Does a crooked jointer fence matter?

[Wade Lippman]

I just got a Grizzly 0490X jointer.
The fence is square (well, 89.9 in some places and 90.0 in others, but that is pretty square...) but on one side it is 1/8" above the table, on the other side 3/8".
I can't see why that would matter, but wanted to check if I am over looking anything.

[George Bokros]

Would not be acceptable to me.

[Joe Angrisani]

1/4" difference? Something's katywhampus.

Did you do the initial assembly, or did you buy it used?

How far is the infeed table below the outfeed table when you see 1/4" difference?

[Cary Falk]

It shouldn't matter but you should be able to adjust it out. There is a block that bolts onto the back of the jointer that the fence slides on. Sounds like it needs to be loosened and rotated a little bit.

Edit to add: it's called the fence carriage. Fig 13 page 18 of the manual. If you don't have the manual you can download for the Grizzly site.

[Jeff Duncan]

A pic would help.....from your description it sounds like the infeed to fence is lower than the outfeed to fence.....which is normal, yours may just be a little more off than usual. When you lower the infeed table the fence stays in place so the gap grows;) At then end of the day if it's simply the height from the table to the fence that's off it has no affect on the work your doing.

JeffD

[Myk Rian]

89.9º to 90º is nothing. This is woodworking.
Set the outfeed end square with the table, and don't worry about the infeed.

[Wade Lippman]

Two steps forward, one step back.
The 1/4" difference was with the infeed down aways. I hadn't noticed that, but when I raised it, it hit the fence.
I loosened the fence carriage pushed the high end down and tightened them. Better. Not perfect but better.
I had to resquare the fence, and this time it came out more even. Go figure.

But, when I try to adjust the scale pointer to zero (figure 72 page 42), nothing happens. The position is fixed by a roll pin, so loosening the screw does nothing. What am I doing wrong.

Thanks for the help.

[Myk Rian]

Don't trust the scale, ever.
Use a machinists square for setups.

[glenn bradley]

Two steps forward, one step back.
The 1/4" difference was with the infeed down aways. I hadn't noticed that, but when I raised it, it hit the fence.
I loosened the fence carriage pushed the high end down and tightened them. Better. Not perfect but better.
I had to resquare the fence, and this time it came out more even. Go figure.

But, when I try to adjust the scale pointer to zero (figure 72 page 42), nothing happens. The position is fixed by a roll pin, so loosening the screw does nothing. What am I doing wrong.

Thanks for the help.

The fence, as you have noticed, when loose can be move about quite a bit. Whenever I adjust the fence, including sliding the carriage forward and back, I check it at the infeed and the outfeed and get to 90* in each spot. The difference between 90* and 89.9* on your gauge can be fixed or fouled with a smack of the hand. I'm pretty fussy but, I would be perfectly comfortable working with those settings.

As mentioned, the pointer for depth is a basic reference and not something to be used for measuring adjustments. Therefor it has a general factory position that is relatively fixed. If I am hogging off about 1/8" at a time and I want to switch to about 1/16", the scale can help visualize that. It is about as accurate as a pointer/scale on a lunchbox planer, not something to use for final dimensions. Remember, a jointer makes things flat, it is not a planer.

Once you have a flat reference surface(s), your planer makes the other side parallel to the jointed face and your tablesaw rips to final width . . . or thereabouts depending on your affinity for hand planes and such ;-). The only time I worry about thickness when I am jointing is if I am so short on material that I can't spare one more pass (BTDT). Calipers are your friend. There is a caliper stuck to the switch post of mine with a magnet. I glued a magnet to a carpenters pencil and stick it to the switch post as well. Handy for making squiggles to observe progress.

[scott spencer]

Since the outfeed table is higher than the infeed table, it's plausible that the fence would be offset too.

[Matt Day]

I've read your original post about 4 times and I'm not quite visualizing it - a picture would really help.

Have you aligned the tables yet? I have the Shop Fox version of your jointer and just went through adjusting the beds to be coplanar and setting knives. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

[Jim Foster]

If the fence is flat and you can get it perpendicular to the table, I think your good to go.