Jointer / planer questions.

#1johnson paste wax #2set the board on a flat surface what ever side is cupped goes down. i have always had good luck starting with the edge and then jointing 1 face white chalk lines drawn on the board helps a lot #3 you need 1 flat surface to start with to register on the bed of the planer or all you will get is the same shaped board (cupped/bowed) only thinner. as the rollers will push the wood flat when it goes Thur the planer
but what ever cup/bow that was there you were trying to get out will pop write back into shape
hope this helps also ck here/u-tube and other places i have seen a lot of good videos people have posted on this subject

Here is part 1 of a pretty good 2 part video that was produced by Keith Cruickshank that deals with the steps involved in dimensioning rough lumber. It should answer most of the questions that you have asked.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

All things being equal it doesn’t hurt to cut with the grain too. Like Eddy said whichever way the board will lay the most stable is the side you want down. If you’ve got a grain reversal or can’t tell which way is which it doesn’t hurt to do a pass both ways to see which tears out the least.

I have been using “Slideez™” from Behlen. Great product, no silicone. I picked it up in a Woodcraft Store.

use any paste wax that is used for floors. a lot of people use car paste wax which is good too but floor wax drys to a harder consistancy.

flat side down when jointing

-- Let there be sawdust

Johnson’s Paste wax $5 anywhere.

School of thought goes ‘FEE’ : Faces , Edges, Ends.

joint one face, (you don’t really need to have a straight ‘jointed’ edge against the fence for this one- also, it’s hard to keep a thin edge against the fence while jointing a face).

plane the opposing face

now that you have a parallel board. joint one edge on the jointer.

you could I guess plane the last edge on the planer, but since usually you’ll be milling ~6-~8 (depenging on jointer capacity) boards, it’s easier to get the last edge on the table saw.

if you’re milling a 2”x2” board, you could prob. do it on the planer as well. but that might require several passes, whereas on the table saw you only need 1.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.