Thread: Jointer blade replacemant question

I don't see a problem with losing them.

The pins are there so that should the gib locking screws become loose the blades can't be ejected out of the cutter head; this is a European Standards safety requirement but probably not an Aus one. With pins fitted the tapered gib and blade combination is too fat to pass out of the cutter head; without the pins the blade can slip out on its own, followed by the gib; either of which can cause you some physical discomfort and/or additional laundry.

However; many, many cutter heads don't have them (mine included) and I think the likelihood of such an event happening is slim enough for me to not worry about it enough to look at upgrading mine. Essentially to hurt you ALL the gib screws have to come loose, the blade has to be able to overcome the friction generated between it, the gib and the slot in the cutter head and the whole thing has to happen during a period of rotation where the blade can pass through the gap between the infeed & outfeed tables unobstructed by either the guard or the workpiece.

Saying that; if my head did have pinned gibs I would stick with them and buy slotted blades. That's me.

I'm not recommending you go either way; just giving you some info to help you make an informed decision

Interesting topic. I thought because of the angled slot for the blades and gibs they cannot be ejected at speed only fall out when the machine stops. Well that's my understanding anyway.
Rgds,
Crocy.

All depends on the friction between the gib on one side of the blade blade and the cutter block on the other. Because the blade has parallel sides it can be slid in and out IF the friction is low enough.

It’s a big IF; though not impossible. Consider how this friction can be reduced by someone using a wire buff to clean up mildly rusted/tarnished components, then covering everything with a lubricating rust preventative and not tightening the gib screws fully…

As an example a sprag clutch uses wedging action and friction to operate just the same as a tapered gib, but molybdenum disulphide lubricants (like Molyslip) can cause them to slip.