# Jointer head speed - old Delta 4"



## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Quite some time ago I acquired an "old arn" Delta Homecraft 4" jointer, 3-blade (believe 37-290). Cleaned it up and put back together. Now need to make a better cabinet for it. Driving it is an equally old, if not older, Century 1.5hp, 115/230/1PH 1750 motor. The motor pulley is 6 inch and the head pulley is 3 inch. If my calculations are correct, the planer head would spin at 3500 RPM.

I don't have a manual so I'm not sure at what speed the head should spin. I'm guessing the motor is not original (maybe?).

Is there an optimum speed for a 4" jointer that I can shoot for...? I'm thinking model might not make a difference..?

Thanks in advance...NIck


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## al m (Dec 13, 2012)

Just went throught this with my 6" beaver in the post below.you are in the ballpark,maybe on the low end but acceptable.in researching to set up mine most three knive cutters I found reference to seamed to be in the 3500 to 4500 rpm range


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

UPDATE...I found the manual...

It calls for a head speed of 4000 RPM with 6.5" drive pulley and 2.75" head pulley...

Are these standard sizes...? Should I slow it down...?


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Thank you Al...I'm finding the same...

Since I would only be using it for edge cleaning (<1") I was wondering if I could run it slower...bearings are cheap ($3.99) but retainers are not ($146)...go figure 

EDIT...I went back through your post...nice looking machine...hope mine comes up as good...I especially like your stand...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

If you compare to modern machines most will give cuts/minute among the specs. Divide that by the number of knives on your head and that will give the rpm you need the cutter head to turn.


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## herrwood (Apr 19, 2014)

I have a old (1950's) 4" craftsman and they recommend 4500 rpm so 4000 sounds ok


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## frrapp (Jan 9, 2018)

you can get manuals at vintagemachinery.org


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Another 'toy'! 
https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/digital-laser-tachometer/A-p8714933e
Everybody needs one...


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## ggom (Apr 5, 2017)

Nickp said:


> Quite some time ago I acquired an "old arn" Delta Homecraft 4" jointer, 3-blade (believe 37-290). Cleaned it up and put back together. Now need to make a better cabinet for it. Driving it is an equally old, if not older, Century 1.5hp, 115/230/1PH 1750 motor. The motor pulley is 6 inch and the head pulley is 3 inch. If my calculations are correct, the planer head would spin at 3500 RPM.
> 
> I don't have a manual so I'm not sure at what speed the head should spin. I'm guessing the motor is not original (maybe?).
> 
> ...


Your settings are good enough.
Running it slower will make more little undulations or then slow the feed rate to reduce undulations.
(Some machines are built to reduce this by having more cutters like 3 blades)
.
There is also an optimal speed for wood cutting, but that one is not RPM's,
That is a linear speed , the speed the blade cuts.
Too slow is not optimal, especially on soft woods , to fast can make burns on wood.
This is the speed the blade travels :
A 3 inches diameter cylinder will give 3" x pi (3"x3.14) = 9.42 " per turn 
This is to be multiplied by speed of turning:
9.42 x 3500 =32970 inches by minutes 
to be converted in inches by second:
32970/60 =549,5 inches by second
or in feet per seconds:
549,5 / 12 =45,79 feet/second

This is about 14 m /s for the metric users or about 50 km/h or 30mph very normal.

(The cutting speed is less critical when woodworking than when cutting metal.)

This article might be interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speeds_and_feeds

Regards.
Gérard


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Another 'toy'!
> https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/digital-laser-tachometer/A-p8714933e
> Everybody needs one...


you make it sound like it's a bad thing...
I have that in analog and laser...


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## Mycrossover (Dec 29, 2017)

Nickp said:


> Quite some time ago I acquired an "old arn" Delta Homecraft 4" jointer, 3-blade (believe 37-290). Cleaned it up and put back together. Now need to make a better cabinet for it. Driving it is an equally old, if not older, Century 1.5hp, 115/230/1PH 1750 motor. The motor pulley is 6 inch and the head pulley is 3 inch. If my calculations are correct, the planer head would spin at 3500 RPM.
> 
> I don't have a manual so I'm not sure at what speed the head should spin. I'm guessing the motor is not original (maybe?).
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have way more than enough power. I think my 50's Craftsman 4" runs fine on 1/2 or 3/4 hp.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Arizona Pakrat (7 mo ago)

Nickp said:


> Quite some time ago I acquired an "old arn" Delta Homecraft 4" jointer, 3-blade (believe 37-290). Cleaned it up and put back together. Now need to make a better cabinet for it. Driving it is an equally old, if not older, Century 1.5hp, 115/230/1PH 1750 motor. The motor pulley is 6 inch and the head pulley is 3 inch. If my calculations are correct, the planer head would spin at 3500 RPM.
> 
> I don't have a manual so I'm not sure at what speed the head should spin. I'm guessing the motor is not original (maybe?).
> 
> ...


Here's a Calculation table for Speeds with different size Pulleys. You are close enough though with your Calculations. This is from VintageMachinery.org website, great Website for Research for Old Woodworking Machines. Calculate Arbor RPM | VintageMachinery.org.


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## WurliTzerwilly (Jun 9, 2013)

Nickp said:


> UPDATE...I found the manual...
> 
> It calls for a head speed of 4000 RPM with 6.5" drive pulley and 2.75" head pulley...
> 
> Are these standard sizes...? Should I slow it down...?


FWIW The Shopsmith/Magna 4" jointer suggests the following speeds:

*Finishing Cuts-----Hardwood-----Softwood*
----------------------5300 RPM------5200 RPM
*Heavy Cuts*--------3900 RPM-------4550 RPM
*Min Speed*---------3900 RPM
*Max Speed*--------6200 RPM

I would say that 4000 RPM is a bit slow for finishing cuts/jointing


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## Arizona Pakrat (7 mo ago)

WurliTzerwilly said:


> FWIW The Shopsmith/Magna 4" jointer suggests the following speeds:
> 
> *Finishing Cuts-----Hardwood-----Softwood*
> ----------------------5300 RPM------5200 RPM
> ...


So with my Motor Pulley at 6 1/2 dia and my Arbor pulley at 2 1/2 which =4485 rpm I should be fine. Thanks for the info.
Phillip


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## WurliTzerwilly (Jun 9, 2013)

Arizona Pakrat said:


> So with my Motor Pulley at 6 1/2 dia and my Arbor pulley at 2 1/2 which =4485 rpm I should be fine. Thanks for the info.
> Phillip


IMO Yes and no. 🙂
If you take it that you push the workpiece through at a constant speed, the higher the blade speed, the more cuts/inch
which will give a superior finish. You also have to bear in mind how may blades the jointer has. Mine has 3. If yours has less, then you may need to compensate, subject to not exceeding safety limits.


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## Arizona Pakrat (7 mo ago)

WurliTzerwilly said:


> IMO Yes and no. 🙂
> If you take it that you push the workpiece through at a constant speed, the higher the blade speed, the more cuts/inch
> which will give a superior finish. You also have to bear in mind how may blades the jointer has. Mine has 3. If yours has less, then you may need to compensate, subject to not exceeding safety limits.


I'm basically a restorer of these old machines. I got this Delta Jointer with 3 blades, with an old Delta 8 in tilt table saw from a guy that was moving, I had to restore and repaint saw, but this Jointer didn't look like it had been used much at all and I didn't do anything to it. But I usually restore them an sell them. I still have an old Delta Milwaukee drill press and a Wards PowerKraft 8 in table saw mounted on an old typewriter table that I still use and have had since the 1960's, and still works for me. I'm more of a Country rough carpenter, so fine finis stuff is not my forte. I've got 27 machine I've restored on VintageMachines.org, and use that Site for my Research when I restore.Summertime in AZ is not restoring time, it was 116 degrees here yesterday, and I have a shop in a carport, so not fun. It's noon now and is 107.8 degrees and it doesn't usually peak till 3 or 4 pm. Again, Thanks for the Info.


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## WurliTzerwilly (Jun 9, 2013)

Arizona Pakrat said:


> I'm basically a restorer of these old machines. I got this Delta Jointer with 3 blades, with an old Delta 8 in tilt table saw from a guy that was moving, I had to restore and repaint saw, but this Jointer didn't look like it had been used much at all and I didn't do anything to it. But I usually restore them an sell them. I still have an old Delta Milwaukee drill press and a Wards PowerKraft 8 in table saw mounted on an old typewriter table that I still use and have had since the 1960's, and still works for me. I'm more of a Country rough carpenter, so fine finis stuff is not my forte. I've got 27 machine I've restored on VintageMachines.org, and use that Site for my Research when I restore.Summertime in AZ is not restoring time, it was 116 degrees here yesterday, and I have a shop in a carport, so not fun. It's noon now and is 107.8 degrees and it doesn't usually peak till 3 or 4 pm. Again, Thanks for the Info.


Seems like you got a good deal. Shame about the carport. I guess you'd prefer an enclosed shop with aircon? 🙂
My shop is enclosed, but I can open 3 doors to let the air through when the sun beats down, but in the UK it can get uncomfortable but not unbearable.

I made errors of judgement when I got my jointer a few years back. It was used, but by its condition I assumed it hadn't been used much. There didn't seem to be any large dings in the blades, but I never really go on very well with it. For smaller items, I found that I could do better with my router table. I now have some wider stuff to do, so I'm refurbishing the jointer, which is something I should have done from the start!
The bearings are good and the fence just needed a clean and wax. The tables are OK too, but the blades were a bit gunky and the devil's own job to remove. The wedge retaining screws were in so tight, I don't think they've ever been moved since the factory fit and I thought I was going to break the Allen wrench! The blade levelling screws were bottomed out and I honestly can't see how they could have been used to adjust the blade height. The blades have some very tiny chips, only detectable with a finger nail, so will easily grind out. All this is probably why I didn't like the jointer and shouldn't have assumed it was good. Apart from cosmetics, it will be like new when I'm done.

I'll still use the router table for smaller stuff as the jointer manual says that 6" stock is the minimum for safety.

Good luck with yours.

Alan


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## Arizona Pakrat (7 mo ago)

WurliTzerwilly said:


> Seems like you got a good deal. Shame about the carport. I guess you'd prefer an enclosed shop with aircon? 🙂
> My shop is enclosed, but I can open 3 doors to let the air through when the sun beats down, but in the UK it can get uncomfortable but not unbearable.
> 
> I made errors of judgement when I got my jointer a few years back. It was used, but by its condition I assumed it hadn't been used much. There didn't seem to be any large dings in the blades, but I never really go on very well with it. For smaller items, I found that I could do better with my router table. I now have some wider stuff to do, so I'm refurbishing the jointer, which is something I should have done from the start!
> ...


Sounds like you've got a nice workshop. I live in an old double wide mobile home with a long carport I've made into a shop area with a small enclosed room at the rear. So I'm limited in space. But in a way, that's good, keeps me from collecting a lot of junk. But I still have some.


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## WurliTzerwilly (Jun 9, 2013)

Arizona Pakrat said:


> Sounds like you've got a nice workshop. I live in an old double wide mobile home with a long carport I've made into a shop area with a small enclosed room at the rear. So I'm limited in space. But in a way, that's good, keeps me from collecting a lot of junk. But I still have some.


Sorry, I don't have any images at present and it's getting on for midnight. 😀
My shop is modest - 20' x 13' with a bench at one end and a sink plus our 2nd fridge/freezer at the other end. It got in a mess and I'm re-arranging for the 3rd time. I'm now at the stage I can actually see 1/3 of the floor again. 😀
I've started using roller bases, so I can move larger machines/cabinets more easily. My main issue now is that Shopsmith accessories like the bandsaw and jointer are heavy and my health won't allow much heavy lifting, so I'm trying to construct a gantry to hold a winch, but that's a whole different ball-game..................
My worst issue is lumber storage. It has to be in the shop somewhere as outside is often exposed to rain and I just don't have the space for a waterproof cover. Such is life....... 🤣


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## Arizona Pakrat (7 mo ago)

WurliTzerwilly said:


> Sorry, I don't have any images at present and it's getting on for midnight. 😀
> My shop is modest - 20' x 13' with a bench at one end and a sink plus our 2nd fridge/freezer at the other end. It got in a mess and I'm re-arranging for the 3rd time. I'm now at the stage I can actually see 1/3 of the floor again. 😀
> I've started using roller bases, so I can move larger machines/cabinets more easily. My main issue now is that Shopsmith accessories like the bandsaw and jointer are heavy and my health won't allow much heavy lifting, so I'm trying to construct a gantry to hold a winch, but that's a whole different ball-game..................
> My worst issue is lumber storage. It has to be in the shop somewhere as outside is often exposed to rain and I just don't have the space for a waterproof cover. Such is life....... 🤣


I've got a lot of 5 drawer filing cabinets on flat moving dollies that I keep my stuff in, got some benches on easy moving casters, and most everything is on wheels. Here's a picture inside my shop, and the door at the back goes into a small enclosed room, I can work on small jobs it has a small window A/C but I hardly use it. Keeping organized is definitely a Challenge, but it has to be. It's 4:30pm and the outside Temp is 115.9 degrees F. Talk to you later. Have a good sleep.


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## WurliTzerwilly (Jun 9, 2013)

Arizona Pakrat said:


> I've got a lot of 5 drawer filing cabinets on flat moving dollies that I keep my stuff in, got some benches on easy moving casters, and most everything is on wheels. Here's a picture inside my shop, and the door at the back goes into a small enclosed room, I can work on small jobs it has a small window A/C but I hardly use it. Keeping organized is definitely a Challenge, but it has to be. It's 4:30pm and the outside Temp is 115.9 degrees F. Talk to you later. Have a good sleep.


I finally managed to take a picture of the jointer, with the guard pulled out and the fence removed for cleaning). It's cleaning up well and I just need to sharpen the blades.
I found a couple of YouTube videos showing construction of a wood storage cart, so I've used the ideas and I'm constructing one of my own design. Should be finished in a few days.


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## Arizona Pakrat (7 mo ago)

WurliTzerwilly said:


> I finally managed to take a picture of the jointer, with the guard pulled out and the fence removed for cleaning). It's cleaning up well and I just need to sharpen the blades.
> I found a couple of YouTube videos showing construction of a wood storage cart, so I've used the ideas and I'm constructing one of my own design. Should be finished in a few days.
> 
> 
> View attachment 401865


The Jointer looks Good, did a good job of polishing it up. When you get your Custom Cabinet made send me a picture. Still Hot today, so didn't work out in the shop today, but they say it's going to cool off a little for the next couple day, so maybe I can get back out and do a little work. I bought a use Stand for the jointer, so will make a top for it, and see how it fits on. Here's a picture of the old 8 in Delta table saw that came with the jointer, Tried it out the other days and works good, but will have to take it slow with the 2X4's.


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