Found a jointer!

[Chris Sonego]

Unbelievable! After looking at the old style craftsman jointers out on craigslist I actually found a bargain. Believe it or not, I’m on my way to pick up a Powermatic 54a 6 inch jointer. Here’s the kicker I’m paying $400 for it! Color me happy! When I figure out how to post pictures on the side I will post them.

[Ron Selzer]

Congratulations

[Jim Becker]

Nice find! Congratulations!!

[Rich Engelhardt]

Now the real agony starts!

(do you or do you not - buy a helical head for it?)
(They are only $309)(I just looked it up)


I only ask because one of the upgrades I am mulling over is to put a helical head on my 6" Ridgid jointer....

[Chris Sonego]

I’m sure that will be in the future upgrade for me. The jointer I bought actually came with a brand new set of knives that I have to install. So for now I will run straight knives, that’s what I’m used to anyway. But when I get sick of the pain in the butt of adjusting them in the future I will probably just take the plunge and buy a spiral head .

[Andrew Seemann]

Definitely better than the fixed outfield Craftsman. I had one and upgraded to a Jet 6" (and recently a Jet 8"). Night and day difference from that POS Craftsman.

[Ronald Blue]

Congratulations! Definitely a better option for you. I have a 6" Jet. Stablemate you might say. I was at Grizzly in Springfield in October. In their scratch and dent room what did I find but a Grizzly helical head that had been returned. I couldn't grab it quick enough after looking it up to make sure it was the correct part number. $150!!! Someone apparently didn't know what they were doing. You could see where they had attempted to install the bearing on one end and never got it seated. Anyway 2 new bearings and a happy camper here. Install was a breeze. It's quiet and does a great job. Of course I had to adjust the outfeed side to match up to it but that minor. I'd highly recommend one when you get to the point of no more sharp knives.

[Bill Dufour]

I found one of those jointer knife setting jigs worked on my planer. I think I had to set the pressure bar and feed rollers to match the first time. I would think it will work fine on your jointer. I am sure you can find a cheap one somewhere. Does yours have jack screws? If not I made a tool to help.
Bill D

[fred everett]

Nice deal! That will probably be a lot better than my 6" Jet. Setting the blade heights on the Jet requires the patience of a Shaolin Monk, AND must be done every couple uses. I dream of a helical head, but with the cost, it remains a dream.

[Bruce Page]

Wow! That’s a super deal for a 54-A. I had its smaller winged brother, Model 50. It was a great joiner.

[Chris Sonego]

I got it back home, cleaned it up, and put it back together. Now the fun will begin. I'm sure I will need to go through the whole process for set up. Adjusting the tables to coplanar and setting the new knives. I remember it was a real PITA on my old Jet years ago. Wish me luck!

[John Redford]

Good luck Chris!

[Chris Sonego]

Update... the knives that came with it were the newer style quick-set. Mine uses the old style straight blades. I bought a set from amazon made by Fox. Probably not the best knives but that's what I could get fast. So, my tables both had a bit of sag. I went old school and loosened the gibs, lifted the tables by the sagging ends, and then tightened. To my surprise, it worked.

Next, I installed the knives. I used a magnetic jig to hold them in place until the holding bolts were just touching. Then I used the old school method to set them. Once there, I slowly tightened the hold down bolts in small increments in an alternating pattern. The knives stayed where I set them.

Finally, I ran some test boards and had a tiny amount of snipe. I barely raised the out feed table and retested until the little bit of snipe was gone.

I was driving myself nuts all week thinking something major would be off with the tables, I wouldn't get the knives just right, or something else would go wrong. It turns out what I dreaded took just under an hour AND I didn't use any high tech dial indicators. (because I don't have). Somehow in all of this, the jointer just WORKS!

[Rod Wolfy]

Excellent! Have a good time with it, Chris.

[Andrew Hughes]

Excellent news Chris. Im glad you passed on the craftsman jointer with a fixed outfeed.
Be sure to use only clean wood when your facing or edging. I will help to occasionally look for dirt or rocks in boards that might have been stored on the ground.
Good Luck