Jointer cutter guard problem.

Yes plywood will work very well. Just look at some common jointer guard designs and you can come up with a good shape to cut out. I am also a CNC machinist, so if you make a metal guard, I highly recommend aluminum. I don’t know why manufacturers use steel, because if perchance the guard was pressed downward into the spinning cutterhead, it could ruin the knives. Aluminum will not ruin the knives as it is soft enough to be machined with most woodworking equipment. If you don’t know metalworking, don’t try to make your own from ANY metal. It’s can become too much hassle, expense, and disappointment if it doesn’t work out. And I wouldn’t call hiring a machinist very economical, unless you’re good friends with one or have access to metalworking tools.

I’d personally start with plywood. Paint it a bright color like red or orange like the manufacturers do so you know to ‘KEEP YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM HERE’.

Hope this helps. I have an old Power King 4.25” jointer. PM me if you want some pictures or rough measurements of my guard (it’s the original steel one).

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

I have several old craftsman power tools from the 70s and 80s. Sears still makes a lot of the parts for my tools. What model number are you using?

Hi Alex and thanks for the reply. I would love those dimensions and a pic if would do that for me. I was a boilermaker for 30 years so I have the experience to do the metal fabricating and might have enough pieces of aluminum around the house to build one. It wouldn’t be precision but I think it might work. I have plenty of plywood though, 3/4” mostly. Where the spring would go is offset about an inch below the table bed. That is a concern too. I will need a good way to connect and put tension on some sort of wire coil spring.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Hi cmaeda, glad to hear from you. I don’t know what year this is but the model number is 103.0502. I emailed Sears and they said they no longer carry the parts for that model. I would think they would have something that would work.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Here is a pictures of my “new” jointer.http://s526.photobucket.com/albums/cc341/conbillb/?action=view&current=Sept102008pics199.jpghttp://s526.photobucket.com/albums/cc341/conbillb/?action=view&current=Sept102008pics201.jpg Maybe someone has some ideas? It looks like Sears isn’t going to be able to help me. Thanks

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

You probably already checked OWWM, but if you haven’t, and this is the jointer:

Then there’s some info, and another owner, at OWWM

Good luck.

I would make one that is the Euro style and clamp it to my fence that way I would not have to deal with the spring loaded porkchop

-- Chris

That probably is old if Sears doesn’t carry the parts anymore. A have seen a few jointers with a wood cutter guard. I’m not sure it was plywood but I’m sure plywood would work. It should be fairly easy to make.

Hi Brett. WoW! Thats the first time I’ve been to that site. So this is a old pre-WW2 Craftsman made by King-Seely and built like a tank. I never noticed the slot for a guard on the other side of the fence but its there. A jointer with 2 guards, never seen that before! Excellent information and a couple of leads I might be able to follow up. Thanks a bunch.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Hi Chris. Thanks. Less to deal with the better but I’m afraid I don’t know what to use as a pattern. Do you have a link or a sketch?

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Bill… Let me look around. It seems to me I saw where someone had posted a how-to on the subject.

-- Chris

Thanks Chris. I’ve been looking online but not having any luck. Might have to wing it.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

Hey Chris, I think you had a good idea on making a euro style guard. After I did a search on Google and found some pictures the ideas started to materialize. Let me try and post some pics of what I came up with…http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc341/conbillb/PanasonicLumixFZ8camerapics011.jpg Thanks.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa

If that didn’t post, try this…http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc341/conbillb/PanasonicLumixFZ8camerapics014.jpg I want to thank alanealane too (Alex) for his input. Cmaeda and Brett also. Thanks, a little brainstorming, a little scrap and a little welding did the trick.

-- Bill, S.E. Iowa