Jointer Knife Setting with Bob Vaughan

Bob Vaughan demonstrates his technique for setting jointer knives. This video is frequently referred to on the owwm.com and owwm.org Old WoodWorking Machines web sites.
Bob Vaughan
Narrator: Bob Vaughan

[@Musicpins]

This the most valuable instruction video I have seen in regards to adjusting jointer knives. thank you!

[@sydneydalpe7818]

First video that explains how to set the blades laterally. All the others don't even mention the rabbeting fonction of the jointer. Thanks

[@lavernemcintosh8959]

good instructional video. Thanks. Since I go nuts trying to adjust jointer knives I see some things I can do differently thanks to your video.

[@dorse72]

no interruptions or distractions - luv it! I have 3 little kids, gimme a break

[@freestyla101]

Gotta love the old school videos where they tell you how to sit in a chair.

[@Kegga999]

I use a Oneway gauge to set my knives. After trying several different ways, I found that tool the quickest and easiest way to set them accurately. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for!

[@wyattsprague2218]

I wish I had seen this video before I "attempted installing", I figured out some of your advice the hard way( don't take all the blades out, no distractions, marking cutter head, using a pic), ughh and making slightly snug, only to have it lift out of alignment.. , great tutorial.

[@alekjuskevice]

Wonderful explanation, thank you!

[@eduardo_2805]

masterclass

[@larryschweitzer1007]

There is another way to set knives all the same that is dirt simple, with a 12" reasonably straight pc. of wood about 3/4" square. With the stick resting on the out feed hands off!) and overhanging the head, put a pencil tick mark on the stick at the edge of the table. Rotate the head slowly until the knife picks up the stick and moves it ahead. Put another tick mark on the stick where it stopped moving forward. Repeat several places. Adjust knives until the stick movement is the same. The same process can be used to set the outfeed table to the knife ht. Stick movement approaches zero as you move the table up. We have a 16" jointer set this way. We sharpen it using a soft white cup wheel mounted in a router that has variable speed. Router has an auxiliary base to allow it to be stable while overhanging the cutter head. The infeed table has a hole tapped into it for attaching the reference stop, nothing more than a strap of steel made the right length to provide the proper back clearance. Grind the strap end with a bit of curve so it always contacts the same. Using a square and a 3 corner file make a slight reference notch in the lip of the infeed to align the edge of the strap to each time. In use the strap is swung into place and the knife rotated so the underside of the knife touches the end of the strap. A small wooden wedge is tapped in between the end of the head and the machine to hold position. Set the rotational speed of the router quite slow. Take very light grinding cuts on each knife in succession. don't go too slow. After all knives have been ground once, check for nicks, rarely you may need to rotate more than twice. It is faster than taking knives in & out, You are referencing to the outfeed table & a fixed rotational angle. No problems with curved blades or movement during tightening. No dial indicator or knife setting jig needed. After a lot of sharpening you will need to dress the cup wheel with a diamond dresser to expose sharp grit again. KISS principle! Been doing it over 30 years, works.

[@jonq8714]

2:18 It just makes ya feel good, if ya know what I mean.

[@j.pierce8786]

Bob, Thanks very much for this great instruction. You explained a lot that I did not know about my first new-to-me old jointer. Your execution of this video is great! Do you ever see any benefit joint your knives with a stone after this process?

[@systematicdata4865]

Thanks for posting this video, what height do you want your blades to be when the tables are zeroed out, basically what height do you want your blade to be at, thanks

[@barryvabeach]

4 - 48 for American dial indicators, M 2.5 metric for a metric dial indicator

[@WV591]

What is the thread size on that convex tip. TY

[@Bionic_man09]

A video from 2012 looks like it’s from the 80’s-90s, not the 2010’s

[@richardthaxton8469]

Gee Bob, where did the padded seat on your chair go? Nice job, I like the precision of the dial indicator method much better.

[@robwhite3044]

Hi Bob, Ive a delta DJ20/8", just had the infeed table machined, shes perfect now, same as the outfeed. Ive been following this system to set co-plane of both tables where you start by setting the outfeed 15/1000 above the cutterhead, then do same with the infeed. The outfeed is set perfectly as is the cutterhead end of the infeed table but the start end of the infeed table,(opposite the cutterhead), just wont raise high enough to match the 15/1000 everywhere else. Even with the cams turned to their highest point. Ive heard about "shims/wedges", is this what I need to fix my problem? Could you perhaps shed some lite on shims/wedges, IE: what, when, where, how? Or if you've any other suggestions on how to resolve my issue. Thanks a lot Sir.

[@ApexWoodworks]

+Rob White Hey, Rob, it's quite likely you've already fixed your problem by now. However if you haven't then you need to go to the Canadian Woodworking magazine on-line forum where the topic of co-planar jointer tables was discussed to the 'nth degree. All the best! Marty

[@tmashadi]

hi Rob, chances are you'll never see this but if you do, could you tell me how/where you had your infeed machined. I too have a dj20 and the beginning of the infeed or I should say from the mid point of table the table start to drop and it's about 1/16" lower at the right end of infeed compare to middle. it's not a coplaning issue. the infeed has kinda have a dome in the middle. I have been thinking of buying a grizzly bed for it since it seems as they are a carbon copy of dj20 and their infeed is way cheaper than delta

[@desmondmiller3855]

+A Mashadi 8 svc c.f. c

[@Jondrethegiant866]

Why can't you just use a jointer pal???

[@dorse72]

this is a great video, but come on, 240 res? cripes, crank it up, its so blurry, cant make out lots of it.

[@freestyla101]

It was probably a VHS

[@Jordan-wp8xi]

Another 25 minute video that should have been 4 minutes long. Cut the shit guys.