# Jointer Refurbishment



## FreeTime (Dec 2, 2012)

Well, I finally have a jointer, even if it is older than I am. I just finished refurbishment of my grandfather’s Craftsman 103.23320 (6”). It’s been sitting in Dad’s garage for the last 10 years. Up until now I have been able to get by without one but I came into a task that I needed one for (squaring up my router table fence – the base rocked). So, many nights and weekends later, I’m finally done and it seems to cut well … now I need to strive not to repeat my grandfather’s mistake and keep my fingers away from the moving sharp parts. 

The jointer is still mostly original equipment with exception of 2 new belts, 2 new bearings, an up speed adjustment on the pulleys, and some fresh primer/paint. Thankfully, I was able to find a manual on-line. The 3/4hp Montgomery Ward motor was initially semi-seized (I couldn’t turn it by hand but it did run – it just needed some oil on the bushings). The jointer was disassembled to the piece and reassembled – no extra or missing parts. The washing soda electrolytic rust removal process worked great on both the cast and non-cast steel parts – it was a real time and mess saver. I probably spent more time on the blade sharpening jig and figuring out how to sharpen and set these than I should have (I’ll post that separately), but I figure it’s not the last time I will be using it. 

All things being equal, the base is probably worth more than the tool. I needed to rebuild the original base which seemed to be made out of scrap pine with marginal construction. However, I used his original design (open frame, 7deg leg slant) and added a dust tray (which I will configure for the dust collection in a bit). The cart came out square/flat and was fabricated out of some 6/4 Ash that I had on the shelf. There is no hardware in the basic frame – just M&T and dovetail only. I almost had a problem assembling the final dovetail joints – the cross pieces were dovetailed in from the top and bottom. Poor design for manufacturability on my part … the slanted leg design with dovetail was not conducive to assembly of the last 2 joints (thankfully the frame wasn’t taller or the leg slant greater than it was). This was my first experience with (wedged) mortice and tenon joints. The joints (and the cart) came out well … only one of the eight joints was a little tall, the fit on the rest came out spot on.


----------



## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

Nice job Mark!! Looks like brand new. You should get many more years of use out of that machine.


----------



## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Great job on the refurb - looks better than new.
And the base only enhances it - nice job

Vince


----------



## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Looks really good . And I'll bet it's 10 times the quality then the crap there making in China and Taiwan right now


----------



## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Nice job.


----------



## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Wow, Mark!
That's an awesome refurb. And the stand/cart is great, too. 
My C-man jointer is a bit newer, but not by much. It has a steel stand. It is a workhorse, though. 
A cart for it would be a really nice addition.


----------



## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

More details on your washing soda electrolytic rust removal process please.

Your result looks great.


----------



## firstmuller (Aug 28, 2014)

Very nice job on the restore and cabinet. Looks new.
Allen


----------



## FreeTime (Dec 2, 2012)

rwl7532 said:


> More details on your washing soda electrolytic rust removal process please.
> 
> Your result looks great.


It seems to be a fairly well advertised process although I didn't know about it until I started. This is just one site I found it on.

Rust removal by electrolysis


----------



## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

FreeTime said:


> It seems to be a fairly well advertised process although I didn't know about it until I started. This is just one site I found it on.
> 
> Rust removal by electrolysis


You put your jointer in a bucket?


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Jointers can be hard on fingers for sure. The standard push blocks that normally come with a jointer are worse than nothing IMHO because they slip and that can cause you to make contact with the blades. I think you are better off to make your own and have a small hook on the bottom of the one at the back. That would less likely to slip then you only need down pressure on the one at the front.


----------



## FreeTime (Dec 2, 2012)

As odd as it seems, actually yes. I used a 20gal plastic (kitchen) garbage bucket that I had for the garage. I did most of the unpainted piece parts (the dovetails, cutter head, fence bar). The bucket was (just) tall enough to take the disassembled front and rear tables (one at a time). I thought about doing the base one-half at a time but it really wasn't rusted much, it just needed paint. I was only really concerned about not scoring the tables removing the rust with an abrasive approach. You do need to get the parts air dried soon after bath removal - if not, it only takes about a day for fresh rust color to show up.


----------



## FreeTime (Dec 2, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Jointers can be hard on fingers for sure. The standard push blocks that normally come with a jointer are worse than nothing IMHO because they slip and that can cause you to make contact with the blades. I think you are better off to make your own and have a small hook on the bottom of the one at the back. That would less likely to slip then you only need down pressure on the one at the front.


Thanks, good point! New push block in the works. (I didn't think about that aspect of the cutting process and I'm sure I would have been surprised when it happened).


----------



## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Jointers can be hard on fingers for sure.


My signature is jointer related.


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Really nice job. Looks new. If you're going to do anything precise, it starts with a jointer. Thanks for the info on the rust removal process. Most of my gear is fairly new, I had an evaporative cooler in my shop for awhile and had some rust start on that and on the jointer table in the garage. Wax didn't really prevent it. Now use Boeshield T-9 cleaner and lubricant on raw cast iron surfaces and haven't had any rust problems since. Also replaced the swamp cooler with an AC unit, which I think really helps. Live in the desert where it humidity is usually very low, I think that helps.


----------



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

rwl7532 said:


> My signature is jointer related.


I've been lucky Ralph, a few close calls but no missing flesh or bone. I do have a chunk missing off one of the factory push blocks.


----------



## JCJCJC (May 15, 2012)

You've done a great job on that jointer, you should enjoy years of great results with it. Jointing boards edge-to-edge is one of my favourite operations, I always walk out in the yard and hold the pieces up to the sun and enjoy a light-tight fit. Well done.


----------



## hal (Sep 14, 2004)

rwl7532 said:


> More details on your washing soda electrolytic rust removal process please.
> 
> Your result looks great.


Go to wwgoa.com/electrolysisrustremoval, a very good article.


----------



## Professorss (Sep 7, 2012)

I certainlyagreewiththe others. A very Ceaftsman-like job.
I restore old hand tools, and was well on my way to trying th electrolytic method, but I foundthatitwas falling into disfavor, givingwaytocommercialproducts like EvapoRust or plain old citric acid crystals. EvapoRust attacks nothing but rust. Paint, other metals are unaffected. You immerse the object in it and walk away. Check periodically to determine when done. Electrolytic requires the addition of a doc power supply and iron anodes. Derusted surface may be rough and the generates explosive gases. Citric acid crystals are inexpensive (supermarket baking sections) but will attack almost anything, sous eon bare iron andsteelonly.


----------



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Mark; the previous owner just called. He wants it back...


----------

