# Jointer Refurbish



## PTIII (Feb 3, 2008)

*Refurbish Begins*










My father had acquired this old, apparently inoperable, Sprunger jointer when I was much younger. Over the years, I watched it continue to accumulate dust as it sat in the corner, never repaired to be used. My dad kind of got away from any woodworking since that time, but I've developed a stronger interest. I have made efforts to "economically" outfit a respectable shop, and in that vain, was able to negotiate this salvageable piece of equipment for my own use. It is a Sprunger Bros, Inc. jointer, model J6N, manufactured in Topeka, IN. I am still trying to understand when it may have been built. The serial number is 55427, which as near as I can tell, seems to indicate it was manufactured sometime in the 60s. If anyone can offer anymore information on it, I'm interested to learn.

At any rate, I thought it might be kind of fun to capture some of my efforts to refurbish this machine. So here is a picture of the machine on my bench before teardown. I am certainly open to comments, information, or other feedback.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

PTIII said:


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Have fun refurbishing this old tool. I like old tools, giving them a new life. I might suggest replacing the bearings while you have it apart. They might look good, they are relatively cheap. Looking forward to seeing the AFTER pictures. *BEST of LUCK !*


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## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

PTIII said:


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PTIII; 
Looks like a nicely made heavy model. As you ask for comments:
Its not really a family heirloom, so before taking a large amount of time cleaning all the grime and rust and doing a full refurb you might be well served to determine if it can be made operational at a decent cost. Questions you might ask yourself: Does it have a stand,belt, bracket and motor? Does the motor work/run smoothly? are the blades ok. Are they a size and condition that can be replaced/sharpened? Are there any missing/broken parts (like turn handles)? Can you get parts? Are the beds flat? Is the fence true (90 degrees to the beds across its length)? 
You could get into this with a bunch of time and effort, and still have a big chunk of change in it. DAMHIKT. 
That said, It is not my intent to discourage you. Many of the castings of yesteryear are far superior to those of today and given the right circumstance (and ability) you could end up with a great machine that would serve you a lifetime woodworking. I now am of the opinion that a successfull refurb of an old machine lies in gathering the details and making sound decisions up front (prior to getting started). 
Very much looking forward to seeing your progress if thats where your path leads you.


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## PTIII (Feb 3, 2008)

PTIII said:


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Thank you so much for your interest in my project.

I'm realizing now that there are a few points I forgot to mention, which I hope will address your concerns. With my background in mechanical and maintenance engineering, I can certainly appreciate evaluating the value of the rebuild prior to beginning. I was able to confirm that, after all, it really was operable. It just needed some "tweaking." The motor seems to run good, and all of the parts seem to be present. I plan to replace the stand that I got with it. The bearings were marginally OK, so I did purchase replacements. And as near as I can tell, it appears to be pretty straight and true. I currently have it completely disassembled, and am in the process of cleaning.

Thanks again for your interest and feedback. I hope you'll continue to check in on the progress, and provide other input.


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## levan (Mar 30, 2010)

PTIII said:


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I had never heard of this brand before, but it appears to be a quality machine. Amazed that a google search has so much info. Love that old iron. Thanks for sharing and best wishes.


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## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

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PTIII;
Sounds like you had you ducks in a row prior to starting. I am planning to keep up with your build as you progress (its in my LJ's watch list). Thanks for the reply.


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## ClayandNancy (Feb 22, 2010)

PTIII said:


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Refurbing old tools, I found is kind of fun. I bought an old Boice Crane 6" jointer on Ebay that needed some TLC. Took it apart cleaned it and reassembled it. It came with a crude plywood base in bad shape. Went back on Ebay and found another with the original base, the jointer is close to scrap but the base was still good. Works like a charm, only have $100 in it. I still look for old iron to rehab, good luck with yours.


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## PTIII (Feb 3, 2008)

*The Completed Body*










So it's been long enough, I thought I'd post an update, as insignificant as it may seem. Life with a 2 year old, on top of work, doesn't allow much time for this hobby.

I was able to disassemble the entire machine, and inspect everything closer. This is the main body of the unit, shown cleaned up, repainted, and the badge polished.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had purchased replacement bearings for the machine. Since then, I received the bearings, and had them installed, only to find out they were slightly off (though not by much). After further investigation, I learned that the OEM bearing number has since been discontinued. I did find a suitable replacement bearing, finally, and have now been able to reinstall the cutter head.

Work now continues to clean the tables and prep them for painting.

I know, not much. But if nothing else, I made a commitment to myself to somewhat document this process. At the current rate, maybe we'll see a completed machine in the next 12 years.

To be fair, though, I have been able to work on some other projects as well. That's the start of my router table for my new router cabinet in the background. If I may, pictures wouldn't do that top justice. It's not yet completed either, but there are subtle details (purely cosmetic) in that top that I just don't think could be captured in a photo. I am pretty proud of it so far. Hopefully I don't screw it up putting in the miter tracks and such now (*knock on wood*). I plan for that router cabinet to be my next project post.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

PTIII said:


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Don't appologize for life getting in the way of living! Besides, in today's jargon, you've been multitasking. You have found your bearings (pun intended) and are moving forward.

Don't rush, that is when mistakes happen, plus…I'll have to wake up from my nap early to see your progress. Lol.

BTW: Progress looks great, on both the jointer and router table!


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

PTIII said:


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PTIII, That looks great! Is that rustoleum hammered paint? You are will on your way. Good luck and keep us posted. i have had a Sprunger jointer in my garage for three years waiting to be rehabbed. You are giving me some inspiration!


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

PTIII said:


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Looks good!


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## PTIII (Feb 3, 2008)

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Dwain, yes that is Rustoleum hammered paint. I figured it was inexpensive way to give a somewhat original "industrial" look to the machine.

Thanks all for looking. I'm getting ready to post a new entry with pics of the "finished" product.


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## RibsBrisket4me (Jul 17, 2011)

PTIII said:


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Thumbs up!


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## PTIII (Feb 3, 2008)

*Basically Finished*




























Well, so this blog has not turned out as interesting as I had hoped. There's just not that much exciting about degreasing, "polishing", and painting. I suppose I expected more hurdles along the way, however I'd say that all-in-all I got pretty lucky by having a pretty solid machine to begin with.

Here are some pictures of the "final" product. My only real hesitation is that now I need to figure something out for the stand. I have plenty of options, I just need to decide which path to take.

If I may, as I've said before, I'm afraid these pictures don't quite do this machine justice. They make it look like the fence is still rusty, but I assure you that quite a bit of effort has gone into making the bed tops and fence shine. You can kind of see the reflection of the cutterhead guard in the fence.

As always, your questions and feedback are welcome. Thanks again for looking.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

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I have an extra stand. I'll even let you come over to my shop to use YOUR jointer!

It's great to see "old Iron" brought back to life. Great job!


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

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Looks great from here. Very nice looking machine.


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## RibsBrisket4me (Jul 17, 2011)

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Fabulous job. Keep going with the blog progress!


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## 559dustdesigns (Sep 23, 2009)

PTIII said:


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Nice job man. 
I have a restoration project that I need to get back to. 
This wonderful machine makes me want to start working on it again. 
Some day I hope to have a working machine again. 
I also hope it turns out half as nice as your jointer. 
Thanks for sharing.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

PTIII said:


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I appreciate how much time and effort goes into refurbing those old machines, im almost at the point of putting some paint on my rockwell 37-220 that im refurbishing. Youve done a great job on this one. Im sure like myself, you cant wait to hear it fire up and toss some shavings.

What did you use to polish those plates? Mine are pretty shabby looking.


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## KJL (May 11, 2017)

PTIII said:


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Sorry to resurrect the dead (in terms of the age of this), but last weekend, I came into possession of one of these jointers (as well as a Sprunger 9" table saw and a "Buffalo" drill press) that all belonged to my great grandfather. Any tips you have for me in terms of refurbishing this beast would be greatly appreciated. Yours looks fantastic. Great job!


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## PTIII (Feb 3, 2008)

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Wow! I've about forgotten about this project. It was fun one, but since this project I found my way to a new home with less project space, so this jointer had to its way to a new home.

Some basics from this overhaul:

I used some ScotchBrite pads to clean up the rust on the bed and fence. Every now and then a shot of brake cleaner to help move things along. I didn't want to use anything to abrasive for fear of messing with the flatness of the bed.

I used a wire wheel chucked up in a drill to clean up the old paint on the cast body. After cleaning everything thoroughly, the hammered finish paint by Rustoleum offers a little more of a vintage look.

Replacement bearings for the cutterhead were easily found online. They were standard bearings available from many sources. Not necessary to purchase from OEM. Just collect a few measurements, and a replacement can be found readily.

Nothing complicated really. But nothing quick and easy. Just some time and patience.

Thanks for looking.


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