Jointer Safety Help

[Mark Jerde]

I flexed my credit card & bought a 6" jointer, 14" bandsaw, 16.5" drill press, 650 CFM dust collector & 12.5" planer from a guy getting out of woodworking. (All Jet except the Delta planer.) IMO the "Jet blue" clashes violently with the "Grizzly green" of my table saw & sander but I suppose I'll get used to it. ;-)

I've made a few test cuts with the jointer & it scares me. IDAGS on "jointer safety" but so far all the hits are pretty generic. "Don't cut too deep, no nails or loose knots, no hands over the cutter unless you're using push blocks, ..." Are there some good sites for learning to use the jointer and still be able to do10-finger typing for the rest of my life?

Thanks.

-- Mark

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Don't know of any, but as an alternative, any woodworking classes in your area? Most have a safety course along with the basic woodworking.

If your credit card has not melted into a puddle, if you were to buy something at a good woodworking store, someone there may take a few minutes with you at a slow time. Ed

[George]

Only one dangerous part - so keep your fingers away. Now as to how to get work done while avoiding, any basic woodworking text should cover it. Make sure you have push blocks for surfacing, and a push board for edging the small stuff, and that's about it.

Only thing scarier is the shaper.

[Bob Davis]

This looks pretty interesting. I might buy one myself.

[Bob Davis]

Here's a basic link:

think a set of rubber backed push blocks are essential with a jointer. If you don't have a pair, get some.

Bob

[Mark Jerde]

Let me refine my question a little. Are there some sites where folks talk about safety and effectiveness with the jointer? Like the best ways to how to deal with cups, twists & bows. (I know, cups down.) Kind of "Jointer Best Practices" stuff.

Thanks.

-- Mark

[Mike G]

Actually, throw in don't try to joint a too short board and what you have pretty well covers the whole deal.

Use push blocks (the long broad kind with the rubber on the bottom) and you really really have to work at it to hurt yourself.

[Mark Jerde]

My Grizzly catalog has three pages of power feeders. The only one I see that mentions jointers is the "Copy Power Feeder." Does anyone use power feeders with jointers, or is this an oil & water combination?

Thanks.

-- Mark

[Fly-by-Night CC]

I don't have any site to recommend, but I'd like to offer up what I think is one of the most important tips.

Many folks appear to push the wood down against the table & fence

*really hard.* The problem with this is that they have so much body weight leaning against the jointer that if something goes wrong and the piece is kicked out or their hand (or pushblock) slips, they have no where to go but fall onto the jointer.

It really only takes a light, but firm pressure to keep the board in proper position to flatten or square an edge. If something should happen, then there's much more likelyhood you'll maintain your balance and not end up lunging forward - thereby keeping any injury to a minimum.

Have respect for the jointer or any tool; visualize what the proceedure is for each cut; plan ahead to make sure you have ample room to maneuver the piece going into the cutter and out of the cutter; and finally take your time - rushing through a final step at the end of a session leads to more errors and injury than probably anything an inexperienced woodworker may do to himself. IOW, complacency and impatience are the real demons of a working safely.

[Andy Dingley]

I'd say a set of three. Two little one-handed ones for working long stuff, and a long two-handed one (like a rubber-soled jointer plane) for passing short pieces through.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Mark Jerde]

When joining the edge of a 2x4", when do you move your hands to the outfeed table? The guy I bought the jointer from moved his about 18" in front of the cutter & pulled the rest of the way. Given there are two operative parts of the word "kickback," namely "kick" and "back," the "back" part wants me to never have my hands in front of the cutter but my supply of infinite long stock is gone. ;-)

-- Mark

[Dennis Slabaugh, Hobbyist Wood]

Mark, while my post does not offer you a specific technique, I thought it would be appropriate to direct you to my recently posted paper on safety. As a Hobbyist Woodworker and a full time Risk Management Consultant for the past 15 years, the words I share with you are directed toward an attitude and mindset toward safety rather than a specific technique.

Good luck with the new tools, and when the hair on the back of your neck stands up like a frightened cat, STOP! Step back and think about your next move very carefully.

[j]

George, What's a push board? (going on the assumption there are no stupid questions)

jw

[Doug Miller]

When jointing *anything* I move my left hand to the outfeed table as soon as there's one push-block-length of wood on the table. As soon as there are two push-block-lengths of wood on the table, my right hand joins it.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

[Silvan]

Wal-Mart has spray paint for 88 cents a can.

Paint everything red.

[George]

Sounds extreme. Also puts him at the mercy of a downsloping off-feed table. Generally, as soon as there's more than a couple of handwidths on the outfeed, transfer there, "walking" the board so you keep things pretty well referenced to the same spot on the table. Control with the right, don't press.

Stand to the side, toward the rear. Light cuts minimize possibility of kickback, and, as I tell the kids at school, if it wants to go, LIFT YOUR HANDS AND LET IT! Never seen kick except when surfacing.

BTW, if you ever want to see something scary, look at a leftie trying to figure out how to feed!

[George]

[Morgans]

Right. Also, I teach my students to keep a couple fingers, or part of the hand over the top of the fence, so if a board does "leave", their weight, or pressure, will be caught by the fence, without the need to react.

[Phisherman]

Just be aware of what you are doing. No leaning. No distractions. No slippery floors. No drugs. Both feet on clean floor. Keep the safety guard in place. Keep push blocks conveniently nearby. Don't rush. It's not a particularly dangerous machine (it doesn't kick back like a table saw can), but the knives are very sharp with the machine on or off. When it comes time to change the knives, do so carefully.

[Caleb Strockbine]

Good advice. I'd add this:

Do think about what kinds of injuries each tool could inflict, and how you should react to each. Talk this over with anyone else in your household. You and they should know:

- what to do for a severed bodypart

- how to get to the nearest hospital

- which hospital to go to for which kinds of injuries

- how and when to call 911

- where the main power cutoff switch in the shop is located

- where to find a fire extinguisher

- how to use pressure to stop bleeding

- etc.

For example, your town may have several hospitals, and one may have an emergency eye care facility, while another specializes in trauma and a third has a really good hand specialist. It's important to discuss this stuff ahead of time because that training will kick in if something ever does happen that requires quick and correct action.

Then, be vigilant to ensure that you never need to use those emergency plans.

Personally, I also avoid using dangerous machines when I'm the only one in the house. It's not inconvenient, as I usually have plenty of other work that involves nothing more hazardous than sandpaper or shellac.