jointer question

[Stephen Edwards]

What is the longest board that one can expect to joint an accurate straight edge, assuming that the edge is straight off the table saw, using a 6 inch jointer with a 48 inch bed? And, a 55 inch bed? Any input and info is appreciated. Thank you.

[Peter Quinn]

I was told the rule of thumb is twice the length of the out feed table.

[Ron Dunn]

This is probably a reflection of my inexperience rather than the tool, but I think the only accurate edge you'll get is half the total table length less a bit.

Let me explain.

I find that the hardest problem is controlling the stock at the beginning and end of the cut. Therefore, the balance of the stock must be on the table, or I'm spending too much time at the beginning or end of the cut worrying about keeping the stock pressed on the table so that it doesn't tip.

There is also a problem dealing with bowed stock longer than the tables - you'll joint a curve if the end dips off the table.

I've got one of the small Inca 570 machines. Each of my tables is around 525mm long. Therefore, the largest piece over which I'd feel competent to maintain a straight edge is just over 1m long.

People with better technique will undoubtedly do better.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a jointer with a 55" bed. I've jointed boards as long as ten feet on it. For boards longer than about six feet, I set up roller stands to help carry the weight.

[Jesse Cloud]

Normal human beings can accurately edge joint a board twice the length of the outfeed table. Having said this, I'm sure we will get some Rambo posts from folk who are strong enough and have super vision enough to joint 12 foot boards on a 12 inch table. The other variation is those who craft an auxiliary outfeed table with great precision. Don't count on either....

[Don Abele]

Stephen, I have a couple posts about me upgrading my current 6" Jet Jointer to either a combo unit or a full-sized 8" jointer.

I've jointed 8' boards on my current 6" Jet Jointer which has only a 46" long table. It takes some concentration and effort, but I've been able to do it. The stock was only 4/4 - I couldn't imagine trying it on anything thicker as it would just be too heavy for me to balance.

Realistically, I rarely work with boards over 6' so I've not had any problems with the short table in the 6+ years I've owned it.

Be well,

Doc

[Stephen Edwards]

Thanks for the input and info folks. I appreciate it!

[Peter Quinn]

Its important to think about the jointing process to understand the answers. As you take passes and your stock hits the out feed table you start to switch your weight and focus to that table. At some point the first half of your board is completely on the out feed table and it serves as the flat reference for the second half of the board. When you get to stock length longer than twice the outfeed table some of the stock is always off the table and no longer serving as a flat reference...it gets real easy to follow a bow and just keep dividing or shaving the error with each pass. It becomes most evident when you try to joint and edge glue two long boards. In pratice you can stretch that 2X outfeed rule a bit in many circumstances. It is wood after all, not parts for the space shuttle.

[Mike Cutler]

Stephen

I have edge joined 115" on a Jet 6" jointer successfully. It took a bit of setup with additional infeed and outfeed support though.

Jesse's right though. It was a bit of a "Rambo" operation that I have absolutely no desire to repeat. The material was 8/4 brazillian cherry, 12"-14" wide. My back paid the price for it.

[Stephen Edwards]

Thanks Mike..........and all you other folks, too. I think that answers my question about the jointer. Jointing longer pieces will be a rare operation for me. Seems to me that a 6 inch jointer with a 55 inch bed would serve my needs for most applications.

Now, another question: In your opinion is there a great advantage in going with the newer parallelogram beds as opposed to the traditional beds with dovetailed ways? Is it worth the price difference in time saved over the long haul?

And, what about the spiral cutterheads as opposed to traditional straight knives?

Thanks again to all for their input, advice and opinions.

Kindly,

[Mike Cutler]

Thanks Mike..........and all you other folks, too. I think that answers my question about the jointer. Jointing longer pieces will be a rare operation for me. Seems to me that a 6 inch jointer with a 55 inch bed would serve my needs for most applications.

Now, another question: In your opinion is there a great advantage in going with the newer parallelogram beds as opposed to the traditional beds with dovetailed ways? Is it worth the price difference in time saved over the long haul?

And, what about the spiral cutterheads as opposed to traditional straight knives?

Thanks again to all for their input, advice and opinions.

Kindly,

Stephen

It really depends on what you will be doing with it.

For me, the way I work, a Parallelogram bed wouldn't be of an advantage.
A jointer for me is a "set it and forget it machine". I haven't adjusted the beds, nor fence on my jointer in years. I just need the jointer to get one face flat enough to put the material through the planer, and then on to handplanes and or sandpaper for the final surfacing. But, a jointer is capable of doing much more than what I limit it's function to.

If you're going to use it to perform edge bevels, rabbets, shiplaps, tapered leg stock, etc, or you will be adjusting the beds to achieve the finest finish with a Byrd type cutterhead. Then a Parallelogram jointer would be a big benefit in machine setup. A jointer by itself is capable of doing more than simply face and edge jointing.

[Jamie Buxton]

Seems to me that a 6 inch jointer with a 55 inch bed would serve my needs for most applications.


The bed-length question is less important than the width issue. With a six-inch jointer, you can't face-plane any boards wider than six inches. If you can't face-plane, you can't use rough-sawn lumber, and you can't resaw. That's a much bigger constraint than whether you'll be able to edge joint 8' or 10' boards. There's lots and lots of boards with are wider than 6" -- probably more than half of the boards in my lumber dealers. 10" width would handle most of the boards.

[Stephen Edwards]

The bed-length question is less important than the width issue.

That's a good point. Thank you. Fortunately, I live in an area with an abundance of hardwood sawmills. I'm able to buy bundles of "seconds" from one mill. Their boards have to be a minimum of 1 inch thick for them to send the lumber on to the kiln. Many of the boards will be 12-16 feet long, none less than 8 feet, and there are 900-1,000 bd feet per bundle. Many of the boards will be 1 inch on one end and 7/8 on the other end. The guys at the mill know what kind of lumber I want and let me know when they'll be sawing a particular species that I want. Of course, I always tip that guy! A bundle of green wood costs $75.00. I stick it and stack it in my barn until it's ready to work.

I also get free rejects from a nearby kiln.....really nothing wrong with many of the boards....they're just 2-6 feet in length, which is perfect for most of my projects.

About the longest boards that I have a need for are 6-8 feet in length. Usually I work with much shorter pieces for the projects that I do.

I also work a lot with eastern red cedar. There's a nearby mill that uses a bandsaw to saw that and they are on the money with their cuts. I always get flat boards from those guys. If I ask them saw it 15/16.....that's what it is from one end to the other!......and flat.

Thus far I've been able to get straight boards in the lenghts that I need by picking through the lumber, which is either free or dirt cheap. I'm able to plane a 12 inch wide board that is perfectly flat and true from one end to the other using my planer. Granted, it's a lot of work! A good bandsaw that will resaw a 10 inch board is on my list of tools to get after a new jointer. Then I'll be able to plane one side flat and resaw before planing the other side.

Your point is appreciated and well taken. However, I can't justify the expense of a 10 inch jointer for the type of woodworking that I do and want to do. Thank you again.

[Peter Quadarella]

Also, for the occasional wide board, there are other possiblities for face jointing, such as using a sled with a planer, or hand planing flat, or a combination of hand plane and power planer to flatten.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I've jointed 8 and 10 footers just fine on my Hammer 12" JP and the beds are surely not 5' long

[Jesse Cloud]

Hey Stephen,
Most of our answers would really depend on what you are making. I don't think the parallelogram feature is worth extra $$ for most of us. The spiral heads are good if you work with highly figured wood or need a super smooth face off the jointer (most of us use the planer for this).

If you are edge jointing just to get the edge looking pretty, a short bed will do fine. If you plan to glue boards together edge to edge, its hard to get a good glue joint six feet long. Most of use would cut the boards shorter and stagger them in the glue up. Another reason for cutting the board shorter is that you don't have to remove so much material to get a straight edge - but if your wood is free, then that wouldn't matter.:cool:

[Lance Norris]

The bed-length question is less important than the width issue. With a six-inch jointer, you can't face-plane any boards wider than six inches.

Jamie... this isnt true. You can face joint wider wood with a narrow bed jointer. You need a planer to finish up the job, and its a little involved, but can be done.


http://woodworkerszone.com/wiki/index.php?title=Jointing_wide_boards

[Jamie Buxton]

Jamie... this isnt true. You can face joint wider wood with a narrow bed jointer. You need a planer to finish up the job, and its a little involved, but can be done.


http://woodworkerszone.com/wiki/index.php?title=Jointing_wide_boards


Whew, that's some rigamarole. So it can be done. Would I want to do that on a regular basis? No.

[Thomas Walker]

I think the parallelogram design is only worth it if you are going to be moving or transporting the jointer and it's likely to get knocked out of whack. Most jointers arrive in good tune and the need for a parallelogram design never arises.

On the other hand, it's very frustrating to have a jointer with out of align tables as you need a very long, accurate straightedge to determine the problem.

[Stephen Edwards]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for the input. I ended up buying the Grizzly G0604X 6" Parallelogram Jointer from the Grizzly store on ebay. They had a shipment of this jointer with paint blemishes and they are selling them for $450....that's $125 bucks less than from their catalogue or website. It comes with the same warranty as all their other tools, it's just that the paint job isn't perfect. That doesn't matter to me at all. It's supposed to arrive on Friday.

Thanks again. Oh, this one comes with the wheels on the base which is a big plus for my shop.

[Eddie Darby]

I have a 22" #7 jointer hand plane, and can joint boards much longer than the plane because I am being forced to access a plan of attack, and then follow-up what I have done with an assessment afterwards to help formulate the next attack.

If you want to think, then the plane bed lengths are not going to limit you to any length, however knowing that the planer will do a lot of the thinking for you when you use wood that is less than 2x the out feed table should help you to focus totally on safety!