"Free" 103.23900 Craftsman Jointer
You've probably heard the saying, "There's no such thing as a free puppy". In this case my "free puppy" is an older 6" craftsman jointer someone posted on Craigslist. I guess they were moving and didn't have the time or desire to take it with them.
Here's the catch, it was partially dis-assembled. I don't really know why, since it's in overall good shape, with some minor surface rust.
Here's a picture of it from when I got it home:
It's just sitting on the mobile stand (it's not actually bolted) and the out feed table is just resting on the base of the jointer (again no bolts).
I spent about 45-minutes or so sanding the rust off the top that night and it cleaned up pretty well. Washed off the WD-40 with mineral spirits and coated it with a lubricant and sealer to prevent rust.
Picture of fence and outfeed table on the ground:
I Took a look at the manual and took inventory of what was there and what was missing, and what needed replacing.
Missing parts:
- Nuts, washers, and a couple of bolts. I picked these up today, and was just under $10 at the hardware store.
- Blade Guard: I'm not sure what I'm going to do here, I want something to keep my hand or any foreign objects from hitting the blade
Questionable:
- The manual calls for a 3450 or 4400 rpm 3/4 HP motor. It looks to have been used with a 1/3 HP 1750 RPM motor with a larger 4" pully on the end (the manual calls for a 2"). So I'm debating whether or not to swap the motor with the one from my 4" jointer (3450 RPM) which I'll sell once I get this one up and running.
- Blades look to be a bit rusty, but a few test passes with some wood seems to indicate they are sharper than they appear. I may see if I can get them sharpened and order an extra set.
The awesome:
- It came with a green (Harbor freight) link belt.
Today, the first real inspection:
I lubed up some of the moving parts with some dry-lube and that helped free up the adjustment mechanism a bit, it wasn't bad before, but now it's really smooth. I figured if it was already partially dis-assembled I might as well try.
After a quick trip to the local hardware store, I spent some time today re-assembling the jointer.
I assembled everything, and got the tables roughly co-planar (I really need a longer straight edge to do this) and ran a scrap piece of poplar though it. The blades seemed sharp(er) than I though, and the whole thing ran very smoothly.
Now I know I'm good and the free puppy runs without any major mechanical concerns.
Current State:
Electrical:
It was wired with some 12 gauge flexible cord, which is good, but I didn't like the rust and sawdust in the electrical box. I also don't like the household switch, so I pulled all that apart.
Paint/rust:
As I mentioned earlier, the whole unit is in pretty good shape with some minor surface rust.
What's next:
- Order a new switch
- Swap out the motor (either a rebuilt or with the one from my current jointer)
- Order new blades
- Get the existing blades sharpened
- Clean up the rust, and carefully re-paint the body, stand.
- Enjoy my "free puppy".
What I've spent:
$8.11 for nuts, bolts, and washers ( I still need to get 4 nuts and 1 more bolt, probably another $1).
My next move, when I have time:
- Order a new paddle switch - estimate up to $20 +tax
- Carefully dis-assemble and remove as much rust as I can, wire brush & evaporarust sounds like a good option
- Prime & paint
You've probably heard the saying, "There's no such thing as a free puppy". In this case my "free puppy" is an older 6" craftsman jointer someone posted on Craigslist. I guess they were moving and didn't have the time or desire to take it with them.
Here's the catch, it was partially dis-assembled. I don't really know why, since it's in overall good shape, with some minor surface rust.
Here's a picture of it from when I got it home:
It's just sitting on the mobile stand (it's not actually bolted) and the out feed table is just resting on the base of the jointer (again no bolts).
I spent about 45-minutes or so sanding the rust off the top that night and it cleaned up pretty well. Washed off the WD-40 with mineral spirits and coated it with a lubricant and sealer to prevent rust.
Picture of fence and outfeed table on the ground:
I Took a look at the manual and took inventory of what was there and what was missing, and what needed replacing.
Missing parts:
- Nuts, washers, and a couple of bolts. I picked these up today, and was just under $10 at the hardware store.
- Blade Guard: I'm not sure what I'm going to do here, I want something to keep my hand or any foreign objects from hitting the blade
Questionable:
- The manual calls for a 3450 or 4400 rpm 3/4 HP motor. It looks to have been used with a 1/3 HP 1750 RPM motor with a larger 4" pully on the end (the manual calls for a 2"). So I'm debating whether or not to swap the motor with the one from my 4" jointer (3450 RPM) which I'll sell once I get this one up and running.
- Blades look to be a bit rusty, but a few test passes with some wood seems to indicate they are sharper than they appear. I may see if I can get them sharpened and order an extra set.
The awesome:
- It came with a green (Harbor freight) link belt.
Today, the first real inspection:
I lubed up some of the moving parts with some dry-lube and that helped free up the adjustment mechanism a bit, it wasn't bad before, but now it's really smooth. I figured if it was already partially dis-assembled I might as well try.
After a quick trip to the local hardware store, I spent some time today re-assembling the jointer.
I assembled everything, and got the tables roughly co-planar (I really need a longer straight edge to do this) and ran a scrap piece of poplar though it. The blades seemed sharp(er) than I though, and the whole thing ran very smoothly.
Now I know I'm good and the free puppy runs without any major mechanical concerns.
Current State:
Electrical:
It was wired with some 12 gauge flexible cord, which is good, but I didn't like the rust and sawdust in the electrical box. I also don't like the household switch, so I pulled all that apart.
Paint/rust:
As I mentioned earlier, the whole unit is in pretty good shape with some minor surface rust.
What's next:
- Order a new switch
- Swap out the motor (either a rebuilt or with the one from my current jointer)
- Order new blades
- Get the existing blades sharpened
- Clean up the rust, and carefully re-paint the body, stand.
- Enjoy my "free puppy".
What I've spent:
$8.11 for nuts, bolts, and washers ( I still need to get 4 nuts and 1 more bolt, probably another $1).
My next move, when I have time:
- Order a new paddle switch - estimate up to $20 +tax
- Carefully dis-assemble and remove as much rust as I can, wire brush & evaporarust sounds like a good option
- Prime & paint