# Feed table adjust for Craftsman 6 1/8� Jointer



## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

*Feed table adjust for Craftsman 6 1/8” Jointer*

My Jointer In-feed Table is about .009” low on the cutting side. Is this acceptable? I can’t find any way to adjust it.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*no adjustment on the infeed???*

Are you saying there is no adjustment knob,(not possible) or the adjustment at full up still is too low? 
The out feed is fixed correct?
The infeed has a round knob correct? 
It should be able to be elevated beyond the height of the fixed outfeed..... not so? :blink: bill


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> Are you saying there is no adjustment knob,(not possible) or the adjustment at full up still is too low?
> The out feed is fixed correct?
> The infeed has a round knob correct?
> It should be able to be elevated beyond the height of the fixed outfeed..... not so? :blink: bill


 It has the table height crank, but that’s not what I’m talking about. 
I watched a couple of videos on jointer table adjustment and I think one was a Powermatic and another was a Jet. They had 4 cam adjustments two for each side and two for front and back so that all 4 corners can be adjusted.


I tried to find the video but there is too many of them. as soon as I find one I’ll add it here


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*this is no Powermatic....*

You won't find any adjustments other than an infeed table height on a Craftsman of this size. New Craftsmans have 2 levers one for infeed and one for outfeed tables. The older ones only have a round knob for infeed only.  bill


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> You won't find any adjustments other than an infeed table height on a Craftsman of this size. New Craftsmans have 2 levers one for infeed and one for outfeed tables. The older ones only have a round knob for infeed only.  bill


Ok well I guess you answered my question. So if there is no adjustment then I guess it is acceptable. :smile:

Well I guess I’m done adjusting my jointer. I’ve watched probably 50 YouTube videos on jointers and there’s nothing more to do except make some sawdust.


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## vinnypatternmaker (Mar 27, 2011)

Hi,
Own same machine. No tilt adjustment, but you might try to adjust the fence angle to compensate for the bias. Try using a homeade 90 degree jig, or square to set the fence face.
If the infeed table is skewed or warped (unlikely on a short table like this one), then I hope someone else on this forum has a solution!
It's a great machine, for it's size, So Best of Luck,
Marena


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

vinnypatternmaker said:


> Hi,
> Own same machine. No tilt adjustment, but you might try to adjust the fence angle to compensate for the bias. Try using a homeade 90 degree jig, or square to set the fence face.
> If the infeed table is skewed or warped (unlikely on a short table like this one), then I hope someone else on this forum has a solution!
> It's a great machine, for it's size, So Best of Luck,
> Marena


 Hi, I’m actually kind of glad that it doesn’t have a lot of adjustments. I had a Craftsman RS many years ago that seemed like I had to adjust it every week and I always said that would never buy another tool with a lot of adjustments. :no:

This jointer was in storage for a while hanging of the tables and I’m thinking that maybe some dirt accumulated between the table and the base on one end. I’m going to try spaying penetrating oil on the guides and crank the depth up and down numerous times to see if that makes it better.

I’m probably just being too picky. When I first posted this I could not remember what it was called, but now I found a video that calls it “co-plane”.

This is just one of many videos addressing the same problem. It was just the last video that I found and some of the others went into great detail on how to adjust it on other jointers. The actual part about the “co-plane” is at the 1:50 time mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=u4W-JKYRbXY


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## Chuck M (Dec 21, 2010)

On my 6 1/8 craftsman the manual shows how to level the infeed.

do you have the manual? you should be able to get it here: 
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Product Manuals


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Chuck M said:


> On my 6 1/8 craftsman the manual shows how to level the infeed.
> 
> do you have the manual? you should be able to get it here:
> http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Product Manuals


 I have a manual for the 113,232240 jointer, but I’m just not seeing it. I wonder if we are talking about the same thing.
http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/L0806062.pdf


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

*No cams there*

For a jointer like that you will need to shim the dovetail ways in order to finess the tables to coplaner. Lee Valley has a brass Shim Stock sample pack for $10 that should do the trick for you.


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

Shop Dad said:


> For a jointer like that you will need to shim the dovetail ways in order to finess the tables to coplaner. Lee Valley has a brass Shim Stock sample pack for $10 that should do the trick for you.


Thanks for that. I have the same jointer, but the end of my infeed table slopes down.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The origanal question stated...*

the infeed table was "low" There was no mention of a difference on the left side in the question or photo. Sounded like a "height" issue to me.
Now if the issue is the infeed table is tilted left to right relative to the outfeed or vise versa that's different. If the outfeed is fixed or stationary as it is on my OLDER Craftsman you must deal with the infeed only. If they both are adjustable, like my NEWER Craftsman, then how to determine which one is "off" becomes a more complicated problem.
There are 2 types off "tilt".... left to right and fore and aft. 
Left to right can be measured or referenced off the cutterhead cylinder, since it is not adjustable in the bearing rings.
The video does not show how to correct a non-coplaner table, only how to determine it at 1:50 minutes in: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&fe...&v=u4W-JKYRbXY

This is a good link for testing parallelism of the tables:
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/M...ance_Skill_Builder_Power_Tool_TuneU_8430.aspx

This link explains some of the basics:
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Truing_Up_a_Jointer_Outfeed_Table.html

If your boards come out tapered this video explains why:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Bill you are a hard man when it comes to proper terminology. Unfortunately, I’m only just learning and don’t know what everything is called yet. So I’m sorry about the confusion. It just never occurred to me that my question would be confused with table height. 

So to avoid anymore confusion for anybody else reading this I got my crayons out and drew a picture.









OK, so I now have some new terms that I just learned to add to my jointer terminology.
1) coplaner & non-coplaner
2) "tilt types ".... left to right and fore and aft
3) dovetail ways (funny but I looked everywhere for something to describe this without any luck, LOL)

It would be interesting to know if there are any other jointer terms that might be useful, so please feel free to list them if you think of anything.


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

If I remember correctly, your jointer is a 1970's era 6 1/8"? I have a 1976 model of the same jointer and there are adjustments for this on the underside of the jointer. I havnt messed with mine for awhile but I think its just adjustment bolts with a lock nut on each one. Mine was out similar to yours and I got it more out of whack messing with those adjustment bolts. It took me the better half of a day to get it adjusted properly. I dont really have any advice as its been so long since I messed with it and I only did it once but it can be adjusted.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I have no idea when my jointer was sold, I’m pretty sure it does not have any adjustment. The only adjustment is the Gib, but I don’t know what that is. Its doesn’t look like it would raise or lower the table

Here are the instructions: 

Adjusting Table Gibs
"Gibs" are provided to take up all play between the mating
dovetail ways of the base and infeed and outfeed
tables of your jointer. Proper gib adjustment is necessary
for the correct functioning of the jointer, The gibs on your
machine were adjusted at the factory and should require
no further adjustment. However, to adjust the gibs proteed
as follows:
!. Loosen each of the lock nuts, Make sure the table
locks are also loose,
2. Finger tighten each set screw in turn, until the screw
"bottoms out". Do not overtighten the screws.
3, Recheck table play. If table is still loose, repeat step 2.
If table is snug, tighten the set screw lock nuts without
allowing set screws to turn.
4. Check that the table raises and lowers freel_y with the
elevation handwheeL If there is too much resistance,
loosen the set screws and repeat adjustment.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

#9 in your diagram is the gib. There's one on either side. #10 should be a set screw that tightens it and #11 a nut to hold the set screw fast. You will want to shim the upper corner where you have the dip. I can't tell from your drawing if that dip extends the width of your cutterhead. If so you will want to shim both sides of the infeed table - right by the gib and on the other (front) side of the dovetail ways.

It can be tricky and with each attempt you will want to check all corners again. You already have some links but here is one more (you may have already seen).

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/JointerTuning.ashx


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## cocheseuga (Dec 15, 2010)

That is a mid-90s vintage Craftsman. Mine was made in 1996. Hard to find info on this model, I'm not sure as to how well it sold.

I've set mine where the near side of the infeed is correct, but the far side (far right) is low. Need to run a board through and carefully check it.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

cocheseuga said:


> ......... Need to run a board through and carefully check it.


 This is where my inexperience with a jointer plays against me. I run a board through and it seems to cut great and when I put a straight edge on the board, it looks perfect. The other day I was able to take out a small twist on the end by taking a lot of shallow cuts, so when I see the YouTube videos and hear about bad cuts, I just don’t know what they are referring to or what they are using to check it.
Now the Wood Whisper guy on YouTube says you need a $100 straight edge, but after thinking about it for a week, I just don’t think its necessary 




 I guess I just don’t know what a bad cut looks like.:icon_confused:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Forget the $100 straight edge*

Use a 4 ft aluminum level with machined edge. You may have one already or they are not expensive at HD, Lowes etc.

Quote: I guess I just don’t know what a bad cut looks like.:icon_confused:
A bad cut on a jointer leaves the surface or edge anything less than straight or flat. To check it, sight it by eye or use a straight edge like the level if under 4 ft or the edge of a factory cut strip of plywood or Masonite that you might have.


This video briefly explains leveling the tables for "droop". Unfortunately nothing about shimming for right or left "tilt", but it still a very good explanation on all the steps foe tune up:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> Use a 4" aluminum level with machined edge. You may have one already or they are not expensive at HD, Lowes etc.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMVP1JGdvuI


 Thank you Bill! :thumbsup:
I was hoping someone would agree with me. I admit that I was tempted, but the other day while I was at Home Depot, I started comparing different straight edges like 4’ rulers, levels and tee squares and I could not see anything out of the ordinary as far as being straight. I placed several different brands of tools against each other to see if there was a difference and they were all perfect. I could not see any space between any of them.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

I had on my wish list this Christmas the 38" straight edge from Veritas. At $39 it does the job without breaking the bank:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=50074&cat=1,240,45313

However, until/unless you can justify the expense a long level will do as Bill said.

BTW, here is a link to the shim stock I had mentioned earlier:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=40946&cat=1,43456,43407


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Well $39 is a lot better than $100 


Shop Dad said:


> ...
> BTW, here is a link to the shim stock I had mentioned earlier:
> http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=40946&cat=1,43456,43407


Thanks for the link. I think I'm going to buy the 6 sheet Brass Sampler :thumbsup:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*A 4 ft level will have many uses*

http://www.sears.com/stanley-48-in-box-beam-level-fatmax-trade/p-00939776000P

It won't tip over either when you are checking the tables. A steel scale requires you hold it upright...just the voice of experience ....... and the 2 videos on jointer set up I saw used a level. Cheaper also. :yes: bill


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> ,,,
> It won't tip over either when you are checking the tables. A steel scale requires you hold it upright...just the voice of experience ....... and the 2 videos on jointer set up I saw used a level. Cheaper also. :yes: bill


 That’s true. I had to clamp on a wood block to my 4’ aluminum tee square to keep it from tipping over.


I have plenty of levels. I have a 6’, two 4’, 3’ and a couple of 2’ and 6” levels. Also have a 4’ aluminum tee square and a 4’ aluminum rule, so I know at least I don’t need a straight edge.


I did order the brass shims along with some jig stuff like ¼ x 20 knobs and some other TS stuff.


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## Rjk (Nov 30, 2018)

Sleeper said:


> My Jointer In-feed Table is about .009” low on the cutting side. Is this acceptable? I can’t find any way to adjust it.


https://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/user-manuals/113206801-craftsman-parts-manual

think this is the manual for the older Craftsman Jointer


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## ajdragon (Jul 26, 2017)

Hi


This thread is nearly 6 years old.


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## Rjk (Nov 30, 2018)

Could be someone like me looking for information and not seeing dates


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Rjk said:


> Could be someone like me looking for information and not seeing dates


Did you have a question? Regarding the question above, infeed tables are always adjustable, outfeed tables, not necessarily. I had an olde Craftsman 6" fixed outfeed table jointer which I really liked, and eventually gave it to a friend. He must not have liked it and "loaned" it to a relative ....... :|


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