I was actually dreading this job – I have not checked the table alignment on the joiner since the day I first set it up. (And I was really not sure how to check it then either, as I didn’t have a reliable straight edge in the shop – I used a metal yardstick on edge at the time). As you may be able to tell from the pictures, the tables were still co-planer – *whew*!

Most of the original power tools I have are rigid brand, as I had a home depot near me at the time. This is their 6″ jointer and it uses indexed knives. The good part is that I don’t have to fiddle with blade alignment when changing the blades. The bad news is that I really can’t resharpen them. What I do need to pay attention to is the cruft that builds up under the blades before I insert a new blade. I lift out the clamp piece, and using a set of picks I got for Christmas one year (finally got to put them to work) I loosed any material that was packed in there, then blew it out with the compressor. The blades are able to drop in to the bottom, and I simply tightened the clamps back down. and of course, I lather, rinse and repeat as there are three blades on this unit.

Next is cleaning and waxing the table tops to keep the wood movement easy. Then I put the fence back in place, and reset it to the default 90 degree setting and that’s another beast back to work.