Jointer "dilemma"

Hmmmm........

Mark Goodall - ATL - tooljunkie

>I really like old machines and think I would choose one over a new machine. What the the disadvantages of the older Cresent that you can think of?

Happy Woodworking!

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

Dale Lenz

>I have a 16" Cresent jointer and like it a lot. Something to consider: you can get a new jointer with a spiral cutting head, they sure do make a sweet cut.

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

JL

>Is weight an issue? Can you move either to the intended destination with the same "ease"? Both classify as "heavy metal".

Re: Jointer "dilemma" *LINK*

Tom MacGregor

>All other things being about equal I'd go for the machine with greater capacity. The real issues are evaluation and parts. Can you positively determine the condition of the Cresent, and can you get parts if necessary? Most of my machines are 40's and 50's era, but I've gotten them dirt cheap and do all my own work - which has included tearing them down to their component parts and doing a complete clean & tune or rebuild. Who you buy it from could be a determining factor, too. Is the seller a professional dealer who would support the purchase if there were issues? There may be info. on the old woodworking machines site below or Cresent owners to talk to.


http://www.owwm.com/

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

David

>The seller isn't a dealer, just a woodworker, so I'm the support. From my time on owwm.com and Ebay it does seem like there are a lot of Cresent machines around and perhaps the parts. The machine is direct drive, and I wonder how much of a problem it will be to convert it to belt drive if the motor goes (also 3 phase so a converter is also in order rotary? not static?). I've also seen where guys have switched from babbit bearings to rollers but don't know how difficult (or necessary) that is.

Is there any extra maintenance on old iron as oppsed to new? This would be the first time I've bought a machine that is this this old (60+years).

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

Larry Clinton At Frankfort (Central)., Indiana

>I would not plan on changing the babbit bearings. IMHO they actually run smoother than ball bearings. The only "extra" maintenance is being absolutely sure you maintain lubrication in the babbit bearings. With proper lubrication they will last for many years without a problem. They are pretty easy to adjust (remove or add shims) and can be re-poured without too much problem. You can research the method on the web. I would not hesitate to install a machine with babbit in my shop. I worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for about 40 years and have seen many babbit bearings still functioning well after years of steady use. Run them dry for a short time however, and you will be replacing them and possibly reworking (regrinding at a machine shop) a galled shaft. Old iron is pretty difficult to find in the central Indiana area. Prior to purchasing my Grizzly 8" jointer with the spiral head, I looked for several months for "old iron", but could not find any within a reasonable distance. I do love the spiral head, also have a Byrd in my 20" Yorkcraft planer). I believe Byrd will make a head for the Cresent as well as the Grizzly - however they are pretty expensive. I just went through the same search process for an old bandsaw. I spent several hours on the web, went to many auctions, etc searching for an old large unit. Could not find any so bought a Minimax MM16. I like the Mini but really appreciate the weight and smoothness of the old saws.

I Went for Old Arn

Mike Fitterling

>I have a 12" Northfield and I have already run across stuff that exceeds its capacity. If you have room for it and it is in good condition I would opt for the bigger 18" machine. A rotary phase converter is the way to go. Pretty easy to build and not too expensive if you do it yourself.

Me too! *LINK*

Joanne Adler in Pt. Pleasant, PA

>I added the riser to my bandsaw and then needed to be able to joint at least 12" (I had 6). I couldn't really afford a new 12" or larger jointer, so I found "Frank". Of course I had excellent help in the refurbish, but if I can do it, anyone can.


http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/archives.pl?read=270913

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

bill tindal, E.TN

>I doubt that many furniture factories would be (or would have) buying a Grizzly, if that helps to answer the question.

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

Todd from San Jose

>I would assess how much work you think the Crescent is going to take to have it perform to your satisfaction. If it's totally dialed in, then it sounds like a great choice. But if not, I'd pass on it, unless you really enjoy rebuilding tools.

I find that if I'm not careful, I end up spending more time working on my tools and shop upgrades, than making furniture. So I try to buy machines that let me focus on the craft, not tweaking the tools.

Some of the Grizzly jointers are top notch in quality, contrary to what some think. I have the Grizzly 12" Ultimate Jointer, and it's just amazing. Dead flat tables, if you would believe less than .001" flat and parallel, as verified by a 6' straight edge and feeler gages. Smooth as a baby's butt. Rock solid. I don't know which 12" you're looking at, I'm sure quality varies by model.

Regarding capacity, do you have hand planes? I had a 20" board the other day that exceeded my jointer capacity. In less than 5 minutes, I had that sucker perfectly flat, using my jack and jointer planes. Once you've done this a few times, you find it's easy and not too time-consuming. With a 12" jointer, it will be rare that you'd need to do this, anyway.

Todd

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

Paul Dwight

>I admire people who restore old machinery and I especially admire their finished products. For me, though, I decided early on that my hobby was woodworking, not machine restoration. I want to be able to bring a tool home, set it up, and use it.

I hope a day will come when my list of to-do woodworking projects is short enough that I can splurge and spend weeks on a careful, loving restoration of a great old piece of machinery. For the foreseeable future, that's just not in the cards.

For what it's worth, I own a Griz 1023 tablesaw and am completely happy with it. If I was in the market for a new jointer, I'd almost certainly get one of Grizzly's parallelogram jointers with a Byrd shelix head.

Good luck with your decision! -- Paul

Byrd Head

Mike Fitterling

>Byrd does, indeed make spiral heads for some of these old machines. But as mentioned, be prepared to spend $$$$$$. I was offered a Byrd head for my 12" Norhfield at cost; IIRC something around $2500! :0 Northfield also offers a head called the Drake Whispercut; that will only set you back over 4600! I'd save my money for a spiral head for the planer, anyway, as stuff coming off the jointer is usually going to another machine next, usually the planer.

Re: Jointer "dilemma"

David

>I'm not opposed to machine restoration just don't have the time. Heck, I barely have time to make sawdust! That's one of the things that caught my eye with this jointer, it's running, and works beautifully. Also found out that it has the Crescent "upgrade" to ball bearings.

Joanne, enjoyed your restoration story and pics.

The Grizzly I was looking at is the G0609, 12", 4 knife parallelogram.

I think I'm going to take the plunge, borrow my friend's trailer, and go for the Crescent.

Re: Byrd Head - planer

Larry Clinton At Frankfort (Central)., Indiana

>Yeah Mike, I knew they were expensive - I bought the 20" Yorkcraft planer from Wilke Machinery and purchased the Byrd head for it, was "only" $1,000, but it is a standard head. I believe all the new (import) planers are made in one factory in Asia and all have the same "guts". I have the original 3 blade cutterhead. The Byrd was on backorder when I bought the planer, so I had the head shipped later and my son & I installed it. I can't tell a whole lot of difference in the results from the Grizzly spiral head on my jointer. I did want both as I have "torn out" deep gouges in some of my figured wood with my old planer.

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Mike Fitterling

>I love seeing examples of old arn.