Jammed/Frozen Blade Holder Screw on Joiner

[Edward Weingarden]

I have a Jet 6" joiner that I'm trying to replace the blades on. One of the screws that tightens the plate against the blade cannot be loosened. I've tried an anti-seize spray (multiple applications over a few hours) without success. I then tried heating it with a propane torch without success. The screw has a small square head which I'm afraid will strip if I keep persisting. Any thoughts/suggestions as to how to get the screw loose? Thanks.

[Mel Fulks]

I would give it a whack downward. Piece of hard wood between hammer and screw. If that fails go to vise grips then replace the screw.

[lawrence munninghoff]

Use Kroil oil and see if it will loosen it up.

[Edward Weingarden]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Van Huskey]

Use Kroil oil and see if it will loosen it up.

Oddly enough given its cult following (along with being expensive) Kroil has come out near the bottom of all the objective testing, often barely differing from the controls. Liquid Wrench and Deep Creep by Seafoam consistently among the very best tested and have the advantage of being much cheaper and easier to find.

[Kevin Jenness]

Van, could you provide a link to the tests you reference?

I have used PB Blaster to good effect, with multiple applications and patience, and have seen acetone/automatic transmission fluid recommended, but I await the ultimate unfreezer.

[Van Huskey]

Van, could you provide a link to the tests you reference?

I have used PB Blaster to good effect, with multiple applications and patience, and have seen acetone/automatic transmission fluid recommended, but I await the ultimate unfreezer.

Acetone/ATF come out really well also it is just less convenient. I don't have the links off hand but they are ALL over youtube and you can watch their methodology and results, two that come to mind are from AvE (only for those that can handle string language) and Project Farm. The one thing that always stands out to me is the Kroil results compared to it near legendary status. I should mention heat does really well also BUT heat works better on nuts than captive screws like this, it is easier to heat just the nut than it is to just heat the cutter head in this case. I know some also tested a good whack but don't remember the exact outcome because I generally use the whack and penetrating oil together.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like the way kroil works and I like the smell.
Plus I can get right down the street
Maybe the you tubers aren’t using it right :p

[Van Huskey]

Maybe the you tubers aren’t using it right :p

Be aware not everyone came to the exact same conclusions and one reason you might want to watch their methodology.

[Bill Dufour]

I would remove the head from the bearings and use a torch to heat up the screw to about 350 F. Let cool and heat cycle it several times. By heat cycling the expansion difference between the male and female thread diameters will help break the rust or galling. A CO2 extinguisher is a nice spot cooler, any one in the house do paintball?
Bill D.

[Brad Patch]

I have a Jet 6" joiner that I'm trying to replace the blades on. One of the screws that tightens the plate against the blade cannot be loosened. I've tried an anti-seize spray (multiple applications over a few hours) without success. I then tried heating it with a propane torch without success. The screw has a small square head which I'm afraid will strip if I keep persisting. Any thoughts/suggestions as to how to get the screw loose? Thanks.

Ed,

This is a subject that is discussed occasionally on OWWM. The general conclusions are that allowing a liberal soak of Acetone and Automatic transmission fluid (more than a few hours) will help. Also replace the other screws so that they take away some of the tension on the one that's stuck. The other replies discussing heat may also be helpful. Patience is the key, the screw is probably hardened but if you manage to twist off the head you'll really in trouble.

[Darcy Warner]

Cut off wheel, cut it off, have it extracted and a new one made.

[Bill Orbine]

If still stuck after acetone/oil and heat/cold treatments, try the hammer impact driver. This is last stop before extreme measures.

[Larry Edgerton]

I would remove the head from the bearings and use a torch to heat up the screw to about 350 F. Let cool and heat cycle it several times. By heat cycling the expansion difference between the male and female thread diameters will help break the rust or galling. A CO2 extinguisher is a nice spot cooler, any one in the house do paintball?
Bill D.

here is a product called Freeze Off in the parts stores that cools stuff. Gently heat the head, then use the freeze off on the bolt, should come right out.
T

[Edward Weingarden]

Can't imagine what's more extreme than the hammer impact driver.

[Warren Lake]

of its a regular small bolt in the gib holding the knives in then an impact driver is useless it doesnt access the bolt from the end to get a socket over the head. Recently had a stuck bolt on my alternator bracket and could not loosen it to put new bearings in. Heated it with propane torch yellow cylinder not tons then misted water on to whatever level I wanted with those simple water spray bottles. Did that several times and it was enough after several times to make it break free. Those bolts are not the best size wise and you dont always have excellent access. Sounds like it was well overtightened unless it got rusted in place

[Bill Dufour]

Note that heating and cooling relay on two separate properties and two aspects of physics. One is expansion/contraction at different temperatures. The idea of heating the female portion and cooling the male part is the female part will expand more since it is warmer. This should loosen it up right away.
The other method is temperature cycling where both portions are at the same temps but they cycle up and down together. This one relies on multiple cycles and the different diameters expand contract a different amount so they slowly grow apart and break any galling or rust bonds.
No need for the heat to get enough to temper the metal. Keep it under 500 F. A kitchen oven is plenty.
When you replace the bolts polish the heads to make it easier to adjust.
Bill D

[Van Huskey]

I have the answer:

390895

[Warren Lake]

thats for you yungins, us old folks are set in our ways. We still have our turntables.

Thats not a common thing that kind of stuck, never heard of it. I did what Bill said on the alt bolt back and forth likely five six times and it was never super hot I could have measured with the heat gauge but was backing off when it felt right, I was likely pretty conservative.

[Bill Dufour]

Glad it worked. As I get older I realize the trick for many things is patience. Give the oil and the heat time to soak in. Best idea is to let it soak overnight and give you mind time to calm down, and think about it, so you do not get too aggressive and break stuff.
It took years of ignoring it for the problem to grow so bad. It will take more then a minute to solve the problem.
Bill D

[Van Huskey]

thats for you yungins, us old folks are set in our ways. We still have our turntables.



The funny thing is probably a bigger percentage of millennials and Gen Xers have turntables at least ones they use.

390896

It is still a niche compared to the late 70s early 80s vinyl is now selling better than it did at the end of the 80s.

While I was just being funny it is an excuse to buy a new toy, with even more screws to get stuck. :D

[Warren Lake]

Yeah well was kind of expecting that response on the turntable :)

I have it and dont use it but its wired into the pre amp and 2 feet away. Special matt made of sorbathane, Neuman cable some special arm some special cartridge dont remember. No question it sounded good, a bit microphonic. Customer gave me a very high end CD player years back most CD's sounded crappy too harsh, then they got better and better as sampling rates went up. Dire Straights Brothers in Arms was the first CD that i put in that had the softness of a record then no noise.

[Charles Lent]

A good hammer impact driver set comes with straight and Phillips screw tips as well as adapters for sockets. I have never failed to get a machine screw out by using one of these. Of course, the screwdriver head on the bolt needs to be somewhat intact for it to work. I once serviced offset printing presses, and a good hammer impact set was always part of my tool box.

Charley

[Warren Lake]

bought one 44 years ago for the screws on the crankcase on my 750 Honda. I cant see any use for it here, its a bolt what are you going to do with a hammer impact driver that is approaching a contained bolt from the side??

[Charles Lent]

bought one 44 years ago for the screws on the crankcase on my 750 Honda. I cant see any use for it here, its a bolt what are you going to do with a hammer impact driver that is approaching a contained bolt from the side??

What kind of head does it have? These hammer impact tools can be adapted to screwdriver flat blade, Phillips, Socket wrench sockets, and even Allen and Bristol sockets. If you can get some kind of wrench or screwdriver on the bolt head you can adapt the hammer impact driver to fit it.

Charley

[Larry Edgerton]

of its a regular small bolt in the gib holding the knives in then an impact driver is useless it doesnt access the bolt from the end to get a socket over the head. Recently had a stuck bolt on my alternator bracket and could not loosen it to put new bearings in. Heated it with propane torch yellow cylinder not tons then misted water on to whatever level I wanted with those simple water spray bottles. Did that several times and it was enough after several times to make it break free. Those bolts are not the best size wise and you dont always have excellent access. Sounds like it was well overtightened unless it got rusted in place

Funny, 44 years ago I had a 750 Honda

[Tom M King]

I had to figure back when 44 years ago was, but I also had a Honda 750 then. Dual front disk brakes were a monster improvement over the drums on the Norton 750 I rode before that one. I saw too many of my friends roll across hoods of old ladies' cars, and quick riding on the road though.

I also own one of those "hammer" impact drivers from back then when they were simply an "impact driver". Language changes over time, sometimes for obvious reasons.

[Peter Christensen]

What kind of head does it have? These hammer impact tools can be adapted to screwdriver flat blade, Phillips, Socket wrench sockets, and even Allen and Bristol sockets. If you can get some kind of wrench or screwdriver on the bolt head you can adapt the hammer impact driver to fit it.

Charley

Charley visualize a bottle jack holding up your car. You can only reach in from the side. Not above. No socket, screw driver bit or Allen wrench will work. They were designed to use an open ended wrench on the bolt that is functioning like a jack in the cutter head.

See if this link works. It has a cross section of a cutter block.

https://www.woodmagazine.com/tuning-up-your-jointer

[Charles Lent]

Oh, that screw.

If it was mine I would use a cutting disk on a Dremel tool and try to cut the threaded bolt piece just behind the blade, effectively making the bolt shorter. Then remove the blade to gain more access and see if you can get a narrow pair of Vise-Grip pliers on what's left and work it free. You are going to need a new nut and threaded piece, but they are the very much the same design in many brands of joiners, so spare parts for another brand/model might be the same, if you can't get them from the original manufacturer.

Sorry, I somehow mis-understood what you were referring to. Fortunately, I have never had trouble with these in my joiner, and my planer is a DeWalt 735 so it isn't the same at all, so I have very little experience that directly applies to your problem. I would consider using "Never Seize" on the new threaded piece and nut so hopefully, this will never happen again.

Charley