about .010" give or take - and even then - the amount the table moves depends on how much we tighten the gib screws.

I got the table to within what I think is about .002".

Ran my first batch of real timber through it today - some Vic Ash. VERY VERY quiet. Finish is good - but if you look down the length of the timber, the "stripes" that some folks talk about are visible. But - no worse - possibly a little better than the original 3 blade cutter. Tear out is MUCH improved/eliminated.

However, I am getting snipe - so clearly the cutters are too high / outfeed too low. But more interestingly, it seems I am machining wind INTO the timber. If I put a set of winding sticks on a length about 4' long - there seems to be a smidge of wind.

Some questions for you all.

1. Any words of advice on methods to align the outfeed table accurately ?

2. I suspect the wind is coming in because the head and the outfeed table (and/or infeed table) are not truly co-planar. I never had this with the original head - because one could adjust the blades individually to be coplanar with the outfeed table. Not so with the segmented head. PITA to shim the outfeed table ... Any ideas ?


Thoughts / comments welcomed !

I've got an old woodfast buzzer, 10" from 1981.

Firstly, I also had a blade come out, I was very very lucky nothing happened to me AND the machine! No damage to the head etc. fortunately. I've since learned to turn the buzzer on for 30 sec or so whenever i change blades and not standing near it. Like you, I had to change my pants.

I found it very tricky to get the two tables coplaner until I used the coke-can shim trick on the outfeed table. It's really just about inserting snippets of aluminium can underneath the dovetail keyway shim until the tables are coplaner. I think I had to add about 3 shims. Since then, it runs perfectly.

This is a good resource - http://www.newwoodworker.com/jntrprobfxs.html - and talks about the shims.

Hope this helps and happy to answer more specific questions.

Steven.

[Glenn.Visca]

Thanks Steven. You are right ... It's an experience I would rather not enjoy again !

[Glenn.Visca]

Interested to know how some of you aligned your new segmented cutter heads.

Mine has so many different surfaces, that I am unsure which surfaces I can consider true on both sides of the cutter head. To make life that little more complicated, when I gauge a surface at top dead centre on the rear of the cutter, to find the equivalent surface one the front means I have to rotate the cutter an 1/8th of a turn or so.

I have read (I think) that one should NOT use the actual cutters as a reference.

Comments ?

uploadfromtaptalk1438723236128.jpg

[Kuffy]

You shouldnt use conventional knives as a reference for setting the cutter head alignment to tables. But with conventional knives you dont need to do this, so long as it is close, you can pull the knives out a little further on one end to compensate.

For a spiral or helical head, the cutters have no adjustment. They seat in one location only. Therefore I see no reason why you cant use the cutting edge as a reference.

[elanjacobs]

Interested to know how some of you aligned your new segmented cutter heads.

Mine has so many different surfaces, that I am unsure which surfaces I can consider true on both sides of the cutter head. To make life that little more complicated, when I gauge a surface at top dead centre on the rear of the cutter, to find the equivalent surface one the front means I have to rotate the cutter an 1/8th of a turn or so.

I have read (I think) that one should NOT use the actual cutters as a reference.

Comments ?

uploadfromtaptalk1438723236128.jpg

You can consider top dead centre on every single cutter to be a true surface. In fact I'd say that's probably the best, if not the only way to do it.

[Glenn.Visca]

Thanks both. Don't know where I read it ... Or ... Maybe I didn't ...

Anyways ... We will head down that path and see where it takes us.