Thread: carbatec CTJ-350 bed help

To make a jointer work properly, the blades should be aligned to the OUTFEED table, usually done with a straightedge and having the blade just pick it up and carry it forward about 5mm.

When you say the blades are "mounted true", I presume you mean true to the cutterhead body using one of those magnetic jigs?

Yes true to the cutter head and to the infeed table. The only thing that is mis-aligned is the out feed. There are a couple of bolts on the back which look adjustable but i just wonder if the outfeed is adjustable at all.

There are two stages to setting up a jointer.

First is to make sure the infeed and outfeed tables are coplanar, i.e. exactly in the same plane. At this point the blades and cutterhead don't come into it. Wind the infeed table up until it is the same level as the outfeed table (both well above the blade), and use a long straightedge to make sure everything is level right across the tables. Most machines will have at least one table (often the infeed) adjustable to achieve coplanar alignment.

Once this is done, drop the tables down to blade level again and align the blades to the outfeed table.

Go on Youtube and do a search on "jointer blade alignment" - there are quite a few videos there showing how to do all this.

Has anyone done this with this particular model?

I finally found the info on the grizzly site thanks to these forums(there is a warning about how very tedious the process is) . For gods sake carbatec pick your act up. You either ship these units spot on or at least supply directions in the box. I'm now worried about the state of the thicknesser i purchased as it said no adjustments needed also.

Pretty much any machine will need accurate setting up before use, so Carbatec aren't alone in this.

If its any consolation I bought a $3000 JET jointer/thicknesser and just about everything was out of alignment as it came from the factory. I spent at least half a day stuffing around getting the tables coplanar before even getting to setting the blades up.

Once you've got the tables set up flat relative to each other, you shouldn't need to touch that alignment for many years. All you'll have to do is set the blades up relative to the outfeed table when you change them. Note that I said blades rather than cutterhead block; there is a good chance that the axis of rotation of the cutterhead won't be perfectly aligned with the outfeed table (especially on cheaper machines). This doesn't matter too much - it is the blade setting relative to the outfeed table that is important. That's why I use the straightedge technique; those magnetic alignment guides that sit on the cutterhead itself don't necessarily align blades to the outfeed table surface.

Thanks for all your help. I took me about 3.5 hours and i am now far more in tune with my new machine and a few clumps of hair shorter. Very happy with how flat i got it.

Good to hear !

You'll find your own way of setting blades I'm sure, but as long as they are aligned to the outfeed table you'll be right. There are some fancy blade setting gadgets on the market, but I've never needed more than a straightedge with a mark on it.

About 6 months ago I bought a universal dial gauge thingy for setting up the tablesaw, but have yet to try it for setting jointer blades.

After a bit of practice, I can change out and set new blades (3) on my JET in about 20 mins.

Enjoy your new machine !

Sorry to change the subject slightly but i wondered if Briwax brand furniture polish would be alright for rust protection? It's the only paste wax i can find in my area.

Not familiar with the brand, but just make sure it doesn't have any silicone in it.

Does this mean there is some far-flung part of the empire that Ubeaut products haven't reached?? The Ubeaut Traditional Wax is widely used on machinery as a rust preventative/friction reducer.

I'm guessing that most car waxes would have silicone in them to give extra shine and repel water, so probably not suitable for use on woodworking machines.

A quick Google on Briwax seems to indicate that it is silicone-free...so should be OK

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

A quick Google on Briwax seems to indicate that it is silicone-free...so should be OK

Awsome, thanks for that. I had no idea about the need for silicone free wax.