Delta 37-315 Jointer

firefighter ontheside · October 15, 2022, 08:36:03 AM

I picked up a group of tools that I bought yesterday. I got a Craftsman contractor table saw(the one with the cast iron wings with holes in them), a 14" Delta bandsaw, a little old Delta 12" planer and what appears to be a 1959 vintage Delta Rockwell 37-315 8" jointer. I will sell all but the jointer. The jointer I will work on and get in good shape. It needs a few knobs and handles replaced. It has a moderate amount of rust on the tables, but nothing that will affect how it works. I haven't been able to determine what motor is in it. I can see that it is a modern motor and I would guess 1.5hp. I'd like to have 2hp in it. I will replace the cutterhead with a helical head probably from Sheartak. Once I have it all in good order I will sell my 6" powermatic. I hope to not have to mess with the dovetail ways, but I will if I have to. It will be a neat addition to my shop. Anybody have one or have experience with this model?

Tom King · October 15, 2022, 02:46:25 PM

I have one that I bought at a school auction in 1975. It's been my most used jointer since then. I've never even opened the bottom to see what size the motor is.

It's really good quality cast iron.

If you replace the straight knives, it takes 3/32 thick knives instead of the more common 1/8". With 1/8", it doesn't leave enough room to get a wrench in there.

Pictures were after it was in a storage building for about 10 years. Polished right up, and went to work.

firefighter ontheside · October 15, 2022, 02:53:09 PM

It looks good. My fence is missing a couple handles and I'll have to find some replacements.

rusticretreater · October 15, 2022, 04:13:25 PM

The serial number shows this to be of 1959 vintage known as the Bellefontaine years where Delta Rockwell was manufacturing in Bellefontaine, Ohio.

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/DeltaSerialNumbers.ashx

A listing of parts for your machine circa 1958. Only shows the top half parts. Nothing on the motor, belts, pulleys. http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=1578

A manual for a 1951 version of your jointer recommends a motor of 1hp, but does mention how to handle motors up to 2HP. In those days, you ordered your motor separate from the machine.
http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=1552

I find tons of old delta parts on EBay. Search by part number, Delta Rockwell, model number etc. I found nearly every accessory for my 1954 Homecraft Lathe.

peakbagger · October 15, 2022, 06:20:38 PM

You have good eye for deals. I think a lot of people like us who bought that era gear are aging out and downsizing so a lot of it ends up in estate sales (or worse) as the kids do not want the stuff. My town has a very strict no dump picking rule at the transfer station and on occasion I have seen old cast iron power tools (usually old Sears stuff) in the recycling pile :(, once it is in the pile no resident can touch it but I have seen an employee grab stuff once or twice.

I have the same model, late sixties version with Rockwell Nasa era logos. I think its 2 HP single phase with magnetic starter but it has been decades since I opened it up. I splurged on a Shelix carbine insert head a few years ago, it really quieted it down, even with sharp knives it was hearing protection required, with the Shelix head, a lot quieter. No rust to speak of. The only issue is the screw to raise and lower the feed table is sloppy. I picked it up at a big local hardware store chain that was moving out of its 100 year old warehouse and scaling down. It was stashed in a corner covered with junk and I saw it, dragged an employee over and offered a price and he took it. They seem to have been a real popular model. The six inch version just always seem to me to be bit too short.

Its a great rig, just hook it up to good dust collector with a pre-separator as it can really crank out the chips. I have tight basement and had to use a mobile base for another model power tool so I can move it around to get enough infeed an outfeed space. It normally sits in a spot where I can use it for short wood but need to move it for the long stuff.

firefighter ontheside · October 15, 2022, 07:15:46 PM

Yeah, I'm always on the lookout for deals where I can buy it and maybe turn it around later for a profit or use it to trade up later. My current 6" powermatic is different than other 6" jointers. It has the same length tables as most 8" jointers. It will be nice though to face joint a little wider stock. That's a shame on the stuff going to the landfill never to be seen again.

rusticretreater · October 15, 2022, 08:40:56 PM

I would go get the old machine out of the pile if I wanted it. If challenged, say " I have one of these and I need this one for parts. They are impossible to find. I've been looking forever. You gotta let me have this."

All the while I am loading it in my truck.

azmtnman · October 15, 2022, 09:36:42 PM

I got 3 3' pieces of triple-walled flue pipe with a vent cap (all nearly brand new) out of our transfer station junk pile last week. They like it when people take it because it's just one more thing that somebody paid them $5.00 to leave and they don't have to contend with it. I have gotten some good, or easily fixable, things from there.

Wattwood · October 16, 2022, 11:11:44 AM

I picked up a 1964 version of the same machine from a school auction this summer. I did a "mechanical" restoration and left the many coats of paint alone. Mine was 3 phase with a 1hp motor- the original Delta. 1hp was adequate for that machine in a school setting for 50 years. I replaced it with a 1 1/2hp single phase motor because I stumbled on a used one cheaper than I could get a Vfd. I'm keeping the straight knives for the time being. 2hp seems overkill to me.

I took the machine apart, cleaned and waxed the ways, removed the gloppy paint from critical pieces like the gib screws. I lightly hand stoned the ways and tables where there were minor burrs from abuse. The tables would barely move before cleaning and waxing with paraffin and now they move easily. Mine was missing the handwheel cranks and it looks like yours are gone as well. It was a classic shop teacher trick to remove the hand wheels so the kids couldn't adjust them. They were long gone when I got the machine. I was able to find one from a kind soul on OWWM. One is really all you need and I suspect easier than finding a pair. Once you get the out feed table set and locked just move the crank to the in feed side. WD40 and a razor blade is the way to go for cleaning the tables. Finish it off with a scotch bright and then wax.

One thing to note is that the bearing retainer nut on the side opposite the pulley is reverse threaded on some cutter heads but not others. Take a close look before forcing it. Bearings can be had from Accurate Bearing.

I added a magnetic starter I had from another machine. Even after all that time in a school setting it joints a board that is dead flat. Amazing. It's a great machine. Spend some time reading about them at OWWM and you'll find answers to most questions you'll have. Rob

Before cleaning up.

firefighter ontheside · October 16, 2022, 12:57:19 PM

Thanks Wattwood. That one looks just like mine except for the color. As you say, right down to the missing wheels. I already joined OWWM and have found some info there and have looked thru the classified ads there looking for parts. I have one guy checking if he has a wheel for me. I think 1 1/2 hp will be a little underpowered for a helical head which I am going to install.

Wattwood · October 16, 2022, 01:37:54 PM

You bet FFOTS. I've heard that helical heads like a bit more power but I don't have any experience with them. Let us know how it turns out for you. Good luck on the restoration. A simple straightforward machine to work on that is well worth the effort. Rob

firefighter ontheside · October 16, 2022, 05:12:00 PM

I'm thinking I'm gonna have a hard time coming up with the important missing parts from the fence on this jointer. I can find a few pieces on Ebay, but not the wholepart that I need.

Tom King · October 16, 2022, 09:33:44 PM

Which parts are you missing? If it's just the handle stems with the knobs on them, they're just rods with threads on both ends.

I can measure mine, and tell you want size the threads are, length of shaft, etc. One just makes it easier to tilt the fence, and the one out the back is lock and unlock to a shaft with a cam on it to fix the fence where you want it relative to the width of the machine.

The other type of handle locks and unlocks the fence tilt. I'm pretty sure you can still buy that type of handle, probably from McMaster-Carr.

Take a closer picture of the back of the fence, and fence mount.

Wattwood · October 16, 2022, 10:01:35 PM

Yes, what Tom said above. Delta also used similar pieces on different machines. I think that locking handle may have been on their early tilt table saw and maybe the tenoning jig. I'm working from memory here. You may be able to cross reference the part numbers and widen your search. I'm pretty sure the Saturn knobs are common and available. If other pieces are missing but you can still get it locked at 90 then you've got a usable machine even if the fence can't tilt.

Manuals with parts diagrams are available on the Vintage Machinery sister site to OWWM.

JRWoodchuck · October 17, 2022, 04:53:33 PM

I have the same one it was from a school as well and it's treated me really well. It was rusty but cleaned up nice. It's missing a few things but I've gotten by with out them.

firefighter ontheside · October 17, 2022, 05:18:10 PM

Thanks guys. As soon as I said how difficult it was gonna be to find the parts, member @Larry sent me a craigslist link for an ad in Kansas City for a guy selling all the parts I needed. I have been in contact with him and working out the shipping. I will have a few extra parts when all is said and done. Maybe one of you can use them.

Tom King · October 17, 2022, 07:02:55 PM

That was some good help, and some good luck!!

firefighter ontheside · October 19, 2022, 05:33:20 PM

I can't thank Larry enough for finding that ad. For a while I was worried I had a big boat anchor. Though as you guys mentioned I probably could have used some ingenuity and made it work with some homemade parts at least until I found factory parts. Today I ordered a helical head from Sheartak. It is already in the shipping process and I will likely have it in about ten days from Canada. I pulled the motor out to check it out. It appears to be at least 1.5hp, but I want 2hp. It is wired to a 14g cord with a 15 amp plug which leads me to believe it is probably only1.5hp.

kantuckid · October 21, 2022, 08:42:44 AM

As you wish on the helical cutter head but for comparisons sake: My local guy who sharpened my 20" planer blades was a U professor with a saw shop hobby and he died so my planers blades get done by my band saw mill shop, a large commercial saw service and cost is very low. When my Sprunger 8" jointer blades needed sharpened, I looked on ebay and bought a new set in HSS for under $10, free shipping.
A jointer set lasts me a very long time, measured in years and mine does get used a bunch. As one e.g., I recently jointed several thousand BF of 2x6's making T&G decking. Some years back I did even more of the same for my room addition decking.
It's an antique machine brand once made in Indiana that will never actually wear out and blades are very common. My wood lathes the same brand.
The set I removed dated to when I'd bought the machine in the late 1970's in fact and was new then. If I worked all day, everyday, commercially- maybe I'd think differently.

firefighter ontheside · October 21, 2022, 11:06:55 AM

I got the parts that I received yesterday installed this morning, so I now have a complete jointer. The parts went on smoothly and I'm really happy about that. I cleaned up the beds a little better than I had before and waxed them.

peakbagger · October 21, 2022, 04:48:39 PM

If that black cord on the right is the cord for the jointer, boy it seems small.

firefighter ontheside · October 21, 2022, 05:22:28 PM

Yes, very much so. I just came from a motor repair shop where I took the motor. The motor has no ID tag on it, but the shop guy said its at least 2hp if not 3hp. It was indeed wired with that 14g wire and 15amp plug. I had the shop rewire the motor for 240v and I will replace the cord with 12g and I already ordered a new 240v magnetic switch. Also, the thing was wired to a 15a light switch with the switch in the common leg. Talk about a mess.

Tom King · October 21, 2022, 08:25:51 PM

I use a variation of Jack Forsberg's method for cleaning rusty tops. I use a 9" side grinder with wire brush cup, and don't bother to cut the corners off the Scotchbrite pads. Goes really quickly.

Keeping cast iron tops clean and rust free the easy way - YouTube

firefighter ontheside · October 21, 2022, 09:16:36 PM

That's very nice. I might have to try that.

Larry · October 21, 2022, 09:21:04 PM

Jack's method is excellent for maintaining cast iron tops but with heavy rust their is a better method. Spray with WD-40, mineral spirits, or whatever is on hand and than scrape with a straight edge razor. It's really fast. I can't tell from your pictures, your top looks to be borderline and you might go straight to Jack's method.

I've had that Delta and also a Powermatic that I went through. This is the last one I did and by far started out in the worst condition. I gave it the full treatment plus.