Parallelogram Jointer Bed Adjustment

[Mike Goetzke]

I bought a parallelogram jointer at the end of last year and probably spent about 4-6 hours dialing it in. I recently added a Byrd head and found the adjustment way off. Either the head made a difference or I didn't do it right the first time (probably the second). Anyway going through this a second time I received some great help here and at WN and thought I'd suggest a method on how to adjust beds a different way (this is my mentors combined method and by no means mine):

1) Set the beds to each other.

2) Shim the cutter head to be aligned to the edge of the out feed bed.

I know this is different than is explained in the manual but in my case would have saved lots of headaches.


(I think it took so long to adjust for me because there were shims installed at the factory that prevented correct adjustment. I discovered these shims when I replaced the head. Could the new head have changed this alignment? - seems unlikely to me)

Mike

[Glen Butler]

You should give the name of the jointer as they are not all made the same.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I'm surprised to hear that there were shims installed from the factory... It's nice that they took the time to align it, but is that normal that they need to use shims from the get go?

[Mike Goetzke]

You should give the name of the jointer as they are not all made the same.

It's a Grizzly G0490.

[John Pohja]

I'm surprised to hear that there were shims installed from the factory... It's nice that they took the time to align it, but is that normal that they need to use shims from the get go?

Isn't the factory where it gets its initial alignment? Seems to me that shims would be standard procedure. John

[Jeff Duncan]

(I think it took so long to adjust for me because there were shims installed at the factory that prevented correct adjustment. I discovered these shims when I replaced the head. Could the new head have changed this alignment? - seems unlikely to me)

Mike[/QUOTE]

If you took out the shims when you replaced the head, then yes that could have changed your alignment. Even if you left the shims in you would still likely need to re-set the height of the outfeed table, but shouldn't have had to re-level it.
good luck,
JeffD

[Myk Rian]

People have said to take the shims out with the factory head. I don't understand why. If they are there from the factory, and the tool is working correctly, leave them in. If you replace the head, you have shims to help align it. You may, or may not need them.

[Joe Jensen]

I guess the use of shims depends on how far out the bearing mounts are from the beds. It possible I guess to be so far out without shims that you run out of adjustment range on the beds.

I have an old SCMI 12" jointer with parallel style beds. I first spent a couple hours with a 50" Veritas aluminum straight edge and thought I had it pretty good. Tried a test cut and was unhappy. ended up dialing it in from there with test cuts.

Here is what I'd do.
1) See if you really need the shims or not. I'd do that by seeing how well the outfeed table is aligned with the cutterhead with the shims. If it's way out, take them out, way out without them, put em in.
2) Align the outfeed to the cutterhead. Do this on the left side of the cutterhead, the right side of the cutterhead, and then diagonal from the one corner of the far side of the outfeed over the cutterhead and then the other. This will take a little back and forth as moving the outside mounts changes the outside end and the cutterhead end.
3) Then use a piece of wood with a straight edge. Set on outfeed, and mark with a pencil the edge of the table lip. Rotate the cutterhead by hand. You want the cutterhead to grab the wood and slide it towards the infeed table. I find that when the wood moves 1/4" it's perfect. For me this method works better than any other and it's quicker too. You will again have to go back and forth a bit to get he cutterhead and outfeed all aligned.
4) Once the outfeed is right, do the infeed compared to the outfeed. Same ways, left side, right side, and diagonals.
5) Test cut.

Having said all that, a friend recommended I buy a used Starrett Precision Master Level to set up a new euro slider. This level is only 15" long, but super precision. Each mark on the glass vial is .0005" across the 15". Once I learned how to use it on the saw, I took it to the jointer. If found that although I thought the jointer was well dialed in, it was actually out by several thousands in the diagonals. Not sure the precision that Starrett is needed, and it might be a placebo effect, but I swear the jointer is better now.