Help With Jointer Table Alignment

[Orlando Gonzalez]

Now that I have retired from the school system, I put together a small shop to appease my woodworking habit. About 10 years ago I acquired a PM 50 6" jointer for $125, tore it down, completely refurbished it, and put in a Byrd spiral head.

I had to move it from my previous "shop" - my terrace - and I wanted to make sure it was still aligned. I raised the tables above the head and put a 48" Starrett straightedge across them. The ends are flush but there is a .015" gap on both tables at the head. The outfeed table is already shimmed from when I first put it together to align it with the infeed table.

How do I go about taking care of the gap at the head.

Thanks

Orlando

[Ron Citerone]

My first thought is to realign the outfeed table so that the end away from the cutterhead is parallel to the infeed table. Moving it may have pulled up on that end. my 2 cents

[Andrew Hughes]

A gap on both tables at the head sounds like someone was lifting the jointer from the end of the tables.

[Kevin Jenness]

Check the gib nut tightness and adjust the outfeed table shims as necessary.Any shimming should be done to the outfeed table to get it coplanar with the infeed, then set the outfeed height to match the knife cutting circle.

[Orlando Gonzalez]

Thanks for the replies. You're right about the jointer being lifted by the ends. I was too late in catching it when they where moving it. I'll realign the outfeed table so that it is coplanar with the infeed table. Since the gap is on both sides of the cutterhead, due to it being picked up by the ends, do I need to touch the infeed table at all?

Again, thanks for the help.

[Jim Morgan]

Raising just the end of the outfeed table would create a gap at the middle for both tables. So long as you can adjust the outfeed table to be coplanar with the infeed table, the gap in the middle will disappear for both tables.

[Kevin Jenness]

Leave the infeed table alone aside from adjusting the gib nuts snug but allowing for adjustment. Shims on the infeed ways will wear as the depth of cut is adjusted, while the outfeed table should need no adjustment at all once aligned to the Byrd head.

[Orlando Gonzalez]

James and Kevin, thanks for the additional assist. Should take care of the problem. Thanks again fellas.