Jointer

Wiki Link: https://wiki.pumpingstationone.org/Jointer_Grizzly_8_inchLinks to an external site.

Links to an external site.Safety

  1. Ensure nobody is distracting you when operating the tool. 
  2. No loose clothing or jewelry.
  3. Always wear safety glasses.
  4. Do not wear gloves.
  5. Ensure long hair is tied back.
  6. Use for solid wood only-- No plywood, MDF, or plastics!
  7. Do NOT use a jointer that is malfunctioning. If the height if the infeed table cannot be adjusted, the fence is not square to the infeed table, the cutters are chipped or missing, the blade guard is missing or malfunctioning, or there are other operational problems with the jointer, let a member of the woodshop maintenance team know immediately. Place a Do Not Use tag on the jointer, turn the jointer off and unplug it.

 

Safety Specific to the Jointer

    • Never pass stock through the jointer backwards. The teeth must rotate toward you (see Feed Direction in picture below.)
    • NEVER cut end-grain on the jointer.
    • Always use the jointer with the Blade Guard. NEVER remove the blade guard, and DO NOT use the jointer if the blade guard is malfunctioning.

Watch this YouTube video on jointer safety:

 

What the Jointer Does

The jointer is used to create a square joint between one edge and one face of a board. It does this by having the infeed table set slightly below the outfeed table. This tool is usually the first tool to use in the process of milling a piece of lumber/timber/dimensional stock to assure co-planar opposite faces and square edges.  Passing the face of a board over the cutter flattens that face; then, placing that face against the fence and passing an edge over the cutter renders the edge and face perpendicular to each other. 

 

Parts of the Jointer

Jointer front picture-1.jpg

 

Jointer fence adjustments.jpg

Usage

  • Use a combination or speed square to check for square between the fence and the infeed/outfeed tables.
  • Use a metal detector to check for metal in the work piece.
  • Adjust the fence forward or backward with the jog wheel on the top.
  • Angle the fence if needed; most cuts will be made at 90 degrees.
  • Do not adjust the outfeed table!  The red wheel is off-limits!  If the outfeed table is out of alignment, let a member of the woodshop maintenance team know, or post to the Google Groups or Woodshop Slack channel. Do not use the machine.

Basic Milling

Joint a board face first.

  1. Ensure that your stock is clear of the blade.
  2. Adjust the infeed wheel, if necessary, so that the depth gauge indicates a light cut. We recommend no more than 1/16" per pass. 
  3. When turning the jointer on, keep the board off of, and away from, the blades.
  4. Using push handles that are stored at the jointer, apply downward pressure to the board on the infeed table.  Move the board into the cutter. Do not hook your fingers over the edge of a board to feed it, and do not pass your hands over the blade when face jointing.

Next, joint a board edge.

After a face is jointed, place this face against the fence of the jointer, and joint the edge. This renders the edge square to the face. Apply modest downward pressure into the infeed table and ensure that the face remains pressed against the fence. If the stock does not remain flat against the fence, you will joint an angled cut on the edge.

 

  • Watch the video below to review how to use a jointer. 

  • https://youtu.be/3bbHwoi4kz8