Power Jointing

[2b]

I am having problems jointing the face of ROUGH lumber on my newly purchased power jointer. Specifically, I am experiencing about 2' of snipe on the lead edge of the board I am jointing. This seems to occur with all lumber I have attempted to joint. I have checked the setup of the tables and blades and the machine setup seems okay. I have been cutting off the snipe to this point. Suggestions on technique or possibly something wrong with my setup would be greatly appreciated.

[Sonny]

Does your jointing make lots of noise and seem to be having trouble with ease of cut or is your jointing relatively easy and quiet? If noisy and difficulty cutting, you may have, somewhat, dull blades, despite being a new machine.

[2b]

The machine seems relatively quiet and cutting is not difficult but I have got hung up on the outfeed fence, meaning the board edge would not continue through the cutters because it was hitting the outfeed fence after the blades (setting at 1/16'). Blades are new with machine, would they need sharpening?

[Enoch Root]

Eh, your outfeed table is too low, or the infeed table is canted into the blades. The outfeed table needs to be at the same height as the cutters, and the infeed table coparallel to the outfeed table. In which case "I have checked the setup of the tables and blades and the machine setup seems okay" is doubtful.

er

[2b]

I'll double check but when I received the machine I checked that outfeed was at blade height and beds were coparallel. Thanks,eh.

[Stephen M]

Too big of a bite.

1/16 is huge. Try 1/64.

It should take several passes to get from rough to smooth and flat. Jointing is an iterative process. That is, it uses the existing surface as a reference to how the cut surface should be. After the first pass, the existing surface is close to flat, so the output of the second pass will be better still.

2-3 light passes will do a good job of establishing a reference plane

If a board is particularly twisted, don't be surprised if you need a half dozen passes to eliminate the low spots.

Steve

[Bob]

Hmmm, not sure I understand your definition of "outfeed fence". My jointer only has one fence and there's no way for the wood to "hit" it. Did you mean something else?

Bob

[2b]

Sorry, outfeed table or bed.

[2b]

I tried with less 'bite' but it seemed like it was not cutting at all.

[Enoch Root]

You might look for the manual of your jointer to see what they have to say about alignment.

DAGS on align jointer infeed outfeed and poke through the results:

Proper alignment of the tables doesn't have to be an intuitive process--it's better to be certain. But for that you might need some tools... a straightedge, a way to measure small distances. :)

er

[Enoch Root]

This (jet) manual talks to alignment of the tables, and much more:

a while to load, so I didn't have it in the last post.

er

[Enoch Root]

I don't know what method you are using to check these things (you didn't say) but, if your stock is butting up against the outfeed table as it passes through the blades, it isn't working.

er

[Edwin Pawlowski]

What is your definition of "seems like"? Do you see cut marks? If so, it is cutting and doing the job, but in smaller increments. In the scheme of life, how bit a deal is taking four cuts at 1/64" that works versus 1/16" that snipes?

[Norman D. Crow]

If the stock is butting up against the outfeed table, then it's got to be one of 2 things;

1 The outfeed table is higher than the blades, or 2 As someone else suggested, the infeed table is seriously out of plane, tilted down toward the cutters.

Personally, I would go with the outfeed being too high. If the stock is hitting it, then you have to lift it up to get it "on" the outfeed table, and there is your snipe.

[Sonny]

If your wood is being stopped by the outfeed table, then your outfeed table is too high. Re-set your outfeed table....or.... Are each of your blades adjustable? Make sure all are adjusted to the same height and adjust them to the height of the outfeed table.

[CW]

If the board is hitting the outfeed table, the outfeed table is to high.

[RM MS]

I have repeatedly said here that if it seems to be pulling chips, just hold the workpiece off the fence at an angle away from the fence at the rear. The crybabies will cry yet again, but try it and see.

[George]

If by "snipe," you mean that the initial contact seems to cut off more wood, probably have your outfeed table above the level of the knives. Surprised you're not catching the lip of the table if they are. If the snipe is on the trailing edge, the outfeed's low.

Speculating you may have boards you're trying to joint which have a bow in them. Then the knives contacting the leading and trailing edges only on the first pass or two is normal. To get best width from the board, joint just the ends first, then the entire. The guys with the extra-long tables may even encounter this.

That, feed pressure and location of pressure are about all there is to a jointer.

[2b]

Thanks for the links. I adjusted the outfeed table which must have been a touch too high and the machine seems to be working better.