Jointer/planer Questions

[Craig Richmond]

I am going to get back into a little wood working and will be getting a jointer/planer but need a little help wrapping my mind around the whole jointer/planer operation.

This is the way I understand it. A jointer gives you two flat surfaces to start your project and the planer gives your dimensional size. You joint one face and one side, then you plane the back of the face and then you table saw the other side and all of this gives you a square piece of wood.
Why can’t you just joint all four sides square and then joint it until you have the dimensional size you need?

If you use rough sawn lumber and/or lumber that has been sitting out, is it a good idea to put it through a band saw in order to get clean sides? This way your jointer/planer blades are not cutting against sand or other debris on the wood surface?

[Erik Loza]

....Why can’t you just joint all four sides square and then joint it until you have the dimensional size you need?...

You could do that but it would take forever and be more physical work on your part. A planer is generally capable of removing a lot more material in a single pass than a jointer is, where you are only removing enough stock to get a true surface. Also, the planer has motorized feed rollers that pull the work through and hold it uniformly flat, which is something the operator must do during jointing. It's just a faster, more efficient way to thickness-dimension stock, if that makes sense.



...If you use rough sawn lumber and/or lumber that has been sitting out, is it a good idea to put it through a band saw in order to get clean sides? This way your jointer/planer blades are not cutting against sand or other debris on the wood surface?...

Yes, ripping stock on the bandsaw prior to sending it over to the jointer is a common practice. The less work you have to do on the jointer to get flat, true surfaces, the better, though sand and debris still will be there, LOL. If it's reclaimed or salvage lumber, always a good idea to run a metal detector over it.

Hope this helps,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Rick Fisher]

You joint the first face to make it flat and straight.. then plane the opposite face to make it parallel to the jointed face. A jointer won't make a board uniform thickness and a planer won't make a board straight.

[Craig Richmond]

Thank you Erik and Rick.
Erik, I thought both machines only removed a little each time. I don't recall reading that the planer can remove more than the jointer. Thanks.

[Erik Loza]

SC Whaler,

Theoretically, I guess you could remove as much stock on the jointer as you could on the planer but as Rick pointed out, you never will because all you are trying to do by jointing is to get a reference edge and surface. You're removing as little as possible in order to do that, then running it through the planer in order do the actual dimensioning.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Craig Richmond]

Ok, got ya.

[Phil Thien]

You could do that but it would take forever and be more physical work on your part.Erik Loza
Minimax USA
Actually you can't really accomplish this because the jointer doesn't guarantee parallel edges.

[Erik Loza]

Actually you can't really accomplish this because the jointer doesn't guarantee parallel edges.

You're right! I need more coffee today. Fingers not typing what brain is thinking. Thanks to Rick for explaining it better than me.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Craig Richmond]

Awww.. it is all becoming clear now.

[Myk Rian]

Face joint.
Joint one edge square to jointed face.
Plane opposite face.
Rip other edge.

[jack forsberg]

here is how you thickness on a jointer. You run rabbits on the on the edge of the jointed board at the table saw with the milled side to the fence and the saw fence set to the thickness you want. then tape tracks to the in feed table for the rabbits to ride and set the tracks dead even to the out on your final cut . it my take a few cuts to take of say 1/4" by lowering the in feed table each cut but it will be parallel.

267513


jack
English machines