What to do with an old 8" jointer?

[Zachary Hoyt]

I was given this jointer several years ago and have been storing it since. It's marked Crescent Machine Co. It's an 8" head, though the table is much wider for some reason. It has what I believe to be babbitt bearings. i have heard mention on here about old jointers that have dangerous heads, and I am wondering if this is one of those. I have not tried to run this jointer as I don't have a motor that is a suitable size for it. I have a 3 HP spare motor that I picked up at a sale but I have been told that is overkill for this machine. I've been looking for a cheap 1.5 or 2 HP motor but have not found one yet. I have a little 6" Craftsman jointer that I use regularly, and I wouldn't need a bigger or longer jointer very often, but every year or two it would be handy when I'm doing a larger tabletop or something. I am trying to decide if this machine is worth putting a motor in or if I would be better off to sell it for whatever it'll fetch and get it out of the way, to someone who would want it. I have not joined OWWM yet and figured I would ask for advice here first since I'm already signed up. Thank you very much.
Zach394945394946394947394948394949

[Bryan Lisowski]

I would restore it and put into use. I would love to have a restoration project like this.

[Chris Hachet]

Restored and tuned up it will work much better than a newer jointer IMHO.

[Andrew Seemann]

The best thing would be to free up shop space by shipping it to me for proper "disposal" :)



That might actually be the best thing for me, not you though.

[Peter Christensen]

I’d love to have one but doubt my wood floor could take the weight.

It does have the old square cutter head that were replaced with safer types. A new carbide insert type can be made for it. Those companies are being discussed in other threads at the moment.

The biggest difficulty are the bearings as you’ve noted. If they are tight and in good condition then you can keep using them as long as you lube them. If worn out you’ll have to decide to either redo them or if there is enough metal to rework it to take needle/roller/ball bearings.

Hope you or the next guy restores it to use again. Once you get it in running condition you’ll want to use it all the time and sell the 6”.

[Rick Potter]

To my thinking, the question is "Do I like to restore old iron, or do I just want something to use?"

Only you know the answer.

[Steve Jenkins]

Won’t hurt to put the bigger motor on it and use the money to help pay for a new cutter head

[Mike Cutler]

Clean it up, put a motor on it and put it to work.
Yes, those are Babbitt bearings. If they're tight, or you have shims left, they can be adjusted. I don't see any oil cups, and they look like the Babbitt pour hole is plugged, so they may be greased.
Lots of heads available to swap out that square head. I'm pretty much certain that Byrd has a stock, on the shelf replacement for that jointer.
It is by far a better jointer, size for size, than you can buy new today.😉

BTW
If you do change the head, keep the old head, and blades. They're of value.
I would also replace those square head bolts. Save the originals, but those bolt heads hurt like Hades if you bang your hand on them. I replaced mine with Allen capscrews,
A 3 HP motor is definitely not to big for that jointer.

[Chris Fournier]

Having used old jointers like this I can assure you that it won't work better than new machines, not for a moment. I will be noisy as all get out because of the cutter. It will be more dangerous than a "modern" machine because of the geometry. I would restore and use this machine if it was a freebie to me. I'd restore it because it's cool and I love vintage machines. I'd prefer pretty much anything more modern to do woodworking safely and effectively.

[Andrew Seemann]

Having used old jointers like this I can assure you that it won't work better than new machines, not for a moment. I will be noisy as all get out because of the cutter. It will be more dangerous than a "modern" machine because of the geometry. I would restore and use this machine if it was a freebie to me. I'd restore it because it's cool and I love vintage machines. I'd prefer pretty much anything more modern to do woodworking safely and effectively.

Despite my lusting after this machine, I hate to say it, but I have to agree. I've restored a few old arn machines for my shop, and I know this is blasphemy, but for each of them, the time and money would have been better spent on a new machine. I could have bought a new Jet for what I put into a 31 year old Unisaw 20 years ago, and the Jet would have been a better machine then and much better now. I can say the same about more than a few things I've seen at some other places.

I do think we tend to over-romanticize old arn sometimes.

[Chris Hachet]

Despite my lusting after this machine, I hate to say it, but I have to agree. I've restored a few old arn machines for my shop, and I know this is blasphemy, but for each of them, the time and money would have been better spent on a new machine. I could have bought a new Jet for what I put into a 31 year old Unisaw 20 years ago, and the Jet would have been a better machine then and much better now. I can say the same about more than a few things I've seen at some other places.

I do think we tend to over-romanticize old arn sometimes.

It depends on the machine.

[Cary Falk]

Despite my lusting after this machine, I hate to say it, but I have to agree. I've restored a few old arn machines for my shop, and I know this is blasphemy, but for each of them, the time and money would have been better spent on a new machine. I could have bought a new Jet for what I put into a 31 year old Unisaw 20 years ago, and the Jet would have been a better machine then and much better now. I can say the same about more than a few things I've seen at some other places.

I do think we tend to over-romanticize old arn sometimes.
I am glad I am not the only person that feels this way. I have restordrd many old tools because I enjoy it. I wouldn't touch a square head babbit bearing jointer. The only restored tool I have left is a PM1200 drill press. I think I am done restoring an the drill press isn't going anywhere.

[Chris Hachet]

I am glad I am not the only person that feels this way. I have restordrd many old tools because I enjoy it. I wouldn't touch a square head babbit bearing jointer. The only restored tool I have left is a PM1200 drill press. I think I am done restoring an the drill press isn't going anywhere.
What have you largely replaced your Arn with?

[Mike Cutler]

I am glad I am not the only person that feels this way. I have restordrd many old tools because I enjoy it. I wouldn't touch a square head babbit bearing jointer. The only restored tool I have left is a PM1200 drill press. I think I am done restoring an the drill press isn't going anywhere.


Cary
I understand the "square head" sentiment, but not the Babbitt bearing sentiment.
Not all "old 'arn" is worth restoring. Some of it was made poorly, even back then, and should have hit the metal recycler many years ago. I have a 16" square head jointer, with Babbitt bearings that may be in this category. It's been sitting in the garage for a few years now. Time will tell with this machine. For now, it makes an outstanding work bench surface.;)
A jointer is a very simple machine, and other than adding dust collection to them, they have remained largely unchanged in 75-80 years. Heads have gone through different design iterations since then, to what we now have available now, but the rest of the machine is the same. only the quality of manufacturing has changed.
The particular jointer referenced in this thread, was a very well made machine, even in it's day it was considered well made. Other than replacing the head with a 3 blade safety cutter head, widely available, in that size "vintage" machine, there isn't much else to do to it.
Yes the Babbitts will need to be repoured if the cutter head is changed, or they are worn, but that is not an impossible task. Anyone with some fairly good mechanical aptitude and patience can pour a babbitt. It's not hard, just a little time consuming, and exacting, to setup. Any half decent machine shop can still pour babbitts if a person did not want to try it themselves.
I would not hesitate to restore the particular jointer referenced in this thread. It's a beauty of a machine.

[Cary Falk]

What have you largely replaced your Arn with?
Unisaw - replaced with a Grizzly 1023rl
Delta scroll saw - replaced with a DeWalt
3 or 4 Dewalt RAS - love to restore then but they loose due to space. Probably the only Old Arn I would buy again if I had the space but it would have to be a long arm GA.
Delta lathe -replaced with a Jet 1642 replaced by a Grizzly G0766.
Delta 14" bandsaw - replaced with G0513x2

[Cary Falk]

Cary
I understand the "square head" sentiment, but not the Babbitt bearing sentiment.
Not all "old 'arn" is worth restoring. Some of it was made poorly, even back then, and should have hit the metal recycler many years ago. I have a 16" square head jointer, with Babbitt bearings that may be in this category. It's been sitting in the garage for a few years now. Time will tell with this machine. For now, it makes an outstanding work bench surface.;)
A jointer is a very simple machine, and other than adding dust collection to them, they have remained largely unchanged in 75-80 years. Heads have gone through different design iterations since then, to what we now have available now, but the rest of the machine is the same. only the quality of manufacturing has changed.
The particular jointer referenced in this thread, was a very well made machine, even in it's day it was considered well made. Other than replacing the head with a 3 blade safety cutter head, widely available, in that size "vintage" machine, there isn't much else to do to it.
Yes the Babbitts will need to be repoured if the cutter head is changed, or they are worn, but that is not an impossible task. Anyone with some fairly good mechanical aptitude and patience can pour a babbitt. It's not hard, just a little time consuming, and exacting, to setup. Any half decent machine shop can still pour babbitts if a person did not want to try it themselves.
I would not hesitate to restore the particular jointer referenced in this thread. It's a beauty of a machine.

Just a personal preference. I don't care to mess with it. I love my 8" parallelogram jointer with a spiral head. I put the head in myself. Pull and replace 2 bearings. Super easy, Super fast.

[Chris Fournier]

Just a personal preference. I don't care to mess with it. I love my 8" parallelogram jointer with a spiral head. I put the head in myself. Pull and replace 2 bearings. Super easy, Super fast.

This machine oozes cool no doubt but that is as an object of past design and production. As a tool it is a relic and is our performed by inexpensive modern designs and production. What is your goal? Answer this and you will or will not restore this jointer. I hope someone does to preserve the history...

[Chris Hachet]

Unisaw - replaced with a Grizzly 1023rl
Delta scroll saw - replaced with a DeWalt
3 or 4 Dewalt RAS - love to restore then but they loose due to space. Probably the only Old Arn I would buy again if I had the space but it would have to be a long arm GA.
Delta lathe -replaced with a Jet 1642 replaced by a Grizzly G0766.
Delta 14" bandsaw - replaced with G0513x2

How do you like the G0766?

Delta bandsaw is well replaced by G0513x2.

[Chris Hachet]

Cary
I understand the "square head" sentiment, but not the Babbitt bearing sentiment.
Not all "old 'arn" is worth restoring. Some of it was made poorly, even back then, and should have hit the metal recycler many years ago. I have a 16" square head jointer, with Babbitt bearings that may be in this category. It's been sitting in the garage for a few years now. Time will tell with this machine. For now, it makes an outstanding work bench surface.;)
A jointer is a very simple machine, and other than adding dust collection to them, they have remained largely unchanged in 75-80 years. Heads have gone through different design iterations since then, to what we now have available now, but the rest of the machine is the same. only the quality of manufacturing has changed.
The particular jointer referenced in this thread, was a very well made machine, even in it's day it was considered well made. Other than replacing the head with a 3 blade safety cutter head, widely available, in that size "vintage" machine, there isn't much else to do to it.
Yes the Babbitts will need to be repoured if the cutter head is changed, or they are worn, but that is not an impossible task. Anyone with some fairly good mechanical aptitude and patience can pour a babbitt. It's not hard, just a little time consuming, and exacting, to setup. Any half decent machine shop can still pour babbitts if a person did not want to try it themselves.
I would not hesitate to restore the particular jointer referenced in this thread. It's a beauty of a machine.

Not sure on this particular jointer, but many of the older jointers IIRC had four points of attachment-adjustment for the bed. Probably from what I ahve seen more precise adjsutment of the bed than a standard jointer. Parallelogram jointers also seem to work very well.

[Cary Falk]

How do you like the G0766?

I am very happy with it.

[Terry Therneau]

The square cutter head will need to be replaced: square heads were taken off the market decades ago for safety reasons. There is a pretty graphic older advertisement at
http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Clamshell%20heads.ashx. (Not that you can believe everything advertisers say, but it would convince me.)
If updating an old machine is your cup of tea, go for it. Crescent machines are very well regarded. If not, list it on the owwm site and someone will likely be happy to get it. I have some old and some new and enjoy them both.
Terry T.

[Mike Cutler]

Terry

I have a 16", square head, jointer at home. It's' "nerve wracking" to use it, which is why it is now a work bench until I find a replacement cutter head, but at the same time it is pretty cool. That machine will take a 1/2" off at a time easily, of any type of wood. It sounds like a small Cessna flying around the garage when it's running.
I can't say I won't ever use it again as is, but I'd really like to put a safety head on it.

[Chris Hachet]

Terry

I have a 16", square head, jointer at home. It's' "nerve wracking" to use it, which is why it is now a work bench until I find a replacement cutter head, but at the same time it is pretty cool. That machine will take a 1/2" off at a time easily, of any type of wood. It sounds like a small Cessna flying around the garage when it's running.
I can't say I won't ever use it again as is, but I'd really like to put a safety head on it.
I really like the Video of Frank Howarth and his Jointer on Youtube. I have an American made Powermatic model #60 8 inch jointer that runs flawlessly. Still kind of dream of an older larger jointer. But changing the cutter head out on an older direct drive machine is a big project.

[Andrew Hughes]

I have 60yr old oliver. It's sad to think someday 40 yrs from now some yuppie will be in Control of my joints fate.
I can hear him now it's too heavy for my flying car how will I get it home to my plastic house. :))

[Will Boulware]

As an owner of a Crescent jointer, I'm not able to give you unbiased advice. These are incredible machines. Barring theft (Ha!) or an Act of God catastrophe, it will be my last jointer, as I doubt I'll ever need one wider than the 24" mine will cut. These big machines are incredibly solid and very straightforward to set up, and they're not going to get knocked out of tune if you bump them the wrong way with a chunk of 8/4 (Or with your pickup truck for that matter.) If you're up for restoring your machine, you'd be hard pressed to find a better 8" jointer. That said, Crescent invented the 4 knife round "Safety" head specifically to replace those square head designs on jointers. Not saying you can't use it as is, but I'd replace it. On a planer, it wouldn't be as big of a deal, but I'd be cautious here (and I'm not the safety police type - all my stuff is old and heavy.)

Babbitt is easy. Don't turn it down because of that. Adding a motor is easy. Don't turn it down because of that. That said, if you have limited time and limited interest, pass it along to someone who will get it up and going. Limited skills shouldn't stop you. There are plenty of sources of information around to get you through it, but if you're not up for a project, that's ok too.

[Chris Hachet]

As an owner of a Crescent jointer, I'm not able to give you unbiased advice. These are incredible machines. Barring theft (Ha!) or an Act of God catastrophe, it will be my last jointer, as I doubt I'll ever need one wider than the 24" mine will cut. These big machines are incredibly solid and very straightforward to set up, and they're not going to get knocked out of tune if you bump them the wrong way with a chunk of 8/4 (Or with your pickup truck for that matter.) If you're up for restoring your machine, you'd be hard pressed to find a better 8" jointer. That said, Crescent invented the 4 knife round "Safety" head specifically to replace those square head designs on jointers. Not saying you can't use it as is, but I'd replace it. On a planer, it wouldn't be as big of a deal, but I'd be cautious here (and I'm not the safety police type - all my stuff is old and heavy.)

Babbitt is easy. Don't turn it down because of that. Adding a motor is easy. Don't turn it down because of that. That said, if you have limited time and limited interest, pass it along to someone who will get it up and going. Limited skills shouldn't stop you. There are plenty of sources of information around to get you through it, but if you're not up for a project, that's ok too.

I passed up an 8 Inch jointed of similar vintage to the one the OP has and still kind of regret it.

[Chris Hachet]

I have 60yr old oliver. It's sad to think someday 40 yrs from now some yuppie will be in Control of my joints fate.
I can hear him now it's too heavy for my flying car how will I get it home to my plastic house. :))

Which model? 144 or 166 or....

[Andrew Hughes]

I have a 166bd definitely not a hobbyist machine. If you know what I mean 😃

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Despite my lusting after this machine, I hate to say it, but I have to agree. I've restored a few old arn machines for my shop, and I know this is blasphemy, but for each of them, the time and money would have been better spent on a new machine. I could have bought a new Jet for what I put into a 31 year old Unisaw 20 years ago, and the Jet would have been a better machine then and much better now. I can say the same about more than a few things I've seen at some other places.

I do think we tend to over-romanticize old arn sometimes.

It looks most of people thinks old machines is synonimous of better quality ones. It isn't.

Of course there is some great old machines but from my own experience, most of them isn't worth the work to repair it - I did not know if it applies to that specific machine but I guess so.

I would repair if it can be reward you someway, either for the quality of the machine or for the pleasure to recover a collector item, if it is your particular case... otherwise I would scrap the thing. In my place of the world it is quite easy: I simply call the local town administration and in 24h time lapse they will send someone to collect it "free of charge" (well, this service is included in our yearly municipal tax).

Regards.

[David Kumm]

Like anything, when you rehab machines you need to be selective. The sweet spot is finding a machine that would cost 15-20K for 2K, Oliver, Yates, Newman, Porter, Northfield, etc. Rehabbing an old Delta that cost $800 twenty years ago and $1200 today due to foreign labor doesn't warrant the effort. An old Wadkin PK may cost the same as an old Unisaw because few people do their homework. If you do the homework you will be rewarded. If you don't you are squandering your time. Dave

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thanks for all of the advice. Needing to replace the cutterhead made it more of an expense than I can justify, as I would only have a use for it once a year on average. Most of what I do is building banjos and such, and the 6" jointer is more than enough for that. Someone from here on SC is going to buy it. I wouldn't scrap a machine like this unless the castings were broken or something else catastrophic, and then I would try to sell off the usable parts. I don't like to scrap things that could be of use to someone.
Zach