What's new
What's new

Different kind of holder for dial indicator

danglin

Plastic
Joined
Dec 25, 2016
I have a 16 inch combination jointer planer by Hammer, the A3 41 that has been difficult for me to set up. It has the Silent Power spiral cutter block, not the 3 knife setup. I have a quality dial indicator and base (Mitutoya and Noga heavy duty), but have had issues getting the tables coplanar. The tables lift up and there are adjustments at the rear hinge. I am wondering if having a longer-based holder for the dial indicator would help with setup, but I haven't found one that looks like the one in the Hammer/Felder literature (see attached) It might be a shop made device. I could try to make one out of wood and use my slotted-back dial indicator to help with front to back assessments of calibrations. I don't have a welder to make the one in the picture. ? any thoughts?

Thanks
David
Austin, TexasDial indicator holder.jpgDial indicator holder.jpg
 
I have a 16 inch combination jointer planer by Hammer, the A3 41 that has been difficult for me to set up. It has the Silent Power spiral cutter block, not the 3 knife setup. I have a quality dial indicator and base (Mitutoya and Noga heavy duty), but have had issues getting the tables coplanar. The tables lift up and there are adjustments at the rear hinge. I am wondering if having a longer-based holder for the dial indicator would help with setup, but I haven't found one that looks like the one in the Hammer/Felder literature (see attached) It might be a shop made device. I could try to make one out of wood and use my slotted-back dial indicator to help with front to back assessments of calibrations. I don't have a welder to make the one in the picture. ? any thoughts?

Thanks
David
Austin, TexasView attachment 187045View attachment 187045

If you want a longer base just use a mag base and attach it to a long piece of ground square stock, If you want long reach get a surface gage with a long stem. That base from hammer seems like a gimmick.

dee
;-D
 
I have a 16 inch combination jointer planer by Hammer, the A3 41 that has been difficult for me to set up. It has the Silent Power spiral cutter block, not the 3 knife setup. I have a quality dial indicator and base (Mitutoya and Noga heavy duty), but have had issues getting the tables coplanar. The tables lift up and there are adjustments at the rear hinge. I am wondering if having a longer-based holder for the dial indicator would help with setup, but I haven't found one that looks like the one in the Hammer/Felder literature (see attached) It might be a shop made device. I could try to make one out of wood and use my slotted-back dial indicator to help with front to back assessments of calibrations. I don't have a welder to make the one in the picture. ? any thoughts?

Thanks
David
Austin, TexasView attachment 187045View attachment 187045
.
.
take a magnetic base and unscrew rod going into magnetic. screw rod into a tapped hole in a block of metal. if block of metal bottom is not flat mill center so it does not rock
.
magnetic base swivel rods will hold indicator and allow adjustment. i used swivel rods to make dozens of indicating tools in the past.
.
Starrett swivel rods are usually 1/4-20 thread. other brands are often metric thread. of coarse turning down a piece of drill rod and threading the end is a easy 5 minute job
 
I've set up hundreds of jointers and use a straight edge. I have only use an indicator to make the outfeed table parallel with the cutter head then set the infeed table parallel with a straight edge. Make sure your outfeed table is even with the cutting circle of the knives.
 
I've set up hundreds of jointers and use a straight edge. I have only use an indicator to make the outfeed table parallel with the cutter head then set the infeed table parallel with a straight edge. Make sure your outfeed table is even with the cutting circle of the knives.

What part of the cutterhead is being referred to here, when you mention the outfeed table is to be parallel with the cutterhead.

Also, what is meant by making sure the outfeed table is even with the cutting circle of the knives?
 
What part of the cutterhead is being referred to here, when you mention the outfeed table is to be parallel with the cutterhead.

Also, what is meant by making sure the outfeed table is even with the cutting circle of the knives?


The cutter head axial axis must be parallel to the plane of the tables.
The cutting circle is the arc formed by the edge of the knives.

I am not familiar with the hinging mechanism on the fold away tables of the combo machines.

As far as setting up a regular jointer, I use a straight jointed piece of hardwood about 2' long 4" wide and an inch thick. Set it on the inch thick side, on the outfeed table with the end aligned with the end of the infeed table. Turn the cutterhead by hand till the knives pick up the board and move it toward the infeed table. It will stop moving as the knife drops below the outfeed table plane. Draw a pencil line on the infeed table where the board stops. Repeat this across the cutterhead width. If the cutterhead is parallel with the outfeed table, the pencil lines will be the same distance from the end of the infeed table across the width.


After the outfeed table is parallel with the cutterhead, use a straight edge and get the tables co-planar, using whatever mechanism Hammer has for this.

Finally set the outfeed table height-set up the jointer for small cut. take a inch long cut on the end of the straight board, on the edge, and make a hard deep pencil mark on it. Flip the board end for end and take a full length cut. If the tables are co-planar and the outfeed height is correct, half the pencil line will remain.
If the mark is cut away, the outfeed is too low.
If the mark is untouched , and there is a little bump there, the outfeed table is too high.

In forty years of woodworking, I have found this much faster and easier than using indicators. A benefit is it measures what the tool is actually cutting, not what it "ought" to cut based on measurements.
 
stoneaxe;3753134 As far as setting up a regular jointer said:
If the pencil lines are not the same distance from the end of the infeed table across the width of the cutterhead, what is adjusted, the knives?

I have no tilt adjustment on my jointer table, nor the cutterhead, so I assume the only thing to adjust would be the in/out adjustment of the knives?

Thank you
 
If the pencil lines are not the same distance from the end of the infeed table across the width of the cutterhead, what is adjusted, the knives?

I have no tilt adjustment on my jointer table, nor the cutterhead, so I assume the only thing to adjust would be the in/out adjustment of the knives?

Thank you

The silent power cutterhead uses a insert carbide knife- no adjustment on this type.

To back up to the start -the first question I did not ask-what is the symptom on the cut?You stated the issue was in getting the tables aligned one with the other? How was this determined?


As far as the pencil line goes, try several different points on the cutterhead rotation, at each place you check- left right and center would be enough. Remember the height difference is magnified by the rotation- (somebody smarter than me could calculate this) Don't worry about the marks that are short-and don't look for a perfect straight line either- if you can get a row of marks that is around 1/8" difference for all the "long' ones (farthest from the table edge, hence, the "high" knives, it will be fine. Only the high knife cuts.


And remember- in the end, the cut on the wood is what matters-I have watched guys get hung up for days with dial indicators trying to align a planer or jointer to .001" when the the work is simply not nearly that close.
 
+1 for Stoneaxe's advice, that's pretty much what I've done. Every shop should have a 4' Starrett straight edge, well worth the cost. But then I got a jointer with a Shelix head, and the insert heads have to be parallel with the outfeed table, as the knives are fixed.

I'd start by checking that alignment, and I'd want it to be dead nuts, so I'd use a dial indicator. The mag bases are too short to be stable, so I'd stick it on a larger flat piece of steel, or use a surface gauge base. You need to check at top dead center, lucky for you the Felder heads are cylindrical, much more difficult with the shelix. If it's good, then yo could check the infeed with the same set up. If it's out, it sounds like there is no provision for adjustment, so if Felder didn't get it right, I'd be on the phone to them. Did you buy it new from them?

On my used Powermatic jointer I shimmed one of the bearing blocks, very easy. Not sure that would be possible or advisable with the combo machine.
 








 
Back
Top