# 1985 Craftsman 113.206932 Jointer Planer 6 1/8" Capacity



## Ulma Doctor

Hi Again,
I'm not a good woodworker,
but i'm trying to improve my skills as well as show my son how to work with his hands.
I learned skills in my youth without knowing it, by being around good men that worked with their hands and minds.
I want the very same thing for my son, to know the sweet taste of accomplishment obtained nowhere else than from your own hand, to know he can be a master of anything he wishes-
if he's willing to work at it.

After a short search on CL, i found a new victim!
I got a decent price on a barely used, but non-functioning Craftsman Planer/Jointer that will help in the pursuit of the study of woodworking.



a picture post scraping, #metalscraping



the GFIC outlet in my garage shop kept tripping and wouldn't allow start up of the motor.
I had another 1/2 hp 56 cradle frame motor that was a match except for the RPM.
the motor i have, had a 1740 nominal RPM, the factory motor is 3450 RPM.
to compensate for the slower motor, i increased the motor drive pulley to double it's size (from stock) to keep the same approximate cutter speed. The replacement was quite simple and i just happened to have a pulley that was exactly the size i needed too! (that NEVER happens )
i was able to use the same drive belt. Luckily the motor mounting is very forgiving and was easily done.
as you can see by the chips , it works!!!!!

You can see below that i couldn't leave the cast iron unscraped...
it had a very rough machining that i just could not let go...
i took out the biax and scraped the deck and fence to remove the light layer of oxidation.
the cast iron scraped well.
i may just end up scraping it for accuracy later on, for now i'm just too impatient- i wanna play with it




here's a rear view,
notice the fence adjustment in the center of the picture,it's a piece of light gauge sheetmetal and a plastic knob, that i found it a bit too light duty.
i may need to construct something more substantial in another project.


the original motor and pulley are pictured in this picture.
the stand was part of the original package denoted by the 113.206932 model #.

thanks for reading, i always welcome questions and comments!

if you have woodworking tips in pertinence to jointing and planing, i'd love to hear them.


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## middle.road

Perfect score! Decent machine. I think I've got a set of replacement blades stuck in a drawer somewhere that I bought at a Sears Hardware that closed up.
Push blocks. First on the list. Also go over that Craftsman stand and reinforce it a bit. The legs are a bit weak - on all their stands, IMO, and I have (4) of them.
I've braced the bottoms on all of them.
Can you come and scrap my Grizzly like that? [/me] thinks I might tackle scrapping someday, I hope. That would be nice on the table saw also.


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## middle.road

hey, I just noticed, shouldn't this be in the "woodworking' forum? [raised-eyebrow]  
*Admin!

*


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## ELHEAD

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the sheet metal with the knob at the back is a guard to cover the cutting head should the fence be moved closer to the operator. I have owned a couple of these and that was the impression I got. Never had a manual though.


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## Ulma Doctor

thanks Dan! it works pretty good so far



ELHEAD said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the sheet metal with the knob at the back is a guard to cover the cutting head should the fence be moved closer to the operator. I have owned a couple of these and that was the impression I got. Never had a manual though.



Yes ELHEAD you are correct,
it does that function too but if you push against the fence you can deflect the sheetmetal and not get your true angle.
it's also the center support for the fence,like most things- i think it should be beefier


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## JPMacG

I have the smaller cousin of that planer.  It does a nice job, but it is the one machine in my shop that actually scares me.  One time a blade somehow came loose and flew.  It ricocheted off the wall and embedded in the ceiling joists above.   Another time I stupidly did not use the plastic pushers let myself get pulled into the blade.  I lost about 1/16" off the tip of my middle finger.

My advice is to check the blades regularly, use safety glasses and always use the pushers, no matter how long the work piece.


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## Dave Paine

My first jointer was made by AMT, looked similar, but the fence pivot was on the right.   The problem with this design is that it is easy for the fence to flex since only held at one end.

I replaced the AMT jointer with a Delta I think the model is 37-190 which was very popular in the 1990's.  It is a 6in jointer where the fence pivoted in the middle.   I still have this jointer.   

The Delta jointer design is better than the AMT.   However the operator is the same and may be the weak link.

I am frustrated when I use the jointer.   I can make a piece of wood flat - ish.   I can make two side square - ish.   I excel at making a flat board to be not so flat after only 1 pass.

I have tuned the jointer as best I can.   The infeed bed is parallel to the outfeed bed.   Somehow I manage to apply uneven pressure so the result is the wood is not the same thickness front-to-back, and often side-to-side along the board.

The Delta is excellent to collect dust - which does not take any effort by the operator.


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## yendor

Did you square up the Infeed to Outfeed tables.
Do you have the manual? Easy to find on -line.
I have had one for about 35+ years and it works just fine.
They do need to be squared up about once a year or so and the process is not difficult.
There are adjusting screws on the under side. you really need to see the manual and the 2x12 Wood Jig they show in the manual REALLY does make the job easier.
One thing I find is it is easy to TWIST the casting when bolting it down to the stand.
I tighten down the (2) Side bolts fully and leave the Bolt on the END Very Snug and lock nut it so it doesn't vibrate loose.


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## The Liberal Arts Garage

I grew up with one of these.......my father warned me, and I will pass it on.....
remember, the band saw cuts your thumb off, and the jointer reduces its 
Width or thickness.  Do not ever use your Thumb to push work!  If I am to
Leave any advice , remember this..........BLJHB.


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