Hey all,
Took delivery of the G0500 8" jointer this weekend. Got it set up,
but I have to wire in the 220 this week, so It's not yet been fired
up. My question is how do I check for things like infeed table sag,
flatness, etc?? I hear people say "its flat to within .003 over the
table length" etc but I don't know how to measure that. I have a dial
indicator with magnetic base, a couple engineers squares, and a dial
caliper. Any info on how to check these specs would be much
appreciated. I am a newbie to jointers so don't hold back any
'obvious' info I should already know. Thanks in advance!
Thoughts so far:
- Packing crate holding the top/tables was not good. 1/4" particle
board with some 2x2s to hold the corners together. Bottom middle of
the crate was falling apart. It would have been nice to carry it by
the crate ends, but the jointer would have tore the crate in half if
we tried that. Had to cut a long plywood platform to carry it on. Not
a big deal. Anyways, the inner packing of the crate was still in good
shape and the machine seemed to be well intact.
- The top is indeed very heavy, but it was not difficult to move for 2
guys. Less of a problem than I thought it would be. We had to go down
a flight of stairs. For anyone worried about moving this as I was :
don't be.
- Assembly was simple, but the step where you loosen the motor
mounting plate bolts was a bear, because you can barely get any
leverage between the plate and the floor. Hardly any wrench travel
space and your arm crammed under the machine. Plus the bolts are VERY
tightly torqued from the factory, so the initial 'crack' of the bolt
was not easy. UGH.
- The finish of the paint and cast iron surfaces looks top notch. Not
a scratch on it. The tables appear to be perfectly aligned, and the
fence 90 stop is right on.
- The machine is very beefy and does indeed feel like a battleship as
someone mentioned. Now looking at 6" jointers in the store they look
tiny. Although with it pushed up against the wall, its not going to be
as overwhelmign as I was worried it would be.
Thanks for any setup info/hints you can muster, and I'll post again
after I get it plugged in and cutting wood. I apperciate all the
advice I received leading up to my decision to get this machine. I
think it will serve me well for a long time.
-Rob
Joint some boards and see if they are flat (no gap joints etc.)
Montyhp
"rob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hey all,
> Took delivery of the G0500 8" jointer this weekend. Got it set up,
> but I have to wire in the 220 this week, so It's not yet been fired
> up. My question is how do I check for things like infeed table sag,
> flatness, etc?? I hear people say "its flat to within .003 over the
> table length" etc but I don't know how to measure that. I have a dial
> indicator with magnetic base, a couple engineers squares, and a dial
> caliper. Any info on how to check these specs would be much
> appreciated. I am a newbie to jointers so don't hold back any
> 'obvious' info I should already know. Thanks in advance!
>
> Thoughts so far:
> - Packing crate holding the top/tables was not good. 1/4" particle
> board with some 2x2s to hold the corners together. Bottom middle of
> the crate was falling apart. It would have been nice to carry it by
> the crate ends, but the jointer would have tore the crate in half if
> we tried that. Had to cut a long plywood platform to carry it on. Not
> a big deal. Anyways, the inner packing of the crate was still in good
> shape and the machine seemed to be well intact.
>
> - The top is indeed very heavy, but it was not difficult to move for 2
> guys. Less of a problem than I thought it would be. We had to go down
> a flight of stairs. For anyone worried about moving this as I was :
> don't be.
>
> - Assembly was simple, but the step where you loosen the motor
> mounting plate bolts was a bear, because you can barely get any
> leverage between the plate and the floor. Hardly any wrench travel
> space and your arm crammed under the machine. Plus the bolts are VERY
> tightly torqued from the factory, so the initial 'crack' of the bolt
> was not easy. UGH.
>
> - The finish of the paint and cast iron surfaces looks top notch. Not
> a scratch on it. The tables appear to be perfectly aligned, and the
> fence 90 stop is right on.
>
> - The machine is very beefy and does indeed feel like a battleship as
> someone mentioned. Now looking at 6" jointers in the store they look
> tiny. Although with it pushed up against the wall, its not going to be
> as overwhelmign as I was worried it would be.
>
> Thanks for any setup info/hints you can muster, and I'll post again
> after I get it plugged in and cutting wood. I apperciate all the
> advice I received leading up to my decision to get this machine. I
> think it will serve me well for a long time.
>
> -Rob
Rob wrote:> My question is how do I check for things like infeed table sag,
>flatness, etc?? I hear people say "its flat to within .003 over the
>table length" etc but I don't know how to measure that. I have a dial
>indicator with magnetic base, a couple engineers squares, and a dial
>caliper. Any info
Make a set of master bars. Much cheaper than a decent straightedge, and very
accurate. Then use feeler gauges to measure. Don't know about master bars? Get
the book "Care and repair of shop machines" by John White. Excellent info
there. Tom
Someday, it'll all be over....