Help me find a modern use for this tool

[Dr Stan]

Now that is a Planer! I was wondering if a planer gauge could be used to accurately set Jointer blades with an adapter the width of the blades?

There is obviously some confusion in this thread due to the same name applied to a wood planner and a metal planner. They are designed very differently and thus operate very differently.

It would be very inappropriate to use a planner gage to attempt to set the cutting blades of a wood planner or a jointer. As previously pointed out their blades are quite hard in order to maintain a sharp cutting edge. The planner gage is also quite hard, but not as hard as a planner blade. In any case both the cutting blade and the planner gage would be damaged using this method.

There are various tools to use in setting these blades, but nothing will beat a test indicator on a surface gage. All of the other methods employ feel to some extent and thus some error, which is eliminated by using the indicator & surface gage.

[mklotz]

I did a bit of research via the interweb. The folks at Find Woodworking magazine seem to know what they're doing and they use magnets...

Jointer Knife-Setting Jig - FineWoodworking

This fellow had a magnet jig and graduated to a more mathematical approach to height setting...

which is described more completely here...

https://woodgears.ca/jointer/knives.html

It seems there are numerous approaches that depend to some extent on the design of the cutter head - jack screws or springs.

[PJs]

Excellent Marv, Thank You. I've never owned a "Wood Jointer" before and only used a friends maybe a dozen or so times myself. It was always set up already and have never gone through the blade/sharpening/setup for one. This info gives me some grounding to go in there with less fear of messing up. The videos were a bit conflicting as to what is proper height (Flush with table (out feed) or slightly above. It makes sense about the above to me for the reasons indicated and liked his simple math. I think I am well armed now with at least a starting point...and do like the magnet idea. Thank you again for your diligent and helpful research!!

The only thing I have done at this point with it is to remove the rust (surface, no pitting) and waxed the tables. I inspected the blades and they look good but didn't have a look as to the type of hold downs but think they are simple old school, based on the vintage. I need to replace the house light switch some one used in place of the original ON/OFF contactor and go through the table adjusts and check the bearings and odds & sods bit better.

Thanks Dr. Stan, There does seem to be some confusion about naming these types of tools, and have to confess they get to me sometimes too. Marv's previous video specifically said "Metal Planer" and there was some discussion of the moving table vs moving head. In the case of Jointer's and Planer's (wood or metal) the material is moved through a cutting head, where as Shaper's, as far as I know (Very Little), the head moves across the work. To me a metrology tool can be used for whatever purpose (wood, metal, plastic or cardboard) needed to measure something. As some one once said on an Indiana Jones movie "Choose Wisely". My suggestion for using a Planer gauge with a modified straight edge attachment on a Wood Jointer would not be any different that using a DI/DTI or Height/surface gauge on wood and effective in both cases. It was only a suggested alternate for Marv's "Use" question that seemed pertinent to something I had been pondering.

[hdrideblue]

I use them on my die set to set the heights of the punch to die top also press shut height.
thanks jimbo

[Toolmaker51]

In a blatant effort driving traffic to Shop Truths...and Outright Lies, I'm posting the third largest machine [a planer] ever had some association to.
1st. Betts-Bridgeford 60'' swing, 85'6'' centers CNC shaft lathe. Along with it's 6 steady rests, and 2 [yes two] individual headstocks @ 50hp each, plus three independent carriages w/ taper attachments. Full length just over 130'.
Installed across from a Ferrell 70'' x 70', a peanut with a mere single headstock and carriage, 100 horsepower and 55t capacity tailstock. NO clue of Morse Taper.

2nd. Also Betts, a Vertical Turret Lathe. Pit mounted, table flush to floor. 20' max swing 10'6'' under the rail, dual 48'' tool rams, max load 165t at .75 RPM. Yes 3/4 of a rotation per minute, in range of her .32-12.8 RPM. Most remarkable was feed rate .004 to 1.5 IPR! Toolbits bigger than your noggin.

3rd. You'll just have to go look.
I will say that circa 1997 every US citizen owned a part of these, and the 254 encompassing acres, til a misguided Clinton and the BRAC decided otherwise. More recently privatization would be the solution.
That post will go in tonight 13Feb2017
Or not. Some issues kept deadline from such definite entry posting,
In there now! http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/s...-lies-42152-12
It's post #120.
Thanks to HMT.net and her participants. This carries sincere appreciation in having a medium, the means, and a community to relate with and to.