Hi,
I’m a complete newcomer to woodworking, puting together a small shop, and came across a good deal on an old 6 inch floor standing jointer. Is a jointer something I’d use frequently, or is it something I could get by without? I really haven’t done much woodorking, but I’d like to make some tables, a desk, and eventually a dresser or two.
thanks!
Replies
Hi,
I'm a new guy too, but from everything I've read or heard, a jointer's a great tool to have. They sure save a lot of work when it comes to truing your lumber. I'm sure most of the regulars on this site could name many more secrets that I've never even thought of.
TonyT.
I was brought up using hand planes so I got along without one for years. Now, that I have one it's indispensable. Although I still like using my hand planes.
There are other tools that will do the job as well and are more versatile. A router can be set to function as a jointer. A tablesaw with a good blade (Forrest Woodworker II for example) and accurate fence will cut a smooth edge for joining. You might want to consider this if you budget and space is limited.
Since your new to woodworking you might want to have someone you trust take a look at it. Make sure it really is a good deal.
Good luck and enjoy,
Len
batorok
A jointer is used to square either an edge or a face on a piece of stock. Most rough lumber doesn't come this way. You cannot put it through a thickness planer before you have one flat surface. To glue up, the edges have to be square. A piece of already surfaced stock that has bowed or twisted can also be redeemed using the same method.
There are alternatives. Hand planes to flatten surfaces and shoot edges. The TS can be used to edge joint with proper technique. A two piece fence on a router table with a shim between the face fence and sub-fence on the outfeed side can be used with a straight bit to edge joint.
Bottom line, the jointer is designed to get the job done quickly and with minimum effort. If you have a chance to pick up one at a reasonable price, get it. Even if you do not use it at the very first. I would suggest learning to do things by hand so you know the fundamentals and realize the value of the machine. Read everyting you can if you are new and ask questions if anything is unclear. Someone much wiser than myself will answer. ha..ha..
Good Luck...
sarge..jt
Hi, I,too, am fairly new to WWing (3 yrs or so) and can only share my experience.
I own a Jet 6" jointer which I use frequently to square edges and to bevel edges as well. It is a very convienent tool in my shop, but it is not a high priority tool. As a true beginner you should concentrate on polishing your hand tool skills and think about the "gravy" tools later.
The big tools I believe you should be thinking about now are (1) a table saw (2) a band saw. Remember also that a planer and a jointer go hand in hand to mill stock.
Welcome to the hood bro..
I agree with what Brian has written about the jointer not being a high priority tool. I use mine for edge jointing only, and then when I have more than a couple of pieces.
For face jointing, I use only handplanes and consider the jointer a nearly useless machine for said task. (You'll notice a lot of posts re. folks' difficulty/inability in using machine in this fashion.) I also consider the feat of trying to balance a bowed or twisted board as it's passed over the jointer a feat that's difficult at best, and very dangerous.
Jeff
If you are having trouble face jointing lumber with your jointer, there is either something wrong with the jointer setup or you are using it improperly. I prep ALL my lumber on a 12 jointer and have no trouble at all. It is THE tool for the job unless you want to do it by hand. Of course the width of your jointer will limit the size of the stock you can prep. I prefer to prep edges for glue up by hand.Tom
Ditto. My jointer's only 6" <insert: envy>, but since using hand-tools for the sake of purity isn't a priority for me, I consider it indispensable. Frequently used for a spot of face jointing before planing. No problems with safety -- Concave side facing down, push blocks and eyewear. And, the jointer has really helped the quality of output from my old Jet saw.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Contact FWW and get issue number 160, Winter 2002/2003 Tools & Shops Annual Issue. It has an article on why the jointer and planer are a team, and a good overview of getting rough (or smooth) lumber to the flatness and thickness you want. Other woodworking magazines have had similar articles.
My experience has been that once I got a planer and jointer, I wished I had had them years earlier. Would have increase my woodworking skill development much quicker.
Have fun!
Alan / planesaw
A recommendation to add to the above: Jointers and Planers - How to Choose, Use and Maintain Them by Rick Peters. I bought this book a few months ago and it has gone a long way toward helping me understand both of these machines and get more out of them. Paperback, list $14.95, ISBN 0-8069-6755-2.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
The answer is not as cut and dried as some would have you believe..
You greatest expense in this hobby will be for wood. where and how you purchase wood will affect every other aspect of you budget.. If you buy green rough sawn wood direct from a mill you will pay a tiny fraction of what you will pay for wood at the yard or store.
However to use that wood you will need to dry it.. (real cheap to do yourself) and mill it into useable form. That is where a jointer and planner come in.. there are several inexpensive versions of each out there and with the set you can buy wood very cheap and afford to build some great work.
or you can buy boards that are surfaced and trued and pay well over ten times the price.. (and they still may not be true or square)
Likeyou, I am new to this forum and relatively new to woodworking. A jointer did not seem to be a priority, though I finally gat one about a year ago, and don't see how I got along without it. Having pieces flat and square makes everything easier. If you are like me, I would rather not spend all my time practicing with a hand plane, but occasionally want to see a finished piece. This way I can learn to surface with a plane (yes, I have started down that slippery slope) while working on other things as well. I read everything I could about setting up the machine, and after a couple hours was getting good results. That seems to be the key. I'd say, go for it if the price is right. Good luck.
I use a 12' length of 2" by 4" aluminum U-channel clamped to my tablesaw fence. Run your work through the saw with the concave edge of the plank towards the fence. That works up to about 8'. for longer pieces clamp the channel to the plank and trim the edge with a router.
I have a profesional shop and practically never use my jointer. However if you have the money and the room and reely like tools, jointers are generally less money per pound than most power tools and by that logic would be a good investment.
Cheerz,Glendo.
How do you flatten a board face?Tom
With a jointer! Or a hand plane.I buy all my lumber S2S and find that I rarely need to flatten there little faces. If your buying rough lumber you will get a lot of use out of a jointer. The lumber yards in my area sell mostly surfaced lumber.
Glendo.
I'm having trouble understanding your comment about how you edge plane a board using what you describe as a 12' aluminum channel that is 2" x 4". First, where can one purchase the aluminum you describe and secondly, can you describe in more detail how you clamp this to your TS and why the limitation to an 8' board?
Look in the yellow pages under metal suppliers, they generally have lots to choose from. The aluminum U channel is 2" on the sides and 4" on the bottom. I center it on the blade side of the fence and fix it with a speed clamp. The channel replaces the fence. The longer fence supports a longer edge. The longer the fence, the longer the support. Somewhat like making the bed on a jointer longer. My straight edge is 12' long because thats my ceiling height. I don't think a longer one would be practical.
I hope that was helpful.
Glendo.
Thanks Glendo, I'll purchase the "U" channel and clamp as you suggest. In the past, I've used two aluminum devices advertised ($12) for straightening crooked boards, but only with limited success. Now that you mention it, my problem may be with the limited fence size on my TS.
Extending the fence works well for getting a straight working edge, however, be sure the board doesn't rock on the fence and only use it to trim off the outside edge of the board. If you rip a board down the middle with a long fence the internal stresses can warp the plank and force it against the blade. And be sure to use a splitter, anti kick-back devices and a guard.
Have fun, Glendo.
Again, thanks for the tips you provided, especially for the ones that relate to safety. Many of us intermediate woodworkers will attmpt to try something new through trial and error only to find out too late there was an inherent safety issue lurking in the procedure. Thanks for the "heads up".
Thanks for all the input, I think I'll hold off until I know more what I'm buying it for, though I do think it sounds very useful. At my stage of the game, and my shop size and budget, I think I'd better be really sure I need and will use a tool. Just saw the Taunton video on Sam Maloof, man what that man can (dangerously) do with a bandsaw!
thanks for all the informative posts, I'd love to see a demo of the u-channel jointing technique, but I don't think I can try it until I know exactly what to do...
Brad
Hi, Just wanted to clarify a bit on what I said about the jointer not being a high priority tool. I meant that in the context of a new woodworker buying his big tools for the first time and in what order they should be purchased.
A jointer belongs in the shop right next to the thickness planer but is down the list when filling shopspace on a limited budget.
G'nite all! Brian
batorok,
As a relative newbie also, I think it's wise to hold off a bit on the jointer purchase. As Frenchy mentioned, you can save a lot buying green lumber and preparing it with the help of a jointer after it has dried. However, that implys you know what and how to buy lumber and have the space to store it. My point is there is a learning curve with that aspect of woodworking and that requires an investment of time and study.
Other aspects of woodworking from design, execution, hand tool use (including measuring) and finishing all require time and study too....also investment.
The way I look at it is I'm not ready yet to start building all wood quality pieces. I need more hand skills, execution knowledge and have not even touched design yet. Perhaps if I bought a bunch of green wood by the time its ready to process I would be ready for it. Then i would buy an 8" jointer.
Rough lumber is not the only lumber that isn't flat and straight. I have frequently purchases S4S lumber (mostly oak) and at least 1/3 of it needed some touch-up with a jointer to have a truly flat face or exact right-ange edge. I've also found that use of the jointer has reduced the number of ripping problems I've had on the tablesaw, because I have a truly clean, straight edge to work against the fence. Several times, have needed to "sneak up" on thickness to match another piece of stock. Found this easier to do on the jointer (narrow pieces, obviously).
Even such a "simple" tasks as making right-angle clamp blocks for glue-up (the ones that go into the corner of a case to ensure right angles) are made easier with a right-on cut with the jointer. Not necessary, for sure, but helpful.
No, the jointer is absolutely required, but for milling wood with precision, it's quite helpful and certainly saves a lot of time.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG,
I don't disagree that touch up, etc. is needed on many prepared pieces before you start to build. I have a planer and some hand planes that allow me square everything up and learn some skills that will be needed in the other aspects of the project.
My only point was to get the real dollar payback then starting with green wood is required and the jointer is really earning its keep. Of course we could do it all with hand tools ... at any rate, the wood would take a year to dry at a minimun.
I just ordered a Delta Benchtop Jointer ( I know but... Space restrictions and not knowing how much I will be able to use it won out in the end.) I also ordered the Rick Peters book as suggested ( thanks to whomever, names are not my strong suit of late). Wandering the web, I saw a reference to Shopnotes issue #48 which touched on "shop built extensions" for a benchtop jointer to help in handling longer pieces. I have ordered the back issue but in the interim was wondering if anyone has had any experience along the lines of adding their own extensions.
Any feedback greatly appreciated.
Glendo,
With the fence protruding past the back teeth of the blade, have you ever had a kickback problem?
Would it be safer to use a roller stand in front of the saw and stop the fence at the front teeth of the saw or the centre of the blade?
Cheers,
eddie
Correction: Just read post No21 - it's clear to me that you're only shaving off 2-3mm, so this isn't as critical.
Even still, what are your thoughts on using the rollerstand and fence in front of the blade as outlined?
Edited 3/22/2003 2:21:41 AM ET by eddie (aust)
The straight edge has to be centered next to the blade or it won't work. Work support is allways helpful, I prefer a flat support as apposed to a roller as rollers tend to pull the work to one side or the other. I've used this method for about 10 years and never had problems with kick-back.
Glendo.
If you plan to buy rough lumber then a jointer is a must,you could joint one face by hand,but thats a lot of work. If you plan on doing this more often then spend the extra and go for a 8 inch model.
I rip 90% of my lumber on a band saw and clean up the edges with my Jet 6" jointer. Also lets me use bowed and cuped lumber instead of throwing it away. I rank a jointer as idespensible.
When you go check out that one, take two carpenter squares. Crank up the infeed table till its level with the outfeed table. Then put one square on the infeed table and one on the outfeed table and see if the vertical edges of the squares make good contact all the way up and down. If they don't match, then the gibs may have to be adjusted to make the beds lie in parallel planes.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
thanks for the feedback.
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