rusted but sharp (?) jointer blades and other questions

[rallen]

I was given a 61 shopsmith that has seen some hard times over its life. I have gone through the headstock and have everything working pretty nicely, and am now turning my attention to the two accessories that came with it, the band saw and jointer.

I have a few questions on the jointer:

the blades appear to be quite sharp but have a little surface rust. Can I just clean them up with steel wool and wd40, or do I need to remove them and get them sharpened / replaced?
the blade guard has a spring on the mounting shaft that does not appear to hook into anything to put the blade under tension so it rides against the work as it should. Am I missing something, or is it that the spring is broken?
there is surface light surface rust on the table and fence; recommendations for cleaning it up? Could I use a wire cup brush on a grinder for this, or is that overkill? Is there a better way?


As you can tell, I am a newbie but am very intrigued with the machine and what it can do. I just want to make sure it is safe and functional as I start to explore its capabilities.

Thanks.

Robert

[husker9]

If the jointer does a good job with the blades like they are I would not worry about the rust until the blades do need sharpened.

If I remember right there is a way to increase tension by changing the tension on the spring. The spring hooks into a washer that can be retensioned on the post that holds the guard and all the parts. You will have to take the nut off that holds down the guard and procede from there.

On a table saw I bought that had some rust I used a orbit sander to polish it up and remove the rust.

[rallen]

hmmm...hooks into a washer, eh? No washer to be seen on mine...perhaps that is what I am missing? When I have mine off of the machine and look at it upside down, all i see is the hexagonal shaft and the loose end of the spring....

[chiroindixon]

Got a current SS catalog? The back portion is the parts manual. Blow up diagrams are small but adequate enough for you to figure out what may be missing or broken.

No manual? Call 'em or email. They'll get you in the "family" right away. Their tech reps and service is superb.

Naval jelly with a soft scouring pad will do wonders. Then...Wax, wax, wax.

Have fun...

Doc

[dusty]

The tension that keeps the Jointer Feather Guard Assembly up against the fence is produced by a coil spring mounted on a threaded stud inside of the 'pivot point' on the guard assembly.

One end of that spring protrudes through the top of the feather guard while the other end of the spring is hooked into a washer (through a single hole in the washer). To see the top of the spring you must screw off the knob (at the pivot point). The other end is attached to the washed. This coil spring produces the tension that positions the feather guard.

The description of your problem leads me to believe that the spring is either broken or one end of the spring is not secured.