While working today, my jointer was accidentally knocked over. As a result, I now have a crack adjacent to the dovetail ways in the outfeed table, with a small piece broken off. I've got it apart and there are several pictures of the area below. The crack/break is right in the area of the gib set screws so if I do have it welded the repair will need to be strong enough to handle whatever stress tightening the set screws may cause.
Assuming I could find someone experienced at welding cast iron, is this repair advisable? If so, how should I go about finding someone to do the welding. What questions should I ask before I have it done?
I can replace the outfeed table for about $125. I'm not sure what the weld will cost. Right now I'm leaning towards replacing it anyway with an eight inch jointer and then selling the repaired 6 inch (Rigid) jointer. I'm not sure what a welding job like this would run so I'd also have to weigh the cost of welding vs. replacement.
Any comments or suggestions greatly appreciated.
Mark