jointer problems

Hey Bob,

Jointers will almost never produce a board of even thickness. Their job is to produce one flat side and a right angle flat edge. They take the bow, cup and twist out of the board by sequentially flattening it. Uniform thickness is then achieved with the planer.

Tom

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the wakeup call. Why didn’t I figure that out. I feel so much better now.

Oh! I like your quote. My favorite one is “No problem can be solved at the level at which it is presented.” Albert Einstein.

Have a great day

-- Bob Lance, DE

No problem, Bob. Happy to help!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Bob Once you get one flat side and one 90 deg edge. Stop using the jointer.

Then go to the planer.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

the advice you have been given already is accurate. You can not get a consistent thickness on a board by jointing both sides. Your technique of shifting the weight on the board as it passes the blade is correct.

The jointer gives you the first flat face. To get a parallel face on the opposing side, use a surface planer. When I do this, my digital caliper measuring tool will usually only vary about 0.001” on the thickness measurement, which has worked for me. I use a small DeWalt 12.5” surface planer, and so I don’t know if other brands would be more accurate, or not.

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flinthill's Artisan

I agree with all. My DeWalt 735 is very accurate as well. I just measure with a ruler. I don’t want to know as much as a digital caliper might tell me. Maybe that’s why Mark’s pieces are so good.
Tom A.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Lance,

While everything said here is true, a jointer only produces a flat face, not a parallel face, it should not cut a taper. If you’re cutting a taper check that your out feed table is not too high. Too low outfeed gives you snipe, too high cuts a taper. The outfeed should be just level, or just slightly below, the top most position of the knives.

I set my outfeed maybe a mil or so below the top of the knives. I place maybe a 3/4 by 3/4 by 8 inch flat block of wood on the outfeed table and hanging out over the knives. I rotate the knives and when the knives just barely drag the block thats where I leave it.

OK, Bob, American Woodworker Magazine #123, Sept. 2006, Pg.61 It’s got it all!!
Tom

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Hi Guys,

It is so great having a team of pros like all of you to help a neophyte like myself. Thanks for all your help. I will check out my jointer’s adjustments tomorrow and I will be sure to put my Makita planner back to work.

Have a great day,

-- Bob Lance, DE