Replies

1. 
   jase | Oct 03, 2002 09:27pm | #1

   If you apply pressure in front of the cutterhead you are duplicating the action of a planer and simply making the board thinner without removing any warp/crook/bow or twist.

   The most important point to control is the leading edge/end of the board. If your face jointing you should always have a pushstick to help the board past the blades but not down into them.

   Jase--Is there a better way?
2. 
   forestgirl | Oct 03, 2002 10:56pm | #2

   I've been working to improve my jointer technique, and just this morning felt like it was finally coming naturally!  Obviously, your pressure has to be on the infeed side when you first start (not too heavy though), but as the stock crosses the cutterhead, you want to shift your weight toward the outfeed table.  That's where the majority of your pressure should be, but you need pressure on both sides.  I keep my left hand about 5"-8" downstream from the cutterhead and keep the pressure steady but not too strong, with moderate pressure on the infeed side to keep things even. 

   As the end of the piece approaches the cutterhead, I ease up just a bit on that end so I'm not pushing the end down into the cutterhead.  During the whole operation, pressure into the fence must be maintained to keep the planing action perpendicular to the face of the board.

   Safety can't be overstressed (ask ADESIGNS!).  I use pushblocks or a shop-made narrow pusher -- this morning I was jointing oak stock that was 5/8" thick x 2-3/16 wide.  Put my magnetic featherboard on the infeed side to hold it against the fence, my narrow (and long) pusher at the back end and off I went.  Absolutely the best results I could have expected.

   Try balancing the pressure some and see if the concavity doesn't lessen.  Practice, practice, practice.  Carefully!  If it doesn't get better, double check your knives relative to the outfeed table.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   
   

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   Edited 10/3/2002 4:00:02 PM ET by forest_girl

   
   

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   Edited 10/3/2002 5:56:31 PM ET by forest_girl

3. 
   JeffKurtz | Oct 03, 2002 11:35pm | #3

   Mark,

   A curve, eh? Part of the problem with edge jointing is that you are forced, to some extent to follow the contour of the wood.  If a board has bow or curve in it, the jointer will duplicate that flaw as you press downward and feed the board.  I've found two solutions that work well.

   First, mark a red or other highly visible line down the edge of the board with a good straightedge to guide you.  Use the jointer to take off the highest spots, then, when the edge is fairly true, run the entire length over the jointer.  The second approach, which I think is faster and easier, is to attach a straight edge to the board using double sided tape, ore even a few small screws or nails.  One pass over the table saw, remove the straight edge, and finish on the jointer.

   I remember when I first got my jointer and I ran some boards over it, first one edge, then the other, never stopping to size them on the table saw after the first edge was jointed.  I had about 100 b.f. of wedges, but what nice smooth edges they had!

   Jeff

1. 
   silver77 | Oct 05, 2002 09:06am | #4

   Hey Jeff K. I'm jumping in without reading but I'll bet you a twofour that your back table is not bang on parallel with your knives.

   Joint 2" on a fairly straight board. Stop jointer. Look...is the snipe pasactly bang on with the knives. I know we're woodworkers  but we're talking a few thou.

   Adjust the back table until it is bang on with the snipe by eye .Joint -feel end of board for snipe. If snipe on end, you're that much too low. Adjust up a few thou. Works 97% of the time and in my opinion is the most common jointer problem.

   I'm enjoying a few xxx tonight. Friday...

   cheers I'll drink to that.,

   silver

    

   Edited 10/6/2002 1:53:32 AM ET by silver

2. 
   BG | Oct 05, 2002 12:29pm | #5

   Jeff,

   I really like that straight edge idea..helps keep you focused on the objective at least until your confidence in the technique with the jointer grows. In the best of all worlds, you'd have two straight edges in the same plane on each side of the board?...or is that a jig and then run it through the planer?

   PS. cant wait to see thoe wedges in the gallery...lol

4. 
   rslatm | Oct 06, 2002 01:29am | #6

   "When the initial 6" of stock is advanced to the outfeed table all subsequent hand movement takes place on the outfeed table." from Ian Kirby's first book "Woodworking".

   One of the better books I've seen on jointer instruction but there's no real definitive book out there that covers it all. It's difficult to learn how to joint a board with no instruction never mind even knowing if the machine is set up correctly so problems can be a combination of operator error and the machine itself. I've seen people try to joint on a machine that I know was running perfectly and couldn't joint a straight edge to save their life. It get's real confusing when you read contradictory information in books and magazines. Editors can correct for grammar but not content.

   With that curve you describe it sounds like your jointer may need some tweaking  if your technique is correct. If you take two boards the length of your jointer and edge joint them you should get a perfect mating of the edges.  A number of local woodworkers hire me to work on their jointers and that's what I show them to verify it's cutting correctly.  You shouldn't need a real lot of  pressure either.  Enough to allow you to move the board forward and keep it from being pulled away by the force of the cutters. It's also important to keep the bed waxed. If i'm jointing all day then I've waxed the bed a fair amount of times. The ultimate jointer table would be an air hockey table. I also hate those push blocks, slow cumbersome and loss of control in my experience. I use a few of those rubber finger tips on each hand the bank tellers used to use to count money. For facing boards the safest guards are the European ones where the wood goes underneath it and the guard stays over the cutterhead at all times.  That way if the wood gets kicked back by the cutterhead, your hands are protected unlike the porkchop guards which are common  and cheapest to manufacture.  

   Rick

1. 
   Sancho | Oct 06, 2002 07:08pm | #7

   I cant explain Euro-American jointers or any of the fancy theory ect. I know I just put a light pressure on the wood on the in feed tables and use my left hand on the o/f table to tightly hold the stock against the dence. I learned to never take your left hand off the stock ..move it, re-adj but dont take it off the stock until your through with your cut.

   As for the concave edge..what species of wood are you talking about. Some species if not dried or acclimated this will happen. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"

1. 
   MarkMortensen | Oct 07, 2002 06:29pm | #8

   After reading some of the comments on here, I once again readjusted the knives and the fence a bit.  It's definitely better, so I think the knives aligned to  the table have been my problem most of the time.  I have one of those magnetic knife setters, so it works fairly well, but I realize that the knives shift just a hair when tightening the screws and this seems to be the issue.  Unfortunately I don't have a dial-caliper to it's always a bit difficult to verify how good of job I did until I run the wood through.

   I normally run cherry through my jointer and almost always end up with the concave curve I mentioned.  On some of the last boards I thought there was a hint of snipe too.  What I find most strange is that when I run test boards of plain douglas fir or MDF to set it up, it always seems flat and straight.  The problems of slight misalignment come out during the jointing of the expensive stuff, like cherry. 

   I'll keep experimenting with the tips you've given.  Right now I'm past using the jointer for most of this project so I'll see how it really works on the next project, hopefully coming up soon!

   -Mark

1. 
   DennisS | Oct 08, 2002 06:30am | #9

   Mark -

   I only recently acquired a jointer so I don't speak from any wealth of experience ... I'm relaying the advice I've rec'd from people I work with who I respect a great deal.

   First, on setting the knives to the proper ht. - I was instructed not to use magnetic tools or dial indicators. Get a really good short (6" or even 3") *straight* steel rule. Set this on the outfeed table and adjust your knives by rotating (by hand - the machine is unplugged, of course) rotating the cutter head so you just feel the knife brush the straight edge. Tighten the capture screw slightly and test with the straightedge again, adjusting the ht. of the knife if required. Thighten the capture screw, test, adjust, tighten....etc. until it's exactly done. Ideally you want the knife to be exactly flush with the outfeed table across the entire width.

   Actual jointing operation - Once the workpiece is on the outfeed table, practical considerations aside, there isn't any need for the infeed table. Obviously, for long, heavy pieces of stock this is ludicrous but the idea is if the outfeed table and the knives are all in sync. then the surface that's moving onto the o/f surface should resemble what's passing over the knives: straight & square to the fence. Thus as soon as I can support the entire workpiece on the o/f table, I do. Very little pressure on the infeed side ahead of the cutterhead. It might be worthwhile to consider building an extension on your outfeed table if you're working long pieces.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   rslatm | Oct 08, 2002 03:59pm | #10

   As one who has worked on a lot of jointers over the years a dial indicator is the best way to set knives.  A twelve dollar indicator and  a 1/2"convex tip from Enco with a base made from a block of wood is the simplest and most accurate way to go. It will pay for itself the first time you use it.

   Rick

   
2. 
   Sancho | Oct 09, 2002 01:29am | #11

   I just use a small piece of glass the width of the o/f table and set the knifes flush with it. Hey it works for me Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"

3. 
   rslatm | Oct 09, 2002 04:53pm | #12

   The glass method works good on the little jointers 8" and under.  I've  used MDF and plywood as well, as long as it's flat!

   Rick