dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I am relatively new to woodworking, and just got a Grizzly G0490XW jointer with spiral cutterhead a couple of days ago. I got it all set up and working and was doing test cuts. I got to a point where I think I was cutting too thin a piece (about 1/2 and inch) and had some issues which resulted in knicking a few of the inserts and breaking one of them. I replaced the broken one, and rotated the others. Now when I make run, I get a "step" (not a ridge) about 2.5 inches from the edge of the board (meaning that everything after 2.5 inches from the edge of the board is still cut, but not as deeply as the first 2.5 inches). I can't figure out what might be causing that or how to fix it. Can anyone offer advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Sounds like you need to raise your outfeed table a bit. The knives are a hair higher than the outfeed table causing it to dig into the trailing end of the board. And welcome to the forum ! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Google snipe and see if that matches. When you say edge, it is not clear if you are talking ends or sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Could also be some dust under the inserts you rotated / replaced, assuming they are in the area that cuts deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Yeah I'm with Ross...he's not getting snipe, his new inserts have some shmutz in them or something. Try taking them off and blowing out the seats with compressed air...just a tiny bit of debris will hold that cutter out slightly higher and cause those ridges/steps. BTW, I don't think jointing a board that's "too thin" is going to damage the carbide inserts. Your hands maybe, but not the inserts. Is your lumber dirty/old/full of nails, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Thanks everyone for all the replies so far. I should have been more detailed. It's not snipe, as the step is running parallel to the jointer bed, so the length of the board. I thought (and this still seems the most likely) that the advice about debris under some of the cutters was the answer. I just took out all the ones I rotated and cleaned them all out with compressed air but it didn't help. I wonder if it's possible that some of the ones I didn't rotate are up too high for some reason? For what it's worth, I measured the width of the board I was jointing when I had the problem, and it matches exactly to the width where the depth step occurs when jointing a wider board. Also, the lumber is cheap BORG common board that I just bought expressly for learning, but it's not dirty or nail-infested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I would remove all the cutters and clean them and the cutter head (where they sit) and replace them all one by one. Sounds like there are height differences in the cutters. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Yeah - that seems likely. I'll do that and report back on what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Yeah - that seems likely. I'll do that and report back on what happens. Ok let us know what happens. My jointer and planer both have byrd heads so im curious of your findings. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I removed, cleaned, and replaced enough of the cutters to be past the width of the board I'm testing with, and the issue persists. I'm really stumped. I think I'll call Grizzly support on Monday to see if they have any ideas. For now, I moved the bench past the trouble spot, and I can at least joint boards up to about 5.5 inches wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I have to admit that I am curious about the nicked cutter. I am going on 8 years with my G0490X without issue. I recently did a rotation on my G0490X jointer and on my G0453Z planer. Years ago I read horror stories about Byrd heads shipped with grit between cutters and the seats (long since resolved by Byrd) and other spiral heads cracking inserts due to grit on the seat or over torque during rotation. This research led me to take things very seriously when rotating cutters. If I am any example I would have to say that being diligent and using the right tools will assure a good result. I do the inserts a few at a time (2 or 3). I remove them, drop them in a small bowl of mineral spirits, use a nylon brush and MS to clean the seats, blow them dry and inspect them. I scrub the insert if necessary and blow it dry as well. I put a drop of machine oil on the screw and install the insert with a torque wrench to the manufacturer's specifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 That sounds like a good process for rotation. The one thing I don't have is a torque wrench. That could be part of the issue, but I would think that if I was inconsistently tightening the inserts, I would get a wavy finish rather than the precisely located step I'm seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Where was your nicked cutter? In line with the step? There are two types of heads, spiral, and helical. Spiral face the feed line at 90°. Helical face along the spiral. Any slight misalignment of the angle could leave a corner proud. The puzzle is the 2.5". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 There were several nicked inserts. One was completely broken and had to be replaced, and four or five more had to be rotated. They were in various locations (somewhere in the first five cutters of each spiral), all along the width of the board. I checked, and the inserts are all 90 degrees to the feed line, so it's a spiral cutterhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Did you happen to nick or ding the lip on the outfield table.Maybe when the insert broken a piece of carbide nicked the table. Aj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Now that's interesting. I took a look, and indeed, there are three nicks on the lip of the outfeed table. It's difficult to measure accurately, but one of them seems to be very close (1/16 inch or less) away from where the step occurs. If that's the issue, I don't know the best way to fix it. File it smooth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 It should only be a problem if it's raised up and scratching or denting your stock as you feed it right. Then a fine file is the ticket. Aj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 The step I'm seeing on the wood is only about .004" thick and it's hard to gauge the height of the ding in the lip, but it definitely does go above the surface. I think I'll give the fine file a try. Worst case, I discovered that Grizzly has replacement table lips for $7.50 - quite reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Aww you won't need a new table lip.Unless it's a hole big enough to drop a golf ball thru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlmorgan999 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 My woodworking mentor stopped by tonight and helped me troubleshoot this issue. We eventually got it fixed. It turned out that two of the inserts I nicked and had rotated were bent or something, because we replaced them with new ones and the cut was back to the way it should be. Thanks again to everyone who offered advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Sometimes a nicked blade will score when rotated 90 deg. Glad you have the issue sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Excellent news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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