Craftsman Jointer Knife Removal

[bjordan]

Hi Folks,

Forgive me if this has been covered before.  I am finally going to sharpen my old Craftsman 4" jointer knives.  This jointer is probably from the early 1990s and was given to me by a good friend that barely used it.  I watched a video on pulling the knives, removed the two hex bolts, but I can not get the wedge (or knife) out of the slot.  I've got it soaking in PB Blaster and I applied some gentle heat (without smoking the bearings), but even with the gentle application of a hammer and a drift punch, the wedge wont budge.

I haven't tried to remove the other two knives yet.  Id rather get one out at a time.

So, and tips or tricks?  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

[jteneyck]

Hi Folks,

Forgive me if this has been covered before.  I am finally going to sharpen my old Craftsman 4" jointer knives.  This jointer is probably from the early 1990s and was given to me by a good friend that barely used it.  I watched a video on pulling the knives, removed the two hex bolts, but I can not get the wedge (or knife) out of the slot.  I've got it soaking in PB Blaster and I applied some gentle heat (without smoking the bearings), but even with the gentle application of a hammer and a drift punch, the wedge wont budge.

I haven't tried to remove the other two knives yet.  Id rather get one out at a time.

So, and tips or tricks?  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

The knife and/or wedge must be rusted in place.  Lots of PB blaster for a day or two.  Then fashion a block of 3/4" hardwood maybe 2" wide and a few inches long so that the business end fits against the knife and wedge.  Place it near one end of the knife/wedge and whack it with a heavy dead blow mallet.  

John

[bjordan]

The knife and/or wedge must be rusted in place.  Lots of PB blaster for a day or two.  Then fashion a block of 3/4" hardwood maybe 2" wide and a few inches long so that the business end fits against the knife and wedge.  Place it near one end of the knife/wedge and whack it with a heavy dead blow mallet.  

John

Thanks John.  Ill hose it and the other two wedges down again and let sit over night, then whack it.

[KC]

Thanks John.  Ill hose it and the other two wedges down again and let sit over night, then whack it.

Take special notice of where your hands are.  Closest I ever came to losing a finger was changing jointer knives.  Wrench slipped off...

[bjordan]

Take special notice of where your hands are.  Closest I ever came to losing a finger was changing jointer knives.  Wrench slipped off...

Excellent advice!  I have always had more "respect" for jointers than most other equipment.  As a kid our Assistant Scout Master lost the tips of a couple of fingers on one.  So, that's where the respect comes from...

[bjordan]

Success!!

I got the wedge out this morning that I was working on yesterday.  I had to use a 2 pound brass hammer and a 1/4" steel drift.  But, nothing was damaged and that sucker was STUCK.  Now, on to the next one.  Bashed on it some and its soaking in round #2 of Kroil.  It'll come out... Eventually.

[jteneyck]

Success!!

I got the wedge out this morning that I was working on yesterday.  I had to use a 2 pound brass hammer and a 1/4" steel drift.  But, nothing was damaged and that sucker was STUCK.  Now, on to the next one.  Bashed on it some and its soaking in round #2 of Kroil.  It'll come out... Eventually.

Good deal, but make sure the steel drift pin didn't put a pucker on the edge of the wedge where it meets the knife or recess in the head.  If it did, file and stone it flat with the face of the wedge.  You want good contact between all surfaces when you reinstall the knives.  

John

[bjordan]

To wrap this up - I got the other two blades out.  I'll stone the wedges and the back of the knives to mage sure nothing got mangled in the beating process.

Thanks again.