PROPER JOINTER KNIFE TOLERANCES

Wouldn’t it be the high one that you worry about? I mean all of the blades should be level across the cutter correct and that high one would be the one that takes the biggest bite?

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Yes ike,

but I cant imagine that 3/1000’s of an inch hight diferance between blades would be a problem when working with wood. The same is probably true for the slight variations you measured across each blade.

-- Glenn, New Mexico

Maybe I am not interpreting your measurements correctly, but it looks like all the knives are higher at one edge of the table. I am not sure of the reference points you used during the setup. Could the blades and the out feed table surface not be parallel?

As sIKE pointed out, the high blade will remove the most material. If one blade is higher than the others you would feel a “ripple” effect on any jointed surface. The faster the board is pushed, the more pronounced the ripple.

When I set my blades, I try to keep them within 0.001” across the width and compared to each other and level with the out feed table. My jointer manual didn’t provide any tolerances.

Hope that helps.

Lew

Thanks guys, I reference of the out feed table. I removed the belt so the cutter head could rotate freely. I went back and readjusted the knifes so I have less then .001 deviations between all three knifes. I set the out feed table level to the knifes with a straight edge, works great.

Hope that works well for you, nothing worse than taking to much off of a board….

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

I lay a piece of glass across the top of mine , with the screws just lightly snug and place a magnet on the glass and bring all knives up to the glass then tighten them. If you want to vary the heights, put thin sheets of paper under the glass, then tighten them. Joe

-- Makers of fine butcher shop saw dust.

Great tips! Thanks everyone!

-- Chris