A jointer saga part III: the end

I give up. It's not worth it to overcome the stonewalling techniques
rampant in business today. The latest in Sears responses to my problem
along with my response follow with no further comment.

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Dear Mr. Johnson,

I am aware of your frustration with this situation. I did not measure
the thickness of the knives, but I did contact our parts department and
they also verified that the blades are actual original blades, and not
manufactured replacements. Emerson originally manufactured the jointer
and the blades. When Emerson stopped producing these items for Sears, we
purchased all of the available accessories and parts. The difference in
thickness may be from wear and tear on the original blades. I believe
you compared the size to your original knives, which will reduce in size
through wear and through sharpening.

I have also had our asset protection department research the issue, thus
the unfortunate delay in my response. They did not find the blades to be
a risk to the operator. Your concern with the safety of this product is
certainly valid and appreciated, and your particular issue has allowed
the team to ensure that the product is safe for future customers.

I have reconsidered my prior offer for resolution and I have checked on
the cost of service and replacement parts. The replacement parts run
$131.49 for the cutter assembly and $94.99 for the infeed table for a
total of $226.48. The cost of a new 6 1/8" jointer is $229.99. It would
not be cost effective to replace the damaged parts. I have verified that
the jointer was most likely made in 1971. The machine has had a much
longer life than expected, which is wonderful. I would recommend
replacing the jointer you had, as it was a very high quality jointer.
The offer of 10% off of the purchase of a new jointer still stands if
you would once again like to purchase a quality Craftsman jointer, but
Sears will not be repairing or replacing your jointer.

Thanks,
Brian Boka
Sears Product Support & E-mail
Customer Direct Team Manager
515-440-5126

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Dear Mr. Boka,

With over 50 years of using and repairing machinery such as this
jointer, let me try one more time to educate you. The blades you sold
me are NOT original equipment. They do not bear the Craftsman logo and
part number. Plus they appear to be a different alloy. The
manufacturer is irrelevant except that the quality control is certainly
lacking. I compared the new knives to the originals only after
measuring the latter. As I noted in my original letter, they vary in
thickness by as much as .008" from one end of a given knife to the
other. This means that the wedges do not seat evenly which in turn
means that the center of mass of the cutter head is not the same as the
center of rotation. This produces vibration which, combined with the
uneven seating of the wedges, will cause the knives to be ejected. Wear
and sharpening affect only the width (from cutting edge to back).

As to having your legal (asset protection(!)) staff research this
problem, they are not about to admit any culpability. I would think
that they would, however, be interested in the problem simply based upon
the liability incurred by the lack of quality control. Imagine sharp
objects being flung out at speed had I not had the guard in place. But
then perhaps Sears feels that a large legal staff is more cost effective
than solving quality problems.

I have ordered a jointer from another manufacturer so I will not be
availing myself of your 10% offer. I now consider this matter closed.
Good luck.

Gg

"George"