Need to change knives in my jointer...

[Michael Donahue]

Hey folks. I've been running my Ridgid 6" jointer for a while now and it's finally time for new knives. I can't find the accessories that came with it though, so I don't have any wrenches or anything. Can you give me any alternatives? Is it possible to get the parts from Ridgid if another wrench won't work?

Thanks!

[Jim Watts]

So what'd they tell you at the Borg? Google "Ridgid jointer parts" or "Ridgid jointer tools", maybe?

[David Christopher]

no need for smart comments....Michael, I dont have the ridgid jointer but for the one I have I just use allen whenches...

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Amazon has replacement blades. Easy to change. A Jointer Buddy helps a lot. Just magnets that hold the blade up until you lock it down. Be careful, the blades are held in with regular bolts, that screw into the carrier, IIRC. So, "tightening" the bolt, screws it into the carrier, which loosens it so you can remove the carrier. I can't remember if that was on my old Delta which I gave away, or the new Ridgid, which I tried to joint a staple. Just take it easy on the first bolt. If it's getting harder, you're going the wrong way. 7/16 or 3/8" bolt. No special tools. Except the Jointer Buddy.

Which painfully reminds me, why do the Borgs use a STAPLE to put that bar code on? How retarded is that. I thought I got all of the staples, but the jointer found one. Sorry for the rant...

[phil harold]

no need for smart comments...

I dont want to sound pesky but people do need to search these simple questions in google first or go to the manufacture website

google "rigid 6 inch jointer parts list"

http://www.ridgid.com/ASSETS/D3BD143..._393_R_eng.pdf


look at items
42 813317-6 * HEX WRENCH (L 3mm)
43 821202 WRENCH BOX (M8/M10)

low and behold it is metric...


I dont mind helping people
but
people need to help themselves first

[Myk Rian]

Which painfully reminds me, why do the Borgs use a STAPLE to put that bar code on? How retarded is that. I thought I got all of the staples, but the jointer found one. Sorry for the rant...

Metal detector!!! $20 at Harbor Freight.

[Alex Berkovsky]

Michael,
Another option is to go to a spiral cutterhead; that's what I am doing with my Ridgid 6" jointer.

[David Schmaus]

Then don't reply.. You add ZERO value.. BYW Happy holidays....

I dont want to sound pesky but people do need to search these simple questions in google first or go to the manufacture website

google "rigid 6 inch jointer parts list"

http://www.ridgid.com/ASSETS/D3BD143..._393_R_eng.pdf


look at items
42 813317-6 * HEX WRENCH (L 3mm)
43 821202 WRENCH BOX (M8/M10)

low and behold it is metric...


I dont mind helping people
but
people need to help themselves first

[Harold Burrell]

So what'd they tell you at the Borg? Google "Ridgid jointer parts" or "Ridgid jointer tools", maybe?

I dont want to sound pesky but people do need to search these simple questions in google first or go to the manufacture website

Yeah...maybe...

But some of us actually would rather interact with people of common interests than "google".

[Jim Watts]

...ZERO value...

ZERO value? His is the only post, including my admittedly "smart remark", to actually answer the OPs question. He just happened to restate my position with less ambiguous verbiage.

[Dean Karavite]

Hey Michael,

I had my first ever jointer blade experience a few weeks ago on a General 6" I purchased used. I didn't get it right the first time, but this article helped (and the little magnetic tool - link below) and it is humming along now very well. I imagine the Rigid is similar. The knives are held in by a number of bolts (4 per blade on mine - yes metric). Once loosened with a box wrench the blades pop out - there are two small springs underneath each blade. The goal is to put in the new blades and have them level with your outfeed table - the springs supply the upward pressure and the jig keeps the blade even with your outfeed table while you tighten up the bolts. Where I made my first mistake was in not quite getting the head turned to top dead center (TDC) and/or holding it there. Just being off a little is enough. I ended up using small clamps on the drive belt to "lock" each blade at TDC when I installed/adjusted each. Once I "achieved TDC" it was smooth going. Hope this makes sense - it will once you start working on it. P.S. New knives are very very sharp.

Here is the link: http://modernwoodshop.com/2008/02/28...y-well-almost/

P.P.S. Take the time to remove and clean out each holder. I used bit cleaner on mine.

[John McClanahan]

Thanks for your reply, Dean. I need to change the knives on my old Rockwell jointer for the first time. I'm not sure how to find TDC 3 times, for the 3 knives. Not sure if I should ask here, or ask Google!

John

[David DeCristoforo]

This thread has got me thinking. There have been so many times when someone has asked a similar question and my first thought is to smack myself in the head and think how easy it would be for the poster to find the needed information by performing a simple internet search. And then I do so myself and immediately come up with the answer. Then I am tempted to "dis" the OP because he or she did not think to do this themselves. In fact, this posting seemed so "unworthy" of my time that I didn't even bother to reply to it. But then, after reading Jim's comment, pointing out that Phil's reply, while possibly not as gracious as it could have been, did in fact answer the OP's question. With that in mind, here are a few of my thoughts FWIW:

1) No one is asking anyone to give their time, energy or advice. Those who respond to posts are doing so of their own volition. There is no prerequisite to being a member of this or any other online community that obligates one to ever reply to a post.

2) I'll bet everyone on this forum has, at one time or another, asked a question that at least one other member has thought to be trivial, silly or downright dumb. And I'll also bet that everyone on this forum has, at one time or another, offered less than perfect advice.

3) I am hard pressed to find a single post to which there are not "conflicting" opinions in the replies. It would behove all of us to remember that there is rarely one "right way" to accomplish a given task. There may be "better" ways or "more efficient" ways, but even these are subjective because what is well within one person's comfort zone might easily be completely out of another's.

4) I always used to tell my employees that the one thing they could not bring into the workplace was their ego. It was OK for them to have one but they needed to "leave it at the door" when they entered the shop. I always wanted to leave room for ideas to be exchanged and ego simply interfered with that process. Many times the "old hands" were surprised by the occasional stroke of brilliance displayed by an employee of much lesser "stature". In the context of this forum, the fact that one person's suggested method is different from another's should not be seen as a challenge but simply as an alternative.

5) There is no better application of "thought #4" than in discussions about which tool is "the best". We have all heard that one man's #$%^ is another man's shoe polish and that goes double here. We tend to become "wedded" to certain brands or specific tools and human nature often discourages any willingness to hear bad words spoken about things we have already invested in. One guy loves Brand XYZ for whatever reasons. But the next guy's experience with that brand may be completely different and so will his opinion. We need to remember that these are not "axioms", they are "opinions" and opinions are always subjective. I think it is important for someone to be able to say "I think such and such a tool is a piece of crap." without having to worry about someone else hammering him even though they may completely disagree.

6) I have really enjoyed being a member of this community. Woodworking can be a isolating occupation and it is really nice to have somewhere to go to "talk shop". I think the moderators do an admirable job of keeping things civil. But even so, it's easy to get on a "high horse" without even realizing it.

7) We all need to remember that communicating by the written word alone can be extremely difficult. A comment may be read as blunt or aggressive when the writer had a smile on his face the whole time and assumed that the humor would telegraph through. This is often not the case. Trust me... I know about this one!

Peace....

Wherever the pronouns he, him or his are used, feel free to substitute her, she or hers. The lack of non-gender singular pronouns are a serious shortcoming of the English language.

[Dean Karavite]

Hey John, I think you can read about this from Google searches all day, I sure did! It helped, but you'll figure it out best when you do it. If I could do it, you could do it and there are plenty of experienced people here to help. Again, to me the big secret was kind of glossed over in many of the articles was truly getting TDC and locking it in. Fine Woodworking has a video and though he doesn't talk about locking it in at TDC if you watch it, you will notice he has some shims jammed in the head. The jig from Woodcraft and the article I linked to in the previous post suggest marking your fence at TDC then lining things up. This didn't work for me - it was easier for me to take the fence off, move the head back and forth with a flat board on edge and then I could really see where TDC was. Once I had this "system" it took me about 30 minutes. I may be wrong in this approach or it may not work for others, but the results are hard to argue with - my jointer is working perfectly.

[Dean Karavite]

Great thoughts David. Just the other day I was thinking how this forum is so much more civil than any other forum I have ever used and I have used a lot - from woodworking to computers, audio, work related, software... you name it. Part of this may be using our real names, but I think the real reason is we all are in a hobby (or work) that we really enjoy and enjoy talking about endlessly. It is the nature of someone obsessed with an interest or hobby to talk repeatedly about it. I have been helped here by many many smart and experienced people. Some times with dumb questions, others not. If I can offer advice from my own experience, then I suppose I am passing along the help I have received from others.

As for Google I have an advanced degree in information science and have spent a great deal of my life studying search processes. Most searches are not a one shot deal such as, "What is the part number for Rigid jointer knives?" In many search situations the more we search, the more we learn about what we don't know/need to know and as this occurs our search evolves. From buying your next band saw to finding a new job, these types of dynamic searches are something we all do all the time. In the old days the person trained to guide this search process was called a "librarian" (you can google this to learn more about it!). Google can support this type of thing to a certain degree, but it lacks indicators of expertise, legitimacy or authority. That might just be important when it comes to blades spinning at thousands of RPMs. By contrast, this forum is, in effect, managed by hundreds or even thousands of "wood working reference librarians." So, Michael seemed to have submitted what seemed like a "one shot" search on jointer knives, but maybe he and others on the forum need more detailed information including adjusting the blades, table alignment and more.

I would argue that the quality of SMC results for this type of search are superior to Google or any other source. In fact, many of my Google searches on woodworking topics return SMC posts as a result!

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