23
votes
When should I use a Jointer vs. a Planer?
A planer is used for making two edges parallel while a jointer is used for making straight or flat surfaces. Let's say you have a warped board (suppose it looks like a banana from end to end). If you ...
- 4,156
19
votes
Accepted
When should I use a Jointer vs. a Planer?
A planer
will ensure that 2 opposite faces of a piece of wood are parallel to each other
will generally handle wider pieces of wood
is not the appropriate tool for working the narrow edge of a 'wide' ...
- 5,644
18
votes
Methods of jointing without a jointer
What I have tried in the past is simply nailing a straight board to the board I want to cut
In essence that's a very good method to do it, and will even work even if the board you're working has very ...
- 59.1k
15
votes
Accepted
What are the jointer-specific steps for removing warp in lumber?
The purpose of a jointer is specifically to flatten warped lumber. If your lumber isn't warped, you don't have to joint it. In a fantasy world, none of us would need jointers. Unfortunately, in our ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
14
votes
Accepted
How to make a good joint by hand planing both edges at the same time?
I've been curious about this as well. Illustrated using my mastery of MS Paint, it appears you clamp the boards together, plane to your heart's content, then un-clamp and just flatten the boards out.....
- 896
13
votes
Accepted
Is it better to let the tool run or stop in-between cuts?
Generally, that is the right thing to do. Obviously you wouldn't let a power tool run all day when you don't need it, or even walk away and let it run unattended. But keeping it running in between ...
- 3,805
10
votes
Accepted
jointer cutter head : segmented spiral vs traditional knife design
The cutterhead you pictured in your question is a Byrd Shelix cutterhead, which produces a shearing helical cut using square, 4-sided carbide inserts. There are also other configurations of segmented ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
10
votes
Can I effectively use a table saw to straighten warped lumber?
There's a couple of ways to do it
Create an "in feed" and "out feed" fence for the table saw fence (see http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2005/01/28/wb/). The infeed is slightly narrower so as the ...
- 4,156
9
votes
Accepted
110 vs 220 table saws and jointers
I am wondering (assuming I have my choice of plugin's in a shop) is one better than the other.
It all comes down to wattage. P = IR; i.e., Power (Watts) = Amps * Voltage. If a given tool draws 14A on ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
9
votes
Accepted
How can I joint a board that is longer than my jointer infeed table?
The solution is to treat the leading and trailing ends of the bowed board like separate pieces. Joint them individually until you can pass the entire board over the jointer without changing the lay.
...
- 3,571
9
votes
How do you reliably set all your jointer knives to the same, correct height?
This article has a nice tutorial about how to set the jointer knives.
It covers 2 styles of heads.
First is the style with jackscrews (labeled A in the image):
With those you can adjust each screw ...
- 4,384
9
votes
How to make a good joint by hand planing both edges at the same time?
I'm going to take a stab here and guess that the intention is that if you take two boards clamped together you could plane two edges at the same time (assuming your plane blade is wide enough). Those ...
- 1,409
8
votes
jointer cutter head : segmented spiral vs traditional knife design
Helical cutter heads are easier to keep sharp: carbide is harder than steel, the teeth can be rotated to a new side three times, and when it's time to replace the teeth you don't have to muck about ...
- 9,101
8
votes
Accepted
Carbide vs. high speed steel in jointer blade
All else being equal, anytime you have a choice between HSS (high speed steel) and carbide, you have to consider the tradeoffs.
High-Speed Steel
Advantages:
Cheaper up-front
Easier to sharpen
Less ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
8
votes
Accepted
Can I turn my router table into a jointer?
I think that could work, but I've seen a (imo) better way done by the Samurai Carpenter on Youtube.
There is also an instructable for such a sled. \o/
(Image from instructables.com, made by user ...
- 851
7
votes
Edge jointing end grain cutting board strips with a power jointer
Would the edge jointing go smooth across the grain, which is the
resulting strips after the second set of cuts? I used to do the same
with the hand plane and didn't have issues there.
Here is an ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Substitute for Bench-Top Jointer
I'm contemplating buying a jointer plane or a hand held electric jointer. Any recommendations?
It depends on a few things, in my opinion: how accurate you want to be, how hard to you want to work, ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Flattening the face of a board without using a jointer
Possibly the best method to flatten the face of a board using power tools not specifically designed for that job is with a router mounted in a planing sled/levelling sled. There are abundant versions ...
- 59.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Feed direction on a planer/thicknesser
I'll use the US terms jointer for the top part of that machine and planer for the bottom part.
Thickness planers typically have a motorized drive, meaning there's no choice about feed direction (...
- 2,169
6
votes
What safety precautions should I take when using a jointer?
In addition to the other answers:
Plan your cut from start to finish. Know what you are going to use to push the lumber (push blocks, hands for edge jointing, etc.). Think about if your hand falls, ...
- 4,788
6
votes
Accepted
What safety precautions should I take when using a jointer?
I copied some of the information from my earlier answer to your linked question, and added a few other points:
Use the proper personal safety gear, like eye and ear protection.
Don't disable or ...
- 4,328
6
votes
Accepted
Body positioning while using a jointer
Most woodworkers I know, including myself, walk along with the board when jointing, to some extent; but for long boards they stay in one place either at the infeed or outfeed side and use the push ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Edge jointing end grain cutting board strips with a power jointer
Would the edge jointing go smooth across the grain, which is the resulting strips after the second set of cuts? I used to do the same with the hand plane and didn't have issues there.
This depends on ...
- 12.1k
6
votes
Milling wide lumber to square
See past comments re using a sled to stabilize the piece so a planer can be used as a wide jointer. e.g.This one
If you don't want to build a sled, another approach is gluing reasonably straight "...
- 9,101
6
votes
How should a jointer outfeed table be setup?
When setting up a jointer outfeed table, should the tip of the cutter be dead even with the surface of the outfeed table, or should it actually be fractionally higher?
Ideally, the outfeed table ...
- 7,743
5
votes
110 vs 220 table saws and jointers
Being an old fogey, I have a lot of experience with 110 vs. 220 in a shop environment, both commercial and personal. My primary tool for years (early 60's on) was a radial arm (all 10" Craftsman's, ...
- 51
5
votes
110 vs 220 table saws and jointers
220V devices run at lower currents since voltage and current are inversely related, and as such, require smaller conductors. Smaller conductors in wire is cheaper, so installing a circuit to support ...
- 4,788
5
votes
What safety precautions should I take when using a jointer?
There are a couple things to consider:
Eye protection (should be self-explanatory)
Hearing protection (again, self-explanatory)
Use push blocks and keep your hands away from the blades
Use boards ...
- 12.1k
5
votes
Flattening a board using a jointer and a bandsaw
That process would certainly work, although if you want better results, you might consider a slightly different method that requires no bandsaw work at all:
Face-joint one face. Edge-joint one edge. ...
- 311
5
votes
Passing wood through a planer on both sides?
A planer sled can be use with a planer to effectively joint (make flat) one side of work that's too wide for your jointer. Once you've flattened one side, you can flip the work and run it through the ...
- 7,743
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