Jointer and featherboards

[Peter Quadarella]

I recently purchased a jointer and have been getting great use out of it. Sometimes for thinner or smaller stock I can tell there is an innate danger to the machine though. I've been reading up on safety, but I was wondering what people thought about using something like this with a jointer?

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=55999&cat=1,42363,42356

Great safety aid or would it add some danger I'm missing?

[Brian Peters]

I wouldn't use that on a jointer. I've used them on table saws and shapers as an extra hand and that's about it. For jointers, that's what good knowledge and a spring loaded blade guard are for.

[David Keller NC]

I've one of these and a DJ-20 (8") jointer. The problem is that for most boards it doesn't work - the fence is too short for the magnets on the base to engage on most pieces, and the table's not wide enough to joint anything over an inch wide or so with the magnetic lock on the jointer table surface.

There are, however, a number of hold-downs that can be shop-made that will work on the jointer. However, I, like Brian, just don't see the need. So long as you do not stand behind the board (which is a kickback danger) and you don't push it through the cutterhead, the jointer is relatively safe. That last one's important - always start the board over the cutterhead from the infeed side, then press it down on the outfeed side (after 6" of the board's gone through, of course) and PULL the board through the jointer. A heck of a lot of accidents happen with these tools because the user just pushed his hand down on the stock and moved it from the infeed side to the outfeed side directly over the blade. That's one reason european jointers have a guard over the cutterhead that makes this movement impossible.

[Peter Quadarella]

Ah good point about the boards fitting. Maybe something like this:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=17218&cookietest=1

I have a 5" fence so it would allow 3" thick wood, or 6 "wide.

My concern is that to keep the wood square I have to get uncomfortably close to the blades, especially when feeding the initial bit (uncomfortable to me may be further than most ;)). And when pulling from the outfeed side it would be handy to have some pressure on the other side sometimes.

Do you have any information on shop made hold downs? I hear you guys about no need, but I've heard a few too many bad stories about the jointer lately and I just want to make sure I've done everything I can to ensure I'm doing this safely.

[Brent Smith]

Hi Peter,

In my opinion they are useless for most of what a jointer does. You're taking a rough board that may be cupped, bowed, twisted or what have you and using the jointer to straighten it. If you set a featherboard to the lowest point of a cup, what happens when you get to the high point? the same if you're using it on a bowed board....you get the idea. Add to that David's comment about usable space on the jointer and IMO it makes a featherboard unsuited for jointer work.

[Jim Becker]

A feather board might be usable for edge jointing to help you keep the workpiece flat against the fence (after flattening and thicknessing), but not real for face jointing. And you really don't want that kind of fixed pressure when face jointing...

[Peter Quadarella]

The application that made me think of this was squaring some 1.75"x1.75" posts. In some cases they were only just slightly out of square and I had to make sure there was constant pressure against the fence.

You are all making good points though. Perhaps I should reconsider, or wait for a sale to try them out ;).

[Brent Smith]

A feather board might be usable for edge jointing to help you keep the workpiece flat against the fence (after flattening and thicknessing), but not real for face jointing. And you really don't want that kind of fixed pressure when face jointing...

Hi Jim,

The only problem I see with that is, again as David pointed out, you would lose the use of most of the blade, causing premature wear on the inside ends of the blades. I like to move my fence back and forth a bit for edge jointing to keep the wear on the blades even along their length.

[Brent Smith]

The application that made me think of this was squaring some 1.75"x1.75" posts. In some cases they were only just slightly out of square and I had to make sure there was constant pressure against the fence.

You are all making good points though. Perhaps I should reconsider, or wait for a sale to try them out ;).

Hi Peter,

Don't reconsider buying them, just reconsider where to use them. I've found them to be the best and easiest featherboards to use on my Table Saw!

[Peter Quadarella]

I don't use a table saw ;). I don't mind premature wear in one place since I have the spiral type cutter and it's not much of a big deal with those.

They are such a cool gadget, it almost makes me want to come up with a place to use them :).

[rob mason]

I don't use a table saw ;).


heresy! :)
what do you use?

[Peter Quadarella]

Bandsaw for long ripping, EZ setup for everything else.

[glenn bradley]

I don't use these as shown (face jointing) or often at all for that matter. I just wanted to show you the type of featherboard that could be used.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=89003&d=1211330365

P.s. Previous thread with this subject: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=84714

[Peter Quadarella]

Thanks Glenn, for the other thread also.

[Jim Becker]

Hi Jim,

The only problem I see with that is, again as David pointed out, you would lose the use of most of the blade, causing premature wear on the inside ends of the blades. I like to move my fence back and forth a bit for edge jointing to keep the wear on the blades even along their length.

That is dependent on the actual jointer bed width where the feather board(s) are able to sit down. With an 8" or wider jointer, there should be enough working room to be able to have some adjustment in the fence location to vary the "wear spot".

But you do bring up a good point and one that I don't think about much since I now rarely use the jointer for edges since buying my slider...my jointer function is now used 98% of the time for face jointing boards flat prior to thicknessing. Edges are cut exactly perpendicular to the face on the slider and are glue-ready. So I apologize for not thinking of what you bring up!

[Brent Smith]

But you do bring up a good point and one that I don't think about much since I now rarely use the jointer for edges since buying my slider...my jointer function is now used 98% of the time for face jointing boards flat prior to thicknessing. Edges are cut exactly perpendicular to the face on the slider and are glue-ready. So I apologize for not thinking of what you bring up!

And why should you have thought of it? I think we all tend to answer questions, or make recommendations, based on the equipment at our disposal and on our own methods of work.

[John Keeton]

I think we all tend to answer questions, or make recommendations, based on the equipment at our disposal and on our own methods of work.

And that is exactly the collective wisdom of the CREEK!

Having said that, I daily discover that I do not have enough "equipment at my disposal", but my wife disagrees!

On the subject, I have the magswitch featherboard that I use on my TS and router extension, as well as a second Veritas router table. Works great, but I wouldn't use it on a jointer.

[Mike Spanbauer]

I use my mag units for edge jointing when I'm edge jointing a tall/wide board. It assists on the bottom edge ensuring it remains tight against the fence while I focus on the top remaining perpendicular and applying the appropriate pressure.

I do have a 12" jointer and could see some value in face jointing applications, but I've an aluminum fence so no dice in my shop ;) Also, depending on the workpiece, I will often skew the board as it's going through the jointer to reduce possible tearout (maple especially).

mike

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

lots of guys use a power feeder on a jointer.
Seems to me that part of what a feather board does is incorporated the power feed.

I can't see it harming you but I'm unsure why I'd want to.

[Douglas Brummett]

I have used the rigid version of these:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18925&cookietest=1

I used a couple of them like Mike mentions, just to keep the bottom edge tight on the fence for some edge jointing. As others have mentioned no real benefit to face jointing.