Purchased a used (new) jointer, any precautions before starting?

[Cody Jensen]

I was able to get a Delta 37-196 (I think, might have been 195, I was tired yesterday), from an estate that appears to have never been used. It still has plastic on the tables (with the mandatory grease to prevent rusting) and paper wrapped around the cutterhead mentioning how sharp things are sharp. Since it is unused, I will have to go through the typical joys of aligning the tool, but do I need to be concerned about anything seizing up after sitting unused for that long? It was stored in an unfinished basement of an old house, so I don't think it would have seen high temperatures or humidity.

Any tips useful specific to this jointer? I have hear the fences can sometimes be bowed, but that is all the more I have dug into the topic.

[pat warner]

Flatness of all castings is critical.
Cast iron can change shape, sitting or in action.
And, of course, are the tables parallel to each other for all adjustments?

[James Gunning]

I would make sure the knives are mounted securely and properly. With the jointer unplugged, turn the cutterhead to make sure nothing hits or rubs. Put a wrench on the mounting bolts for the knives and make sure they are secure. If the machine is old enough that they might have deteriorated, look at the belts to see if they are in good condition. Clean all the preservative off the machine. Then, check for alignment and parallelism.

[Cody Jensen]

The manual recommends kerosene (and not acetone or lacquer thinner, probably due to removing paint?) to remove the protective grease. Does anyone know of an alternative if I don't have it, or should I just go buy some?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've used mineral spirits successfully.

Congratulations on the score!

[Randy Red Bemont]

WD-40 works.

Red

[Wade Lippman]

WD-40 works.

Red

WD-40 is kerosene mixed with oil. Hard to see how it would be better than kerosene.

I scrape all the crude off with an old credit card and then get the rest off with mineral spirits.

[Dan Hahr]

Actually spin the cutterhead to make sure the knives are set low enough so that they don't strike the tables.

Dan

[glenn bradley]

WD-40 is kerosene mixed with oil. Hard to see how it would be better than kerosene.

I scrape all the crude off with an old credit card and then get the rest off with mineral spirits.

I do what Wade does.

[Robert Chapman]

New Belts?

[Cody Jensen]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have hit a hiccup. In my eagerness and unfamiliarity, I have found out that it does not have the mounting bracket for the fence (the large piece that sticks out the back). It wasn't assembled and I didn't do my homework. I am trying to resolve this with the seller now as it doesn't look like something I am going to be able to get for a reasonable price otherwise.

[Randy Red Bemont]

WD-40 is kerosene mixed with oil. Hard to see how it would be better than kerosene.

No one is saying it's better. All I'm saying is it works. I answered part of the OP question. Oh brother!

Red