Sticky jointer

[Rick Potter]

Got a Delta 8" DJ20 jointer that is probably 20 years old. Bought it new, and it has never let me down till now.

I have polished the bed and fence with two coats of floor wax, and after just a few boards, the wood starts to hang up. There are no protrusions, rust, or damage to the machine, and it is fine for the first half dozen cuts edge jointing 3/4" red oak. Then it starts getting sticky and hard to push the wood, and I have to reapply the wax. I used Trewax, but also have used Johnsons. Both cans at least 15 years old.

It never did this before, and I tried a couple coats of Boeshield Top Coat today. Same thing....a few boards then hard to push past the cutters. Very light cut too.

No pun intended, but I am stuck. Help.

Rick

Afterthought: Is it possible that the two different brands somehow reacted, and got sticky, if one was put on over the other?

[brian zawatsky]

Is it possible that you have applied the wax too heavily, and left a thick film on the cast iron?

When I wax my jointer (also a DJ20) I apply just enough wax to coat the surface, let it dry for 5 minutes, and buff it all off with a clean cloth. I do this maybe once a month (or as often as needed) and have never had a problem. I use Johnson's paste wax.

[Matt Day]

I'd strip it all off and use Bostik top coat. Hasn't let me down.

I bet you applied too much. You could also strip it down and just do one thing like Johnsons PW. Many have been using JPW for decades with good results. Floor wax, haven't heard. Nyomrs saying they use that.

[Andrew Kertesz]

I would question the use of "floor wax"...

[Gregory King]

Wax? That looks good for pictures only. Strip it off and use the Bostik like Matt said. I use the same on my thickness planer bed as well. As you run more wood over the jointer, the wax warms up from friction causing the sticking.

[Lee Schierer]

I've used Johnson paste wax for many years on my jointer and table saw tables with no problems. As Brian said I put it on using a 0000 steel wool pad, let is set about 5 minutes and buff it off with a clean rag. It is usually good for several months. Liquid floor waxes do not work.

What type of wood are you running that is giving you this issue? Is it dry? Yellow pine, damp wood and treated lumber will get sticky as it is run. If all else fails grab an old candle and make some squiggles of wax along the path the wood is taking on your tables. I do this on the soles of hand planes and it significantly reduces the friction between the metal and the wood without leaving a residue on the wood that will cause finishing problems.

[Andrew Hughes]

Rick sounds like your knives might be a little dull.And the wood is dragging on the lip of the outfeed table.
Maybe try lowering your outfeed table a few thou.See if that gets it.

Aj

[Rick Potter]

Sorry if I misstated my info. By floor wax, I meant paste wax, Johnsons and Trewax are the two cans I have. Been using it for years on all my cast iron. The knives are almost new and are sharp. The cut I am taking is just a shave, like a 32nd or so. Outfeed table is not the problem. No hangups.
I am cutting the edges of 3/4" thick red oak, which was from a hardwood supplier, and dry when I got it. It has been acclimating in my shop for months.

The thing I did different when trying to fix this problem was to spray the Bostik Top Coat right on over the wax, but that didn't change things at all. Still made a few cuts then started to get hard to push.

I have buffed it hard several times, and don't see any residue coming off.


I guess I will try Greg's suggestion, and clean the fence and top with lacquer thinner, and remove any trace of wax on it, and start over. Weird, been using the same cans of paste wax on it since it was new, and no problem.

[Myk Rian]

I use non-silicon paste wax, but I melt it into the surface with a heat gun. Then I buff it up.

[Jeff Duncan]

FWIW my DJ20 is well used and hasn't been waxed in a couple years, no issues jointing at all. I'd agree with the others, maybe clean it off with lacquer thinner or similar and try a fresh coat of wax to see what happens?

good luck,
jeffD

[Martin Wasner]

Where is your out feed table set? Might need to drop it a bit?

[M Toupin]

Sprinkle a little talcum or baby powder on the tables. I use Johnson's myself but when it's really humid sometimes things get a bit sticky and a quick sprinkle does the trick. Same goes for planners, table saw or anything else than needs a little extra slippery.

Mike

[Rick Potter]

I spent some time on it tonight. I cleaned the whole top/fence with lacquer thinner twice, then scrubbed all surfaces with a hard sanding sponge (great for cleaning up cast iron). It was good to start with, but I decided to go all the way. Then I tried it before putting anything on it. Same result, so I decided to try Martin and Andrew's suggestion to see if the outfeed table was too high.

With the machine unplugged, the blades rotated below the table, and the guard locked back, I pushed a straight piece of wood back and forth like I was jointing it. It became apparent that the dragging was in the area of the aluminum insert next to the blade on the outfeed table. So, I got out a straight edge and checked the tables. Turns out the outfeed table is sagging about 1/8" at the end. This makes all the weight and pressure I am putting on the board concentrate on that one area just past the blade. The outfeed table was just fine where the wood first contacts it, but then sags at you go forward.

Looks like I have some adjusting to do. It has never been adjusted since new, and I wonder if stuff got stacked on it when we moved and it was stored for a year or so.

Anyway, thanks again. I will report progress when it is made. Gotta go see if there is a youtube video on adjusting it.

Rick

[Rick Potter]

Bingo!

Andrew and Martin win. Turns out the outfeed table was too high, causing drag.

I finally remembered that my rich buddy changed out the knives for me a few months back, and apparently forgot to set the outfeed table to the new knife height. I had forgotten about changing blades.

The machine is back to it's old self, and working fine again.

Thanks again for the help.

[Wayne Lomman]

Its good the mystery is solved.

As far as wax goes, just have an ordinary wax candle handy. Its all I have used forever. It takes about a 2 second scribble on the surface and it lasts for ages. Cheers

[Andrew Hughes]

Finaly I get one right I'll let my wife know.:)

[Martin Wasner]

Finaly I get one right I'll let my wife know.:)

I'm sure my wife still thinks I'm wrong.

[Leo Graywacz]

In a jointer a couple of thousandths is huge. An 1/8" is a mile high cliff. Definitely need to do some maintenance on that tool.

[Rick Potter]

Hi Leo,

What maintenance am I missing?

The cutters were recently replaced, and I just finished adjusting the outfeed table to the new cutter height (which was my original problem). The tables are nice and polished, and they line up perfectly according to my straight edge. The drag is gone, and the problem had nothing to do with the waxing (which I stripped and redid anyway). I tried taking a quarter inch cut on a 4' board, stopped in the middle and it is perfectly cut, with no rock on either table. The snipe is almost imperceptible. I'm a happy camper.

Have I missed something?

[Leo Graywacz]

Needing to adjust the tables. I had a DJ-20 that came out of adjustment from the factory. Since I had no long true straight edge I guessed my way through it. Took me three tries over a period of 3 years. Now I have it as good as it gets, I'm not planning on playing with it anymore.

I guess it's re adjustment more than maintenance.

[lowell holmes]

You guys had me worried, I've been using Johnson's Floor Wax for years and years and ye....

[Leo Graywacz]

All I use is some sort of paste wax. Right now I have a can of Trewax. Each can lasts 3-4 years. If you want to strip it, acetone.

[Doug Fast]

I just use a stick of regular white paraffin wax - rub it on like a crayon. No buffing, no residue, just smooth sliding.

[Martin Wasner]

I just use a stick of regular white paraffin wax - rub it on like a crayon. No buffing, no residue, just smooth sliding.

That is what I use as well. I buy it in the canning aisle at the grocery store. It's been the longest lasting method for me