Ridgid Jointer Ready to go

[Brent Romero]

I aligned the fence 90deg to the infeed and outfeed tables. Ran an ole 2 x 4 and was happy with the results....checked the perpendicularity and it looked good. Ran it a few more times and rechecked and found it to be out of perp. Rechecked the perpendicularity of the fence and it was still at 90deg.

Does this sound like my technique is flawed? Wondering if I was applying all of the pressure to the fence or allowing the recently planed surface to move away from the fence...

Thanks

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Technique is important so keep practicing. You should also check to make sure the blades have not worked loose and are no longer even with the out feed table.

[frank shic]

did you flatten a face first and then use that to reference off the fence? i really hate face jointing... make sure you use a float and some kind of a push stick to protect your hands. we've had a recent injury report on a jointer :(

[Brent Romero]

Yes, I did joint a face first and referenced it against the fence....what I am not sure is how tightly I pushed the newly joined surface against the fence. Hence the reason I think my technique may be the issue. The blades appear to still be in alignment with the outfeed table. Sounds like technique, technique and technique. Without a dust collection system the chute certainly fills up quickly.

Overall the jointer seems to run very smoothly. Looking forward to using it. And yes, I am using push pads to guide the stock through.

Thanks

[Bill White]

Double what Frank posted. Those jointers scare the crap outa me.
Bill

[frank shic]

get DC online asap if you want to do any face jointing (which i hate!!!)

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

A Magswitch feather board works extremely well when used to hold the pieces against the fence. The best deal I have seen is (ironically) the Ridgid one. HD has them for about $30 IIRC. The Magswitch brand is a little more expensive.

I have one and use it for both the jointer and TS.

[Terry Beadle]

Most jointer fences, while reported by the manufacturer to be flat, are not flat. You need to check it. The tolerances of being out of flat vary by maker. In real use it's best to adjust the fence for flat by actual use. This comment is 'assuming' that your blades are set correctly.

I have a Delta 6 inch jointer. It makes dead flat and square surface cuts but the fence is not set to dead square. Do some trial and error cuts and only pay attention to what the cut shows until you get square. A 2 X 4 is fine but a 5 or 6 inch wide board would be better.

Give her a go and keep us posted.

Enjoy the shavings!