Hello,
I am relatively new to woodworking, but have truly been enjoying myself! I believe it was the “fort-building” of my recent childhood that got me hooked.
I have found, that it is common for woodworkers to love acquiring tools, and getting new doo-dads, and widgits… It so happens, that with my lack of disposable income, and my “need” to keep my brain and hands very busy, I have become very fond of furniture making, as well as the making (and reconditioning) of the tools themselves.
In my effort to do “what i can, with what I have,” while making sure that I acquire/make only top quality tools, I have come across many great, solidly-built classic tools… Of them, a 1960’s (or so) Delta/Rockwell Jointer. With dull knives and a 1/2 horse motor, it comes up a little short. But when this machine was built, it was built solid, and is in great condition of overall. I would love to re-condition this jointer into a truly practical and useful tool.
some questions arise
1)Sharpen the old blades? Or go for brand new, high-quality blade
-where to buy? what kind?
2)What size motor should I upgrade to, for adequate power? I realize that I will have to switch out pulleys in order to maintain proper speed and safety.
3)Do you have any other recommendations for re-conditioning the jointer?
Obviously, I have a real desire to make this work, I love the old tools! Any guidance that you can give me in making this a truly functioning tool would be greatly appreciated!
Sincere thanks,
Mike
Replies
Can you give me the model number on the tool?
John White
John,
I looked for a model number last night..no luck. The serial number is 18-590. It says Delta Milwaukee on the front. The bed is pretty short, maybe 36 inches. Sorry I cant give much more information. Many thanks,
Mike
Hi Mike,
I have what sounds like your tool. When I was just starting back up in woodworking I got it from a fellow in the woodworking club who has given up woodworking, for $120.
Mine is a 4" jointer. When I got it and started using it, I discovered that the blades were dull. New blades from Freud run about $12. You can't get them sharpened for that.
Then I discovered that the pulley was worn on the shaft. New pulley - $15 plus $9 shipping.
Next I realized that the old belt was stiff as a piece of iron, contributing to noise and vibration. New segmented belt - can't remember exactly, but about $30.
It works very well on softwood, but "chatters" on hard maple, and I suspect that the bearings on the cutter head are about gone.
Also the bed is just too darn short for some of the things that I do.
My conclusion is that, for some machines like a small jointer, as cheap as a nice, long bed 6" jointer is today from a number of sources, it's nuts to put the time and money into one of the older, smaller machines.
Mike D
I couldn't find a cross reference to your machine's number but given the Delta Milwaukee name I'm pretty sure I know the style of the machine, but not its size, since they made it in 4" and 6" wide models. I own the 4" version myself, and it is a miniature version of an industrial weight machine and quite impressive.
The blades are meant to be resharpened, check with your local hardware stores and lumber yards or look in the phone book for a sharpening service. The blades in the machine are probably high quality so there is no need to throw them away.
Your local sharpening service will probably have replacement blades to sell or you can find numerous sources on line, just Google "jointer blades".
If the jointer is a 4" model the 1/2 horsepower should be more than adequate, for a 6" machine 3/4 horsepower is more typical.
A fairly common fault with these small jointers is that the pulley tended to loosen up which would damage both the pulley and the shaft if not corrected immediately. The pulleys also tended to be hard to find replacements for, they were smaller than most standard size replacements.
Normally I recommend using link belts when restoring machines but they have problems with the very small pulleys that were typically used on the 4" machines so you might be better off using what is called a cogged v belt which has a rippled inner face that makes them more flexible.
John White
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled