Is there a safe method to face joint material < 3/4″ thick? I have a 6″ jointer and anything less than 3/4″ will slide beneath the blade guard. I would like to be able to joint some 1/2″ material since I was given about 100bdft of Black Walnut that has been resawn to approx. 1/2″ thickness. I really don’t want to hand plane all of this.
Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.
Larry
Larry W.
Edited 2/25/2007 6:23 pm ET by larry w.
Replies
Hi Larry,
Any stock that is thin enough to get you close to the blade guard necessitates having push sticks. And not those plastic little gizmos the jointer manufacturer gives you. Those are okay as hold downs, but not as push sticks. Make some up that will grip your work and give you a nice long holding surface. I make mine out of two pieces of plywood with wooden handles sandwiched in between them. Cut a long notch into the bottom edge of the plywood and you have a push stick.
Or you can take a long flat piece of wood, about a 1x3 and screw some handles onto it. Glue on a small chunk of wood to the back end of this board about 1/8" thick. DO NOT USE FASTENERS! You’ll just run the risk of hitting those nails or screws some day. This will hold your thin stock flat and protect your hands.
Stock that is thinner than your blade guard is high will by design have to run underneath the blade guard. This is okay as long as you have push sticks to hold your work.
Maybe there is something unique about the design of your jointer, but if you have a typical machine with a "porkchop" style guard it should clear the table by just about 1/8". If yours doesn't sit close to the table, something is not set up correctly.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Edited 3/5/2007 12:17 pm ET by JohnWW
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