Powermatic 60 HH jointer bed adjustment.

[Gregg Feldstone]

1

Gregg Feldstone
[OP]Member

Join DateOct 2006LocationUSAPosts329

Worm shaft problem : powermatic 60HH jointer

Just picked up this jointer used in very good condition. I’ve never had a jointer with a lever to move the bed.
I can make rapid gross adjustments by pulling up and down but turning the shaft does nothing. The manual states turning the worm shaft will make “fine adjustments “ to the infeed bed hight. I even bypassed the cheap plastic knob and put a wrench on it without forcing anything…still nothing.

Is my interpretation correct? If so, is it likely something is is stripped or not engaging?

I feel like the worm shaft and its plastic handle are not even equipped to create enough torque to move the bed. All that happens is the shaft goes up or down as it is turned…not the bed.

[glenn bradley]

Looking at the parts diagram there is indeed a worm gear / eccentric setup on that handle. You may just have a loose set screw or lost the key on the round gear (labeled 27 in the manual I found online). That being said I see little value in an adjustment of that granularity on a jointer (???). My machine is a p-bed jointer and I can make very small changes via the handle as the table moves very easily. Jointer tables are pretty hefty so maybe the screw function is beneficial on larger DT-way machines(?).? At any rate there are a few things you can check:

PM 60 HH table adjust.jpg

[mike stenson]

Did you tighten the lock knob first? It's the kind of thing I forget.

[Rush Paul]

We have a 60HH in our community shop with the same problem. After working on it for hours, and puzzling out the parts diagram, we got it set to take a 1/32" cut and left it there. It does work very well and very accurately. But this lack of easy adjustment is frustrating. I'd love to hear from someone who found how to solve this.

[Mel Fulks]

It levels the table with the other end.

[Russell Hayes]

Loosen the lock screw (on the front between the gib screws)

To fine adjust rotate the locking handle until snug

Then twist/rotate the height adjustment handle

Retighten the lock screw when you get it where you want it

[Gregg Feldstone]

What myself and Paul are saying is that the shaft does not rotate after tightening the front knob and of course making sure the locking screw is loose. This means there is no fine adjustment. Just jerking the table, up and down, or tapping the handle with the palm of my hand to get the correct height.

[Holmes Anderson]

Looking at the parts diagram there is indeed a worm gear / eccentric setup on that handle. You may just have a loose set screw or lost the key on the round gear (labeled 27 in the manual I found online). That being said I see little value in an adjustment of that granularity on a jointer (???). My machine is a p-bed jointer and I can make very small changes via the handle as the table moves very easily. Jointer tables are pretty hefty so maybe the screw function is beneficial on larger DT-way machines(?).? At any rate there are a few things you can check:

PM 60 HH table adjust.jpg

I use a PM 60. It is faster and more accurate to make an adjustment of a 32nd or 16th with the fine adjustment knob than the coarse adjustment lever. There is actually little value in the coarse adjustment lever, unless you need to frequently change between extreme depths of cut. The fine adjustment mechanism is the standard type of height adjustment for wedge bed jointers. Maybe the lever on the PJ offers better control.

[Russell Hayes]

What myself and Paul are saying is that the shaft does not rotate after tightening the front knob and of course making sure the locking screw is loose. This means there is no fine adjustment. Just jerking the table, up and down, or tapping the handle with the palm of my hand to get the correct height.

Well if it's not an operator issue it's broke or worn out or something is out of adjustment. Hard to know without pics.

[Gregg Feldstone]

I could post pics but they would show absolutely nothing. Everything is intact and in its place.
For some reason the worm gear simply does not want to rotate easily enough when engaged with the worm shaft.
I’m going to lubricate everything quite a bit to see if that makes a difference. Don’t know what else to do

[Mel Fulks]

The fine adjustment is mainly for raising the front table just a hair to make a “ sprung joint” AKA a slightly hollow joint
that assures the ends will not be open. To put it back to “normal mode” you have to lower the table then raise it back to
normal mode. Some find it just too fidly, but it makes for good joints . I’ve always used it for panels and never had a
panel with any open end. You first joint in normal mode then hold done on outfeed end while pushing. I find some filed line on the hand wheel helpful, but do that only on your OWN machine . Or explain and get permission. I’ve heard guys
say “ I just get the material out longer than needed then ,after gluing cut the open ends off, some of them move on to
stand -up comedy !