Hello everyone.
My brand new Grizzly 8″ jointer (with the helical cutter head) is giving me problems. The beds are parallel (no Snipe), but when face jointing a board its tapering it….in other words if you look dead at the end of the board, one side is coming out thicker than the other side…..its tapered like this consistently down the entire length of the board. I called Grizzly tech support today but of course they will have to “look into it” and get back to be.
Infeed and outfeed tables are ground flat.
is this issue even possible to fix?
thanks
David
Replies
If what you are describing is; when face jointing a board there is a measurable difference in thickness, when looking at the end grain, between the left and right sides, then this would be an indication that the cutter head is not parallel to the tables. If the error is consistent at both the leading and trailing ends I would suspect the problem lies with the cutter head. If the problem is more pronounced on the leading edge I would suspect the infeed table, the trailing edge the out feed table.
As for a solution I'm afraid I'm not aware of what adjustments are available on your particular machine. That would be a question for Grizzly. It maybe a simple as turning an adjustment screw or require shims or worse case due to poor machining or casting replacement of parts or even the entire machine.
It could easily be technique -- more pressure on one side than the other.
The only things jointers are supposed to do is mak something flat. A thickness planer will make both faces parallel.
It is likely caused by the infeed table being at an angle with the cutterhead. if you have the parralelogram height adjustment, there are excentric bushings on either side of the tables and I believe you can adjust them in order to change the angle of the tables relative to the cutterhead. Use the straightedge method on both ends of the cutterhead until both tables and the cutterhead are in perfect alignement.
Gulfstar has the right of it.
Bowed boards are caused by the planer tables not being coplanar.
If the infeed table is at a down angle then the board will be light in the centre. If it is up then the board will be heavy in the centre.
Setting up the jointer requires first that you set the cutters parallel to the cutterblock, then the outfeed table so that the leading edge is parallel to the cutterblock, and finally that the infeed table be very precisely coplanar with the outfeed table. This last step can take hours and requires a really good straight edge.
A lot of planer problems are caused by poor straight-edges. You need only be a few thou out and a bendy board will result.
After initial setup, run a test board, across the jointer 3 or 4 times. If it is totally flat after taking off 1/4 inch or so then you have a good setup. Use the jointer tables as your flat reference to check.
If the taper is from one end to the other, you may not be shifting pressure to the outfeed table. Keeping pressure on infeed table may make the end of the pass thinner.
"….in other words if you look dead at the end of the board, one side is coming out thicker than the other side….."
This can be fixed by better understanding what a jointer does. Although in a perfect world with unnaturally stable material you should be able to remove 1/32" from the whole face of a square milled board, this is not what I use a jointer for.
A jointer makes a surface flat (face jointing). This face can then be used as the reference surface so that the opposite side can be planed parallel in a planer.
You can then edge joint, with the grain, using either face as a reference surface against the fence of the jointer. Then rip to width using the jointed edge against the tablesaw's fence and cross cut to length.
There are variations on this but the acronym FEE is pretty common, Faces, Edges, Ends. If I face joint and the grain happens to be going the right direction I can edge joint using that prepared face, then plane, then rip and crosscut.
Other variations ignore grain direction and that is a choice. I like to give myself the best opportunity for a clean operation result so, I read the grain.
Start with a board you know is planed down and flat, run it & if the board is still tapered, then the cutter head is not parallel to the tables side to side.
I've never seen this as an issue if it really was the case, I guess you can shim the trunnion on the low side.
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