Jointer help

[G_ville_worker]

Hi all,

I just purchased a jet spiral head (for a good deal, gloat) for my jet jointer. I pulled every thing off to swap it out but have run into a snag. How do I get the bearing housing and bearings off of the old knife head? They don't appear to be held on the rods on both sides of the head by anything. Is there a tool or something I need?

Thanks,
Bryan

[dancam]

I just did the same thing last year and installed a spiral head on my Griz 8" jointer. You'll need a bearing puller and then a bearing press. I had a neighbor (whose a gear-head) help me with mine. He had all the right tools and it took us about an hour to do the whole thing.

I'd suggest you find out what the bearing number is and then see about getting new bearings. The place that sells the bearings could probably pull the old and then press the new in for a small fee.

Good luck...you'll really love the spiral head, quite and cuts great.

Dan C.

[G_ville_worker]

Thanks Dan. Figured there was something.

[mxracer]

If the spiral head does not have any bearings on it I'd do as Dan suggested and get the numbers off the existing ones and just buy a new set. At a bearing shop they won't be much. I'd be surprised if they were more and a couple bucks each. You could also, if you want, upgrade the bearings to an AA grade bearing. Then you'd also have the existing head "in-tact".

If you don't have a means to press them on you can throw the cutter head in the freezer overnight and set the bearings out in the sun for a while and they should slip on the shaft or at least be able to be tapped on.

You could come to my shop, I'd be glad to press them on for you but you are a bit far away

Dan

[Travis Porter]

I too suggest buying new bearings. As for getting them on, I didn't go the route of the bearing press. Instead, I used dry ice (Kroger sells it) with acetone to shrink the shaft and the bearing slipped on nicely.

[Guy in Paradise]

if handling dry ice, or an item that has been cooled with dry ice. You could very well freeze your fingers to the jointer head.

[G_ville_worker]

Thanks guys. Bought a gear puller yesterday that should fit. Hope to get at it today. So how does the dry ice thing work? Put a section of it in to get cold? The entire head and all?

[McRabbet]

Originally Posted by G_ville_worker

Thanks guys. Bought a gear puller yesterday that should fit. Hope to get at it today. So how does the dry ice thing work? Put a section of it in to get cold? The entire head and all?

Nope -- you want to super-cool the shaft (to make it shrink) and warm the bearing to expand it. It may only yield a 1/1000 of an inch or so, but it should be enough. Be sure to wear very well insulated gloves when handling Dry Ice -- it will flash freeze your flesh in a heartbeat and cause severe injury.

[G_ville_worker]

Got the new spiral head on today. The thing cuts great! Also got the table saw tuned up and everything waxed. Looking forward to starting my bar tomorrow.