G0490X setup issue

[John Donofrio]

A couple weekends ago I took delivery on a Grizzly G0490X parallelogram jointer and spent that and this past weekend setting it up and checking the tables. Everything arrived in good condition despite some scary wounds to the shipping crate and box. The outfeed is dead flat as far as I can tell and the infeed is nearly the same or "flat enough".

However, I found the infeed and outfeed to be non-coplanar. Using a 38" Veritas aluminum straight edge centered over the cutter head there was a 5-6 thou gap at the end of each table. Of course this would read worse if I had a straight edge long enough to span both tables, so I decided to adjust.

The outfeed was delivered, for all intents and purposes, dead parallel to the cutter head and set to TDC of the inserts, all good here so on to the infeed. The plan was to simply drop the right end to bring it into the same plane as the outfeed but the infeed also needed tweaking to get it parallel to the outfeed width wise.

Long story short is while I have gotten the infeed parallel length wise I cannot do the same width wise so they are not coplanar. Position B (attached drawing) is at it's highest point of adjustment and position D is at or near it's lowest. I spent a large part of this past weekend trying to correct this but no matter what I did, I could not. So apart from shimming the cutter head, this is what I am left with.

I have two questions:

- Aside from taking a slightly bigger bite from one side of a board to the other (more the wider the board gets), are there any other issues I would face when jointing a board that I might be overlooking?

- And, would you consider it worth the effort to shim the cutter head and then re-adjust BOTH tables?

As always, thanks for your input.

(The measurements in red are relative to the outfeed)
356001

[larry senen]

it just doesn't matter what the infeed table is doing. as long as the outfeed is aligned to the cutter head you''l get flat wood.

[Robin Frierson]

I would call grizzly and get advice from the technicians there.

[Mikail Khan]

Joint a board and see if it comes out flat.

MK

[Andrew Hughes]

I like both of my jointer tables to be coplaner.I think your going to need a better or precision straight edge to adjust.
I bet the tech guys at the factory aren't not using a Aluminum straight edge.Why would you Try to do a better job then someone with more exp.Using less ?
I also think it's good advise to call Grizzy for help.

[Jon Nuckles]

My G490x arrived with the tables not coplanar and with a twisted fence. Grizzly replaced the fence and answered my questions about adjusting the tables. Definitely call them and they will help you out.

[John Donofrio]

I wrote the original post up this morning from work and going from memory on the exact numbers. After going to the shop and checking what I had written down, sure enough the numbers were wrong. The image has been corrected with the actual measurements (they are worse).

I'll probably give Grizzly a call this Friday to see what they say but I'm fairly confident it will involve moving the cutter head and readjusting the tables to suit. I just don't see another option in this situation but hopefully I am wrong.

[glenn bradley]

- And, would you consider it worth the effort to shim the cutter head and then re-adjust BOTH tables?

You don't need to shim parallelogram-bed jointers. Simply adjust the back cams at the front and rear of the infeed table. Page 36 in my manual but, my machine is a 2008.

[John Donofrio]

You don't need to shim parallelogram-bed jointers. Simply adjust the back cams at the front and rear of the infeed table. Page 36 in my manual but, my machine is a 2008.

Hi Glenn,
I understand that but the problem is a couple of the cams are maxed out on the adjustment. I am talking about shimming the cutter head, not the beds.

Check out the pic in the original post. Position B is as high as it will go and position D is at or very near as low as it will go. This is why I can't see another option and am trying to decide if it's worth correcting.

[glenn bradley]

Sorry John, you described it well. I read but, did not absorb ;-) I would contact Grizzly for a recommendation as it sounds like something is really not quite right. There should obviously be adequate range on the cams to overcome any alignment issue. This does make me wonder if the head position is out of spec and I would want to talk with someone who had fiddled with a few before I took a guess.

[John Donofrio]

Talked to a Grizzly tech yesterday and he confirmed that shimming the cutter head would be an acceptable option. So onward we go.

After a closer inspection of the pulley side of the head there appeared to already be a shim in there and once the head was loose I found this...

356270

That is two 0.008 and one 0.004 shims, yes 20 thou worth. The only reason I can think of for these being there is the assembly crew found it easier to shim the head instead of adjusting the outfeed; let the infeed fall where it may.

I'm hoping this allows everything to come into alignment over the weekend. More to come....

[Mike Goetzke]

Talked to a Grizzly tech yesterday and he confirmed that shimming the cutter head would be an acceptable option. So onward we go.

After a closer inspection of the pulley side of the head there appeared to already be a shim in there and once the head was loose I found this...

356270

That is two 0.008 and one 0.004 shims, yes 20 thou worth. The only reason I can think of for these being there is the assembly crew found it easier to shim the head instead of adjusting the outfeed; let the infeed fall where it may.

I'm hoping this allows everything to come into alignment over the weekend. More to come....

I too could not get my G0490x beds co-planer. Here is what I posted few years back:

I had problems getting tables aligned and found they used too many shims under one of the cutter heads bearing blocks. I think it's quicker/easier to align the tables to each other and then shim the head to be parallel to the tables.

[Andrew Hughes]

If you have the inset head Bryd or other type then you will need to get the head in line with the outfeed table.Or you will have problems getting square edges off the fence.The closer the better.
Inserts are fixed in the head.
Now we see one advantage of having straight knives.

[Bill Space]

If you have the inset head Bryd or other type then you will need to get the head in line with the outfeed table.Or you will have problems getting square edges off the fence.The closer the better.
Inserts are fixed in the head.
Now we see one advantage of having straight knives.

I am not disputing this statement, but conceptually I am having trouble seeing why this would be. I mean, why would the insert head be any different than a straight knife head as far as alignment goes?

Could you explain a bit further?

Perhaps your point is that straight knives can be adjusted up and down, while the inserts cannot? I see a difference, but not an advantage...if that is what you were alluding to.

Thanks... Bill

[Andrew Hughes]

The advantage is setting knives to the outfeed table.

[Bill Space]

Is that different than setting the outfeed table to the inserts?

Seems like with a parallelogram tabled jointer, it would be four adjustments as compared to six for a three blade head (2 ends X three blades).

Still not seeing an advantage...

[John Donofrio]

The advantage is setting knives to the outfeed table.

Agree Andrew but I've never enjoyed setting jointer knives. Maybe it was just my technique but I'll take the segmented head either way.


I removed one of the factory installed 0.008 shims and then worked the outfeed to that. After a bunch of going back and forth I finally got the infeed and outfeed "mostly" coplanar. I say mostly because the infeed seems to have a hump right around where the control box is mounted (not sure how or why I didn't notice this earlier).

If I center the straight edge right on that area at the back of the table a 0.007 feeler rubs on either end. At the front of the table this shrinks to 0.002 but only on the rights side.

Referencing from the outfeed to where the infeed starts to drop off a 0.0015 is all I can slip anywhere under the straight edge. Seeing as how my straight edge is +-0.003 over it's 38" length, I believe this is good enough. Plus it's the less important infeed, at least in my mind.

I wish this thing were perfect like everyone does when they buy a new machine but I also understand there is a "risk" with a value priced machine. If it makes flat boards I'll be content to accept it as is. I really do not want to go thorough the effort of replacing the infeed table. Plus there's no guarantee a different one would be any better, and could be even worse.

[Andrew Hughes]

I hope you get adjusted and cutting right.Take my comments with a grain of salt in bored right now and I like to obsess on jointers.:)
But atleast I'm not as bad as Van and bandsaws.:p