Jointer Safety

[Tim M Tuttle]

I've been milling up a lot of white oak the past two nights. While I was using my jointer I started to ponder safety. For something like the table saw there are a lot of common safety procedures/dos/donts. A lot more than a jointer which makes sense as there are a lot more variables with the table saw than the jointer.

For the jointer it seems like it all just comes down to not letting your hand get into the cutter head. Simple enough but am wondering if there are some dos/donts you all have for working on the jointer. I always use push blocks when face jointing and edge jointing smaller stock and I only take off 1/32 per pass regardless of how much I have to mill. Thoughts?

[Doug Dawson]

I've been milling up a lot of white oak the past two nights. While I was using my jointer I started to ponder safety. For something like the table saw there are a lot of common safety procedures/dos/donts. A lot more than a jointer which makes sense as there are a lot more variables with the table saw than the jointer.

For the jointer it seems like it all just comes down to not letting your hand get into the cutter head. Simple enough but am wondering if there are some dos/donts you all have for working on the jointer. I always use push blocks when face jointing and edge jointing smaller stock and I only take off 1/32 per pass regardless of how much I have to mill. Thoughts?

1) Don't be trippin' when you're jointing. The blades are not as fascinating as you think they are.
2) Don't lift the jointer up by its ears. It hates that.
3) Always make sure the travel path of your feet is clear of any objects.
4) Never wear gloves.
5) If you're going to fall, fall backwards not forwards (so wear a helmet.)

That is all.

[Mark e Kessler]

U are gona get alot of blow back on #4, lol...

1) Don't be trippin' when you're jointing. The blades are not as fascinating as you think they are.
2) Don't lift the jointer up by its ears. It hates that.
3) Always make sure the travel path of your feet is clear of any objects.
4) Never wear gloves.
5) If you're going to fall, fall backwards not forwards (so wear a helmet.)

That is all.

[John TenEyck]

Never joint anything shorter than about 10". Use a hand plane for those.

John

[Patrick Kane]

Tim,

Most safety measures are as simple as you put it. Being safe around a table saw is as simple as "dont put your hand in the spinning blade". As far as the jointer, if you use push blocks for all face jointing, then you are most of the way there. I think the majority of jointer accidents involve people putting the heel of their right hand into the cutterhead as they push the end of the board through the cut. For the most part, if you keep your hands on the outfeed table you are out of harm's way. For edging, Ive seen it taught where you constantly reposition your hands a foot above and over the cutterhead in an arc as you feed the board. In this case, i would suggest minding your pinky. Dont hang it out there like you are drinking tea with the queen. I always keep my thumb on the top o the board if i can to keep my hand from falling down. You want to push into the fence and forward and not so much downward into the table/cutterhead.

What guard do you have? I like a euro bridge guard for edging. You can set it low and very tight to the fence to make it all but impossible to injure yourself.

[Tim M Tuttle]

Tim,

Most safety measures are as simple as you put it. Being safe around a table saw is as simple as "dont put your hand in the spinning blade". As far as the jointer, if you use push blocks for all face jointing, then you are most of the way there. I think the majority of jointer accidents involve people putting the heel of their right hand into the cutterhead as they push the end of the board through the cut. For the most part, if you keep your hands on the outfeed table you are out of harm's way. For edging, Ive seen it taught where you constantly reposition your hands a foot above and over the cutterhead in an arc as you feed the board. In this case, i would suggest minding your pinky. Dont hang it out there like you are drinking tea with the queen. I always keep my thumb on the top o the board if i can to keep my hand from falling down. You want to push into the fence and forward and not so much downward into the table/cutterhead.

What guard do you have? I like a euro bridge guard for edging. You can set it low and very tight to the fence to make it all but impossible to injure yourself.

I just have the stock guard that came with my jointer (Steelex ST1101, same as Grizzly G0490X).

I don't think table saw safety is as simple as put it because that doesnt account for kickback. But that's for another thread I guess

[Darcy Warner]

I don't use a guard on my 30" jointer, I use gloves sometimes.

[John TenEyck]

I don't use a guard on my 30" jointer, I use gloves sometimes.

I thought the OP was asking about safe working practices.

John

[Darcy Warner]

I thought the OP was asking about safe working practices.

John

It's how I feel safe using a 30" machine.

[Jacob Reverb]

Somewhere I heard jointers are one of the leading sources of injuries in WW, probably because people aren't as careful around them as around spinning saw blades.

One thing I always think about is kickback, and where my (pushing) hands would go if the workpiece suddenly disappeared...

[Dylan Wyatt]

When edge jointing, my left hand is always on the outfeed table side holding the board down/against the fence. Left hand is pushing the board through. For normal width (6"-8" boards) when my left hand is within 2' of the blades, my thumb goes to the top of the board and I push with the side of my hand with ALL of my fingers curled making a fist. When I was in school, the shop teacher showed me a picture of his uncle with all of his fingers jointed to the length of his ring finger, say no more, always curl those fingers.

50% of woodworking safety is always knowing where your hands are in relation to the blade and how they would move if something unexpected happened. The other 50% is don't be dumb, if it seems sketchy, it probably is. I've had one accident with the tablesaw, I touched the side of the blade when trying to catch a piece of scrap, I was tired and aggravated with the project I was working on. Know when it's time to take a break and go for a walk.

[Jacob Reverb]

When edge jointing, my left hand is always on the outfeed table side holding the board down/against the fence. Left hand is pushing the board through. For normal width (6"-8" boards) when my left hand is within 2' of the blades, my thumb goes to the top of the board and I push with the side of my hand with ALL of my fingers curled making a fist. When I was in school, the shop teacher showed me a picture of his uncle with all of his fingers jointed to the length of his ring finger, say no more, always curl those fingers.

I agree with curling the fingers to somewhat protect them, but I'm always leery of putting my hands past the cutter. Just as with putting your hand on the far side of a tablesaw blade, in the event of a kickback, your hand (along with the workpiece) could be kicked back toward the cutter or blade, though it's less of a concern with a jointer than a saw...the jointer is one tool where I almost always use push blocks/push pads, particularly with small workpieces.

[glenn bradley]

It's how I feel safe using a 30" machine.

The jointer in Maloof's shop. Canvas backed like some tambours.

Sams jointer.jpg

Wish I would've gotten better pics of it. I keep meaning to drop by.

[Darcy Warner]

The jointer in Maloof's shop. Canvas backed like some tambours.

Sams jointer.jpg

Wish I would've gotten better pics of it. I keep meaning to drop by.

I think Suva made those.

I have enough of the fold up sections to make a gaurd for my 30, it doesn't take much width until a conventional style gaurd makes the jointer almost impossible to use.

[Brian Holcombe]

I like those fold down guards, they’re a smart and practical design. I used one on a Martin and found it’s a great guard in my opinion. Nice to have to walk around the guard.