Joiner101--1st post!!!

[matt dumney]

Hi all! First post and a first post as a 2008 contributor. I've been lurking in the shawdows long enough.

My first question deals with the function of a joiner. I understand the principle and have used them years ago but at that time it was only used to straighten a board or edge. Can you do more with this tool? If so, what???

I've been out of the woodworking realm for 10 years or so but I'm slowly building a functional wood shop and I'm trying to decide on a next tool. Currently I have a Grizzly TS, Grizzly bandsaw, Rigid Mitre and a couple of small PC routers. I would add that at some point I'd like to buy a shaper or router table with the Incra LS fence system and possibly of stationary sander of some type...just don't know what order would make sense. A planer would be nice too!

I welcome any information you can provide.
Thanks!:)

[frank shic]

welcome back, matt! a jointer is still predominantly used as the first step in the process of truing up your stock so that all the edges are 90 degrees to one another but you can also use them to taper legs (not your own!), fitting inset doors and even bevel the edges of drawer fronts so they don't catch.

[Danny Thompson]

The purpose of a power jointer is to create a flat surface on the face of a board and to create a flat edge that is square to the face (by pressing the face into the fence as the edge passes over the knives. Some jointers can be used to create rabbets, as well. While jointers excel at creating flat surfaces, and surfaces that are square to each other, they are practically incapable of creating parallel surfaces. Therefore, most woodworkers pair their power jointers with a thickness planer, which excels at creating parallel surfaces.

Together, the jointer, planer, and table saw provide the tools you need to flatten and dimension your own lumber.

[Gary Breckenridge]

I think your next step should be a jointer and follow this up with a lunch box planer.:cool: That way you will be able to make just about any size piece of wood that you will need for any project except lathe work.

[Don Bullock]

First of all welcome back Matt. I was out of woodworking for more than 20 years an have found this forum to be a wealth of great information and even greater people.

I was in a similar position last year in that I had the basics, table saw band saw, miter saw, routers, etc. I wanted to make some small tables but the lumber I found for them was only surfaced on the faces. Buying a jointer quickly solved this problem and opened up the availability of wood. Soon after I noticed that I still needed to plane some of the boards for thickness. Now with a planer I have vastly increased the choice of wood that can be used in my projects and the thickness of the wood I use. Without those two machines I was always limited to wood surfaced on three sides and had to design around the thickness of the wood as it came from the lumber yard. In addition the jointer puts a much better edge on my boards that are glued together for my table tops than the edge I got just from using the table saw.