Jointer

[Wannabe]

Good morning y'all. I am fairly new to wood working. I purchased a new 6" bench top jointer not to long ago and wanting to know. Does the outfeed table rise or lower in conjunction to the blade height? I haven't been able to find an answer in the manual, or in a youtube video. All suggestions and comments very much appreciated. Thanks. Stay cool and healthy my friends!

 

[RickR]

The outfeeld should be dead flush to the cutting edge. Your manual should describe how adjustments are made: on some you adjust the blade, others the table.

 

[Wannabe]

The outfeeld should be dead flush to the cutting edge. Your manual should describe how adjustments are made: on some you adjust the blade, others the table.

Thanks Rich, I will read the manual again and see what it states?

 

[Brian Patterson]

A jointer raises and lowers the feed table - the outfeed is fixed. You will want to confirm the fence is square to the table before each use and start with a shallow jointer cut to determine how the wood species will behave, if the grain is running correctly and how well the roughsawn lumber is laying against the fence. While feeding the stock, emphasize pressing the wood against the fence and on the outfeed table - let the wood'float' across the infeed table portion to avoid an uneven edge that can come from a slight 'rocking' motion as the wood transitions from infeed to outfeed. The fence and outfeed are the reference surfaces you use to attain a square, flat surface result. (This won't take long to get used to...)

I usually run my stock through a planer first to get what is called a 'reference' surface that will let me judge when I've gotten a clean, square cut off the jointer. A carpenter's square is needed to determine when your edges are square - along with the desired thickness dimension you are going after.

If you get chatter or slight surface chipping in the wood surface during the planer or jointer cuts, the grain is going in the wrong direction. Turn the stock around and see if it runs quieter and gives a smooth finished cut. Start with shallow cuts to avoid wood waste and deal with the denser species that respond better to shavings vs. deeper cuts. I seldom remove more than 1/16" at a time with hardwoods - pine cuts much quicker but cut quality is what matters - find the cut depth that makes the cleanest surface.