Photo Index - Oliver Machinery Co. - Oliver Jointer Grinder

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Manufactured/Badged by:
Oliver Machinery Co.
Grand Rapids, MI

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Other
Machine Size:	30"
Submitted By:	Chuck Hess

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Oliver Jointer Grinder
Date of Manufacturer:	1956
Serial Number:
Last Updated	8/15/2005 1:47:34 AM

Comments:

Oliver Jointer Grinder, this one was with a 20" #12 jointer, 1956 vintage.

Aloha, this grinder came with my Oliver # 12 jointer and I had never seen one these in real life, I had only seen them in dirty paper and even then not very often. This grinder really changed my life. Its nice to upgrade a machine or acquire a machine that you don't have but this grinder opened up a whole new world in jointing for us. I guess that is why I am writing this because I wish I had been exposed to this a long time ago. I am also bewildered why there are not a lot more of these around.
Anyway, how it works is simple. You move the outfeed table to line up the register marks, so the grinder will be in proper position to the head. The grinder then mounts on the outfeed table via 2 tapers pins for precision locating and 2 bolts to lock it down. You reset the knives (in this case using the Oliver knife setting block method) and then grind them on the head. There is a locating pin that locks the head in the proper position for each (on mine its 3) knives. During this stage the stone is in the up position. This process uses the grinder on and the jointer off. Grind each knife to a wire edge.
1 side note is the jib screws on our jointer are very hard to loosen up even though we have them out regularly (some of you will remember the set screw thread). Rich Fink told me that those screws are made a little oversize on purpose so there is no chance they will loosen on their own. I think he is right; we broke a 3/8" craftsman wrench on ours and also broke a snap on too. We finally got a 3/8" engineers style wrench with a heavy head but the handle is a little short on that. I dont think there is much chance of them loosening on their own since I can barely get'em out when we need to!
After grinding you then crank the grinding wheel up and lower the stone into position. For this process the jointer is on and the grinder is off. Then use the lateral crank to move the stone across the head while its turning, taking very light cuts. We can hone about 5 times between grinding. This produces fluffy shavings that are all uniform in size because all 3 knives are cutting. We tried all the fancy disposable knives on our last jointer but they can't hold a candle to this system. They tended to produce dust not shavings and they shavings they did make were not uniform like this. Now add vactra oil to the oil cups, record the sharpening date on the clipboard and return the grinder to it's box. That's how we do it in my shop.
I love this grinder so much I made it a special box of its own with drop front and bi-fold lid. Thats where we keep the wrenches, oil, paperwork and accessories too. Its an awkward apparatus to handle but its definitely worth it.
Aloha, Chuck honed in Maui.

Photo 1:

Comments: Wills Mounting Grinder on Jointer
Source: My beautiful wife's camera.

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Photo 2:

Comments: Outfeed Table Registry Marks
Source: My beautiful wife's camera.

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Photo 3:

Comments: Grinder Box on Casters
Source: My beautiful wife's camera.

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