Too Tight Screws

[Reginald Burgess]

I usually hang out in the turners section, but today I need help with a jointer question. I have a Delta JT160 I use occasionally and need to adjust and possibly replace the knives. None oftThe eight screws that have to be loosened to adjust or change knives will budge. I've used penetrating oil, WD40, and heat to try and loosen them. I've tried attaching vice grips to the 4mm allen wrench need to loosen them. Still, nothing. I can't get those screws loose. Has anyone else ever had this problem and is there something else that I can do other than use the machine as a paper weight?

Thanks

Reg

[Neil Brooks]

Impact driver??

[george wilson]

Those cutterhead screws really get jammed. I soaked penetrating oil into the screws on our old 8" Delta. The factory wrenches were too soft,so I had to get a decent wrench and grind it thin enough to use on the screws.

I think wood dust,especially greenish wood caused some corrosion in the screws. My helper was always cutting green walnut up into gun stock blanks and running them over the jointer.

[Myk Rian]

Which way are you turning them? Most loosen by turning them clockwise.

[Chip Lindley]

What Myk sed! Lefty-Loosey/Righty Tighty does not apply here. Jointer jib screws usually *loosen* by turning clockwise into the gib, IF they are hex-head bolts in the slot between gib and cutterhead. When you think about it, backing them out, counter-clockwise tightens them against the cutterhead body in the slot.

Of course, allen-head setscrews, which travel up/down in the gib *loosen* normally (counter-clockwise)

[mickey cassiba]

A trick we used in the recon shop was to a) use a real wrench, and b) before attempting to turn the screws, tap on the end of the wrench with a light hammer and a light touch. And as Myk and Chip said, turn in the clockwise direction.
Mickey

[Doug Hobkirk]

There are better penetrating oils than WD-40 for seriously frozen bolts. After you soak the head with oil, hit an allen wrench (or the stub of one) inserted into the bolt hard with a hammer to set up vibrations that allow the oil to penetrate better. Then let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then cross your fingers and try to loosen it. Impact screwdrivers are a very big improvement if you have one and an Allen head socket.

[Frank Stolten]

I've been in the same situation as you and, almost as a last resort, used an impact driver to loosen the frozen screw or bolt. Voila!! If you don't have an impact driver use a hammer drill. It saved my bacon on several occasions and it may save yours as well.

[Bob Persson]

If you can safely do it, try heating around the screws with a propane torch. It makes the metal expand around the screw allowing you to turn it. Of course don't do this with all the penatrating oil around.

[Bob Persson]

Also should warn you. Use extreme caution as you are working with an open flame. The heat can destroy bearing and seals, springs and cause blades to lose their temper and dull much faster. Also make sure you have good ventilation, you never know if oil or grease may burn. But having said all that, it works great to loosen frozen bolts.:)

[Fred Belknap]

I have a tool that is called a impact driver. It is designed to be hit with a hammer and it will loosen or tighten a screw/nut /whatever. I can't remember where I got it but it is handy to have.

[Jamie Buxton]

This tip is too late to help you right now, but try it in the future....

I find that the gib screws get cemented in by sawdust -- extremely fine dust that gets into the threads, and then is crammed into place each time you back the screws out. Each time I remove the knives, I first vacuum out the hole with a soda straw on the end of the vacuum hose. Since I've started doing this, I've never had a problem with sticky screws.

[kenneth kayser]

Before I tried heat, which can really do a lot of damage, I would buy a cheap 1/2" pneumatic wrench. Then sacrifice a good 4mm hex key and put a stub into a 4mm socket.

[Vince Shriver]

I have a tool that is called a impact driver. It is designed to be hit with a hammer and it will loosen or tighten a screw/nut /whatever. I can't remember where I got it but it is handy to have.

Google up "impact driver":


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[Callan Campbell]

If you have the room to use this tool, it should help you out providing the allen bit driver you're using it with is up to the task. There are good, bad, and Great allen bit drivers out there, just like Phillips and Square Driver bits made for driving screws. Now that cordless impact tools are popular, tool makers are giving us more options with impact rated bit drivers.
Once you get the screws out, add a tiny amount of anti-seize compund to the threads to prevent the stuck screws in your future.
I feel your pain, in my 20 years + as an Auto Tech, seized hardware of all types is a weekly occurance for me. I own 2 hand impact drivers, one for work and one for home, along with pneumatic impact tools and a few cordless impact drivers to boot. I LOVE my impact tools:p:p

[Reginald Burgess]

Thanks to everyone for all your suggestions. In the past couple of days, I've tried everything except a power-driven impact wrench. Even the impact tool I used failed to loosen the screws! At this point, it appears that the only thing that is going on is that the very small 4mm allen screws are becoming stripped. So, I stopped trying and will use it as is for now. Maybe someday I'll spring for a "real" jointer and use this one for a paper weight.