Cleaning the fence cylinder on a FS41

[Mark Visconti]

I have an old elite FS41 that I purchased used 10+ years ago. I have done very little to it over the years and it keeps running happily (although it doesn't get used that often).

That said, the fence on the top of the jointer is very difficult to slide forward and backward. It has a cylinder that slides through a hole and has a key on the side to keep it from moving (yes, I loosen the key when I slide it). I have tried a lubricant on the cylinder, but I think the hole is gunked up from over the years. Is there any issue with removing the bolt on the end and pulling the whole thing out so that the inside of the "hole" can be cleaned? It doesn't seem like it will cause any undue issues with the alignment of the fence.

Is there any other preventative maintenance that is recommended ?

Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

I use a simple spray lubricant on my FS-350 with the same setup to help keep it moving. I doubt there will be any issue with pulling it out after removing the limiting bolt, but be sure there's no burrs on it where the bolt installs before you slide it out.

[johnny means]

I liked to wax these euro style fences rails. Also, on the "lower end" machines, I always seem to end up having to do a little debuting and polishing, eventually.