Thread: Jointer Blade adjustment

Without looking at my book that is at the workshop from memory (my jointer is not a Carba Tec either) you run a steel rule along the outfeed table over the blades, they should just touch or skim under the rule/straight edge. The infeed table is then adjusted up or down to adjust the depth of cut.

I understand that the outfeed table has to be at the same height as the edge of the blades, but my questions were how far do the blades need to protrude from the surface of the cutter head and what accuracy between blades and between blades and outfeed table is required as I am having trouble getting anything better than 1 to 2 thou.

I think I have answered one question myself as when the blades protrude by 2.5 mm above the cutterhead, the infeed table is so high that the fence fouls with it.

I was under the mistaken impression that the maximum depth of cut equaled the protrusion of the blades from the cutterhead surface.

I will set the blades back to about 1mm protrusion.

Trevor

THe blades don't move when adjusting the depth of cut so all the blades one, two or three all have to be level with the outfeed table (as I said just hold a steel rule along the outfeed table and adjust your guage and or blades to suit). Once you have set these then you can adjust your infeed table to the desired depth of cut.

The amount of blade sticking out of the head is almost irrelivant (as long as its holding the blade securerly)

A smaller blade projection will also be safer (more clamped surface), quieter (pushing less air around) and MAY provide a smoother feel as it is more rigid (more support to the knife back)

Yep, you should be able to adjust the outfeed table up or down, but I didn't want to cause any extra confusion at this point.

you shouldn't need to care about the projection of the knife above the cylinder. Here's how I set mine:
I set the cutting depth on the jointer to 0mm, in this configuration the infeed and outfeed table are coplanar. Take a straight batten of wood and put it on the bed to span across the knives. Adjust the projection of the knives so when the cylinder is turned it grabs the batten and moves it 2-3mm no more. Do both ends of each knife of course. This gives a very very slight clearance on the outfeed table (<1 thou I would think). That's it.

Cheers
Michael

Sounds like you're probably above this skill and knowledge wise, but the current issue of Austrlian Woodsmith Magazine (#79) has a couple of pages on setting up/calibrating a jointer...blades and tables...

Jus' throwing it out there