6" jointer, 9" board

[Bob Levy]

Is it safe to feed a 9" board, using a 6" jointer if I take off the guard and then spin the board around after the first pass and clean up the 3" side that didn't go through the jointer on the first pass.

[Ralph Okonieski]

Safe? Gosh no. Not in my view. If you have a planer, build a sled for it. That is what I did and it works GREAT. There are many threads on SMC that discuss planer sleds.

[Greg Cole]

I'd recommend not doing that either.
Build a sled for a planer as Ralph says, or rip in 1/2 fece and edge joint and reglue... or if you have the ability head down the Neander hand plane road. I'll never rip a wide board to glue it back the way it was.:confused:
I've given 1/3 of a finger tip to a jointer using it under normal conditions with all safety guards on...... just sayin'.

Greg

[Frank Drew]

Bob,

I disagree with Ralph and Greg; your hands remain on top of the board, or better yet your lead hand is on top of the board and you're using a pusher with your trailing hand. Nothing wrong with planer sleds, but face jointing is much faster, and, IMO, quite safe as I've outlined.

I'd set the fence so that you're face jointing roughly half the board's width with each pass, rather than 6" then 3".

[Jason Beam]

Is it safe if I take off the guard

Simply, no.

Does it work? Do many people do it without injury? Sure.

Don't mean it's safe.

[jerry nazard]

I'll toss in another 00.02 for the planer sled. Works like a charm - and it's safe.

[Michael McCoy]

I told myself that I wasn't going to post that this is the perfect excuse to get started with hand planes, so I won't post that.

[Curt Harms]

My thinking was like Frank's, the head is buried except for the entry & exit. I could never really get good results from jointing one side then the other, the two halves were never parallel. I did joint 6", put that 6" jointed portion on 1/4" plywood then run the board with the jointed/plywood side down thru the planer. Sort of the same idea as a planer sled. I did this a couple times, said my fingers are worth more than $2,000 and bought a Jet 12" Jointer/Planer:D. I don't buy boards wider than 12".

HTH

Curt

[Greg Cole]

my fingers are worth more than $2,000
The 1/3 of my left pinky was about $3,000... so go spend another grand on lumber!
Most of said finger tip grew back fine, but the bone is very close to the end of the finger & it's sensitive to any tapping, hitting etc. Always will be unless I opt to have the bone ground down to make more room for a flesh cushion on the bone tip.
One board isn't worth what I went through, nor is large a stack of boards.
FWIW.

Greg

[Mark Rios]

My local lumber yard (a real one) has a milling department. You might chat them up and see if 1) they have a larger size jointer and 2) see if they will joint your board.

[Matthew Voss]

I've not tried this but it looks like it may be worth a read:

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

[Frank Drew]

My thinking was like Frank's, the head is buried except for the entry & exit. I could never really get good results from jointing one side then the other, the two halves were never parallel.

That's true, Curt, there's usually a little ridge running along the line where the cutterhead ended, but in my experience the jointed face will still be flat where it counts to provide a suitable reference surface for running through the thickness planer. I did this a lot since I used wide stock when possible and only had a 12" jointer, and the results were fine.

Thanks for the link, Matt; that replacement guard is similar in principle to the guards on some older British jointers I've seen -- a couple of parallel steel bars extending out over the cuttehead as a way to keep your fingers out of harm's way.

[John Thompson]

I do it often but I would not recommend it to someone else. And BTW.. if you do attempt... don't run 6" then 3"..... set the fence to accomdate 4 1/2" and then make the double pass. And I made a shop-built over-head guard for this procedure. Nothing more than a scrap of thick hard-wood attached with a pair of Rockler universal clamps.

There will be a thin ridge using the method but.. that comes out with one or two passes with a hand-plane. Again... I would not reccomend using the method unless you are a very cautious person and after someone has shown you exactly how to do it that is accustomed to doing so.

Good luck with what-ever you do....

Sarge..

[Frank Drew]

And wear ear protection! Face jointing makes a helluva racket.

[John Downey]

I do it all the time (but with an 8" jointer). I set the fence about 2/3 of the width of the board - so I might not try a 12" board with a 6" jointer. If you take the guard off, you should be using the jointer in such a way that the cutter head is not exposed, like over width face jointing or rabbeting. Planer sled will work well too, just depends on how much time and effort you want to put into it.

Two things with face jointing, buy or make a push pad/stick, just like you would for a table saw, but with a good 6" to bear on the board in front of the bit that does the pushing. Fingers are pricey, and most accidents are preventable by making a pusher out of some scrap. Second, don't let your other hand ride the board over the cutterhead.

Above all, if you try it and it spooks you, then stop and build the sled! Just 'cause it works for me or others doesn't mean you should do it if you're not completely comfortable with the operation.

[Peter Quinn]

I do this all the time. That silly little pork chop may keep you from doing something really stupid, but it does not make the jointer safe, you do by paying attention, not passing your hands over the cutters, not using a hand at the trailing end of the board (try a push block with a lip), not using more of the table than necessary etc. If you want something close to safe get a euro guard.

I say pull that pork chop off and go for it if you are skilled with a jointer and comfortable with the operation. Those planer sleds are for the birds IMO unless the stock is more than 1/3 wider than the total width of your board. More time and trouble to make and use than its worth in your case.

On my 8" I have easily flattened 11" lumber with a bit of cup and bow by pushing the fence way back and letting a few inches hang off of each side, run the boards bow up and cup up (contrary to normal procedure) with pressure focused on the center of the boards length. Establish a flat in the center of the board equal to at least 2/3 the boards width then move to the planer to make the other side parallel taking light passes to start, flip and clean up the other side.

You DO NOT need to flatten the entire width of a boards face to parallel the other side in a planer, just enough to give a stable reference. Think about it, if the whole face had to be flat, planer sleds wouldn't work either! Take a deep enough pass with a planer sled and they in fact don't work very well due to the pressure exerted by the feed rollers. Same concept as a planer sled, provide a flat stable reference for the planer head for light passes, just working from the center of the board, not the edges.

I'll probably get scolded by the next ten posts for this approach, but I'll also bet no one who has actually tried it will have a problem with it or be willing to go to the sled for a board just a bit wider than the jointer. The jointer commands a great deal of respect given its geometry and potential to do harm to the user. Guard or no guard, don't ever start thinking its a safe machine. Let this respect keep you focused, not paralyzed with fear.

[Bob Levy]

This is what makes this forum so great. I had no idea how many great responses I'd get. I kept hearing that little voice in my head that told me to think several times before attempting this. I think I will really research building a planning sled first. Thanks again!