I'm with David. I set the knives so when I rotate the head back and forth, the rule moves the same distance no matter where I put it on the knives. I try to make that distance 1/8".
Contributor
I'm with David. I set the knives so when I rotate the head back and forth, the rule moves the same distance no matter where I put it on the knives. I try to make that distance 1/8".
Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night
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Reid - You've recieve alot of good suggestions so far but I'd like to just make a quick suggestion. You may well have something out of adjustment with the tool but before spending another couple hours checking adjustments on it, set aside you big panel, find a fairly stright board, one that may not even need jointing and run it across on one of the wide faces. Use that face to get a 90 on one of the narrow faces. Check the board to see if it's getting jointed correctly. This may well tell you if it's the machine or your technique. It's a fast test.
Contributor
There ought to be a sticky for this subject.
Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night
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I had a Magna Set,and found it to be useless. As soon as you start to tighten down the screws to lock the blades in,the magnets can't hold the blades any longer,and they break loose from the Magna Set. I use the method described above by another poster who uses a stick. Now I use Dispoz A Blade,and setting the knives is VERY quick and VERY easy. It is sold by Grizzly and is well worth investing in.
Contributor
After all the adjustments are done, and David is right, all you need is a good steel ruler. I have used several aids, the ruler works just as well, then technique plays just as important role. Bad body positioning, non-uniform pressure will give you an uneven board or edge, it's not just the tables or the knives. I got bit in the back side by technique a couple times before I realized, the machine was fine...it was me!
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Reid,
Might be as simple as your board is bowed a bit and will need a few passes until your cutting the whole length.
As much as wood moves after it is "dry" and "finished", I'm continually surprised at the effort that people put into set-ups to the thousandths of an inch. I have a friend who is a machinist, and he just scratches his head and laughs when I tell him about this calibration obsession. "This is wood, not metal, and these are not aircraft parts," he said.
I have another friend who is a long-time cabinetmaker, and although he is careful to detail and does fine, high-end work, he stops setting up at a certain point after which it is good enough and will not matter to the finished piece.
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