Been lurking for a while. I have gotten lots of good information from the group, but need to ask a question now.
I got a Grizzly G0500 jointer a couple of months ago and finally got the gar^H^H^Hshop wired for 220V so I could use it. Jointing a face on 4/4 8"wide red oak has not gone as well as I would have hoped. The little yellow push blocks that came with the jointer don't seem to work very well, or I am doing something wrong.
I have the infeed table set 1/32nd lower than the outfeed, but am still having problems feeding the stock thru without hesitation. Am I pushing down too hard or what?
Shouldn't need much if any downward push, especially on the infeed side. Those cheap push-blocks are only meant to give you forward movement. You can put a little more pressure on the outfeed table but don't over do that either. If the tables are aligned properly (get the owner's manual out for that one) and the knives are sharp (new machine so should be ok), then let the machine do the work.
I would make sure that you have really cleaned up the bed & fence first. If you have not already done it use a solvent like WD 40 or mineral spirits to really clean all cast surfaces. After everything is clean put a few coats of wax on.
If you have already done the above then I would check to make sure that the depth of cut is really 1/32". The other thing to check is that your knives are all set at the same height. A lose belt can also effect the cut. I have a tape that does a great job of showing how to tune-up a jointer. I would gladly loan it to you if you like.
I made the mistake of pushing down into the blade when I got my jointer. Made a lot of scrap that way. I have a standard set of pushblocks myself. Feed the stock into the blade with light pressure from the infeed side and firmer pressure from the outfeed side, making sure not to put pressure on the stock directly over the turning blades. you are sure to have uneven pressure at some point of the stock when over the blade causing an uneven cutting pattern. Make sure that you are keeping the stock directly against the fence. Also, make sure that the outfeed table is at the exact height of the cutting blade at the apex. Make sure to balance both blades so that they rest exactly level to the outfeed table. This makes a huge difference. Hope this helps.
I'm probably right down the road from you. Be glad to spend a couple of minutes with you if it would help. I use a Sunhill jointer, but all the 6" jointers are pretty similar.
As other posters noted, don't push down too hard on the infeed side. You're just trying to whack off the high spots on each pass through the jointer. It really doesn't take too much downward pressure at all. If you have a bowed board, do it concave side down. If you have a twisted board, be careful not to rock it as you are doing the pass.
All the posts I've read so far offered some excellent suggestions - now all you need to do is practice. 1/32nd of an inch may be a to an aggressive cut for you right now since you haven't learned the technique just yet. I have my jointer set to take off .015 (15 thou / ~1/64th") is all and I leave it there. I've milled a lot of rough sawn hardwood at that setting and although I have to take some extra swipes to get any cupping out, it works for me and I reduce tearout.
Get a 8', 2x4 from the borg and cut 2ea 2' sections leaving a 4' section to practice on. Try to find one that doesn't have big knots which may nick your knives but one that has some cupping, bowing, twisting will help you master the technique.
Once you have the 2x4 cut up, look at the grain direction. You want the cathedrals on the grain pointing away from the knives (see below). Place the test board (2' section) with the grain as shown and any cupping with the concave side facing down. Any twist or bow will slowly be worked out as you joint the board flat. I can't explain every situation but as you do the following basic steps it will become intuitive on what you need to do to make one side of a board flat and one edge perpendicular to that.
Using the push blocks to hold the wood down flat to the infeed table and you standing to the side (left foot forward of the right foot) and using only the slightest amount of downward pressure on the push blocks while they're on the infeed side, push the board forward slowly but evenly into the knives. As the first push block goes over the knives - DO NOT - exert any more downward pressure. Only after the pushblock has gone past the knives do you apply moderately more pressure.
With the one push block now past the blades - push down on that block (moderately) to keep that end of the board flat against the outfeed table. Now move the right hand block up and place it just behind the left hand block (all this happens in one fluid motion - keeping pressure on the outfeed side as well as keeping the board moving). It's now hand over hand, keeping one push block always on the board just past the knives on the outfeed side.
Keep the moderate pressure steady and the forward movement consistent. Mark some long pencil marks on the length of the board near the edges to use as a reference. After making a few passes, you will see where the pencil marks remain indicating the low spots on the board.
To joint one edge - turn the board so the flat side is up against the fence and joint as above. The technique is the same for a longer piece so use the
4' section to practice on after you're comfortable with the 2' sections. Get a rhythm going, stand comfortably and relax and you'll soon find that it's harder to describe how to do it than actually doing it.
There are more tips and tricks to learn on how to make the best of a lousy board but ask for those once you get the basics down.
No you cannot make the sides or edges of a board parallel to their mate on a jointer - unless you're real good!
The board will begin to get a taper on it and it's the reason behind #1 above.
If you have a hard time figuring out which way the grain is primarily running on a board from the visual clues - think of petting a cat or dog. Run your hand in one direction along the board, if it feels rough - you're going against the grain, smoother is with the grain. You do not want the knives cutting into the rough direction. See below
Grain cathedrals on board >>>>, Direction you push the board >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>| Grain |---------------------------------------------------| Been lurking for a while. I have gotten lots of good information from
Actually Dave you shouldn't be pushing down at all, at least not with any more pressure then it takes to move the stock. Just let the stock slide naturally over the blades. Pushing down hard causes a situation that defeats the purpose of the jointer. You want a naturally flat face that doesn't have cup, bow, etc reappearing when the pressure is taken off the stock.
Rough cut stock, if that is what you are using, will also move with fits and starts that will smooth out as the face gets smoothed. And, of course, there is waxing the jointer bed to eliminate friction.
I did put a little beeswax on the table right after cleaning all the gook off it. I am waiting for the weather to improve, and then I was planning on cleaning it really well and applying a thin coat of shellac. I had read Tom Watson's post on that and it sounded like a very good way to prevent rust and provide a slickery surface.
I followed the destructions that came with the jointer for aligning the tables, and on shorter pieces it seems to work ok. The problems I am having is when I try to face an 8 or 9 foot piece of red oak. From some of the other posts, I think I have "seen the light"
Thanks for the >Shouldn't need much if any downward push, especially on the infeed side.
One of the first things I did was get out the WD40 and get all the gook off. After having done it, I was worried that maybe I should have used something different, like some kind of orange oil cleanser or something. Glad to hear the WD40 is an approved cleaner.
Some of the other responses have led me to what I believe is my problem, namely poor form in feeding the stock.
Thanks for the info, and the offer of the tape. Unfortunately, since we got the new dvd player, I can't remember how to hook up the VCR! Need to get one of my kids over to show me how again!
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