Help Needed for Woodtek Jointer

[Kevin Flynn]

Hey everyone........My name is Kevin Flynn and I really need some help...
I just inherited a Woodtek 6" Jointer model 801-589 so its older maybe 90's .......my problem is the positioning Plate for the fence is broken......I want to know if anyone knows about these if you guys would be so kind......maybe where i could find parts or something from another machine perhaps....or do you think i could repair the piece? Its definately cheap pot metal so welding is out.......Is this something that was common on these

[Geoff Crimmins]

Have you checked with Woodworkers Supply to see if they have any parts available?
https://woodworker.com/Woodtek.htm

--Geoff

[Kevin Flynn]

Yes They are out of the part I need and it has been out of production for a while

[Steve Demuth]

A picture of the broken part would help. If you're talking about the top-plate being broken, it can likely be repaired by a skilled machinist through brazing and subsequent cleanup.

[Geoff Crimmins]

A picture of the broken part would help. If you're talking about the top-plate being broken, it can likely be repaired by a skilled machinist through brazing and subsequent cleanup.

Steve is probably on the right track here. If the jointer is old enough that Woodtek doesn't have parts, then Grizzly or anyone else who might have used the same part is probably out of stock too. If the broken part can't be repaired then maybe a replacement could be machined or 3D printed. You could always make a metal or wood fence that clamps or bolts to one of the jointer tables. It may be possible that the fence from another jointer could be adapted to your jointer, but at that point it might be more cost effective to look for a different used jointer.

--Geoff

[Charles Lent]

I also have one of the Woodtek 6" jointers. When I bought it in 1996 I had been looking at the older Delta versions and the Woodtek looked very much like a Chinese copy of those. So if you should hear of an older Delta jointer being scrapped or parted out, there just might be a part there that will fit.

Machine shops get to fix things like this quite frequently. They could probably even make a new part that would work by copying the broken one, but a good welding shop (not a guy in his home shop) can repair cast iron parts via welding or brazing the pieces back together. Cast iron is tricky to weld, so not every welder should even attempt to do it. If they don't know how, they will likely destroy it instead of repairing it. Having a new part made by a machine shop could get expensive, so make certain that they give you a price before giving them the job.

Charley