Help setting up / aligning Delta 37-380 8" Jointer

[Warren Musselman]

I scored a deal on a Delta 37-380 Jointer. Low miles and in great shape. The only problem is that the previous owner removed the infeed and outfeed tables when he moved the last time. The manual doesn't say a thing about how to reassemble the tables and realign them, only about adjusting the Gib screws and there is no exploded diagram of that assembly as the tables and cutterhead casting come shipped pre-assembled.

Does anyone have any tips or insight into how to get the table properly realigned to the cutterhead and adjusting the Gib screws? Any help would be much appreciated.

[Mark Wooden]

http://www.manualslib.com/manual/39410/Delta-37-380.html#manual

[Warren Musselman]

Thanks, but I have that manual. The issue is that there are these metal inserts that go into the dovetail ways under the Gib screws. I've read the procedure for adjusting the gibs, but have no idea of the proper orientation of the inserts and they are not symmetric. I cannot find a service manual for this unit and am hoping that there is someone out there who has had to deal with re-installing the infeed and outfeed tables and can provide some insight into which side (front or back) of the ways they are installed and in which orientation. I know this is a common tool out there and surely someone has had to reassemble one. The entire unit did ship from the factory preassembled and there is no exploded view diagram showing that part of the machine.

[Phil Thien]

The Grizzly GO490 seems to be a pretty close knock-off of the DJ-20, I think.

The manual has an explosion, here is a link to the manual:

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g0490_m.pdf

Maybe that will tell you the orientation of the parts???

[Mike Kees]

Hi the help you need is in a book called,"care and repair of shop machines". It is a taunton press book by John White. I bought a used delta 37-315 a few years ago and used the info in this book to tear down and clean and then reassemble and adjust my jointer. The book also has sections on bandsaws, tablesaws, planers etc. Hope this helps, and good luck.

[Warren Musselman]

Similar in some ways, but not the same design for the ways and table adjustments. Many thanks for trying.

The machine in question, the Delta 37-380, was also private labeled by several other companies - Notably Yorkcraft and Bridgewood I believe and are literally screw for screw compatible. Alas, I can't find manuals for either of them and Delta has been no help either. The cast infeed and outfeed tables ride in dovetailed ways in the cutterhead casting and have a hardened steel insert called a Gib that fills one side of the dovetail and those hardened pieces are adjusted by means of 3 screws with locknuts which are set to determine the parallelism of the tables. The problem is they have a specific orientation and are non-symmetrical. Meaning they are right when inserted in one direction and not in the other. The question is which direction. Once I have that down, the procedure for adjusting those Gib screws is well documented. The direction is inobvious.

[Warren Musselman]

Thank you - I will check this book out.

[Larry Copas]

Look for witness marks where the screws scratched the gibbs when it was assembled. They will be there, but faint. Look at the angle on the edge of the gibbs as it may match the dovetail. Look for any other marks in the dovetail.

[Phil Thien]

Similar in some ways, but not the same design for the ways and table adjustments. Many thanks for trying.

The machine in question, the Delta 37-380, was also private labeled by several other companies - Notably Yorkcraft and Bridgewood I believe and are literally screw for screw compatible. Alas, I can't find manuals for either of them and Delta has been no help either. The cast infeed and outfeed tables ride in dovetailed ways in the cutterhead casting and have a hardened steel insert called a Gib that fills one side of the dovetail and those hardened pieces are adjusted by means of 3 screws with locknuts which are set to determine the parallelism of the tables. The problem is they have a specific orientation and are non-symmetrical. Meaning they are right when inserted in one direction and not in the other. The question is which direction. Once I have that down, the procedure for adjusting those Gib screws is well documented. The direction is inobvious.


I'm sorry I was thinking DJ-20 even though the 37-380 was right there.

Grizzly has the GO586 which has handwheels now but previously apparently had levers. But the explosion doesn't look too complicated, doesn't show anything I'd call an insert:

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/partslists/g0586_pl.pdf

Any chance you can post a picture of the parts you question the orientation of?

[Mel Miller]

Look for witness marks where the screws scratched the gibbs when it was assembled. They will be there, but faint. Look at the angle on the edge of the gibbs as it may match the dovetail. Look for any other marks in the dovetail.
Larry has the answer. Just look carefully at the gibbs, and you should be able to see how they were assembled before. Then, it's just a matter of adjusting the screws for proper tightness of the gibbs.

[Mark Wooden]

Make sure the the dimples are both facing the screws and that the dimples are level with the screws when the gib is tilted in line with the ways