Knife setting jig recommendations for a 16" jointer?

[Gary Grant]

I need to purchase a knife setting jig for my Porter 300-C 16" jointer with a 4-knife round cutterhead. Any suggestions? Thanks!!!

[peter gagliardi]

Dial indicator and magnetic stand, or the OneWay multi-gauge work excellent. The magnetic knife setting jigs aren't worth the time of day in my experience.

[Malcolm McLeod]

http://www.amazon.com/Fowler-52-522-101-Indicator-Magnetic-Measuring/dp/B00B5HQ45C/ref=lp_3012165011_1_11?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1440173445&sr=1-11

Just as example. There are cheaper and there are more expensive. You'll have to decide what your pain vs accuracy vs longevity thre$hold i$.

[jim mills]

Doesn't that jointer head have knife jack screws? If so, all you really need is a straight edge. I like to set mine using a flashlight & with the lights turned off.

[Martin Wasner]

Doesn't that jointer head have knife jack screws? If so, all you really need is a straight edge. I like to set mine using a flashlight & with the lights turned off.

Minus the flashlight, that's what I do. I just set the knife so it picks up the straight edge and moves it the same amount as you rotate the head.

[Andrew Hughes]

Hey Gary Ya know want works good is a long Aluminum straight edge.Lay it on the outfeed table.And adjust each knife to move the straight edge the same when you turn the head by hand.That way your referanceing off the body of the outfeed table.And not just a small area behind the cutter head.I set the knive in my oliver this way and it really work good.After only a dozen or so knife changes I gotting pretty fast.

[Tom M King]

I use a small strip of Boxwood. I take any jack screws and springs out. Tighten just enough so you can slide the knife up or down. Boxwood can push knife down over outer screw while swinging head back and forth. Tighten ever so slightly that screw, and do the same on the other end. You can feel a thousandth or less with the small strip of wood. When both ends are right, tighten the rest of the bolts on that knife, and move to the next one. Once you get the feel for it, it's faster than I can type it out. I've checked with a dial indicator, and can get them as close this way as with the dial, and a lot faster.

[Kent A Bathurst]

... the OneWay multi-gauge.....

One of the least-frequently used tools in my shop, while at the same time one of the most valuable.

Used also for calibrating the height of the bed rollers on the planer, or the outfeed table on the jointer, etc.

[ian maybury]

Guess it depends on how much setting up Gary intends to do, but I buy the line that suggests starting by setting everything from the ground up. Getting the knives set exactly right in the cutter block is advisable before setting the tables. Taking the thorough route (single adjustments can be made later once you know where everything else is) requires a dial gauge and stand and a good straight edge - although a top quality long spirit level with a heavy extrusion works fine for the latter. As in once the tables are that close to being coplanar i tend to switch to being guided by how the machine is jointing.

A precision spirit level can be useful too to check for twist in tables - this is surprisingly hard to pick up using straight edges and feeler gauges.

Must say i quite strongly prefer the Oneway over a dial gauge on a stand - the latter can be used, but planer thicknessers tend to entail a lot of moving about of the gauge set up and they tend to be more easily knocked off zero. The heavy casting stabilises everything, and is long enough to bridge the very minor local irregularities that can sometimes be found in tables. It's very useful to have the disc foot for the gauge if setting knife heights - it's easy to let it rest on top of a blade while moving it around to find the high point.

Watch out for cheap dial gauges, i've found it worth coughing up for a Mitutoyo series 2 or similar. (which is still not an expensive gauge) With a decent amount of travel - it means it may be better for more general purpose stuff as well. The problems with poor quality stuff tend to be with hysteresis or slack - lost movement when they change direction. Which can make maintaining a consistent zero when setting table heights with a poor gauge a bit unpredictable.

Watch out too for cheap points and disc feet - the latter especially must be accurately flat, ideally properly hardened and square to the line of the gauge. The cheapo sets are turned, may have deep machining marks, and the disc for example can be a bit conical.

Ditto if buying a dial gauge magnetic stand. Best to handle before buying, as they all look great on a web page. Cheap ones often don't lock up tightly without using a vise grips (small and tight knobs, poor fits and surface finishes), small parts can be over hardened and break, and the push button magnet switch very stiff. Good ones are a joy to use - move freely, nip up instantly, stay put, have decent sized knobs (which can get in the way on some jobs) - but cost a bit more...

A final caution is that it can tke a bit of trial and error to get a feel for how a given machine responds to adjustments - especially lighter modern ones. Adjustments for example tend to interact a bit with each other, and stuff like doing up locknuts can throw settings and has to be allowed for. Best to ensure the base is resting in its final position on a flat floor, and adjust the feet so that it's level and equally supported by all as it can be surprisng just how much any movement in this area throws the cutting adjustments. (mobility kits tend to invite trouble)