Delta jointer cleanup (and gloat?)

I've been watching for a deal on a decent used jointer to upgrade my current 4" 1950s Shopmaster. Last week I found this Delta JT-360 6" jointer on my local Craigslist for $130, complete with mobile base and push blocks. 4 years old, previous owner said he only used it twice. Unfortunately he ignored the top, so I had to remove some light rust over the weekend. It still has a few stains but cleaned up pretty well. After making some adjustments to the fence and tables, I'm pleased. Coplaner and parallel, and runs smooth. Yes, an 8-inch would be nice, but I don't have the money or any extra room in my small shop. Hopefully this will last me awhile.

Don't you love it when you score a hit on C/L?

What proceedure do you use on that top?

John

That's right, patience can sure pay off. I scraped the top with razor blades, soaked it in WD-40 and scrubbed with a green scotch-brite pad. Repeated this a few times, then used a gray 3M synthetic steel wool pad with Barkeeper's Friend (mixed with water to form a paste). To remove the oil and residue I used diluted Mr. Clean and rinsed with water. Then I tried to polish it up with wet/dry sandpaper (150-220-300-400 grit) and finished it up with a coat of Johnson's paste wax.

Nice score Shawn. Looks like you've got that puppy in tip top shape now..

At risk of sending my thread into a tangent, in the first picture you can see a pin protruding from the top to the right of the cutterhead. This pin acts as a stop for the guard, and it did not seem to be removable. I've heard you can joint wider boards by removing the guard, but to do so it seems I would also need to cut off this pin. Am I correct? Has anyone done that?

Not sure about the pin, but you can remove the guard, move the fence forward (and possible install the guard behind the fence) and cut rabbets.

John

After a closer look, the fence support covers the cutters when the fence is moved in. I had an older version of that jointer. It didn't have that pin. The guard would just swing up against the fence. My 8" Jet works the same way.

John

It's always a nice score 'n gloat when you can find an upgrade that will fit the situation at a reasonable price, and especially when it is within cost and timewise driving range, (which almost never happens where I live). A little tip I might give is while you are browsing CL or at garage sales, keep your eyes open for an old combination inline/orbital sander for 5 or 10 bucks. I have an old craftsman that I have dedicated to only using to clean rust and gunk from CI tops using WD 40 and a green or Maroon pad (after the razor blades of course). It sure saves a lot of time and wear on the arms and hands. I just leave some coarse sandpaper on the sander and then set it down on top of the 3 M pad and apply a little pressure and it works great.

Have you looked under the bottom of the piece the pin is in for a nut in that location? If there is no nut under there, and no flats or screwdriver slot, it must be pressed in, but with effort, a few sharp raps down on the top of the pin and some heavy vice grips it might come loose by twisting it unless they put locktite in the hole when they pressed it in, and then you would need to heat it to make that release. I doubt that Delta would go to the trouble of adding the locktite though.

Nice score from CL. You dertainly did that cleaned up exremely well. As far as the dowel pin goes, you have a extension area for rabbiting so... that thing has to be removable with out a lot of hassel. some on said look underneith for a nut or an area to use a pin punch. No luck there maybe its a stud that threads in. in that case a stud puller and be found @ Sears fairly cheap. last suggestion would be a stud puller. It resemble a small slide hammer with different sized collets a sliding wedge type collar to tighten the collet. OTC or Blackhawk should sell one. the link is to the very first one I found on line, its way to pricey. http://www.cylinderheadsupply.com/kl1575.html

Dave

Nice cleanup, looks brand new!

Slick little Gloat, Shawn! Quite a step up from a 4" machine. I think you will find ripping stock wider than 6" and regluing after jointing it flat and straight will serve you better than trying to joint wider pieces in two passes. The surfaces rarely come out exactly the same and require further preparation.

I "suffered" along for 20 years with a 6" jointer and it served me well! Even with an 8" jointer, there is always that 9" OR 10" board that is just out of reach. A guy must know "when to say when!" and be thankful for what he has--not what he wishes he had.

OK you can wipe the smile off now. Great score and super job on cleanup. I had a 6", went to an 8" and happy I did, but that was just tooooo good a deal to pass up. You'll get many years of good use that that puppy, lots more than what you paid for.